whisper | rilaya

four

The girl blinked once, twice and then stared at me with wide eyes.

I didn't mind her staring at me like that, it gave me more time to admire her features in the moonlight.

"Who are you?" She questioned, her voice was barely above a whisper. The way she spoke and acted made it seem like she was in some sort of trance. We were here together yet her mind was in a completely different place.

My throat closed when I tried to reply to the pretty girl. Each time my mouth opened to speak, no words came out. I was sitting up by now, but she was still looking down on me from where she was located on the large rock.

Her head tilted to the side innocently while her eyebrows furrowed in worry as she began to notice my struggle. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I cleared my throat loudly and tried to act like my heart wasn't racing at a million miles a second.

"I'm Maya."

Without thinking, my hand reached forward to shake hers. She took it gently and shook twice before pulling away. A warm blush found its way to my cheeks despite the fact that I initiated the contact. Her hands were soft. Not because she moisturized everyday, but because she was born to be mistaken for an angel.

"What's your name?" I asked.

Her expression changed immediately when I asked her that question. Like I had triggered something in her. She looked down at her hands that were intertwined with each other and played with them nervously. "I don't- I don't know." She stuttered.

Her eyes had the same look that Farkle and Lucas had the day I met them. I started to wonder if my eyes would hold the same mystery in them if I stayed in this city long enough.

Standing up, I approached her carefully and sat beside her on the large rock.

Strategically, I sat about an inch away from her just so that I wouldn't scare off the girl. However, it appeared that she didn't appreciate the space. The second I sat down, she scooted over so that our knees were touching.

"What do you mean you don't know your name? Are you safe?" I tried my best to be patient with her but it's hard when the girl doesn't even know her own name.

She shrugged her shoulders carelessly, like she didn't know that answer to that question either. "I don't remember anything..." she trailed off.

The first thing I realized was that her eyes were heavy and struggling to stay open. Before I could act on that fact, the rest of her body became heavy too and she collapsed into my lap. My quick reflexes grabbed her before she fell to the floor.

The girl was tired. She wasn't tired from a lack of sleep. Something about her indicated that she was just physically exhausted from being alive. It puzzled me how there can be more than one way to be tired but here she was, contradicting everything I believed.

I figured it was best not to wake her up. A breath I didn't know I was holding was released when I saw her chest moving up and down.

At least she's alive and breathing.

She snored almost comically but I found it cute nonetheless. One of my arms wrapped itself under her thighs while the other around her shoulders. I stood up easily, surprised at how light she was. 

"Come on princess." I whispered to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Even though she appeared to be completely unconscious, for a split second I could've sworn that I saw the faintest smile appear on her lips.

~

Considering the added weight, it took me twice as long to take the two of us home.

My prayers were answered when I realized that both my mom and Shawn were already fast asleep. Not having to explain the extra body somehow made things a lot easier.

I tiptoed up to my room as quietly as I could, cringing at every squeak from the floorboards.

Once I made it to my room, I tucked her into my bed and shut the door behind me.

~

She rolled over in her sleep and kept mumbling to herself. I couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Her distress and restlessness created the illusion that she was having a nightmare.

I eventually decided that it was best to give her space so I chose to sleep on the floor beside my bed in a pile of old blankets.

It was strange, to say the least. She was strange. I had so many unanswered s questions that I knew had to wait until the next morning.

Where did she come from? Why was she out so late at night? Where is her family?

I didn't bother trying to sleep when my mind was running this wild. The room was silent other than her uneven breathing and my loud glare at the ceiling.

"Maya..?"

The sound caused me to jump up from the ground. "Yeah?" I replied lowly.

"Can you sleep with me? I'm having nightmares." Her voice was gentle yet shaky, like a little girl who was scared of the dark.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly and yawned, tugging the blanket close to her chest. Everything about her was so admirable, and her beauty was addicting. If I stayed still in my spot and stared at her for hours on end, I still wouldn't be satisfied.

I nodded my head wearily and got up. "Okay."

The second I laid down on the twin sized bed beside her, she curled into my side lovingly and went back to sleep.

An uncontrollable grin formed on my face that made me glad she couldn't see it through the dark.

A hot breath tickled my ear and sent sparks flying throughout my body.

"Riley." She whispered mysteriously. "My name is Riley Matthews."