It's Magic --- PART II - Chapter 13

Hiss. Another threat.

Chapter 13

 

        It’s really late in the afternoon when I wake up. And the motion I make as I rouse myself also wakes him up as well. He yawns then, which is really cute of him to do.

        “You’re at peace when you sleep, Kate.” He says with a smile right after he yawns.

        “Oh really? I guess I am.” I say. “By the way, am I snorting?”

        “I told you, you’re at peace when you sleep,” He says as he laughs, and he embraces me. “I still miss you, Kate.”

        I pinch his nose. “I also do, Kevin. I miss you, too.”

        And then he pinches mine. “I know right?”

        I break from the way we’re wrapped around each other then I pinch his cheek hard and I run for the trees deeper in the meadow, and then he comes after me. We are chasing each other for a tickle. It is fun, and… heartwarming. It’s like I want to be with Kevin for the rest of my life. Because every moment with him is magic, and each magical moment feels like forever.

        The thought makes me smile, but how about Ron? Ron!

        I realize that I think I have stopped thinking about Ron lately. Is this because of Kevin that I am close to forgetting him? Maybe, but I really have no idea. I’m always preoccupied.

        I slow down. It is then that I realize that he’s already behind me, ready for a tickle. Instead of speeding up, I turn to him, spreading my arms, maybe to hug him tight. And instead of tickling my sides, he wraps his arms around my waists, his hands meeting at my back and then he embraces me, almost like hugging me and he lifts me. I just let my arms spread, feeling the afternoon breeze here in the meadow and some dried leaves fall unto us, as he turns the two of us around, laughing at ourselves, which feels magical.

 

        We return to the hotel we checked in, playfully walking on the way since he holds my hand really tight and sway it forwards-backwards as he keeps on leaping like a child. And as we get inside, he drags me to Sweet Cold Refreshments room.

        There, while still holding my hand, the smile on his face never fades as he looks in amazement at the colorful Frozen Icings, Creamy cakes, Iced Shakes, and most of all…

        “Ice Cream!” He yells like a kid, and after seeing those, he runs, dragging me, again, to the area and points his fingers on colorful cones of ice cream through the glass rack.

        “I love to eat ice cream!” He says playfully. “Let’s get some, my treat.”

        “Sure, why not?” I say, and my face brightens. Oh, Kevin.

        He orders politely at the saleslady, who seems to like Kevin, that only if looks could melt, he’d be liquid instantly! He gets Cookies and Cream, since as he says, “that’s my favorite flavor,” and he made me choose a flavor. Cheesy-Vanilla is what I chose. I hope it tastes good!

        We walk out of the room, and we’re headed nowhere, to the verandah, maybe? I’m about to lick on mine when I see that his ice cream is almost half consumed by now. It seems like he’s too addicted on the ice cream that he didn’t mind the stains on his chin and around his lips.

        “Kate? Is something… wrong?” He asks. It is then I realize that I am just staring at him, in my face lies the look of being amused. Yeah �" amused, because of the way he is. This is his childish side, and instead of being disgusted with him, it seems like I like him more.

        “Oh, nothing really, Kevin.” I say as I giggle, then I lick on my ice cream before adding, “Anyway, don’t you mind the stains on your face?”

        “Oh?” he says, and then he wipes those with his fingers. “You mean these?”

        “Yeah,” then I continue my business with my ice cream.

        But I am surprised when I see him suck the tips of the fingers he wiped with the stains. He then catches me looking at him and he flashes me a childish glare, so I just laugh.

        “You’re being childish, Kevin. But I like that about you.” I say, and then I pinch his cheek.

        “Ouch!” he exclaims. “It’s still ice cream, anyway.”

        “It is.” I confirm. And then his noise takes over us, the noise of chewing the sweet edible cone. And what surprises me is that he gets my ice cream when I’m about to lick on it again.

        “Kevin, give it back to me.” I demand.

        “No. You owe me a pinch. So I’m gonna eat your ice cream in exchange.” He says playfully, and then what surprises me more is that he chews through the cone and consumed all of my ice cream. Isn’t he disgusted with me? I mean, doesn’t he mind eating the ice cream that I have been licking? The thought makes me blush. “I call it quits!” He says then, childishly.

        “Yuck, Kevin… Yuck.” I say.

        “Why? Are you disgusted of your own self?” He counters, which mocks me in a way.

        “N-no, but you shouldn’t do it again. It’s unsanitary.” I say.

        “Well, since we’re brother and sister, we don’t mind, right?” He says in a childish way. By the way, Kevin has been acting so childish and so weird today. That even some of his speech makes no sense at all. But maybe I just don’t get his point?

        “Right, Kate?” He asks again, grinning, which takes me back to my senses.

        “Y-Yeah…” I answer with a smile. “We’re brother and sister.” I confirm.

        He chuckles then. “That’s why I love you, Kate.” The line instantly renders me speechless.

        And quick like flash, his lips find my cheek as it makes a kissing sound, and then I blush. I give him a glance and I see that he smiles all along. And he “side-hugs” me gently then…

        It’s a good thing that there are no people around, or they’ll be teasing us.

        He pulls me closer, and all I can feel is the race of my heartbeat alongside his warmth and the magic that surrounds the two of us.

        As we are passing through the hall, people increase in number, that’s to tell.

        “Hey, Kevin. I can manage myself, you know.” I try my best to sound as if I’m complaining, but I fail, of course. His aura is too powerful and sensitive to pretend.

        “Yeah, but I’d like to stay like this with you for a while.” He says as he pulls me closer and embraces me tighter. “Do you mind?”

        “I don’t.” Then I smile sweetly at him, left with no choice. And I put my arm around his waists, my hand on his hip. My Gosh, he has that sexy spot! He smiles at me as well.

        “Now we look like boyfriend and girlfriend. And I think, we’re good together, you know.” He says, and that makes me blush. Is he serious? “But we’re brother and sister, right?”

        And I sigh in relief, but a part of me feels… sadness.

        “Right.” I answer plainly.

        Then, as I turn, I see Mylene from a distance, staring �" maybe glaring sharply at… me? And I can see madness through her dark eyes. I don’t know what’s going on in her mind, but my instincts are telling me that this is something bad. I just ignore her and look the other way around. But beyond the corners of my eyes, I can still sense her eyes following me.

 

        It is about ten in the evening when I tiptoe out of the suite I was checked in and then I head straight to the fountain outside of the hotel. The cool evening breeze passes by which makes me feel cold; well, I’m just in my pajamas and sleeping blouse, so I can feel the temperature.

        As soon as I sit on the bench surrounding the fountain in a circular manner, a familiar voice, full of sarcasm, calls me, which seems to disturb my silent night.

        “Oh, you’re here, Kate.” She says with a sarcastic high intonation.

        I look at her, I stand up, and then I say in my usual manner with a fake smile. “Yeah… You too, Mylene…”

        Then, she passes by me like the gust of wind and walks with delicate steps, circling me slowly, with her usual frown, which seems to irritate me a bit.

        “What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask. She stops beside me then.

        “Nothing really,” she says and she flashes a smile, which is obviously fake. “How about you, Kate? What are you doing here?”

        “I just need some fresh air.” I say.

        “Oh, by the way, do you ever know Valentina?” she starts again, maybe in a forced-friendly way. But who knows, maybe this will be the start of our mending?

        So, I brightly answer. “Oh, yes. The snake girl…”

        “Exactly.” She says. “A snake, a writhing one… Valentina, she is. Even though she brings up the romance, she is still a snake.”

        “W-what do you mean?”  I ask, maybe offended. Well, I really don’t get the point yet!

        “What I’d like to say is… I think, Valentina had never been dead after all. Because she has been alive as someone.” She says while smiling weird again. “Well, do you know what she used to do when she was still alive?”

        “I �" I don’t know.” I say indifferently. “Why are you asking me these, anyway?”

        “Oh, never mind. Just to bring up some topic. By the way, don’t get us lost!” she says in a sarcastic manner. “Do you know that she used to steal boys she likes from their lovers when she was still alive?”

        I really have no idea where this is headed to, but I just ride on. I’d know about this later, anyway. “I didn’t know that.”

        “Well, now you know. And she used to be the one bringing up romance, as if she’s the leading lady.” She says in a soft tone now. “Even though she’s the real opposition…”

        I still can’t get the point, and it pisses me off, so I ask her directly, “What are you trying to say, Mylene?”

        “Simple. I just want to say that Valentina has been as good as alive as someone. I’m just sharing anyway. Is something wrong with that?” she says with her “affected” accent. Well, something’s really wrong right now!

        “Is that all?” I ask, unconvinced.

        “Not yet…” she says in a soft tone again. “Well, do you know who the exact replica of Valentina is?”

        “I �" I don’t know…” I say, indifferently.

        “Well, do you want me to tell you who she is?” she says softly, and I nod, to ride along, but truly, I’m pissed off and I’m just trying to conceal the disturbance inside me.

        With a hollow voice, she speaks rudely “it’s you!”

        “Me? Why me?” I ask, almost like a yell, because I am really surprised.

        “Because you’re a snake, Kate; a writhing snake.” she says innocently, as if she is.  And then she goes on with her “affected” accent, “And to tell you, snakes don’t belong anywhere, so you don’t belong here. You don’t belong anywhere, to be exact.”

        It could just be fine if she would just tell me that I’m like an animal, because I won’t understand what she really means. But she shouldn’t have slapped her point right into my face with the right conclusion for the existence of snakes. It feels bad, so bad and terrible, to make you feel like you belong nowhere in this world. Well, conflicting emotions are taking over me this time. I feel sadness, I feel remorse, I feel bad; plus the feeling that a person who is once your friend now drifts away from you and worse, antagonizes you.

        Something wet is on my face, and later on I realize that those are tears.

        “Why are you telling me those things? Why are you doing this to me, Mylene?”

        “Because I love Kevin.” She says like a hiss. “And you’re trying to steal him from me!”