***635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ktcvVu820
I don't know what I was expecting Zuhrah to be, but it sure as hell wasn't this. A dark skinned beauty, with thick kinky tresses, and small. Very small, probably not passing 110 pounds, and about 5'5" long, the tips of her tail flicking up and down as she speaks. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FhcaWE52n
After Kwamé carried me down over his shoulder, I arrive to find a river mumma sitting there as if she belongs there. I guess she does. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHgSyHeiqr
"Nya," she says with a smile. "I wasn't expecting you to be so... charming." She exchanges a knowing look with Akatua, which I am briefly curious about, but shake it off for the sake of learning. I know that it's cold, and furthermore, my feet are in the water that is probably the temperature of a refrigerator but strangely... I don't feel the cold. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxTpHFDlKt
How odd. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphQdqGOIKL
"There are two main ways in which she can attack you," Zuhrah says, bringing me back to the here and now. "She can charm you with her energy, or she could control you with your blood."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPyjUKku9W
My blood runs cold just then, and for a second, I feel every ounce of chilliness in my environment coming into me. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChzV6fTCNZ
"You mean like... blood bending in Avatar?" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0anzI9eqJ
"Exactly like that," she tells me. I bite my lip and close my eyes in a futile attempt to relax. I'm not even going to ask how she knows what Avatar the Last Airbender is. "We can manipulate water, and blood is mostly water, so... You're gonna have to resist her attempts to charm you, and hope that she doesn't try that creepy blood crap on you."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmeHsmukn3
"What if she does?" I ask her. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DE6XRHfrG
"That's why it's good to have Kwamé around," she tells me, yo which Kwamé grunts. "He's dead, so she can't hurt him like that." She shifts he'd gaze to Kwamé. "The only thing he needs to learn how to do is-" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj14U2EOppJ
"Don't even go there," Kwamé growls, his eyes glowing red for the third time today. I'm actually getting used to it, which isn't a good sign. I'm really beginning to wonder what's wrong with him. There has to be some external stresser, maybe more than one, that is/are bothering him. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8w2wAakYo
"Jesus, Kwamé what's with you?" Zuhrah asks. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMM2e4qt9cP
"I'm perfectly fine, Zuhrah," he answering in a clipped tone. Everything is just perfect." He doesn't even attempt to mask the thick sarcasm in his voice. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbig8oGWKts
"Okayyyyy," Zuhrah replies, stretching out the end of the word. "Anyway, I'm going to try to teach you to resist both."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yRQ0nmW6O
"How am I supposed to resist a blood bender?" I ask frantically. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqK0b0ehoQ
She shakes her head while smirking at my choice of words. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBL3pikTs0t
"Trust me, you can." Something about the way she says it let's me know that there is more to the story. I don't ask, however, because I know that their answers will only piss me off. So instead, I ignore it. Instead, I fucus on Zuhrah, the way her scales sparkle in the moonlight. I focus on her beautiful face, her smile, and her voice as she hums a tune that I don't recognise. There's something more than that, though. There's this every, this pull that's coming from her. It's not tangible, but-635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWGKk80lhb
I fall face first into the water. Luckily, my face lands on her submerged tail instead of the jagged rocks under the water. I hear Kwamé snickering behind me, and I turn to glare at him as my face heats up. He tries unsuccessfully to stifle the laugh, but the sound of his chuckling still colours the night air. I have to admit, I am happy that he's feeling some positive emotion. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX91iL3bK2
"Yeahhh," Zuhrah remarks looking slightly amused as well. "Now you need to learn how to not do that. Sit back and close your eyes." I do as she says, even though I know that this will probably be a lot harder than the challenge that she just gave me. At least I have an idea of what to expect. As always, it sounds better in my head, because about two seconds after I close my eyes, the pull that she's emitting becomes so much worse. The worst part is that she's silent, and so are Kwamé and Akatua. Therefore there's nothing to distract me from her energy. It feels as if it's targeting my heart, pulling me forward. In an attempt to protect myself and save my pride, as I'm still embarrassed to have fallen face first onto the water, I attempt to move backwards, put physical distance between us. This, of course, would have made more sense if I were to open my eyes before trying to move. I don't though, so I go spiralling towards the ground. Or, at least, I would have if it weren't for Kwamé, who catches me. As I look up into his grey eyes turned silver by the moonlight, it's almost as if I forget Zuhrah. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLouUOKqXM
"Young love, capable of so many miracles," Zuhrah says. I see an unnamed emotion in his eyes that disappears the second Zuhrah speaks. He sets me upright and let's me go. I feel remarkably cold, inside and out when he does. He turns to make his way back to the car up the slope. I turn to see him walking swiftly without a backward glance. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOye5WVno54
"Come on, Kwamé, I was just joking," Zuhrah insists. He ignores her, of course. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPGlCulwj8
"You know you have to take Nya back up when we're done, right?" Akatua remarks. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Iq6nD2Owg
"She can climb," he retorts coldly. The ice in his voice is undeniable, and it makes me shiver, goosebumps breaking out uncomfortably all over my skin. That's the last thing I hear from him before he opens and closes the car door, entering it. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡol0kLQqHgA
That's all it takes for my entire mood to take a dramatic turn. Suddenly, I'm no longer in the mood to learn how to fight. I feel hurt. Funny how you can not give a crap about what people say for all your life, and then one person changes everything. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwusOWcAVm
"That wasn't nice," Akatua says with pity, coming over to me to hold my hand. The air has shifted; the previously light and playful but serious atmosphere has become something dark and sinister. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3iYxsSUDe
"You can come back, you know," Zuhrah remarks. "I doubt she'll strike so soon and I know her better than most." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweGKPPT6Pj
I feel weak. Not physically, but emotionally; I feel like a weakling for allowing a few words it affect me the way they have. Tears sting my eyes as I bite my bottom lip before it can start to tremble. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcdWYLd3Jw
" Yes," Akatua says,"I think it's best we leave." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSIYCclJzs
Sighing, I nod my head in agreement, a deep longing for my bed beginning to form. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgPUwwHHOC
"Bye, Zuhrah," Akatua mumbles. "Hope to see you again soon." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJGaZb5diJ
In all honesty, after the memories that tonight has made, I'm not sure if I share that sentiment. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzTmVh2ECC
***635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstK4yIIFB0
Kwamé came back to help me, but barely made eye contact as he did. I could tell that he wanted to apologise, but... he just didn't. Still, the visual of his silver eyes staring into mine under the moonlight is all that I've been able to think about of late. Even last night, when silver climbed into my lap as I sat up in bed, her grey eyes, silver in the dimmed light from the lamp reminded me of Kwamé's. Today, I'm working. I've gotten three orders wrong, something that I never do. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNN5FAgkxzR
"Sir, I'm so so sorry-" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3d12vYEdx7
"It's okay, dearie," the old man says with a gentle smile. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2wRuv2Mq8
I'm becoming too distracted by Kwamé. He's taking up too much of my head space. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhw7BjGR2K
Think about something else. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2b6ON16NR
Worth a try, right? Well, I do. I try to concentrate on the work that I'm supposed to be doing, but it's just so... boring. I have to admit, this job is rather mediocre for my taste. Not that it's a bad job... I'd much rather be in a lab experimenting on specimens, though. It's a pity that-635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBNFgYXIUh
"A coffee, please. No milk." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHnUkPdxx0
I stop my mental ramblings as I hear the man's low voice, which is apparently coming from somewhere beside me. I look, and sure enough, Kwamé sits there, his eyes looking more silver than grey today. The left corner of his mouth turns up in a half smile as he takes a seat at the table for two to my right. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtT9hQVRzl2
"What are you doing here?" I ask him. It wasn't an attempt at being rude or disgusting it was just a honest question. With the way that he's been treating me as if I'm some sort of pariah, I would never have expected him to turn up here of all places on a clear Saturday morning like today. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGeAvf4e7a
He sucks in his bottom lip, and then let's it put with a pop, which seems rather loud in the relatively quiet diner. Or maybe that's just me.635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxOhyVCevu
"I'm here to make amends," he tells me, taping his fingers on the red tablecloth, not breaking eye contact. "I want to take you out." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcMLMlAUeG
"Take me out?" I parrot, much like how Silver does it with everything I say. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7LYR0KMXO
"Yes. Not a date," he clarifies. I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of disappointed to hear that. Still, any time with Kwamé is good for me. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFtGGo2aal
"I can't right now, though," I tell him, hearing the disappointment in my own voice. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRsDgHw3qS
"Duh," he says with a grin, the word sounding so odd on his tongue. It makes me smile for a moment. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjW7PQv8wsL
"Um, so when then?" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWglTbLXzD
"When is your shift over?" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFo4Hm157Pn
"Four." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHX4OnmKOcw
"Then. After that, I'll take you home." The warmth in his voice is something that I've been missing lately. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTF8VwKsHT
"Okay. Oh gosh, I almost forgot that you ordered a coffee," I say, to which he rolls his eyes. "How many packets of sugar?" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfK9Owl9C9
"Two, thanks." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjENVnDMiTo
After that, Kwamé stays with me for the rest of the shift. If my memory was bad before, it's ten times worse now with Kwamé's presence. Every time I screw up, I hear him chuckling in the background. He even sits with me at one of the outdoor tables on my lunch break. Unfortunately, I'm still kind of out of it, because I spill my coffee on my hand. At least it isn't scorching hot, but warm, just how I like it. It's still uncomfortable, though. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtbUtLYil1
"Rass, man," I grumble under my breath as the warm liquid soaks my pants. As I said, the words are spoken under my breath, but loud enough for Kwamé to hear, and because he hears it, he just has to say something. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnecSUMLFYF
"Didn't know you were a potty mouth, Nya." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOuLM9QhBc
I simply roll my eyes and try to wipe it up with napkins. Pointless, I know. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHBTzUA0Oy
"So are you at times," I grumble, reminding him of his own language. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL68dZLgwqD
"You know that that's pointless, right?" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9BtBhqPqn
I exhale heavily, aggressively, almost as if I'm trying to shove the air out of my body. "What do you want me to do, Kwamé?" I ask him. He doesn't look taken aback by my aggressive behaviour at all. Instead, he purses his lips as if he's trying to hold in a laugh. When he finally calms down after a few seconds of this, he speaks.635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpg2cuhsEbD
"I want you to wait here," he says. "I'm getting clothes for yo-" 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SufIWP1L8
"Nya?" I cringe when I hear my name, because I know that voice. It's my boss, Mr. Andrews. "Nya, are you okay?" he asks, looking at the mess all over my clothes. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8CU6gTLJ6
"Yes," I say as calmly as I can. In actuality, my heart is ready to jump out my chest. With the way that my luck has been going lately, he's probably going to fire me. I remember being told that my proximity to my mother, living close to her and being near her almost every day neutralises my luck to some extent, which is just peachy. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwOWc9YSZ9
"You've looked out of it all day, hun," he states with concern. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrzoPDDI89
"I know, I have been."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPH1tiOGqS
He assess me for a minute almost as if he's trying to be extremely careful about how he chooses his next words. In the end, he settles simply with "Take the rest of the day off."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX7vwrTrWL
I'm so shocked my mouth hangs open, and I can't seem to close it. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroSiXgYqFa
"Seriously, you look like you could use it." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsR38qqNgoO
"Okay, thank you, sir," I say in a monotonous voice, not because I'm emotionless, but because I don't know how to express my emotions. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEukPSZlS7K
"No problem, dear."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iDAj4Xo8S
Kwamé doesn't take me out. Instead, he takes he straight home, where he insists on playing a board game. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgggE4koH1
"You must have a chess set somewhere around here," he insists as he searches my bookshelf in the living room. He waited until I was finished changing my clothes to search through my belongings. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDJVH6fz3k
"Somewhere around here," Silver says as she stands by Kwamé's heel, in a voice sounding a lot like his. I've always found their ability to mimic an individual's voice slightly alarming. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OE66DrkpL
"Silver is right by your heel. Please be careful." 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwa6x1jZJY6
"Don't worry about that, hun."635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oI3vkVyM7
When he calls me hun, it makes my skin flush. Odd, because I know that it's just a custom to say that for some Jamaicans (for example, Mr. Andrews), not necessarily having any feelings behind it, but for some reason, he elicits some deep seated response from me when he says it. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaJAwJ22p7
"Ah, here we go," he announces, causing me to snap out of whatever personal moment that I was having. I realise that I was looking through him, i.e. looking in his direction without seeing anything, something that I tend to do when I get lost in my thoughts. He pulls out a large box with a chess set inside, Silver now perched on his right shoulder. He carries it to the coffee table, and sits in front of it, both him and Silver looking at me, both of their eyes looking Silver, as the living room is semi dark; no lights are switched on, and the curtains for the window by the book case are muting the sunlight. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqP84RDxXI
We set up the board; he chooses black and I choose white. I take rather long, because I haven't played in a while. As I try to figure out how to position the King and Queen, I feel his eyes on me. I look up, and I can't place the emotion on his face. The only adjective that I can use to describe it is... intense. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4CzYxUEWb
"You know you're a pretty girl, right?" he asks me before I can question him. The question catches me off guard. The last thing that I was expecting from him was a complement. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrNvJsDCEA
"Uh, I guess," I mumble, not knowing quite how to respond to that. He responds to me by smiling at me, his eyes shining with... something. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9TpmSBlNS
"Okay, let's play some chess," he announces, causing my head to spin with the speed at which he changed the conversation. I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't want to speak on the topic further, or if he is actually eager, or if it's a mixture of both, but I don't object his decision. Still, I would be lying to myself if I say that I'm not confused as I begin to move the pieces of plastic around the patterned cardboard. 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmwFsvoQn0
***635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgLYLE7HY6
So what do you guys think? 635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0tjwVy1Lv
635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OP09CybQD
Please vote and comment, and share this story, because, ya know, it's not every day that you see a Jamaican paranormal story (although I put my own twist to it🙃).635Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD18cuTClA
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