Life, Death, and Strange Encounters

Unpleasant dreams woke me up earlier than usual. I stared at the ceiling, not bothering to get up yet. Lucy and I had been Isaac’s guests for exactly two weeks now and I knew what that meant. I hadn't forgotten my promise to myself. That day, I was going to tell Isaac about my feelings. Now all I had to do was to conjure up some courage, because at the moment my heart was pounding like crazy and I had already thought of several reasons why I shouldn't go through with my plan. Yet, one small part of me told me it was the right thing to do. Even though I didn't believe Isaac would have serious feelings for me, I still hoped that the small gestures I had thought were hints really meant something. If he was completely indifferent towards me, why bother acting so warm? This just didn't make sense. If not more, I at least had a chance. Soon, I would find out.

I sighed and climbed out of bed. Sulking had never been my thing; I decided to get ready instead. Today was special and that cried out for extra effort. I knew Isaac had seen me in very different circumstances during the past two weeks, but I still felt the need to make myself as pretty as possible. My goal was to make an impression the moment he saw me. It would definitely have a positive effect. So, I rummaged through my wardrobe, hoping to find a special article of clothing. Finally, a dress I hadn't worn before caught my eye. It was dark red and strapless with a puffy layered skirt that reached my mid-thigh. Black lace was added as a decoration in all the right places. All in all, it was gorgeous. I also got some black tights to put underneath. I thought high heels would be too much with this dress, so I settled for a pair of black ballerina flats. When I had laid out the clothes on my bed, I went to the bathroom to clean up.

A long hot shower was exactly what I needed to calm down. When I was done, I wrapped a towel around me and blow-dried my hair. After that, I walked to the sink and brushed my teeth. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I tried to think of ways to tell Isaac, but in the end, I figured that it wouldn't go as planned anyway. The best idea was to just go with the flow and hope everything ends well. I pulled a brush through my hair and decided to let it flow freely down my back. It seemed to be the most natural way; I felt comfortable with simplicity.

Finished in the bathroom, I walked back into my bedroom to put on the clothes I had picked out. As I had thought, the dress looked amazing. I then put on my usual make-up consisting of dark eyes, a little bit of foundation and red lip gloss. When that was done, I slipped on my shoes and sighed. Now, all I had to do was find Lucy and tell her of my plan. I couldn't go through with it without some reassuring words from my best friend.

Lucy was in her room, thankfully, so I did not have to go walking around the castle where I could have accidentally bumped into Isaac before I was ready to confront him. When I came in, she looked mildly surprised and jumped up to hug me. She had been sitting on the bed with Damien. Fortunately, they were clothed.

"What is it, Jo? You look worried. Nice outfit by the way!" She winked. Damien whistled, which earned him a smack from Lucy.

I chuckled. "Thanks, but I actually came to tell you something important." Taking a deep breath, I burst it out. "I'm going to tell Isaac about my feelings."

Lucy stared at me, completely in shock. Then she took my hand and looked deeply into my eyes. “Are you sure?“

Nodding, I tried to explain myself. “I’ve been meaning to that for some time now. I wouldn’t be able to function properly anymore if I didn’t go through with this. Lucy, I love him with all my heart!“

At that, Damien jumped up and ran to me. “You love him?! And you haven’t said a thing?“

I looked at him as if he was insane. “Of course I haven’t told him yet! Come on, how big are the chances that he loves me back? I didn’t want to get hurt, but now I just don’t care anymore. I need him to know, no matter what the consequences.“

Damien shook his head, unbelieving. “Darling, do you have any idea what you’ve put him through? He loves you too! I can see it in his eyes and by the way, he constantly talks about you. You would have saved the both of you a lot of heartache if you had said something sooner.“

Shaking my head, I refused to believe what I was being told. “If he has feelings for me, why hasn’t HE said anything? I’m not usually confident enough to make the first move. I’ve been hurt so much in the past! Why has he been silent, too?“

He looked at me with compassion. “Because just like you, he’s been hurt badly in the past. I guess he just didn’t believe he stood a chance with such an amazing girl like you.“

I blushed at that comment. “Well, there have been moments I thought I had a chance. It seemed he was giving me hints, but I was never sure.“

Damien rolled his eyes. “Damn it, girl, have some faith! He was definitely hinting something, he was just too scared to say anything straightforward.“

I sighed. “Then I will go through with this. I’m tired of waiting.“

He smiled. “Good for you. I would wish you luck, but you really won’t need it. You will be together in no time.“

I chuckled. “I certainly hope so.“

Hugging Lucy and Damien, I went on a search for Isaac. This time, I had a smile on my face. Of course, Isaac had to make finding him as difficult as possible. He wasn’t in his room, his office or any other place I checked. After a while, I was losing hope. Then it struck me, I hadn’t looked in the library! The chances of him being there were quite high and so I made my way towards the room, my heart pounding. I tried to force my heart to calm down by taking deep breaths, but nothing worked. I only had to hope I didn’t stutter out of pure nervousness when I was trying to confess my feelings to him, otherwise I would have felt thoroughly humiliated.

I came to the big wooden door and pushed it open quietly. Walking into the room, I looked around. The man I had been looking for was sure enough sitting in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace, reading. His face was hidden by his hair that had fallen over his eyes. He didn’t see me coming in and I didn’t think he heard my steps nearing him, either. But when I had almost reached the chair he was sitting in, he suddenly looked up and his eyes locked with mine. I was taken aback and I think my heart did somersaults in my chest. Quickly, I overcame that feeling and smiled at him. He returned the smile and beckoned for me to come closer.

I moved so that I was standing in front of him. Having trouble looking into his eyes, I fidgeted with the hem of my dress. “Isaac, I have something I need to tell you.“

Isaac seemed concerned for a moment and jumped up from the chair, but when I smiled at him, he calmed down, although still remaining standing. “I also have something to tell you. But you first. What is it, darling? You know you can tell me anything.“

“What I want to tell you is very important, so please don’t say anything until I’m done. Okay?“

He nodded in agreement and I took a deep breath, looking into the gleaming eyes of the man before me.

“Isaac... The thing I want to tell you has been burning in my heart for as long as I’ve known you. It’s not a long time that we’ve been acquainted, but I feel as if I’ve known you for centuries. It’s just that I feel so warm and secure when you’re around. What I want to tell you is that... I love you. I’ve loved you since the day we met and I can’t seem to do anything about it. When Lucy and I came here, I made a vow to tell you about my feelings when two weeks have passed and now I’ve come to do it. I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same about me, but I just had to tell you. I just... Isaac, please just tell me that you don’t want me and it will all be ov-“

And at that exact moment, I was interrupted with a kiss.

The kiss was unbelievable, at first my mind couldn’t register what was happening and then it just refused to believe. But soon, I found my hands tightening around Isaac’s neck and pulling myself even closer. Since he didn’t seem to be letting go anytime soon, I closed my eyes that had been wide from shock and surrendered to the moment.

I had never been kissed like that before. That kiss held all the passion and love that had been bottled up, it was gentle and sweet, yet powerful and demanding. It made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

After what seemed like eternity, we pulled apart. I lifted my gaze and looked into his eyes; the look in them was indescribable, it made chills run down my spine. Did his eyes really hold love?

He smiled at me. A smile that lit up his whole face and warmed my heart. “That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you. I love you, Johanna. With every fiber of my being.“

I laughed out of pure happiness and relief. I put my hands around him and pulled him close, never wanting to let go again. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Isaac? I thought you gave me little hints, but I was never sure. And I was just too scared to say anything. Do you remember that night when you kissed me? Why didn’t you say anything after that?“

Isaac sighed and looked regretful.“I was scared too, darling. I didn’t mention the kiss because I was drunk that evening and didn’t know if what happened was true, it seemed as a beautiful hallucination. You didn’t say anything either, so I just assumed you thought it was a mistake and didn’t want to remember it. But now I know. And I am so glad it is not too late.“

I smiled. “It is never too late and I mean it. You are my other half, I’ve been waiting for you. I know it, I feel it in my veins.“

He took my hand in his, eyes suddenly full of concern. “Johanna, there is something else I need to tell you. I don’t want to, but I must. It’s just that you might not think of me the same way after you hear it. Heck, you might think I’m a lunatic! But I can’t lie to you anymore. So now I ask you to please listen to what I have to say and not judge me, for what I tell you is the complete truth.“

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, as I understood that it was going to be something very important and serious. Gulping, I nodded my head, but didn’t let go of his hand. Isaac’s eyes locked with mine and he began.

“I promise I have never meant to lie to you, but there have been things left unsaid, things of severe importance. But now that I know how you feel about me, I cannot be silent anymore. I know that Jonathan once confused you with tales of our grandfather. Actually, he is the centre of all that I’m going to tell you. You see, my grandfather… He is Death. Literally. He collects people’s souls after they have died.

As you might gather, I’m not normal. I’m actually over 200 years old, but I haven’t aged a day since I became 24. Our father, Death’s son, is the king of our world of Avalon. Yes, Avalon really exists in a parallel universe, where all creatures long gone from this world still roam the earth. My mother is of elven descent, she wasn’t immortal before like us, but when she married my father, she also became immortal.

There are very many creatures in Avalon, vampires, elves, wizards… Damien is actually a vampire. But don’t worry, he doesn’t drink human blood and he really loves Lucy, so nothing bad will happen to her!

I wanted to tell you this now, because I love you so much, I want to take you with me to Avalon, to visit my parents. I understand if you think I’m completely out of my mind, but please try to believe me!” Isaac pleaded.

I sat very still, my face pale and eyes wide. I then looked into Isaac’s eyes. God, he was really nervous, waiting for me to react somehow. Or to run…

I gulped. “When I was little, I saw a ghost in my grandmother’s house. I’m certain it happened, so why shouldn’t I believe that there exists another world? I know you wouldn’t lie to me and you don’t seem crazy. And that book about Avalon… It was so precise! I couldn’t believe one would make up everything that was written there. And also… being a supernatural being would explain why everybody in this house is so damn perfect.”

Isaac’s lips turned into a wide smile. “So you don’t think I’m a lunatic?”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “I don’t.”

He grabbed me and squished me in a hug. “Let’s go tell Damien and Lucy that you know!”

I was shocked. “Lucy knows already?”

Isaac nodded. “I spoke telepathically to Damien just before I started explaining things to you. He told Lucy at the same time.”

“Okay… But I have one question. You said you haven’t aged since you turned 24. But then, if you’re immortal and doesn’t age, doesn’t your father look like he’s 24, too?”

He laughed. “Ah, well, it’s difficult to explain, actually. My father started aging again when he took the throne 500 years ago, but very slowly. He now looks about 40. My mother aged with him, but they are both immortal. When I become king in 50 years time, I will also start aging, and they will stop. So we age only the period we are ruling. I have no idea why it is that way, but it’s been like that since the beginning of time. The other creatures, not of noble blood, are not immortal. They age very slowly; the average life span is 1000 years. Each monarch rules a total of 550 years and then retires.”

“Uh, this sounds confusing…”

“It is, trust me. But I will give you all the books about Avalon in my library - you can study them when you have the time. Maybe then you can understand my world better.”

I nodded and he took my hand. Now that I knew for certain he was in love with me, my heart almost stopped at his touch. Together, we made our way back to the living quarters. We burst into Lucy’s room, at which she jumped up and came running to me, giving me a bone-crushing hug.

“Did you hear all that cool stuff about Avalon? Jo! Did you hear?!” She squealed.

“Yes, I heard, you crazy woman. Stop strangling me.” I laughed and tried to push her off. “What are you so happy about? You should be shocked as hell!”

Now it was her turn to laugh. “Damien showed me his teeth!” And she clapped her hands like a happy 6-year-old. Isaac and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Seriously, I sometimes doubted Lucy’s sanity. But she was completely harmless, so I had learned to just ignore it.

After the first big surprise had worn off, Isaac and I decided to go swimming in the pool and leave the two freaks alone.

We both grabbed our swimming gear and made our way towards the pool, hand in hand. When we had reached the first floor, Isaac suddenly stopped walking and pulled me towards him, holding me close.

He lowered his head and smelled my hair. “Ah, it’s so good I can finally hold you like this.” I hummed as an agreement. He then looked up and brought his hands to cup my face, kissing me tenderly. I closed my eyes and let the feeling of pure bliss take me away. Then, we heard a scream from the top of the staircase.

Looking up, we saw Helena watching us with complete horror. We looked at each other and then back at her. Smiling, we lifted up our joined hands for her to see. She let out another scream and ran away, sobbing with a sound as if she was choking. I rolled my eyes. “You would think she’d have got the idea by now…“ Isaac chuckled. “I’ve always made myself clear that I wasn’t interested in her. In the end, it doesn’t even matter, you’re the only woman I need.“ He kissed my hand that was still joined with his and my heart swelled with joy.