Symbols of Strength

I ran and ran and ran; I never stopped running. The throbbing in my veins, the pulsating of fear inside my heart—I could feel it all. There was nothing I could do about it though. He was going to find me. Stomp, stomp, stomp, I heard in the distance. He’s closing in on me, what do I do? What can I do? Then there he was, standing in front of me with his muscled figure. His shirt was torn in multiple places, revealing his tanned, hairy chest. I nearly fainted, but his eyes stared so penetratingly into mine, I couldn’t drift off like I wanted to. It would be an easy escape, wouldn’t it? Just to pass out right now, and then I wouldn’t have to face him. I shook off the thoughts and looked into his sharp, blue eyes. They were made even clearer in contrast to his brown, disheveled hair.

“Why did you run?” He asks. I can only stare, open-mouthed at him. He squints, glowering as his cheeks turn a bright shade of red.

“Tell me, Saheli! Why did you run?!” Still I couldn’t respond. It would be so easy to just go unconscious right now. But, I never have such luck. Not ever. He seemed to see the hesitation in my eyes; he went down on one knee, his frustrated eyes shifting into calm ones, and caressed my cheek softly.
“Varick… I…” I kept trying to form a sentence in my head, but every time I went to say it aloud, it vanished. Here he is, right in front of me, and I couldn’t even work up the nerve to say what I want to. I kept talking big to my friends, saying if I had the chance, any day of the week, I would just say it. Why can’t I, then? What’s stopping me? I don’t even really know.

“You ask to meet me in person, and then you attack me and flee? What’s up with that?” Right… I was the one who’d torn his shirt, revealing strips of his gorgeous body. The glistening sweat on his chest made me feel faint again. In my mind, I reached out and stroked his silky smooth skin; but in reality, I was frozen in place.
He seems to be shouting something behind him. Even though I’m right next to him, I can’t hear his words. I’m too far gone. Then he turns back to me and helps me stand. At first I’m a bit wobbly, but I quickly regain my sense of balance.
He’s touching me!
I mutter gleefully under my breath. He looks at me, uncomprehending, and I shake my head. Shrugging, he starts leading me out of the courtyard, back to the plaza. My hands are shaking uncontrollably, I know they are, but Varick doesn’t seem to notice. As we push through the crowd to go back to our seats, I see my friends waving us down. Then what he said recurred in my mind. “You ask to meet me in person…”

What?! I never asked to meet him! I’ve always wanted to, but I never mentioned that to anyone but—Nadine jumps out of her seat and approaches us as we move out of the crowd. Speak of the devil! I think ruefully.
“What happened to ya? You, like, freaked out! Did you have an, like, allergic reaction to somethin’?” She questions invariably. I glare at her and her face turns into the picture of innocence.

“I feel like you’re upset for some, like, reason. Didja trip and fall in some mud or somethin’?” I don’t respond. Varick’s still touching me. There is silence for a few moments, and then he releases me and starts moving away.

“Well, I’d love to hang around, but I kinda ditched my family when I heard you wanted to meet me.” There it is… that bright, lovely smile that drew me in the first time. I cringe at the thought. Why does he have to look so perfect?!
He gazes at me coolly, briefly waves, and heads back towards his table. Once he’s out of earshot, I glare at Nadine.

“You told him, didn’t you? I sure didn’t tell him!” She shrugs noncommittally. “Eh, it’s not a big deal. Like, you weren’t going to tell him, so, as your, like, friend—someone had to do it!” Not a big deal!? She says it so casually, like it was bound to happen eventually. It just makes me even angrier at her.

However, instead of voicing my rage, I find the strength to ignore her and take my seat at our table again. Damion, another friend of mine, gently pushes a bang out of my face.
“Are you alright?” He asks. I want to flat out ignore him too, but that genuine concern on his face…
“I’m fine…” I brush him off. But he doesn’t drop the subject. Then again, he doesn’t take hints too well; there’s hardly a time where he drops things when I don’t want to talk about them. That’s why I like him so much.

“No you are not. Something is the matter. I understand if you have no wish to share your feelings with one such as me, but please do not lie to my face.” There he goes again! I can’t stand the way he makes me feel guilty about what I say. “Sorry, Damion… I just… had another moment. I don’t even know what caused it, but I know it happened.” I show him my shaking hand. He takes it and rubs my arm gently, calming the inner nerves. How does he do that?

“Is that the reason why Varick’s shirt was torn?” I nod.
“I can barely talk to the guy as it is… let alone tell him about my… moments.” He took another bite of a sandwich he was eating.
“Of course, but you also cannot expect to be in anything with him without explaining the situation. I am sure he was just as caught off guard as I was when…” He paused. Neither of us really wanted to remember what happened, but in the same way, we could never forget.

***

It happened when we first met. I was in the park and the shimmering faintly sun was, gently warming the breeze as it shuffled blissfully by.
“Saheli!” Nadine called out as I walked towards the area reserved by her family. Today was her little brother’s birthday; they invited me to celebrate with them. They never invite outsiders to their family gatherings, so it was quite the surprise to me. I sat on a nearby stone stool next to some of the other children and they all waved politely.
If I recall correctly… Cital was his name and he was turning… seven? Or maybe it was eight… I can’t really remember. As I snap out of my thoughts, I realize that Nadine is standing in front of me. She appeared to be deeply in conversation with me, but I haven’t heard a single word she’s said.
“Hey! Were you even listening to me at all?!” I shake my head. She rolls her eyes and points off in the direction of the park’s national tree. “Look, right there!” I do as I am bid and turn in the aforementioned direction. The tree stands tall, covered to the brim with moss and overgrown with millions of leaves. I think it’s at least twenty feet tall. I don’t see what she’s pointing at until I look at the base of the tree. My eyes seem to widen at the sight of the slender boy leaning on it, talking to a smaller boy who jumps and plays around him.
His light brown hair droops neatly on both sides of his face and the rest of it is pulled gently back into a small ponytail. He had deep green eyes, a slightly tanned complexion, a red striped shirt, and brown jeans. “He’s kind of cute…” I thought aloud. Nadine smiled slightly, nodding to herself.

“That’s my future husband. I call dibs!” She joked. As cute as he was, I already had someone who’d already stolen my heart. Then I felt her butt at my ribs with her elbow.
“What?!” I called out, rubbing the spot where she hit me.
“Go, like, meet him! Walk with him and, like, talk with him, and tell me what he’s like!” I looked venomously at her. “If you want to know about him, talk to him yourself!” I retaliated. She shook her head, grimacing.

“I tried to… while I’d rather not describe, like, details of what happened… let’s just say he, like, ended up with a slushy on his shirt and, like, thorns all on his right leg.” I sigh heavily.
“Fine. But if he touches me, my death is on your head.” She shrugs.
“I can live with that.”
As I walked up to the boy, his gaze turned from the boy to me. There was no suspicion in his expression, only curiosity. His green eyes looked me over once, and then he looked back at his little friend. I almost wanted to stop and turn back, but he’d already seen me, so I was going to go through with this. I stopped a few feet from him and waved shakily.

“Hi there.” He responded cheerfully. That really took me by surprise. Here I am, some random stranger he’s probably never even seen before, and he greets me so pleasantly?

“H-hi…” I whisper back. Gaining some confidence, I look straight into his eyes. “My name is Saheli Anette Ignatia. What’s yours, kind sir?” He cocked his head curiously.

“Salutations Miss Ignatia, I go by Damion. Damion Galen. How do you do?” He’s so calm, I think solemnly. “I am well, thanks for asking… I was just, um, wondering if… I could talk to you. I was… just strolling about and… um…” Oh no! I think ruefully. What should I say to him? I bet I look like a moron…

He held his hands up calmly. “It is quite alright, Miss Ignatia. If I understand correctly, your friend has a small crush on one such as me and wishes for you, her best friend, to speak to me and get to know me as a person, correct?” How’d he know that? I wonder.
“Uh, yes, if you don’t mind too much.” The little boy he’d been playing with jumped down from a lower tree branch and landed next to me.

“No! Mistah Damun’s playin’ wit me! Go away!” He shouted, but Damion patted his head softly. “We can play a bit later, Ian, worry not. I shall be back and we will have much more fun than we are now, is this a suitable exchange for a bit of my time?” The boy stared at him, considering this and weighing his options. Finally, he agreed and dashed off to play with some other little kids in the park. Then, Damion turns to me and smiles warmly.
“Where shall we go, Miss Ignatia?” I stared at him for a moment, and then lead him off to a corner of the park that was surrounded by many bushels of flowers. In the center of this closed area sat a small bench. This place was known as the Lover’s Cove, because this is where, stereotypically, most things involving romance happened. Contrary to the name, it had nothing to do with water or caverns. He leisurely seats himself on the bench and gestures for me to do the same. Hesitantly, I do so.
“So, now that you have my full, undivided attention… ask whatever it is you would like.” To be relatively honest, I hadn’t thought this far ahead. Now, I really didn’t know what I should say. We sit in silence for a while, him looking at me expectantly. Then, he seems to realize my lack of words, and smiles warmly again.
“I suppose I could start. I am sixteen years old; I come from an average family. We were not the richest, but we could not be considered poor. I usually got whatever I desired, but I never asked for much. I have two brothers and one sister. Ian, the eccentric boy you saw, Salina, and Vendette. We all love each other very much. I grew up in a small home in a rather dull neighborhood and…” He paused, seeming lost in his memories. Then he blinks rapidly and looks back at me, snapping out of his trance.
“Oh… was I saying something?” For the first time, I smiled back.
“I can’t recall.” Then I felt it: a strong throbbing in my arms. My skin was paling and my chest grew cold. I didn’t really take much notice of it though. He didn’t seem to either.
“Well,” He said looking at the sky. “Do you have any questions about me?” I shuddered, but not because of him.
“Just one. If, hypothetically, you were in grave danger… what would be your first response?” He looked curiously at me for a second, and then shrugged.
“I would make sure no one else was around me, and then I would do my best to dispatch of whatever danger is in my midst. I have no qualms with dying, though my family would disagree.” Sweat was forming down my back; my eyes were changing from a dull red into a bright yellow, and chills were going up my spine. This time he takes notice of it. “Miss Ignatia? What is the matter, you seem to be… changing?” He stands up urgently.
“Does this happen often? Is there anything I can do?” Outwardly, he still seems quite calm; but I can sense the surprise in his voice, while my own seems to have left me. The only one I can get out is—“Run.”
Black flames swirl around my body frantically and my eyes give off an eerie gray energy. Damion turns to run, but he stops and turns back around. “I refuse to leave you like this. If you can hear me, Miss Ignatia, I am going to attempt to suppress your… power.”
NO! I shout mentally. You’ll get yourself killed!
However, he charges forward and seems to pull a sword and a scroll out of thin air. Red energy oozes out of the tip of his blade as he seems to be writing on the parchment with it. White symbols form on it with each stroke, each glowing brightly and emanating a faint chiming sound.
But I know whatever it is, he’s going to die. Everyone who went up against this… monster… has died...! I can’t kill him, Nadine would never forgive me! My arm involuntarily swings forward, letting loose a cannon of the black fire. Dodge! I think grimly. However, he doesn’t react quickly enough. The flames make direct contact with his left shoulder and send him reeling backwards to land on his back. He shouts in pain, but stands and continues writing on the scroll. “Worry not, Miss Ignatia. As long as you do not give in to the darkness it shan’t consume you!”

Darkness? I think, confused. What’s he talking about… darkness?
He charges forward once more, his sword shimmering brightly behind him as he runs. No Damion! You’ve been wounded once already! His shoulder is bleeding badly, staining his shirt with dark red blotches. Then, a thought occurs to me.

“I have no qualms with dying, though my family would disagree.”
I no longer fear for him, but for his family. They would be devastated if he died. And they would hate me forever, being the one that so ruthlessly took his life. My heart thumped painfully at the thought. I won’t ever be able to live with myself.

My body dashes forward, covered in the black fire, and prepares to ram him head on. He brandishes his sword and strikes out at the right side of my hip. I stagger backwards, frantically hitting the spot where he cut me. What is that on his sword?! There is a white light showering from the cut and it burns like crazy, but no matter what I do it won’t go away!

What IS he?! He slashes out a few more times, hitting my arm, right leg, cheek, and hand. The light bleeds from each of them. Suddenly, the chills start fading away; I’m changing back to normal. Then I pass out.

When I finally come to, I’m lying in a hospital bed with bandages all over my body. The dark flames may burn whoever I fire them at, but they also slowly burn me as well. I sit up, a lightning bolt of pain shooting up my body. “Ah!” I grunt in pain. Despite how I feel, I look around the room. The room’s pretty empty: simple leather draperies fall from a barred window, a small wooden table sits at the foot of the bed, and a pile of neatly folded clothing lies on a chair near the door, waiting for me to change into them. Which room is Damion in? Is he alright? Oh, I hope he’s alright. I think grimly. Everything in my mind is such a blur; I can’t pinpoint any specific thoughts at the moment. However, I do know that I hurt Damion, that I had another moment, and that he fought me… to save me from… The door opens, immediately killing my train of thought.

“Good mornin’ sunshine, how’re you, like, doing?” It was Nadine. I wonder if she’s been here long. She takes a seat in the chair, moving the clothes on top of her lap. “Hi…” I reply glumly. I would have thought her to be angry with me. Yet, here she was, just as jubilant as she always was.

“Didja sleep well? You look, like, terrible!” She said sarcastically. I ignored the sarcasm and shrugged. “I don’t remember sleeping—only waking up. Is Damion here? Is he alright?” Her expression darkens at the mention of his name.

“What happened? Is he alright?” I repeated, more urgent this time. She nods slowly. “He’s pretty, like, banged up, but Mrs. Roland says he’ll, like, make a full recovery.” But something’s still wrong. There’s something she isn’t telling me.

“But,” There it is. “She also says he may never be able to use a sword at the same, like, level, ever again. The force behind his blow put too much pressure on his, like, arm and…” She couldn’t finish. As much as I wanted her to, I didn’t pressure her. It must hurt her much more than it hurts me. Her “future husband” may not even be able to protect her from danger; he’s been made weaker from my… mistake. I cost him his arm. And, looking back, I may have cost him his life.

It wasn’t until I had been in the hospital for at least a month before Mrs. Roland decided I was well enough to go home. Though, she didn’t allow me go to by myself. As I strolled down the stony path, Damion Galen walked leisurely beside me. He didn’t speak, neither of us did, but there was no malice between us. Every once in a while I would look at him. His left shoulder was bandaged and his arm was in a holster, suspended over his chest by a long strip of leather. He never returned my gaze. After half an hour, the silence became unbearable.
“Damion?” I inquired. Somehow, I expected him to lash out at me, to be angry at me for causing this to happen to him. To my surprise, he gave me that warm smile once again.
“Yes, Miss Ignatia?” I shake my head.
“Please, call me Saheli.” He nods. “Saheli it is.” Why isn’t he mad? I begin to wonder once again. “I was just wondering… what was that thing you were doing with your sword and that piece of paper?” He ponders this for a moment, reflecting on what happened before.
“That is a family secret passed down from generations to me. I had not a clue it would come to be useful so soon.”
“Does it have a name? Is it some sort of special technique..?”
He scratches his head. “Not that I know of, though, it is very possible. Yet, I sense these are not the questions you truly wish to ask me. What is on your mind?” He does it again! How?! I hug myself with my arms and look down at the ground, stopping in place. Damion stops with me, looking genuinely concerned. Maybe he’s a really good actor… maybe all of this sentiment is faked… maybe—no… this is the real Damion.

“Is… is it true what they say? That you may never be able to use your sword the way you did before… ever again?” Finally I said it. I breathed a sigh of relief, finally getting my thoughts off of my mind. His smile faded as he looked up into the sky. It was covered in thick, gray clouds. The smell in the air gave hints that the clouds were ready to burst at any given moment. The sun was setting as well, giving off a purple evening hue as it sank into the horizon. He sighs.
“It is not true.” I almost cheered up and jumped to hug him, but he continued.
“I will not be able to even hold a sword ever again.” It hit me like a slap in the face. I ruined his life, and there was no way I would ever be able to make up for it. Then, he smiles at me again. “But, I still have my right arm. Though, I may not be as coordinated with it, I can still learn to wield my blade with it instead.” I gave a half-hearted smile. Maybe I hadn’t completely ruined his life. Walking over to him, I took his free hand in my right palm and covered it with my left.

“Until you do, I promise to be your sword.” He tilted his head curiously. “You really do not have to—” I shook my head.

“It is the very least I can do, Damion.” Seeing that I was not going to take no for an answer, he nods slowly.

“As you wish, Miss Ignatia.” He thinks for a bit. “I mean, Saheli.”

***

Damion looks curiously at me. “What are you thinking about?” I shrug.
“I’m just… remembering, that’s all.” He stifled a laugh.

“So I shall assume you did not hear a word I just said?” My eyes grew wide as I looked around. Most of the people were gone aside from Nadine and her family, and a few other families I don’t know.

“No, no I didn’t. What were you saying?” He pats my head.
“I was just talking about how delicious the pie one of the Baker’s brought. It is quite the shame they devoured it before you came out of your vice-gripping trance.” I stood up frantically, looking around the campsite. He was right: there was no more cake. I whined aloud, throwing my hands in the air, frustrated.

“Why didn’t you hit me or something? Jerk!” He smiled.
“I was told the last thing you would want to do to someone who could be in a comatose-like-state was awaken them. I did not want to cause you harm.” I glare at him, and then storm off. He calls after me. “Best friends forever!”