Submerged in Water

I wanted this moment in time to stand still forever.

Him looking at me, a large double-edged axe in hand, watching me carryfully. It wasn't his guarded stance or the fact that he was wielding a sizable weapon that made me want to freeze the moment, but because against the moonlight. The moonlight that came from the half moon. It made him look more beautiful then I had remembered.

"Jonathan." I breathed.

I forgot where I was. What I wearing. What I was doing. What I had planned to do and I just gaped at him, open mouthed, like he had just revealed the truth about the world to me. Exposed his soul right in front of me.

Out of everyone, I had never thought that it would be him, Jonathan, to come and rescue me.
Robyn, maybe. It seemed that whenever something happened, she put on her big girl pants and was ready to fight with the rest of them, even if most of the time she was somewhere else.

Scott (and Aubrey too I guess) would be the one to find me, under Aubrey's guidance. Aubrey cared a great deal about me and whatever Aubrey seemed to care about, Scott followed right along. Aubrey would search all night for me if she had to.

Rune, after he had been treating me the past couple of weeks, I had guessed would let me run off and cry in the corner for a while. I doubt he had been looking for me at all. It wasn't like I wanted them to worry about me. I just wanted them to not be afraid of me. I wanted them to open themselves out to me like I had done to all of them.

And yet, Jonathan was the only one to be found.

"I'm not even going to ask why you're naked." His eyes lowered to my exposed breasts and then my legs.

"And I'm not going to ask why you're carrying a weapon of destruction."

He looked down at the axe he was carrying, he looked at it as if it was the first time he had seen it. "Yeah I..." He swallowed, turning nervous. "I..."

I walked closer to him, noticing for the first time that under the moonlight his eyes turned into a light green that shined uniquely in combination with the lake water nearby. It reminded me of the elements. His eyes were green, which reminded me of the Earth. Yet, the moonlight, from the sky, created this glow that surrounded the green and highlighted it. To top it off, there was the lake water, that made them shiny and waver with deep emotion.

"I'm sure you get this a lot..." I began. "But you really are beautiful."

He opened his mouth to speak or respond, but nothing came out, just a breath of air.

"I didn't notice it until right now." I had finally reached him and the only thing that separated us was two inches of air and space. "Probably because I've never seen your soul until now."

My hand reached up to cup his face. I ran my thumb along his cheek bone, hoping to stop his eyes from wavering from the intense emotion that I saw in them. I had thought they were from the lake water but they were from me.

The axe he was carrying out in front of him fell limply to his side. He stared down at me, his eyes boring into mine. Seeming to regain a small amount of normality, he said "are you okay?" His voice was so light, it bordered on a whisper.

"Define: okay." I answered. "If you mean okay after I've spent the night sleeping in a lake to finally get some rest, then yes I'm okay." I dropped my hand to my side. "But if you're talking about my emotional well-being then I'm pretty sure you don't want me to answer."

I took a few steps away from him and broke eye contact by looking at the reflection of the moon out on the water. "Good." He finally spoke. "I mean..." He sighed and leaned on one leg. "I mean it's good that you're safe right now."

I watched him with guarded eyes. "How did you find me?"

"The animals made it aware to me that you were here. I was close by so I came running. I've been circling this lake all night. I knew you would show eventually."

"Is anyone else looking for me?"

"We took shifts. Aubrey is covering for you, saying that you decided to spend the night at Scott's along with her. They said you all wanted to wake up early to practice for swim team. Your parents bought it."

"Hmm." I was impressed. "Did you think I would run away?"

"I knew you wouldn't. Scott did too. Aubrey, Rune and Robyn, however, thought you might if you were pushed enough to."

I was surprised that Rune said anything, but didn't let him know. "How did you and Scott know?" I started circling him, like I was a predator and he was the prey. His eyes were glued to me, watching the movements my exposed legs made under the moonlight.

"I just knew." He whispered, his eyes still locked to me.

"So how long until your shift ends?" I wondered.

"Sun rise."

I raised my eyebrows. "Looks like we're alone then..."

I leaned down to touch the water, feeling strangely comforted by it. I guessed after the long exposure I had to it, I was somehow more addicted to it than I was before. When I brought my attention back to Jonathan, I caught him staring at me.

I played with the water in my hands. "You said that for a brief moment, during the subconscience exercise I did, that you were seeing things clearly?"

I watched him swallow and nod. "Yes, it was like you had seperated yourself for a few seconds away from the rest of the souls."

"Do you think you could use your sense on me during that time to get a proper reading?" I asked.

"Emele..." He warned. "You went psycho and put us all in danger. You don't expect me to do it just so you can find someone as silly as your soul mate, do you?"

I shook my head. "No. I just wanted to know, in case it happens again, I'm giving you permission to use it on me if you want to."

Jonathan seemed to gain some sense and walked closer to me. He dropped his axe on the ground near the lake and leaned down to where I was playing with the water. "Let me let you in on a little secret." His eyes were fixtated on my hands. "Rarely does a soul go through a lifespan, even a short one, without finding their soul mate. Even if it's just for a few days, a few weeks, a couple of months. It doesn't matter. You will find them sometime in your lifetime. You don't need me telling you who they are because it isn't going to make your life any easier, nor is it going to make them come to you any faster.

"You just have to trust that fate will give them to you when you need them the most."