Chapter 4 Tracked Down
Klishei woke up with someone warm at her side.
The lights were off and she recognized the lemon scent freshener of her room. The only light was from her lamp.
Her world was no longer spinning. Her headaches that she had been enduring for days were gone along with her fever. Light pain throbbed on some parts of her body as she tried to move.
“Good morning,” the man beside her greeted, as if trying to humor her in the midst of the darkness of the night.
“All my life, I’ve been a magnet to all sorts of accidents, but never a grave one like right now.” The words came tumbling out of her mouth.
Yeseus moved, making the bed shift. “Of you being an accident-magnet, I know. I’ve been watching you ever since you were born.”
Klishei jerked her head towards him. “Huh?”
He met her eyes for a while before Klishei pulled her head back because his gaze was intense.
“That bike incident that would have cost you your leg, that cooking session that almost burned your building, all your drowning moments—I was there. I saved you.” He then gave a low chuckle. “But this? An accident, huh? I guess that’s what you humans call it.”
You humans?
“How are you feeling?” He asked, noting her sudden silence. They still had their backs against each other.
“Great,” she answered plainly. She did not want to face him. The heat that she felt earlier with him that erased all her conservative morals was now being replaced with embarrassment of what they just did from the couch to the table and then finally to her bed.
She let her virginity be taken away just like that.
“You don’t seem happy,” Yeseus remarked.
“Should I be? I just had sex with a stranger.”
Despite claiming that he was a classmate, she felt like everything about him was an illusion. His appearance was mysterious. She even found it hard to believe his declaration that he had saved her from all those accidents he mentioned, although they really happened.
“Then why did you not know about my parents? I swear, Yeseus, if you are just a stalker or a con artist—”
“Because what happened to your parents was beyond my control. Even then, I chose to protect you. You were also being hunted down by the other tribe. I held them off.”
After a few moments, he felt Yeseus move as his strong hands forced her body to face him.
“You’re crying.”
She was. Memories of her parents entered her mind, her mother’s soft kiss on her forehead, her father’s instruction of making sure that she will not be lost on the way home since she would be returning alone on the bus, everything came to her remembrance, along with the pain.
Also, she did not know what was happening to her. She could not understand why she opened her body to him. What was she thinking? She imagined her parents looking down on her.
“I’m sorry,” Yeseus apologized, cupping her face and brushing the tears streaming down her face. He let her calm down which was five minutes after. But even then, the guilt did not disappear.
Thankfully, she was not living in the countryside with her tribe. She would have been cursed.
Yeseus sighed. “It had to happen. I’ll explain—” He interrupted himself as he abruptly sat up.
“Yeseus?” She noticed that his expression became alerted, like an animal sensing danger.
He put a finger over her mouth. Under the faint glow of her night lamp, he had closed his eyes as if he was concentrating.
When he finally opened his eyes, he pulled away the blanket from his body and stood there all naked, cracking his neck and stretching and flexing his back muscles.
“What is it now?” Klishei whimpered.
“Get dressed.” He peeked at the little space not covered by the curtains of her window. “We’re leaving.”
“Huh? But…”
“Klishei, now!”
And she scrambled towards her cabinet. She put on fresh clothes, not minding whether the shirt fit with her mini skirt. She only put on whatever she grabbed first. It's not like she had the luxury to take her time given the urgency in Yeseus' voice.
Yeseus ran down to the living room where they first undressed. Klishei met him there and went red again upon seeing their scattered clothes. She kicked them under the couch before putting on her sneakers.
“Yes, we’re on our way there.” Yeseus was on the phone and was holding the doorknob with his other hand. He was already fully dressed. He signaled for Klishei to come nearer.
“But, Yeseus, your essence must be almost out. Do you think you can outrun them?” asked the man at the other end of the line.
“I can. My powers just got..recharged.” Yeseus smirked at Klishei. Heat rushed to her cheeks, having an idea on what he meant by getting recharged like she was his powerbank. It’s because while they were doing it, she noticed that his eyes were glowing a faint blue color. She noticed it many times so she knew that her eyes were not fooling her.
She shook off the memory. How dare her brain rewind such intimate scenes when they seemed like they were in an emergency?
“Oh,” the man answered.
Klishei, dubious and her imagination spinning wildly at what was happening at the moment, mouthed the words, “What do you mean by ‘your powers’?”
“Anyway, just get the vehicle ready,” Yeseus continued, ignoring Klishei’s question.
“Copy that.”
When Yeseus put his phone back in his pocket, he put his hand on Klishei’s back and pulled her closer to him.
“Listen carefully. In less than three minutes, a group of people will barge into this house to kidnap you. So as someone sent to protect you, I will be taking you to some faraway place.”
“H-huh? Where? Why?”
Yeseus still ignored her questions. “I will give you a ride on my back. Now, I should be asking you to keep your eyes closed so you do not faint in shock but if you want some of your questions to be answered, you have the option to open your eyes when I start running.”
“Yeseus, I’m confused. I really don’t—”
“Sshh. Just listen to me for now.” He pulled her closer, their chests touching. “Whatever happens from here on out, I will protect you. I promise.”
Amidst her mouth full of questions, her aching body, and her mind being overwhelmed with what was happening, Yeseus’ words made her heart steady. If this person was the reason why she has been saved too many times, then it only meant one thing. She was never alone.
Even if she was still clueless, she nodded, to her surprise. She actually believed him.
“Hop on.” Yeseus turned his back and knelt.
Klishei wrapped her arms around his neck and it was Yeseus who held her legs in place. He stood and firmly secured Klishei with his hands. He was tall and Klishei had to duck to evade the door’s frame.
“We’re going.” Yeseus kicked open the door as soon as he said his last word.