478- The Moment I Lost Control
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
I thought about saying no when Aurelka called me to go to a bonfire party, for a very obvious reason—one that had a first and last name. But staying in my room while all the young people in the village were having fun didn't seem like the best option, so I ended up giving in.
I stared at the flames with my arm extended, warming the marshmallow Lana had given me. I could feel Anton's gaze on me from the other side of the fire. He was next to Myrion, sharing a flask of whiskey.
It wasn't the most pleasant night to warm oneself by a bonfire, but it was still cozy. The fire heated skin that was already warm, making droplets of sweat form on my forehead.
I let out a sigh and pulled the stick back, touching the marshmallow stuck to the tip. I waited for it to cool, spinning it from side to side, then grabbed it and popped it into my mouth. It melted on my tongue and tasted like vanilla.
"Whose idea was this?" I asked, turning my face toward Aurelka, on my right side.
She shrugged, licking her sticky fingers.
"We wanted something more personal, you know, away from our parents. So Anton and Myrion came up with this bonfire party."
It was in the same clearing where the festivals happened. I could hear the murmurs and music echoing through the village, from the celebration happening at Lana's grandmother's bar.
I looked around, noticing for the first time that there were only young people with us.
"And they don't come?" I asked.
"Never," Lana replied. "They understand that we like and want this privacy."
"Privacy for dating?" I murmured, confused.
They laughed.
"Well... it must be weird kissing someone in front of your father or mother." She pulled out another marshmallow, skewered it, and held it to the fire. "Humans don't usually have parties just for the young? It would be the same concept, just our way."
"Myrion and Anton came up with the idea after they spent a weekend in the city, in the chaos. They thought it could be cool. Edric approved, and now it's a routine just for us," Lana finished.
I liked how they seemed to find solutions for everything, how they lived in society in such a proper way. It was very different from what I had imagined it could be. Much better.
A group of young people were playing an upbeat song. One of them, a girl, with a violin, another with an accordion, and the third with a nai. They were singing a song about themselves, about the Eldorias, about the future. I paid attention to the lyrics, focused.
"Look ahead, the place is ours,
Young warriors, ready to fight.
Tomorrow is ours, no one will take it away,
With strong hearts, we will conquer!
We are the future, ready to win,
The new generation that will happen!
The sound of the party, the rhythm in the air,
Young ones of Eldoria, born to shine!
Night illuminated, the world spinning,
Each steady step, ready to fight.
With courage in our chests and dreams in our hands,
We'll go further, toward infinity!
We are the future, ready to win,
The new generation that will happen!
The sound of the party, the rhythm in the air,
Young ones of Eldoria, born to shine!
Warriors of the new era, ready to act,
The future is now, and we are here!"
A smile of surprise and satisfaction spread across my face. I swallowed to moisten my throat, feeling my heart race.
Reading about cultures in books was one thing, but being present to experience them was something entirely different. It was incredible, to say the least.
"The song..." I gasped, unable to tear my eyes away from the musicians. "It's beautiful... it's about you."
Aurelka smiled all goofy and proud.
"Yes, it is," she confirmed. "We have many songs developed by our people, but all of them were old and harked back to our parents' time. So they—" she pointed to the musicians, "Ileana, Toni, and Ion, got together to compose the songs of our generation," she explained.
I rubbed the back of my neck, still numbed by the moment. If my father were here, if he could hear it, I was sure he would be as moved as I was. He would love living in Eldoria. If it weren't for the Merchants hunting him, we would have become members at Edric's first invitation.
"It's amazing," I murmured.
"They're always composing and bringing new lyrics," Lana commented. "You'll notice that at the next parties."
I nodded, my eyes still fixed on the three musicians who possessed a natural and expressive talent.
"And you, what have you been up to?" Aurelka asked, after a moment of silence.
I blinked, turning to her.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, you've been more isolated and distant these past few days. You didn't want to go with us to the lake even once."
I pulled a strand of hair, tucking it behind my ear.
How could I tell her I was acting like that because her brother and I had almost had sex in the middle of the woods?
I cleared my throat.
"I found a book I got addicted to—I wanted to finish the reading above anything else," I told a half-truth.
There really was a book. A very good book, mind you. But there was also Anton and my confused mind on the subject. It was much better to lose myself in the pages than to go out with her and Lana and end up running into the source of my problems.
"Well... have you finished the reading yet?" Lana inquired.
I lifted my face and met Anton's gaze through the tall flames. He was talking to Myrion and laughing at something his brother had said. He raised the flask and brought it to his lips, drinking the liquid with an impassive face. He acted lightly and jovially, having fun with his friends. His hair was disheveled, his muscles relaxed but defined by the thin fabric of his t-shirt. His toned legs were stretched out in front of him.
I couldn't tell if he was truly handsome in every moment or if in moments like that one, distracted, his beauty elevated even more, because it made my heart miss a few beats.