That time also I walked towards Ecate's house, completely forgetting about Rebecca and the others. We spent the whole afternoon together laughing and forgetting the real reason we were there. Our harmony was interrupted by my phone that ring and only when I read the name I remembered of appointment. I widened my eyes and went into the corridor.
"You could also warn."
"Sorry but I complet..."
Suddenly I froze. In front of my eyes there is a lion. A proud white lion, that looked at me with two emerald green eyes that staring at me undeterred. I felt my breath fail and my heart rate increase. I hung up on Rebecca and tried to back away, but the feline followed my every move. Suddenly he began to advance with a regal way, I felt hunted, literally put to the wall. The lion was about to attack me. I finally let out a cry and behind me he revealed himself. I pressed tightly to his chest and hid my face in the hollow of his neck.
"Antares, be good."
Immediately he tamed himself like a kitten and then Ecade came out too. Its perfume sent me into ecstasy, my heart burst, I felt it gallop like a mad, I was left with my mouth open again, unable to speak, unable to breathe.
"Oh my god Selene! Are you OK?"
My friend's voice dissuaded me from that beautiful silence that had enveloped me. My eyes trapped in him, I felt my soul vibrate in response to that gaze.
"Yes, yes I'm fine but...why there's a lion?"
"Ehm,yes...a friend of my mother works at zoo and...and asked us to keep it for...some problems...don't worry, it won't hurt you."
"Are you sure you are really well?"
I could barely move my head at his question. My heart was beating fast, hard as if it wanted to show me that I was alive. Perhaps this is love, the demonstration of being alive. The demonstration that before that fateful day one did not live but survived. The day you fall in love you are born. My joy, my pain, my happiness, my sadness depended only on him.
He gently pulled me off and left me with his sister.
I'm sorry if you're scared. "
"Qu-quiet. I'm fine."
"Let's continue?"
I turned to look for the fair but it was gone. We spent the whole afternoon finding new ideas for the project but the version that my friend had given me about the animal did not convince me. There was something underneath: her eyes, the mysterious fall and now that lion. I really wanted to find out what they were hiding. I know he wasn't telling me the whole truth.
Other weeks passed from that day and in the meantime I had also met Ecate and Ares' father, Alceo, who together with his wife had a herbalist's shop where they sold solutions created by them. Ecade and I became more and more friends, Ares was becoming less cold but colder becoming the relationship with Rebecca and Marcus. The closer I got to Ecate and Ares the more I got away from them but I didn't mind that much. This is Love? Do you become more selfish? The reason that made me wake up in the morning and fall asleep in the evening was the security of having seen her face soon and heard her melodic voice. This is Love? Living on vain hopes? Living off an illusion? My name uttered by her lips, popped by her tongue was a seductive melody, while hers carried an endless war within me, fire and flames ignited when it entered my ears and reached my heart. A battle broke out in my soul but this, at the same time, in me brought an eternal peace without limits, which I had never experienced in my entire life.
The situation with my old friends did not improve, in fact, one morning I approached them, hesitant and perhaps, aware of their reaction.
"Hey guys..."
"Look who sees himself? Have they already kicked you out? "
"I know I'm sor..."
"Save your apologies and go back to your new friends."
They left leaving me alone. I was really bad with them. I had neglected them and now they treated me as if I didn't exist. As I deserved.
"Hi Sele. What happened?"
"I had a fight with my friends."
"Oh don't worry, everything will be resolved, you'll see. Are you coming to me today?"
"Yup."
"Great see you later."
During my math class, while I was playing tic-tac-toe with Natasha, the tediousness of the explanation was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.
"Hello Professor, can Selene Giordan come out?"
"Sure."
I started off as if mesmerized by her sky-blue eyes. When I looked closely at her irises, I noticed that they had a tinge of concern, they had green streaks and his eyebrows were raised in an expression of immense fear. I had never seen him like this, usually he is always so composed and serious.
"Ecate is not there. She said if I could replace her."
"Um ... yes ... but why isn't Ecade there? Did something happen? "I asked with a hint of anguish.
"There was something unexpected ... my parents won't be there either."
He left leaving me with my thoughts. Alone? With him? I thought about this all day. I was afraid of doing something that would ruin everything. What if you made me hate somehow? What if I do something he can't stand and kick me out of the house? These thoughts accompanied me throughout the day, until the bell rang.