Dedicated to Stellanread

Mariana and Micah walked around a market in the late afternoon. There were fruit and vegetable stalls with some meat.

"Which one do you think we should get?" Mariana cheerfully asked.

"Hmm I'm thinking maybe the fish or the lamb," Micah's eyes scanned all the foods.

"Or maybe this one?" She pointed to some salmon but was interrupted by a phone ringing.

Micah picked up his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. "It's Leilani..."

Mariana watched intently as he answered the phone and spoke discreetly. His face was a mix of different expressions before he mumbled something and ending the call.

"Leilani has some updates on the antidote and wants me to come and have a look at them."

"So, are you gonna have to go to the laboratory?"

"No. Her husband is organizing a boat party tonight, so she's going to bring the documents there."

"Oh okay. How long is it going to take?"

"Probably a few minutes, I won't be long."

"Okay, please be careful."

"I will, don't worry."

****

Mariana was crouched on her bed in the dark. It was getting close to night-time with remnants of the preceding sunrise slowly dissipating into the horizon. The low glow of twilight started to appear and a bright crescent moon.

She was watching TV but since Micah has been gone for three hours, she started to get very worried.

The ghastly wind blew the pale white curtains around. The windows clattered against each other as she felt spikes of hair rising in fright. Her mind was playing tricks as the gloomy walls seemed to be enclosing around her as she tried to watch the program.

She knew she was not supposed to go out in case she gets caught, but she had a very uneasy feeling of being alone like this.

Since she knew where Micah was, she decided that she was going to get ready and go to him.

She went to her suitcase and brought out a black dress to blend into the darkness. She slipped it on, and it ended just above her knees with a lovely curve around the waist, and a V shape around the chest. She wore a necklace with gold leaves along with her mother's and wore dark shades.

Mariana called a taxi when she got out of the hotel and it took her to Barca Samba where the boat party was being held.

When she arrived there, she quickly got out of the taxi and hurried to the entrance where there was a security guard. She took a deep breath before approaching him.

"Excuse me," she tapped him on the shoulder.

He looked down at her petite frame compared to his bulky one. He was a large man with a big bald head and headphones connected to his ear.

"Name?"

"Um it's not on there but I really need to talk to someone in there quickly."

"Sorry, miss but if your name is not on here, then I can't let you in."

"But it really important. Please! It would only be for a few seconds and then I'll be out immediately."

"Sorry I still can't let you in, it's just policy."

Mariana groaned in frustration but suddenly there was a female voice coming towards them.

"Mario it's okay, let her in, she's a friend," Leilani sauntered over with her straightened hair gliding over her maroon dress with a drink in her hand.

Mario nodded and allowed Mariana to pass through.

"Ma cherié, how are you?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm fine, thanks for letting me in."

"No problem but shouldn't you be at your hotel?"

"Yeah, but I didn't feel comfortable being in the room all by myself."

"Ah okay, well it's nice to see you here."

"Thank you. By any chance, have you seen Micah anywhere?"

"Yeah, he's currently at the bar with my husband, I can take you to him if you like."

"Okay!"

Mariana followed Leilani through the crowds who were busy eating and dancing. There was music playing with lights going off in the darkness. They saw Micah sat down at the bar, chatting with someone, and having a glass of tequila.

Leilani went over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him while kissing his cheek. "Mon cher d'amour." (My dear love).

"Mariana, this is my sweet hubby Miguel."

"Hi..." She waved shyly to him. He was very muscular with broad shoulders, pink lips, and a thin mustache. He had dark brown curly hair and was Mexican.

"It's nice to meet you," he said.

"Nice to meet you too."

Micah turned suddenly around in shock to see her standing behind him. "Mariana? What are you doing here?"

"You took too long to come back," she crossed her arms and pouted her lips.

"Oh sorry, I kind of got carried away," he said sheepishly.

Miguel suddenly stood up from his seat and his figure terrifyingly towered over her like she was a small, trapped mouse.

Leilani held in a laugh, sensing Mariana's discomfort, as she tried not to drop her drink.

"You know what, I'm gonna sit down, see you," she said.

"I'm gonna come with you," Mariana quickly said and hurried after her.

Once they were at a table far away enough, Leilani started laughing.

"Oh Mariana, you look so scared!"

"No, I don't!" She protested.

"Are you scared of Miguel, Mariana?" She asked with a smirk.

"Nope," she replied with a nervous giggle.

"He's not going to bite, I promise," she shook her head in amusement. "He may look that way, but he's a real sweetheart."

"Mm alright."

"So, do you want to get some food?"

"Yeah sure, I am starting to get hungry."

"Come on then, I'll take you to the buffet," Leilani took hold of her hand as they went to where the food was held.

They each got a plate of chicken nuggets, potatoes, and roasted pork cheeks with mushrooms. They went back to their table and Micah and Miguel later joined them.

The boat started to move away from the port and music started playing with everyone eating.

"So how long have you guys been married for?" Mariana asked Leilani.

"Four years. We met in medical school and got married after we finished."

"How did you two even start talking?" Micah asked. He still could not believe Leilani was married to someone.

"Well Leilani actually hated me at first," Miguel said.

"No I didn't," Leilani said her eyes with a smirk.

"Yeah sure you didn't," he said and rolled his eyes, "but once I got past her  barrier, I learned that she actually wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, and he was the only one that showed a genuine interest in me."

"And I'm so glad I did," Miguel pulled her closer to him and pecked her on the cheek, but she pushed him away playfully and delved into her chocolate truffles.

"Can I have one?" Mariana asked.

"No," Leilani kept a protective arm around her chocolate as her eyes were open like an owl.

"Please!"

"No..." She whispered it out with a head shake.

"Okay," She sank back into her seat.

Leilani pulled out a bag with some candy bars that were in a bag. "You can have these."

"Thanks!" She immediately picked one out and started munching on it. "So, are you going to make a couple of stops or is it going to be an all-round trip?"

"No, we are going to make a few stops so people can get off and explore the beaches," Leilani said.

"Oh okay," She then turned to Micah. "Do you want to go swimming later on?" She smirked.

He just glared at her without saying anything and continued to eat his food.

As the night flowed on, the group chattered amongst themselves and shared their experiences in Majorca while also exchanging a few jokes before they reached their first destination.

They got off at the cove Cala Fornells and everyone explored the beach and the caves.

Mariana and Micah trekked up the steep rocky cliffs with the chills of the wind blowing past them; Seagulls flew over them and there were trees growing out from the crevice of the rocks, with their leaves whistling and their overcasting shadows. When they were at the top, they sat at the very edge near a tree and watched over the night sky.

The somber guardians of the night roared over the distinct city of Palma. All signs of the day ceased to exist and now the shadows of the unknown came out to play.

Mariana watched as dolphins jumped out from the water like ballerinas. She smiled at them but started to shiver as the cold started to catch up to her. Micah noticed her sudden movements and wrapped his arms around and pulled her onto his lap.

She snuggled into his chest, inhaling the sweet scent of his cologne. His body was radiating with warmth, making her relaxed.

"It's such a beautiful night," she murmured.

"Yeah, it really is," he stared out into the distance, deep in thought.

"Would you ever want to come here again Micah?" She asked, cupping his face with both of her hands.

"Yeah, maybe sometime in the future when we are not being hunted anymore."

"I really like this island. It's so beautiful and peaceful," she trailed off with a sigh of content. Her chocolate eyes glimmered like twilight stars into Micah's greenish-brown ones.

She blushed a smile and quickly looked away as her heart raced, and her cheeks flushed. However, Micah found it cute and brushed some curls away from her forehead to get a better look.

He watched as her glossy eyes soon traveled towards the night sky. The endless ocean of stars reflected into the abyss of her iris that had him trapped in its gaze. Her lips were slightly parted and the way they curved into a smile made him want to kiss them.

He traced the area around her lips with his thumb, contemplating on whether to go ahead or not.

He kept gradually leaning in, making Mariana's face burn and her heart beating even faster. She had a lump in her throat as Micah's face was just inches from hers.

Just before they could connect, they heard the ship. They quickly jumped away from each other with flushed faces.

"Um I think we should go back to the ship now," Mariana stuttered.

"Yeah, let's go back."

"Okay," She muttered, and they went down the cliff.

When they got back to the ship, it exited the cove and continued its journey.

After a while, the lights glowed down to a royal blue and the DJ started playing serene melodies that floated in the atmosphere. By this time, Mariana and Micah were slowly swaying along with the music.

~ (Ride it) ~

We are all alone.

(Ride it) just lose control.

(Ride it, ride it) come touch my soul.

(Ride it, ride it) baby let me feel you.

(Ride it) turn the lights down low.

(Ride it) from head to toe.

~ (Ride it, ride it) touch my soul~

Her head was tilted to the side, resting on his shoulders and his arms were around her waist. She was safe in his warm embrace and nothing was going to change that.

As things started to heat up, two passengers concealed their faces with their hoods. They were watching the pair carefully and one discreetly brought out a gun.

He pointed it straight at Mariana's heart and pulled the trigger.

The bullet spun in the air towards its beating target. Its bladed sides glinted across the slow-moving straight path towards her.

As they turned around, Micah's eyes lifted to see something shining towards them. He squinted but could not quite see what it was.

The bullet continued to speed up, rotating and ricocheting across the dance floor. Its golden coat was headed straight for them.

As it was nearing in, Micah caught a glimpse of it again and he finally realized what it was.

"Look out Mariana!"

A/N: Hey guys hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you guys so much for 1K reads! I really appreciate it💕💕💕