Another night added to the sleepless ones, another night hunted Agatha's mind. The screams of the victims of the demons that she used to ignore turned into her worst nightmare, even with earplugs in she could hear them clearly.

Like a constant reminder of the attack she suffered, the shadows danced around the peach-colored walls of her room. They distorted the sweet photos of her family and friends present on her nightstand, taking away every little apex of sleep left inside her.

She started to think that someone was outside of her room watching her. It was a strange sensation, similar to an itch in the back of her head that she couldn't reach to ease. But it couldn't be real, right? Who would want to observe her every night?

That night resulted better than the one that came before.

One might think that she could get at least a couple of hours of sleep because she got used to it. But the reality is that it was Lorcan's gift that brought the security she needed. 

She went to sleep holding tight the bracelet inside her hand, its warmth provided her with the company she sought. The next morning, after she returned the piece of jewelry to her wrist, she discovered print marks on her palm.

Agatha's movements were affected by the lack of energy; her morning routine took twice the time than it would on a normal day. When she left the house to go grocery shopping the clock pointed to noon.

Agatha, the girl that used to stand out for her confident smile in a sea of scared people, became part of the multitude. What happened to her happened to the other villagers, they were also victims of fear, simple humans that faced a piece of hell and understood they were the prey.

Stay safe between her house walls her entire free day, see some TV shows, lay on her couch, and finish the book she started reading two days ago; that was Agatha's plan. It would have been a wonderful day but someone had another schedule for her.

An hour after she got back home from her trip to the grocery store the sound of a horn made her jump from her seat on the couch.

A look through the front window let her know that Ellis was waiting in her front yard.

"My sixth sense told me you were extra bored this beautiful afternoon, so I'm taking you out," he explained before Agatha had the chance to ask after opening the door. "We are going swimming, by the way, so get ready for that."

Full of confusion Agatha turned around without giving an answer. Once she finally understood what was going on, the crisis started, she never took interruptions to her plans well, it took her a few minutes to process the change. The girl ran between her room and the bathroom trying to get ready. She put on the first bikini she found: a red, one-shoulder, sports bikini. To make things faster, she finished the look with a green summer dress and leather sandals.

Breath in, breath out, Agatha calmed herself, and then she left her house, joining Ellis inside the pickup truck.

On numerous occasions, the girl tried to convince her companion to tell her where they were going. Ellis almost succumbed to Agatha's pout but he fought against her, promising it would be worth it once she'd seen the surprise.

Ellis stopped the truck in a meadow the young woman didn't recognize. It started to sound like a pattern for her, to be taken to a place she hadn't seen before and be thrown into an adventure.

"Close your eyes, I'll let you know when you can open them again." With her eyes closed the rest of the trip was like a puzzle she couldn't solve. Ellis' touch and words were the only barriers between her and a tough fall.

An ethereal landscape received her when she got her sight back, the kind of place you would only expect in a fairy tale. A lake with turquoise water, so clear you can see its bottom. The lake was hidden inside a crown of pines, they stood like proud sentinels welcoming those who were deserving of witnessing such beauty.

"I've never seen something this beautiful." Agatha moved her feet hypnotized by the lake. She took off her sandals next to the shore and stepped inside the cold water.

As the librarian enjoyed the relaxing moment, Ellis laid a bedsheet on the grass for the picnic. Soon a bunch of fruits, cookies, and beverages were waiting to be tasted.

"How's the water?" He asked after Agatha joined him.

"Perfectly fine, but this looks amazing so I had to say goodbye for a little while." She made herself comfortable on the bedsheet and brought a strawberry to her mouth. She wiggled her body in a small celebration dance once she tasted it. "Delicious"

She kept eating for a while before she noticed the way he would pay attention to her mouth every time she ate a strawberry. Out of curiosity she ate  another strawberry as slow as she could.

His eyes got darker as time passed. Agatha's actions seemed to call him, the way he used his tongue to wet his lips told the girl all she wanted to know.

In a sudden movement Ellis stood up, his body towering over his date's figure.

"Do you think I'll let you be the one in control? I can see what you're trying to do, it won't work, doll, I'm way ahead of you," he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver to Agatha's spine.

Without breaking eye contact the boy took off his shirt. Agatha tried not to focus on his muscular torso, completely failing. He threw the shirt to the floor and ran to a rock next to the lake.

The girl calculated the rock must be around twenty feet tall. A wave of anxiousness filled her mind once Ellis stood on the cliff. He waved at her before jumping from the rock to the lake.He stayed seconds under the water, seconds that felt infinite for Agatha.

"Now is your turn!" He screamed once returned to the surface.

"Oh, no. I'm not mental like you, I appreciate my safety."

"I thought you were tired of wasting your life. Come on, are you going to act like a coward for the rest of your life?"

Ellis' words hurt the girl. She'd been questioning her choices for a while, her insecurities took her to regret every decision she made. To be accused of being a coward hit her heart, he reminded her of one of her biggest worries and even if cliff diving terrified her, it was better than the torture her mind could put her in if she didn't jump.

Agatha moved, trying hard to fake confidence. Already in her bikini, she could feel the sunbeams caressing her pale skin. The trembling increased when she reached the cliff. She didn't dare to look down, knowing it would make everything worse.

Copying Ellis' actions she jumped, her eyes closed all the time. It was like someone took away her breathing for a moment, the fall being too fast to get used to it. Suddenly the water embraced her body, her mind still couldn't register what happened, she kept floating on the bottom of the lake.

A hand dragged her to the surface. The air returned to her lungs and time started running again.

"I did it!" Uncontrollable laughter came out of her mouth.

"I knew you could do it," the boy confessed, a smile present on his face as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

Caged inside Ellis' muscular arms she felt uncomfortable and at the same time excitement was eating her alive. Their eyes found each other and decided they wanted to stay there for the rest of the day. There was no distance between their bodies, the faces centimeters one from other.

At a slow pace, the distance was disappearing. Agatha pushed the unpleasant sensation of being touched away and her tense arms found a place around Ellis' neck. A fight broke out inside her mind, she wanted to escape from the touch but at the same time an inexplicable force pushed her towards the young man.

Their lips were about to touch, a millimetric movement would have been enough. Her heartbeat was already running a marathon.  Time seemed to freeze until Ariana Grande's voice interrupted them.

"It's that Ariana?" Ellis asked, confused and irritated by the interruption.

"It's my phone, someone must be calling." She got out of the water in a hurry to reach for her cell phone.

She found it inside her purse. Lorcan was calling, Agatha answered immediately.

"What do I owe this honor, my Lord?"

"My lady, the honor is mine for hearing your beautiful voice." Lorcan's response came from the other side of the phone. "I wanted to know how you are after yesterday."

"I'm so much better, thanks for asking."

Ellis came close to Agatha, he gave her a smile and sat next to her.

"It's my friend, Lorcan," she explained.

"Say hello to him for me."

Agatha passed the message and Lorcan's greetings before continuing the conversation.

"I know you don't want to relate yourself with the Protectors but, can I ask for a favor? One of the members got hurt because of me. Could you please help him?"

The healer meditated about it, she didn't like to get involved with the fights against demons but Lorcan sounded serious. It was also true that he never asked her to heal someone for him, even when all the members got hurt he didn't do anything apart from trying to convince her to join, and even so he never insisted after she denied.

"I'll help him but it has to wait until tomorrow, I'm busy today. I've got to go, I'll let you know the place and time by message."

"Thanks, you're the best. I won't bother you anymore today." After saying that Lorcan hung up the call.

"So, do you want to go back into the lake?"

Lost in their world, guarded by the pines and blessed by the song of the birds, they carry on with their date. The tension between them was always present, to the point that Agatha couldn't imagine what might happen next.

The second date is here. What do you think about Ellis?
Thanks for the support, please don't forget to vote if you liked the chapter. Have a great day 💜