There was the pharmacy. Zephyr made the turn and parked his car just in front of the pharmacy. Lucky it was a 24-hour store; he thought before walking up to the pharmacy and browsed the items they had on the rack. He would just need a liquid antiseptic and a bandage.
It was not hard for him to find what he was looking for. After paying for the items, he rushed back to his car keeping in mind that he had promised Lilian that he won’t be long.
As soon as he arrived back at the motel, he took the small white box from the back seat and checked the content. It was his version of a first aid kit. There was a ready mixed herbal remedy to treat normal injury. He placed the newly bought antiseptic and bandage in there as well.
Zephyr went to his room with the white box in his hand. As the door opened, he could see Lilian sleeping soundly on the couch. He entered the room and locked back the door.
He went straight to the kitchen to find a bowl which he filled with the lukewarm water from the hot shower. He took the bowl and a clean white handkerchief to Lilian. He placed the bowl on the floor as also sat on the floor beside the couch.
Lilian moaned in her sleep. Her hair looked untidy and she pillowed her head with her hands. Zephyr took his time to gaze at Lilian’s innocent face.
“If you only you know how hard for me not to smile in front of you,” he whispered under his breath as he stroke Lilian’s straight auburn-dyed hair gently, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.
She was fair, with slim but well- built body. She must be active in sports as well, Zephyr thought. It will help her with trainings later. Her nose was narrow, her cheeks slightly pale which was very prone to blushing.
Her lips were slightly plump and tender, with a hint of pink cherry. He would love to touch that lips but he laughed quietly at his own thought. He would not want Lilian to wake up and gazed her startlingly emerald green eyes at him.
Once in a while, Lilian’s forehead wrinkled, her nicely arched eyebrows twitched, an indication that she was in pain. She shifted a bit.
Zephyr took the clean handkerchief and soaked it with the water in the bowl before squeezing the water out, leaving it damp. He used it to clean the remaining blood and dirt around Lilian’s wound.
As the lukewarm handkerchief touched Lilian’s skin, she grunted in her sleep, more wrinkles appearing on her forehead. Zephyr held her injured leg gently; his rough hand felt Lilian’s soft skin. The colours of their skin were different. Of course, he would be darker as the result of all the outdoor trainings of fighting and combats.
After cleaning the wound, he timidly applied the antiseptic to the wound before covering the cut with the herbal mixture he always bring around with him to treat normal cuts and wounds. Finally, he bandaged the injured part and secured it with a safety pin.
Zephyr went to kitchen to wash off the bowl and the blood-stained handkerchief. He came back to see Lilian sleeping at the very edge of the couch, almost falling to the floor. She must be really exhausted, he thought.
He went to Lilian and lifted her from the couch to the bed.
“You are pretty heavy, you know,” he chuckled quietly to the sleeping beauty. He gently lied her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. She tossed and turned in the bed for a while, wincing whenever her injured part of the leg pressured against the mattress. When she finally settled down and slept like a child, Zephyr turned away.
“Zephyr,” Lilian mumbled in her sleep. Zephyr turned to look at Lilian who was still sleeping soundly. He smiled, bent low over Lilian and planted a gentle, longing kiss on her forehead.
“Sweet dream, Rhea,” he muttered.
Zephyr went to dim the light to allow Lilian to sleep comfortably while he sat by the window, looking out to the streets, being vigilant of any threat that might came in their way.
****
Lilian woke up to the sound of the running water from the shower. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was already 8.00 a.m. She pulled away her blanket and saw her bandaged leg and touched the bandaged part gingerly.
When she heard the shower stopped, she lied down back, pulled up her blanket and pretended to still be asleep. She heard Zephyr’s footsteps coming out from the bathroom. She was determined not to look.
Fifteen minutes passed. Lilian was still lying silently, breathing evenly in her effort to fake her sleep.
“How long do you intend to pretend to be sleeping?” she heard Zephyr’s voice, teasing. Lilian grunted in annoyance before opening her eyes. “It was obvious,” he added as Lilian stared at him. “Your eyelashes are fluttering and you are extremely still. Do you know that you toss and turn so much in your sleep?”
“You are awfully observant,” said Lilian, annoyed. “How long do you intend to keep me here, anyway?” said Lilian sitting up in her bed. Zephyr was sitting on the couch, wearing a white fine stripe shirt and a pair of Khakis. He had a slightly spiky and wavy hairstyle which she noticed was newly done.
“What’s with the hairstyle?” asked Lilian, waving her fingers to indicate the Zephyr’s hairstyle.
“You like it?” he provoked, raising his eyebrows. Lilian shrugged and said nothing.
“You need a new hairstyle too. So, take your shower. Wear that t-shirt first,” instructed Zepyhr, pointing at a plain t-shirt he had placed over the dining table chair. There was a white towel there as well.
“You are so good at instructing people, aren’t you?” Lilian complained, rolling her eyes as she got out of her bed and took the towel and t-shirt with her into the bathroom.
Once in the bathroom, Lilian opened the bandage on her leg. She was surprised to see the wound had already closed up, leaving visible scars there. It did not hurt anymore. Not even when she run the water to the injured part when she took her shower later.
She blow-dried her hair after the shower, wore the plain t-shirt and wrapped the towel around her waist before coming out of the bathroom. Zephyr was already holding a curling iron in his hand and he was standing behind a chair.
“Quick! Sit here. You took so much time to shower,” he nagged as he indicated Lilian to sit on the chair. Lilian hid her smile because he sounded so much like a mother now. She sat on the chair and let Zephyr dealt with her hair.
“I just want to clarify some points here,” said Lilian suddenly. “The real reasons they want me,”
“There are two reasons of why the Resistant want you dead and why your people want to keep you alive,” said Zephyr without hesitation. “First, because you posses a knowledge inherited from your parents which no one else knows,”
“That I already know,” said Lilian briskly.
“Second, since you are one of the last Manipulators, they want to make sure that you will have your own descendants who might as well inherit your ability. In short, they already have a suitor waiting for you in Pleidus,”
Lilian was stunned. This one was new to her.
“What? I don’t want to be involved in an arranged marriage,” she protested seriously. “For heaven’s sake, I’m eighteen!”
“Tell that to your Council,” said Zephyr, smirking. “Besides, you never know if suddenly you will actually like your suitor,”
Lilian fell silent. That will never be! Lilian shouted in her head. This was like in the olden times when people were involved in arranged marriages.
Lilian almost dozed off when Zephyr finally done with her hair. Zephyr shoved a mirror into Lilian’s hand who took it to see her reflection.
Her once straight hair was now wavy and messy-on-purpose. The hair fell just to about the middle of her neck. In a way, the hairstyle looked sexy. Her face looked considerably different now.
“Who are you actually?” asked Lilian as she was admiring Zephyr’s work on her hair.
“I was a hairdresser,” he declared curtly.
“Really?” said Lilian, amused.
“Are you going to fall for that straightforward lie? You are too trusty,” he said. Lilian grunted in irritation. How could he keep his straight face when he intended to joke?
“I used to have a little sister before I join the Resistant. I liked to play with her long hair if that’s what you want to know,” he declared truthfully this time. Lilian felt silent. The word ‘used to’ which he used could mean many things and she was sure that she did not need him to elaborate more. Zephyr seemed to agree to that too. He busied himself with packing up his items into the backpack.
He went to the small wardrobe and took out something very familiar to Lilian and handed it to her. It was her lime green knee-length satin dress. Lilian ran her fingers on the satin. The decorative ribbon round the waist, the sequins dusted on the lower part of the dress and the white Swarovski crystals hinted along the side of the dress were all still intact. She looked up at Zephyr for explanation.
“I took it from your room yesterday. I thought you might want to wear it at least once,” he said earnestly.
“Are we going to my graduation?” Lilian asked for clarification.
“Yes, but only as a guest. Maybe you want to see your friends but you can’t talk to them. They won’t call up your name to receive your diploma because you didn’t attend the rehearsal but-,” Zephyr stopped talking abruptly as Lilian flung her arms around his neck with the dress still in her right hand.
“Thank you,” whispered Lilian gratefully. She really meant it. Zephyr stood there like a statue. He was speechless for a few seconds before he patted her head awkwardly.
“You’ll ruin your dress. I already had it ironed when you were sleeping,” he said ineptly.
Lilian chuckled lightly as she pulled away from Zephyr. She wiped her grateful tears with the back of her left hand.
“I already got you a hat, sunglasses, coloured contact lenses and make-ups to make you less recognizable,” he said, taking out the said items from the wardrobe and put them onto the dining table. Lilian stared at Zephyr who was purposely busying himself to avoid more awkward moments.
-End of Chapter 9-
No comments:
Post a Comment