I was with Alexander in his room, and we were kissing passionately. For the first time in my life, I was giving in to my carnal desires, and it felt amazing. I was so excited about leaving my terrifying Jerusalem trip behind me, pursuing the sensual passion that was shared among most humans, which is crucial for our survival.
I could feel my excitement rising, as Alex pulled off my T-shirt, but then… he just stopped and looked silently at me. "Sabina darling, what happened to you?" Alex asked with a concerned voice, deep and rusty, but gentle. At first, I didn't catch on. I was so aroused, and it made me mad that he just stopped what he was about to do. I looked at him pleadingly and replied, "But I want you, Alex, why did you stop…?"
He grabbed my hand and looked deep into my eyes. "Sabina…", he started to speak, searching for words. "Your beautiful torso is full of fresh scars and stitches. What happened to you?" I realised that Alex was right. I should be in severe pain, as I had arrived from Israel not too long ago and was still dealing with the injuries that I had sustained. My brain had disconnected from the physical pain as a coping mechanism to my 18-year-old tight and luscious body. I could feel my bottled-up feelings getting the better of me, and tears flooded down my cheeks.
"I almost died in Israel, "I replied weakly.
"Tell me what happened?" Alex replied. I hesitated. Should I tell him the truth that only my present mother, Ellen Hines, knew? That I came from the future; that I was kidnapped and shot multiple times by the Mossad conspirators; and that I was saved by the magic power of the Zeto Crystal? Or, should I tell Alex that I got injured at the suicide bombing incident that happened at the Western Wall? I decided to do the latter and told Alex, that I was at the hospital in Jerusalem for the rest of my dreadful holiday. If I couldn't trust my secret with the man who brought me up, I couldn't share it with Alex, not at this stage at least. "I was wounded in the terrorist attack at the Western Wall. I got back from Jerusalem yesterday," I said plainly.
"Oh, this is terrible. First the rape incident with Joshua Harkins, and now this. You have been through a lot, Sabina," Alex replied sympathetically. Hearing Joshua's name made me froze. The last thing I needed was more bad reminders. Alex noticed my reaction and hurried to add in: "I am so sorry; I shouldn't have brought it up."
I nodded, forced a smile, and asked. "How did you know about Josh?"
Alex hesitated, cleared his throat, and spoke: "I saw Eric Orchard kissing Lindsey McGowan at Joshua's party. I thought that you should know, so I was looking for you. When I found you, I saw you go upstairs with Joshua. Shortly after you left, there was a big commotion with an ambulance picking up Joshua. I heard that he almost raped you. After that, he had a mental breakdown, broke the mirrors, and cut himself with them. What really happened between the two of you?"
I decided to answer Alex's question, but I left out the part about my powers, as he did not know I was an incredibly special girl. "Joshua said he needed to talk with me in private that night. We went up to his room, and he threatened to rape me. I pleaded for Joshua to let me go, but he wouldn't. Suddenly he turned insane, kicked the mirror, and shattered it. Joshua turned to self-harm by cutting himself with the shattered pieces of glass. That's when I ran away and alerted his parents, who then called the ambulance."
Alex nodded and let it all sink in. "Wow… Well, I guess we are lucky that he turned to self-harm instead of harming you", Alex said with an afterthought. I shook my head and replied:
"No. There is no luck in someone turning to self-harm and ending up in a psychiatric ward. There is not always a silver lining to everything. "
I noticed that my words came out as intimidating to Alex, and I decided to speak a bit softer to him: "But yes. I'd rather Josh hurts himself, than him hurting other unknowing girls." Alex nodded, and I decided to change the topic. "How come you were looking for me on that evening, why did you think I needed to know about Eric kissing Lindsey?" I asked.
"I… I was perplexed. I thought the two of you were a couple, Eric, and you. I was angry that he cheated on you, but then I saw that you went up to Josh's room. I was so confused; I didn't know what to do." Alex replied nervously.
I nodded towards Alex. I realised that Alex could not have been the only one believing that Eric was my boyfriend. We were always best of mates; we must have appeared to be a crazy fun couple. Alex had always adored everything that I did, and to see Eric kissing Lindsey, well, that would have made him mad, as he would have hated to see me hurt emotionally. To Alex, hurting me, or lying to me, was the epitome of betrayal, and he would never have let anyone harm the girl he had always adored. I realised that a lot of things in life was very dependent on different perspectives, as I had not seen it from his point of view, until I came back from my crazy adventure in Jerusalem, realising how much I had missed Alex, who I was kissing moments earlier.
"Eric, and I have been close for years, but we were never romantically involved. In fact, I was the one who introduced him to Lindsey, as Eric had told me he had liked Lindsey for years," I told Alex.
Hearing this made Alex relieved, and he spoke: "I feel a bit silly now. I have had a crush on you for years, but you never even looked twice at me, and I thought Eric was your boyfriend."
I was unprepared to hear this. I had liked Alex for years as well, but I had never thought of being in a relationship with him, or any guy for that matter, as I thought it would clash with my real purpose in life. "How could you hide it from me for years? What about all the other girls you go out with, don't they ever interest you too?" I asked. Alex shrugged his shoulders and looked away. He replied with a controlled voice while looking out through the window. "Those girls, they were only interested in me for my good looks and money."
I reflected on Alex's statement and replied: "And why do you think that I am different from them?"
"Maybe I am just dreaming, but I think I have seen the real you. I have seen the gorgeous girl, who could be so popular in class, but instead shows empathy and kindness towards the unpopular kids." Alex replied solemnly.
I nodded and replied: "I guess you are right; popularity and vanity have never interested me. Being kind and doing the right thing is what matters. But you were popular in class, Alex. You are good-looking and good in basketball; you could have gotten any girl you want?"
"I guess appearances can be deceiving. My mother died when I was young, and my father spends most of his time to make lots of money. I guess I am just a lonely kid stuck in an unfulfilling hedonistic lifestyle. I really liked your personality, and I have hoped for many years that you'd pay special interest in me, and be there for me, but you never were." Alex replied.
"Well, I am here now, am I not?" I replied and looked at him sweetly.
"Yes… You finally are. Come with me and enjoy the sunset. There is a perfect spot nearby, where my mum used to take me." Alex said. I nodded and I felt a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through my body as he took my hand. We walked to a picturesque garden, on the top of a hill, where we could witness the beauty of the sun setting over the Sydney Harbour.