It was such a daring walk to the town, and Maven felt odd walking next to the girl who only a few hours ago was crying from the scorch he had given her. But she had seemed fine as if it had never happened and the white bandage that was wrapped around her was just nearly a scratch or an accident that happened while picking the plums.
He noticed how her smile was rather faker than it had been normally and it was really bothering him. But she still radiated happiness, in clothes that made her figure sing to the gods and hair so clean and healthy that it was strange for someone who lived far from a sanitary city. Her blouse that was loose on her arms and chest also revealed her stomach. And jeans that clung nicely to her hips and loose around her ankle. It was a beauty that was presented before him and far away from someone looking for attention. You could tell she felt pretty, and it made him happy.
Maven was trying to restrain from looking too hard or too much at Nina. His stomach was squeezing, but his face was cold that Nina only smiled at his lightened excitement he had for whatever they were going to.
The town was slightly anonymous when it was dark giving Maven a chill against his spine when Nina walked through the ghost town with pure joy.
The building looked familiar to a club because it was. Maven wanted to scoff at it because it seemed stupid that this is what Nina was so nervous about. It was mostly just dancing kids, drunk off of a sip of beer.
"This?"
Her head turned to him, confused at the sly joke. "What do you mean, 'this'?"
"This is what you were afraid of?" He scoffed again and this time it sent Nina to narrow her eyes, "If you're worried about the fact someone will notice me, they'll be too drunk to remember the color of my hair." He trailed off in a laugh but stopped when she wasn't laughing as well.
Her hands reached his collar, catching him off guard. "You look like an idiot with these buttoned up so high."
Her hands unbuttoned two buttons, allowing his neck and collarbone to show. The close contact sent a sweat to his head and he could feel the air get hotter as his heart raced and his ability losing control. He hoped she hadn't notice.
"It won't be the looks that catch you but rather the royal prick personality that buttons his shirt to his neck."
He took it as an insult right away and watched as she almost left him outside as she entered the building that was lighted with blue, red and multiple color lights and odd music.
The music was really loud that his ability to move amongst the people that radiated heat was weak and his balance was off trying to catch up with her.
"Nina." He slightly yelled and grabbed her attention without anyone else.
"Shh, it like you're trying to get caught."
His mouth shut as he was at least glad he was closer to her.
They walked to the bar and initially, the man gave her a drink without hearing anything that came out of Nina's mouth. He knew it was something he wouldn't question.
"Are you thirsty."
"Um sure."
Rolling her eyes, he was unable to hear what she had ordered for him and within seconds, it was in his hands. The lights causing the drink to look multiple colors, he couldn't tell what was in it until it reached his tongue. It was bitter and nothing he had ever had in Norta.
She almost laughed at his sour face.
"What was that?"
"The best thing to get you happy."
It was odd hearing her talk in such a sloppy and pitied way. Though her beauty shined in the lights, her words that slipped out her mouth was ugly and protruding. He was glad he got her to a table to rethink and slow down whatever was going through her head.
"Nina, Nina!"
Her head shot up from ever what she was staring at, and her eyes were nearly open. He wanted to touch her cheek and soothe her but all he could do was grab her wrist, the one that had his burns on her.
"What is wrong."
She looked away and shut her eyes down at his hand, he pulled away slowly, hoping she would talk. In a huge sigh, she buried her head in her two hands, messaging her temples. "I shouldn't, I shouldn't have brought you here."
It sounded to him like a cry and a sign that maybe this was a bad idea. Even if the music was loud and the drinks were blinding to everyone in the room, she might know something he doesn't.
"Why, what are you doing, what are you on-"
"Nina!"
It shocked her and him as well, watching as a man with pale skin and blonde hair approach the blinded girl with her hair hanging low.
His hand quickly rested on her shoulder and watched as he squeezed it too, giving Maven an awful feeling in his stomach, jealously? he thought.
"I was hoping I would see you again, you kept um avoiding me last Friday."
"Yea, I um, sorry, I needed to get home and I just felt sick."
She kept laughing, but it such an uncomfortable way it made him squirm.
"Do you want another drink, glancing at her drink that was barely empty but nearly there. Her head shifted in a no and he took it by surprise.
"Uh, you sure, I mean." His glance caught him and was directed to another question.
"Who this?" He hid his utter confusion with an awkward smile, acting as if it didn't bother him.
She turned to Maven, and her genuine smile fell back when she muttered his name, "Maven, he's a friend of mine from the North, came here to help with the business."
He was surprised how her voice, which was all over the place much as her thoughts, had turned into a quick-thinking lie that sounded like pure truth.
"Is that right." His chest puffed out, like birds fighting for a mate. Maven thought about the same, but the man was taller than him and standing up would make him look like a fool. He stayed standing, hoping it would catch him off guard that he did not rise to his level of threat. Instead, his eyes locked with him and he hoped that his pure look of complete relaxation would catch him slip up.
"What are you looking at pretty boy?"
It worked and Maven kept himself composed from smiling, which would for sure catch himself a punch to the face.
"Andre!"
Nina glared at him, sending him back to reality.
"Nina." He came close to her face, mouthing words into her ear that made her squint and bite her lip. His eyes occasionally flickering to Mavens.
After a few seconds of whispers to her ear, Nina softly murmured, not now.
His face was screwed in anger but was surprised Maven was him walking away.
"Nin-"
"I'm so sick of you saying my name as if I'm dying."
She slammed something out her pocket and opened up a tin box filled with three tiny round pills, chalky and pink. Without hesitating, she swallowed it along with the rest of her drink.
She also handed him one next to his drink, "When you wanna have fun, I'll be dancing."
*
He looked at the tiny pill that sat next to his drink. As a kid, whenever there were substances that followed him as he aged he never thought he needed it. Of course, getting drunk wasn't he wasn't familiar with.
He watched as the girl, women, sink into the number of people dancing under glaring lights, blurring what was real and what wasn't. He thought he heard her voice calling out for him but rather it was more daring.
Don't
Are you crazy
You're better than this
You're a King
"Shut up," He said under his breath, the pill on the table looking more pleasing and reachable than before.
You dumb boy
Fall if you dare
You are better than this
Better than this garbage
Hatred
Ugly
Witch
It hissed in his head and the pill on his table ended up in his palm, examining the tiny thing that was packed with so much of the unknown.
You can leave
Leave
Leave
Leave
It was a painful swallow and his head rethought his mistake of not taking it down with the secret drink next to his elbow. Pulling out of his chair, he found his girl, the girl that was dancing as if no one was watching, or if as everyone was watching. Curves moving up and down, hands softly moving in the air to the odd beat in the air.
He hoped that she wasn't blinded by the music and noticed him joining.
The tiny pink pill kicked in quick, so quick he hadn't noticed that Nina became an object surrounded by brightly color blurs that moved like light against black space.
He knew if he became paranoids, the serine experience would turn into a nightmare, so he controlled his breathing and let his body be one with his surroundings, sinking into the light, music, and Nina.
Her eyes locked with him, and both moved together, his swear he thought he saw her hand reach inside him, that his body had turned into liquid and every hand, shoulder, body merged with his own.
Relax, he said, relax.
Focus on what he knew was there to soothe his mind.
She was there, and took notice at her passive eyes, like his, unknowing and uncaring.
She had gotten closer and his heat rose, turning the room into a sauna, she hadn't seemed to mind or notice like the rest of the room. Hearing his heartbeat in his neck, ears, and wrist he kept his eyes on her, moving up and down but remembering he was a man or politeness and kept them off of her swaying hips.
Her voice overcame the music in his ears as she muttered, "I'm glad you feel the same way."
The same way? The heat? The anxious sweat? His eardrums broken from the surrounding noise?
She reached for his hands and placed them on her hips, her resting on his shoulders.
Relax
"Relax," she said as if she had read his mind, she could read his mind, and maybe she had done that the whole time.
"I am relaxed."
"Maybe now, but relax your mind." Her lips close to his ears that turned his spine into liquid. He wanted to fold over her but remained within her grasp, dancing, holding onto the beat as well as her hips.
"Oh Maven Calore, you are such a troubled boy."
She chuckled at her voice that was barley fluid.
"Why is that?"
"You don't know what you want."
"I-"
"Have you ever known what you want?"
He didn't let his mind run over his sentence.
"I want you."
Stuck in silence that ran along with the music, the silence between them felt awful and his grip on her hips weakened.
"What?" She said loudly, a notion that she hadn't heard him, it was a relief for also painful.
"I said-"
"Nina!"
His head turned to see the blonde boy marching his way to them. The pill had turned the pale boy's skin to a red color, like a demon.
"Get off of her!"
He grabbed his wrist and threw his shoulder in an aggressive way, sending Maven a few steps back.
"Andre, stop!" She stepped in front of him, Maven surrounding still fill with color as the two people dispute in useless words.
"I would suggest you get you ass out!" He was still directing him.
"Now, why would I listen to a man whose head is smaller than his body."
"The fuck did you say?"
Maven didn't back up but instead stood his ground.
He noticed the music must have been so loud, the people so high that no one noticed the dispute in front of them.
"I suggest you leave, as you are the one causing a scene."
"You don't know Nina, you don't know that she just a bitch that using you for-" Maven pushed him off in a second after he let Andres's lips slip off of the word bitch. He didn't realize that his ability slipped as well, and Andres's shirt had been burned, revealing a scorched skin.
"What the?"
"Andre! Leave, you not helping yourself and not getting what you wish either."
"Oh is that right, you think of me as a bad guy, just because I think I get some compensation to keep what you told me."
Nina's lips bite down against her teeth. "Yes, because that is what an idiot and a monster like you do."
"Oh, I'm the monster?"
Ninas eyes slipped from feeling defined in her anger to fearful.
Andre directed at Maven again, "You wanna know the secret I was told by this witch, that she regrets her life, that she holds a burden when she killed some gi-"
And within a matter of second, glass smashed against his head, knocking him out and sending blood against the floor.
That got the people's attention and many ran from the unconscious bleeding body. He also noticed how the glass was nearly feet away from Nina and managed to smash against his head, and he saw no one willing to throw it.
"Come on!"
Her hands reached his as they were pulled away from the scene and out into the street, joining the other kids running away.
Maven felt the pill where off but still could hear his heartbeat and feel her hands grip so tight to his wrist that his blood wasn't flowing to his fingers.
He was afraid but also exhilarated.
Scared for himself, but also the girl dragging him to safety.