Chapter 36
LUCAS' POV.
John came up to me while Emily was busy taking pictures with Sadie in her mermaid suit. Katie seemed like she was going to roll on the floor, and laugh, but she didn't.
She had such good control. A trait I envied in her. John looked so wary, and looking at Emily, a dark look crossed his face.
Then he sat next to me, and let out a really loud sigh.
"What's wrong?" I asked, turning to him.
"This is just so damn stupid. The whole divine process is getting on my nerves real bad. Everything is so traditional, and everyone's acting like they're going to die if I don't do exactly as is needed. I mean I'm fine fortifying the pack by remaking the sculpture by going through all those tedious processes, but don't you think a month is too long?" He asked, looking like he was going to go crazy if I didn't reason with him.
"A month— As how?" I asked, crossing my legs.
"I'll be away for a full month. Away from the house, from everyone, from…" he paused, and glanced at Emily, who had a smile on her face, as Sadie took yet another photo. "I don't know. It just seems weird. A whole month. What am I going to be doing? I hope they don't expect me to sit on a mountain, and start praying like Buddha." He spat words like poison, and I burst into laughter.
"Buddha?" I asked, laughing again.
"A whole month." He said, again, and bit his lip. "Just to avert a curse, and give the new sculpture divine powers." He added, tapping his feet continuously on the floor.
"I hope you roll off a mountain, John, and probably break your legs. That way, no one has to see your annoying face unless Katie wheels you out." Sadie said, while checking her hair in her phone camera, and everyone burst into laughter.
Katie turned away laughing, and Emily covered her face.
My laughter was the loudest.
"Just let me get you, you little devil! How dare you speak to me like that!?" John asked, enraged, as he flew to his feet.
"Woah, woah, woah, she's just a baby." I said, still laughing, as I held on to John's wrists.
"Baby? Baby at Eight?" He asked, and one look at Katie who looked like she was struggling so hard not to laugh, I began to laugh harder. "Lucas! How is this funny?"
John began to rant while Emily tried to swim like Sadie wanted. She looked like a mermaid bound by magic, and unable to swim.
All day, she had been really adorable. When Sadie dressed her up in glittery things, it had been hard not to laugh. She also seemed embarrassed to be doing yoga with me watching.
Anytime she fell disgracefully on the floor, she always looked at me with a troubled expression on her face like she was telling me to leave.
She seemed like a simple woman to me, although I wondered why she didn't want to be friends. Did she feel awkward because we slept together? Actually, I tried to forget about it, and see her as a different person, but living with her made me unable to do that. Anytime I saw her hands, I remembered the feel of them on my chest. Anytime I watched her talk, I felt her lips on mine.
Her voice alone brought back the night vividly. It was haunting. I had not slept with a woman in a long time, but I didn't think that was the reason I liked her so much. It was just her, the aura she exuded, the fierceness she could summon into her eyes, and the fact that she was so different from what I was used to.
"Lucas, Lucas, Lucas!" Sadie suddenly screamed, with her phone still trained on Emily who was sitting on the pool coping, looking like a red tomato.
"Yeah?" I answered, breaking out of my thoughts.
"Play the prince. I need to make it as a separate audio. I want my video to seem like the mermaid's thinking of the conversation they had. So, I need you and her to talk, so I can extract the audio and attach it to another video. Alright, Emily, say something." She said, and Emily's brows crinkled in frustration.
"Like what?" She asked, quietly.
"Think like the little mermaid." Sadie snapped, and Emily looked at me, although she looked away right after.
"H…hey?"
"Hi." I replied, with a smile, enjoying how flustered she was.
"How… uh, how's the land? Your… your castle. Is it nice?"
"Wanna see for yourself?" I asked, and Sadie gave a silent squeal, as she listened.
"Unfortunately, I have no legs." She said, and I laughed.
"I can make them for you."
"Hey, hey, hey!" John suddenly snapped. "I'm the one engaged to her. Shouldn't I be the prince?" He asked, and I was surprised at his level of— was it childishness, or possessiveness?
"Shut up. You should be his driver." Sadie said, in frustration, and everywhere was silent. John's jaw had dropped, and the rest of us were trying not to laugh.
Unfortunately, and surprisingly, Katie made a sound first, and excused herself immediately, while John stared daggers at her.
Then Emily began to shudder with laughter, until Katie dragged her tail hard.
"Stop laughing! We're filming here. You know how hard it will be to make edits?" She snapped.
~
The next day, I escorted a grumbling John to the airport along with Katie.
"Seriously, this is ridiculous." He grumbled, and I suppressed my laughter.
"It's just a month. Thirty days will fly by very soon. You just have to sleep really early, and wake really late." I said, and he smiled.
"Nice advice. Except sleep doesn't come to me. I'm always searching for it." He replied, and began to walk away, raising his hand, signaling goodbye.
"Have a safe flight." I called after him, and he gave me a thumb.
Deep within me, as I watched John leave, I realized I was a little happy to see him go.
It would give me the chance to make up for all the torture he'd given Emily, and maybe along the way, I'd get to truly know her.