~ Damien ~
"So, the Serpent killed my dad?", I asked with a deeper frown.
"Yes...and she's after your life as well, but you're gonna be safe on this planet", Ryan responded.
I sighed.
"Why?"
"You'll find out when the time comes", he answered.
I sighed again, burying my face in between my clasped palms. My mind felt overwhelmed by a million thoughts, making it impossible for me to cry.
Damn, I couldn't imagine how to go on without my dad, even though I was going to inherit all his riches.
"Look kid, I know this is a lot for you to handle...but you can trust me; your father was a good man and he took care of everyone that served him..."
"That's why I swore to him while he was dying, that I'll guide and protect you, even if it means putting my life at risk", he said, patting my shoulder.
I sprang up from the bed and scanned the whole place with my gaze averting it to him again;
"Tell me all about this... world", I requested.
He sighed, taking off his shirt to reveal his well built body which had a few scars impressed upon it. His gaze was flung towards the glass wall as his explanation began;
"A few years ago, Stanton Tech embarked on Project Stellar, a project whose main aim was to discover extraterrestrial life...and that's how this planet, Alpha 26, was discovered..."
I sat upon the bed, fixing my eyes upon him while paying close attention to his explanation. It felt like I was in one of those Sci Fi movies...only that this was a real life experience.
I was seeking refuge in another solar system, on an earth-like planet which had a yellow sun, two moons and aliens that shared a peculiar resemblance with humans.
"Cool huh?", he beamed at me.
"Super cool...", I beamed back.
"When are we leaving?", I wondered.
"After getting what we came for..."
A puzzled frown crawled upon my face;
"But we're here to seek refuge... isn't it?"
"There'll be no need to seek refuge, if we get what we really came here for...", he paused.
"We need to get some sleep now... you've got a really big day tomorrow", he said with a wink.
I exhaled, crawling upwards until I got comfortable on the bed; then I placed my head upon one of the extremely soft white pillows, with my head faced up.
In a few minutes' time my mind became dizzied by a lot of thoughts about everything he had just narrated to me, but I was yanked back to reality soon after I felt his weight upon the other side of the bed.
"I'm gonna kill the Serpent and get revenge for my dad", I whispered, turning my face leftwards to him.
It was then I realized that he had already fallen asleep all along. I sighed, turning away from him before pinching my eyes close.
**********
A few minutes passed, yet I was unable to catch some sleep. I shot my eyes open, frozen in a frenzy of thoughts; I couldn't help but replay in my mind, the forged images of the Serpent and her gang killing my dad.
Hot streams of tears trickled down my face, but I wiped them off using a small part of my shirt.
A frown crawled upon my face immediately I felt Ryan's big hand rest upon my waist. I tried to pull away from his grip, knowing too well that he was fast asleep; but that was when he tightened his grip, pulling me close enough to him until my back was relaxed upon his bare chest.
"Please don't leave me again, Ash", he murmured.
Feeling his warm breath brush upon my neck ignited strange sensations within my whole body, causing me to let out a soft gasp.
'He must be dreaming', I thought.
"We can spend the night together...you don't have to leave so soon", he spoke again.
"I-I'm not Ash", I whispered in another attempt to pull away.
However, he leaned closer to me, pressing me against his bare chest with both arms wrapped around me.
Reaching for my palm, his fingers began intertwining with mine; I gulped immediately his breath was planted upon my nape again.
"I love you, Ash", he whispered into my ears.
"I'm not Ash...it's me, Damien", I spoke aloud.
"Huh?", he breathed, pulling away from me.
As I slowly turned my head to face him, our eyes locked together in an unyielding embrace.
The intensity of his gaze sent a cascade of cold shivers cascading down my spine, as if a frigid gust of wind had swept through the room. An awkward silence descended upon us, thickening the air and amplifying the weight of anticipation.
It felt as though time itself held its breath, suspended in a space, as the seconds stretched into a seemingly endless minute.
In that pause, the silence that hung heavily between us, formed an invisible barrier that neither of us dared to break.
It was as though the weight of unvoiced thoughts and unshared vulnerabilities pressed upon our shoulders, straining the fragile thread that connected us.
"Um... I-I'm sorry for--"
"No...no... it's fine", I stammered, followed by a dry chuckle.
"So...this never happened, we should probably get some sleep", he said, turning away.
"Yeah", I responded.
I couldn't imagine how ashamed he must've felt while peering at me with those deep blue eyes. I also couldn't shake off the awkward feeling which accompanied the experience.
Turning to him just a few minutes after he must've slept off, I motioned towards him but froze.
My guts wanted me to trust him, even though I had every reason not to do so; at the last minute, I ignored every damn thought that crossed my mind about him and pulled more closer to him, wrapping my arm around his waist with closed eyes.
We remained like that for a long while, until I finally drifted away in sleep.