HOME | DD
ReverseTheEclipse — In The Shadows: Part Three
Published: 2009-05-16 04:51:51 +0000 UTC; Views: 2679; Favourites: 1; Downloads: 7
Redirect to original
Description
"In the Shadows"By: Jade Lightning a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
The story of Halo, Zenith, and Nadir
Part Three: Finding Hope
-----
“Can I get that twenty dollars in two ten dollar bills please?” a young woman asked.
“Of course Ms. Daily,” the bank teller replied. She handed the young woman an envelope after stuffing two ten dollar bills and a receipt in it. “I hope you have a great day!”
Placing the envelope in her purse, Ms. Daily replied, “Thank you. We’re on vacation here in Amble Park, since it’s so close to the beach, and I’m hoping we have the vacation to remember. Good day!”
The woman named Ms. Daily walked out of the bank. Amble Park was a beach town, a suburb of the much larger city called Diamond Dust Beach that shared the same stretch of coast. Families on vacation and locals alike walked up and down the sidewalks, going to gift shops and ice cream parlors as lunch hour rolled around. There was a theme park just up the street, and a parking garage situated in the middle of it all to provide ease and convenience.
It was the perfect town. Much smaller and much less glamorous than big cities like Starshine Town and neighboring Diamond Dust Beach, it was the ideal place to vacation and live. However, it was not free from a dark side, as was no city, however perfect it appeared on the outside.
Ms. Daily made her way down the street, aiming for a restaurant on the corner where she could meet her boyfriend. It was within sight, but she paused. There was a small alleyway between the two buildings connecting this street she was on with one that ran parallel to it, and as she glanced in its direction, lowering her eyes to her feet, she noticed a five dollar bill resting on the ground.
She stopped and looked around. Because it was lunchtime, the streets were quiet and relatively free of people. She and her boyfriend were here during the off season. Had it been summer, there would surely have been more people here, more people to bear witness to the events of that afternoon.
Nobody was around to have dropped the five dollar bill, nor was there anyone to see her pick it up without giving it a second thought. “It’s my lucky day,” she thought, “It’s a sign that today is going to be awesome.”
She was wrong.
As she stooped down to pick up the dollar, someone’s hand slammed into the side of her neck. It hit a pressure point, knocking her out before she could cry out in reflex. She slumped over and fell to the ground, but not violently. The same hand that had hit her lowered her gently to the ground, pulling her back into the shadow of the alley.
“Heh, what an idiot, falling for bait like that,” said the attacker. He took Ms. Daily’s purse and went through it, finding the envelope with the twenty dollars she had just withdrawn, along with twenty more dollars hidden in her wallet. He also retrieved the five dollars that he had planted as bait to lure her into his trap.
Once he was finished, the attacker stuffed the cash into his pants pocket, doing her the relative kindness of leaving her ID and credit cards untouched. He glanced at her arm and saw a charm bracelet on her left wrist. He grinned smugly and took it off of her, putting it with the cash, before getting ready to flee. He glanced around, making sure none had seen him, before he took off through the alleyway, heading to the boardwalk by the beach.
His blue hair blew in the breeze behind him as he ran, his brown bangs flying clear from his eyes. Zenith, now two years older, ran to meet his twin brother Nadir, and his friend Halo, who waited for him on the beach.
He spotted them waiting by the steps that led down from the boardwalk to the beach, just across from a hot dog stand. He ran down the steps and as he approached them, he said, “I just swiped forty dollars off another unsuspecting vacationer. Humans are such idiots, especially the ones who have everything handed to them.”
Nadir and Halo, who had also just pulled off robberies, both let out a laugh after greeting Zenith. Nadir let out a sadistic chuckle and replied, “That’s awesome Zenith. Was it another woman? They’re the stupidest and easiest to fool…no offense Halo.”
Zenith nodded as he grinned, but looked to Halo. Waving her hand in the air, Halo answered, “Oh please Nadir. I know you’d never compare me to human trash, or any other female trash for that matter.”
Pulling Halo into a quick hug, he let her go enough so he could whisper in her ear, “Those bitches aren’t like you Halo. You’re a real woman, and you’re also hardcore. Nobody can compare to you anyway.”
Halo grinned, her eyes gleaming. She pulled away from Nadir, pushing him back a few steps as she thrust her hand into his chest. “I’m not your bitch Nadir, don’t even say it,” she stated firmly.
“Heh, now what made you think I was gonna say that?” Nadir asked with a chuckle as he rubbed his chest.
Zenith rolled his eyes, putting his arm around Halo as he said, “Because she’s heard it before…you say something that’s remotely offensive then use the same exact comeback every time.”
Halo glanced at Zenith, taking hold of his hand as it draped over her shoulder, before looking back at Nadir and continuing to smirk.
Nadir stood up straight, cracking his neck as he replied, “Excuse me, I forgot, she’s your bitch slash friend. I promise I won’t forget.”
The three looked to each other for a few moments, before bursting out in laughter. As they relaxed, Halo continued, “Well, sounds like we all got some pretty good hauls. It’s amazing how long that cash has lasted us. What do you say we get something to eat? It’s late and I’m hungry.”
“I agree,” Zenith answered.
“Then let’s go then!” Nadir replied. The three took to the boardwalk, heading in the direction of their favorite burger joint.
After a few moments of silence, Halo, who walked beside Zenith as he kept his arm around her, said, “It’s amazing. Two years in this town, so many thefts, and everyone here thinks were just kids having a good time. Humans, all of the people here are so stupid, even our own kind.”
Zenith laughed and said, “It’s a shame. It looks like our kind, the hedgehogs of our mother’s race and whoever our father belonged to, if they live beside humans, they become as stupid, selfish, and ripe for taking advantage of as the humans themselves. Once we figured out a good strategy, we’ve been able to rob and take money as we please. There are people all around us now, not paying attention to a single word we’re saying. I’m almost disgusted to have to breathe the same air as they do.”
“What’s stupid is that we still live in a hotel,” Nadir said, “I say since we get a steady income from other people that we invest in our own apartment. If we can’t make the payments we’ll just bail and find a new town to haunt.”
Halo and Zenith glanced at each other. “That won’t work Nadir,” Zenith said, “We’d have to go by those fake names again, and I don’t really want to get into such a mess. We’re better off just drifting between hotels.”
Nadir scowled. “But what about buying a plot at the campground? We could get some tents, and live right by the beach. It’s one large payment a year for the land, and then smaller bills for utilities. Why can’t we do that? If we start to run out of money, we just…go.”
Once again, Zenith and Halo glanced at each other. This caused Nadir to let out a growl and say, “Oh come on, I might as well be a teenager begging for his parents to let him borrow their priceless car. Forget it.”
“Parents? Where did that come from?” Halo asked.
Nadir stopped walking, causing Zenith and Halo to stop with him. Looking to them, Nadir smiled wryly and let out a chuckle. “You’re joking right? Look in a mirror,” he chortled. He paused, then sighed and said, “Let’s go, I’m starving already.”
Halo and Zenith looked at each other. Almost as if the owner of the nearby hat and sunglasses stand had anticipated this, he had placed a mirror outside for customers to see what his wares would look like when they wore them. They glanced at this mirror and looked at what they saw. Zenith still had his arm around her. They stood together and walked in such perfect time and motion it was as if they were a unified life form. Just as Nadir had suggested, they looked like they belonged together.
Anybody would just assume they were a couple. Nadir, for once, probably wasn’t joking to make a comeback.
They looked back to each other, the backs of their necks beginning to burn them, their stomachs tying in knots and almost killing what appetites they had.
Zenith pulled away from Halo, taking a few clumsy steps back as his cheeks burned him, and turned red to match. Nadir had walked a few steps ahead, but turned around to look at them. He continued to laugh. Pointing at them he said, “Oh grow up, both of you, you’re making a scene. Let’s get going already!”
Halo and Zenith did notice that the people walking on the boardwalk were eyeing them, wondering why they were acting so strangely. Zenith felt himself shrink, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Halo was equally as nervous, but dispelled it with rebellion. She waved her hand at the people, going up to Zenith as she said, “Mind your own business. Go suck on a tea bag, all of you.”
She took Zenith’s hand and pulled him along, her cheeks red, just as Zenith’s were, her face burning with embarrassment. However, as both she and Zenith walked, letting go of each other’s hands, they each thought about what Nadir had said. All of these years they only saw each other as friends, but loved each other as they were all any of them had. They were like family. Zenith and Nadir were already twin brothers; Halo might as well have been a sister.
But maybe, just maybe, she could be part of the family in a different way.
It wasn’t that Zenith hadn’t thought about it. He was just used to Halo always being with him. He didn’t have to think about it like he would if she was less present and less important in his life.
And yet it was getting harder and harder for him to ignore.
Later that night, Zenith and Nadir were sitting together in their hotel room. They usually stayed for a couple of weeks at each hotel they stayed at, going from hotel to hotel all over town as not to raise any suspicion. After two years in the town they were doing pretty well, the twins making the occasional bank robbery in nearby towns to bring in extra cash, only using threats with their martial arts skills to get what they wanted.
They always wore dark glasses over their eyes, tied down their ears, and wore hoods. They would laugh at the police on the news as time and time again they were left with no leads and no suspects, for Nadir and Zenith never left fingerprints, shoe prints, or hairs behind to expose them, and always knew where to go and tear down security monitors.
At the age of seventeen, they were perfect thieves.
But Zenith was unhappy.
That night, he stared at the television set, watching the weatherman predict another fabulous week of sunshine and warm temperatures while Halo took a shower and Nadir sat counting their income for the day. “I can’t believe what good thieves we are. It tickles me knowing there are humans tonight crying about losing forty or so dollars and a stupid bracelet when their credit cards weren’t stolen and they still have a roof over their heads. I hate people, anyone who doesn’t have to go without. They all should be shot through the back,” Nadir muttered.
Zenith let out a sigh, sharing Nadir’s feelings, if not so intensely. He rolled over on his back and asked, “Nadir, is it really that obvious?”
“What are you talking about?” Nadir asked, putting the money away.
“Me and Halo…do people really take one look at us and think we’re a couple?” Zenith asked again.
Nadir let out a chuckle, but did love his brother, and was willing to be serious for a minute if it meant he could help him. Nadir got up and sat down on Zenith’s bed, laying down beside him. Looking to his older twin, Nadir explained, “I think your arm around her pretty much screamed it today Zenith.”
Letting out a groan, Zenith pushed himself up with his arms so he could roll over on his front, coming down hard enough to make the bed shake as he buried his face in his arms and the sheets. “Aww man, I can’t believe it,” he cried.
Nadir rolled on his side, putting a hand on his brother’s back. “Gee whiz Zenith, what’s wrong? Why are you embarrassed?”
Zenith tilted his head up enough so one of his eyes could meet Nadir’s gaze. “It’s not that,” Zenith whispered, his voice soft. “I just…Halo is always with us. She’s practically our sister. We even treat her that way sometimes, but…in my heart, she’s something more. I just, I’m so confused…you have no idea.”
“So you love her, what’s wrong with that? Just tell her then you won’t have any reason to be embarrassed!” Nadir replied.
Rolling over on his back once more, Zenith crossed his arms behind his head and replied, “You don’t understand Nadir. I’m in love with her. If I tell her that I love her I might as well propose to her as well.”
Stunned with shock at his brother’s words, Nadir asked, “Marry her? Why? It’s not like she’ll find someone else…and you know I’m no threat. I love women, but they make you weak, and if they don’t make you weak they’ll take advantage of you and blame you for the first thing that goes wrong…well, maybe Halo wouldn’t, but then again I know she loves you, so…”
“Wait a minute, how do you know she loves me?” Zenith asked, getting up a bit.
Nadir thought about it for a moment, then answered, “Because she accepts you. When you put your arm around her, she leans into it. If you’re sitting together watching television, she freely rests her head on your shoulder, knowing you won’t mind. She’s never once done that with me…it just goes to show what we have is just stupid flirting. We’re not…serious. I honestly didn’t think about the two of you until two years ago when you were sick…and at the hospital she told everyone she was your fiancée.”
“Hold on!” Zenith shouted, sitting up the rest of the way, the rush of energy almost causing him to leap off of the bed. He grabbed Nadir by the arm, pulling him up to eye level and crying, “She said she was my fiancée? You never told me about this!” in a pained whisper.
“Gee whiz Zenith, calm down!” Nadir cried softly, pulling away from his brother. “She told me later it was because she was afraid they wouldn’t let her see you because she wasn’t family. Thing is though I joked with her I was pretty sure she had other reasons for saying it. Why tell everyone that she was your fiancée and not just go ahead and say she was your wife? Wouldn’t they be more inclined to let back a wife than a fiancée? Then I thought, ‘Okay, maybe she thought saying fiancée would be less obvious. She doesn’t want people at the hospital saying stuff like that around Zenith while he’s here.’ …And do you know why bro? It’s because she liked you and didn’t want you to find out from someone else. Still, any of them could have asked you when the wedding was, but I guess with what little time she had she did the best she could.”
Zenith let go of Nadir’s arms, his own falling limp as they rested against his body. He closed his eyes, bringing a hand to his head as if it pained him, cringing slightly. “She said she was my fiancée…?” he whispered. He paused, then opened his eyes as a smile curled his lips, “And to think I could have gone forward with this two years ago. Nadir, you evil little creature…keeping this from me. If it was so obvious that I returned her feelings I figured you would have said something.”
Rolling his eyes, Nadir crossed his arms and said, “Grow up Zenith, you were sick. For a little while I thought you might die. It slipped my mind in the preparation for running away. Give me a break.” He fell silent, but looked back to Zenith when he didn’t hear him speak. “Wait, gone forward with what? What are you going to do?”
Still smiling, Zenith replied, “We’re going to pull off our biggest heist yet Nadir. There’s a jewelry store in Diamond Dust Beach that has a jewel called the Embala Ruby in its possession. It was found in a mine in the sea cliffs at Embala Bay, and is one of the most expensive rubies in existence. We’re going to steal it, and mount it on an armlet to disguise it. See, right now it’s hanging on a necklace, but if we set it on an armlet and make it look like a series of armlets that are decorated with everything from garnets to sapphires she can wear it in public without attracting suspicion. The only way anyone could ever tell it was the Embala Ruby is if they inspected it close up. That will be my engagement gift to Halo.”
Zenith stood up, walking over to a mirror that hung on the wall and began to brush his hair. Nadir, with wide eyes ran over to him and exclaimed, “You’re going to pro—propose to Halo? We’re going to steal the Embala Ruby?”
“Yep,” Zenith answered, “You know how to mount gemstones right?”
“Well, yes,” Nadir answered.
“Perfect!” Zenith exclaimed, turning to his twin, “Get some rest, we’re doing this tomorrow night. Unlike before, we’re going to break in after business hours. We’ll crawl in through the ceiling crawlspace and disconnect the cameras. Make sure to bring spray so we can expose the infrared lines. We’ll pull back our hair and make sure we leave nothing behind. This has to be the perfect robbery. It’ll be our crowning achievement…a new step in our lives.”
Nadir and Zenith gazed at each other. Nadir lowered his eyes and whispered, “Gee Zenith…it’s weird…you getting married and everything…”
“Feeling left out?” Zenith teased.
“Please,” Nadir groaned.
The twins let out a laugh. They quieted down when they heard the shower turn off. “Tomorrow night Nadir…after Halo falls asleep, we’re gonna go,” Zenith whispered.
“Alright,” Nadir replied, grinning, already excited for the night to come.
The following night, the twins carried out their first big robbery. Everything went to plan, and not a single alarm went off. Though it was tempting, they left all of the other jewels undisturbed. They were careful to make sure they left no hairs or fibers behind. Because they wore gloves to hide their finger prints, wore shoes that had had the tread on the bottoms rubbed off of them, and had disconnected the cameras before they set foot on the floor, follicles of fur or hair, or threads from their clothes were the only things that could identify them.
A life time of stealing had made them experts. They watched with excitement the next afternoon when the police had no leads whatsoever and went as far to say it was a hopeless case. “There’s nothing left to identify the burglar. The Embala Ruby might never be seen again.”
Halo was in awe of the news, wondering who could have pulled off such a masterpiece, and confused when Nadir and Zenith made such light of it, hiding their excitement when she was in their presence.
Over the next week, Nadir worked on setting the Embala Ruby in an armlet. He took one that had a garnet set in it, a relatively common piece of jewelry, and pried the garnet out of it. He then took many careful hours placing the priceless Embala Ruby where the garnet once sat. When he was finished, he presented it Zenith, who could finally tell Halo how he felt.
Though he had grown up without a father to guide him, Zenith felt no uncertainty. After overcoming so much in his life with Halo by his side, forging this strong bond with her was only fitting. Everything would be the way it was supposed to be.
The group checked into a new hotel that week, almost two weeks after the robbery. The three had had another afternoon of work stealing from people, and this time Nadir was purposefully running late. Zenith and Halo waited together on the beach by the boardwalk, and fed up with waiting for him, Halo began to get antsy.
“Stupid Nadir, where the heck is he? I’m getting hungry,” she cried.
Zenith instinctively put his arm around her and said, “Aww Halo, give him a break. He could have gotten arrested…he could even be dead.”
Slapping Zenith on the chest, Halo tried to hold back a laugh as she said, “Oh Zenith, stop it. You’re terrible. He’s your twin brother!”
“Don’t remind me,” Zenith replied with a grin.
Halo couldn’t hold back anymore and began to laugh. Still, she said, “You’re so mean Zenith! How could you?”
Zenith began to laugh too, and after a few moments they had fallen to their knees, the soft sand cushioning them. After a few moments, Zenith looked up at Halo and said, “Hey, why don’t we sit a bit closer to the water, it’s cooler down there because of the sea spray.”
Halo paused, curious as to why Zenith spoke so softly. She knew he was the more stable and gentle of the twins, closer to her own personality, even as he was quite different from her, than Nadir was, even as he and Halo had a bit more in common. She and Nadir were both firecrackers. Zenith was calmer and brought out the quiet side in both Halo and Nadir, even though he had his own mischievous side. She was always happier around Zenith for this reason, truly happy, being able to have a good time and be wild, but then calm down and relax, able to let out real feelings instead of always masking them.
Still, this was almost abnormal for Zenith. Even so, she simply nodded gently, which was equally as rare for her. He extended his hand to her, smiling gently. She took his hand, hypnotized by his actions and the gaze of his deep purple eyes. Once she was on her feet, they walked together down the beach, stopping once the sand darkened. They sat down, and were close enough to the water for it to tickle their toes when the tide came in, and at the same time wasn’t enough to get them terribly wet.
When Zenith didn’t speak, Halo looked to him and asked, “Zenith, are you okay? You and Nadir have acted so strangely ever since that ruby was stolen in Diamond Dust Beach. Heh, are you guys just upset you didn’t think of it sooner?”
He listened to her laughing. He forgave her for teasing him. She didn’t know what was happening after all. It showed how well he had kept his secret.
Maybe too well. And he wasn’t talking about the ruby anymore.
He gazed at the ocean, in awe of how something so large could be both fierce and gentle, a beauty to behold. The ocean waters gave life and caused destruction. He felt like he was the ocean, only he was more bad than good.
Then he realized he couldn’t put off speaking anymore. She had stopped laughing.
“It’s not that…Halo,” Zenith said, his voice on the edge of a whisper.
Halo frowned. She was really concerned for him now. “Zenith, what’s wrong?”
He lowered his head, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry Halo,” he replied.
“Sorry? For what?” she asked.
“For not telling you all of this sooner,” Zenith answered, looking to her. He paused, gazing into her eyes, wanting to feel love from her to help get him through the words. “Nadir told me about that night in the hospital when you told everyone we were engaged.”
Letting out a sickened gasp, Halo looked away and whimpered, “I’m gonna kill him. The idiot.”
“Why? Did you mean it Halo?” Zenith cried, pleading with her.
She looked back to him. “Did I mean it? We weren’t really engaged Zenith…I said it so I…”
“So you could get back to see me…I know. Was that the only reason why?” Zenith interrupted.
“I…” Halo whimpered.
Zenith scooted up closer to Halo. He took her in his arms, pulling her close slowly and gently. They gazed into each other’s eyes the entire way. Zenith could feel Halo trembling. She could feel a tremor pulsing through his arms.
He swallowed hard, trying to force the lump that had formed in his throat to leave him so it would be easier to breathe.
“Do you love me Halo?”
She wanted to gasp but barely had enough breath to breathe with, and so she staved off that dreaded reflex. She was nervous, but felt calmed. The look in Zenith’s eyes, it relaxed her. He just wanted to hear the truth.
And so she gave it to him.
“Yes…I love you Zenith,” she whispered, barely audible.
He closed his eyes. With one more swallow he finally got rid of that pesky lump.
He opened his eyes, but only enough so he could see her. He felt so…relaxed. He felt such peace. It was such a strange feeling that he would have denied that it existed before now.
But he loved it.
And he loved her.
Instead of answering her, Zenith leaned in closer. He kissed her cheek gently, pulling back to look at her face. He saw her open her eyes. “I love you too Halo,” he whispered, his own voice as faint as hers was.
Her eyes widened. They glistened as if covered by tears. She reached up to touch Zenith’s face, brushing the hair out of his eyes. What she had wanted him to say since that night in the hospital had finally been said.
She kissed him, only this time, their lips met at last. Anyone walking by would have thought it was quite touching, two lovers sitting together, in each other’s arms, kissing each other as the tide splashed against their feet and a warm wind blew through their hair, framed against the red horizon.
Zenith pulled out of the kiss after several moments, taking a deep breath, making a mental note to always take a good one before kissing so he wouldn’t wind up winded afterwards. The two gazed at each other, and finally Halo said, “I’ve wanted you to say this…for a long time.”
Smiling, Zenith said, “Heh, that’s why I said I was sorry.”
Halo smiled. She pulled Zenith into a hug and said, “It’s okay, you don’t need to be sorry,” as she rested her head on his shoulder.
He returned the hug, but couldn’t relax yet. He pulled back from her, shoving one hand into his pocket as he turned away.
She was confused. “Zenith, what’s wrong?”
“That’s not the only thing I was apologizing for,” Zenith replied. Halo placed her hand on his shoulder, and when he felt this, he continued, “Nadir and I acted unimpressed by the robbery of the Embala Ruby because…we were the ones that stole it.”
Halo finally found the breath to gasp with.
He looked back to her and added, “When he told me the night before what you said in the hospital, I…it was something I wanted to hear. I—I would have told you I loved you a long time ago if I thought you felt the same way. I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t say anything. When he pretty much confirmed it for me, I wasn’t going to waste anymore time, so we organized the robbery, and the next night, we snuck out of the hotel room, and carried it out.”
Feeling paralyzed with shock, Halo asked, “But why Zenith?”
Zenith turned back to her, holding a golden armlet in his hands. She gazed at it for a moment, then looked back up to him, her heart pounding so hard it began to hurt.
“I told you, I wasn’t going to waste anymore time,” Zenith whispered. He held up the armlet, turning it around so he could expose the side with the Embala Ruby. “We stole an armlet that had a garnet embedded in it. These armlets are pretty common, and since rubies and garnets, and even red sapphires, look a lot alike, nobody will see this while you’re walking down the street and assume it’s the Embala Ruby. Somebody would have to examine it close up to recognize it. It’s safer this way. Besides, before now the Embala Ruby was part of a necklace.” He held it out to her, but wouldn’t let her take it just yet. “There’s something else Halo,” he whispered.
Halo stared at him, tears still threatening to fall from her eyes. “What is it Zenith?” she whimpered.
Taking a breath, he replied, “I stole this, so I could use it, when I asked you to be my bride.”
A gasp wanted to come, but again, Halo staved it off. She was shaking, and as she gazed at him, tears finally fell from her eyes. “You…you want us to get married?”
With a gentle nod, Zenith replied, “Yes Halo,” in a whisper, “…Will you?”
She covered her mouth with her hands. She nodded in reply, but also said, “Oh yes Zenith…I just…I wish you had realized you didn’t need jewelry to do this.”
Zenith smiled, handing the armlet to her as he pulled her into a hug. “I know, but remember, I only decided it was time to do this a couple of weeks ago. Besides…you’re my girl…and I want you to have everything. I had to have something for you, something to show the world that you’re my girl.”
“Oh…oh Zenith,” Halo whimpered.
The two fell silent, each relaxed by the embrace of the other. Zenith kissed her gently on the head and whispered, “We may not have a lot Halo, but we still have each other. Nobody can ever take that from us.”
Halo smiled, exhaling deeply. She enjoyed the warmth of Zenith’s body. The feeling of his arms around her was relaxing, and feeling his chest rise and fall with his breathing was the most comforting thing ever.
Zenith safely guessed that she agreed with him, after all, he felt the same feelings that she did. He simply smiled, and rested his head on hers.
Unfortunately for them, Nadir, who had watched the entire thing from the safety of the boardwalk, was ready for them to come along with him so they could get something to eat. He walked down the beach, up to where they sat and said, “And they lived happily ever after, but only until they took Prince Charming’s twin brother with them to get something to eat before they all died of hunger.”
Zenith and Halo looked up at him, both of them scowling. “Zenith? Prince Charming? Oh please. Prince Charming needs to take one look at Zenith and eat his freaking heart out.”
Letting out a laugh, followed by a groan, Zenith said, “If only he had gotten arrested.”
“Oh go to hell Zenith,” Nadir spit back, kicking sand at Zenith and giving him the middle finger.
“Hey!” Zenith shouted. He quickly got up and threw sand at Nadir. This caused Nadir to throw sand back, and before long the twin brothers were chasing each other up and down the beach. Halo was consumed with laughter as she chased the twins. She paused for a moment, long enough to clip the armlet around her tail, finding it fit there securely.
She let out a happy sigh as she gazed at it. Looking back to the twins, she could see Nadir being chased into the ocean, and before long both Zenith and Nadir were in the water, soaking wet.
She let out another sigh, less happier than before, but not by much. Zenith and Nadir were her family, and one of them at least, was so much more. She could see Zenith rise to his feet, wringing out his hair. He wasn’t Prince Charming. He was her bad boy, the love of her life, her life saver, her angel.
He was right. The three of them had nothing, but at least they had each other.
She would always have Zenith.
And that lovable pest Nadir.
They finally returned to her, both soaking wet, scowling at each other as if they were little boys again, returning to their mother for punishment.
Halo played into the role, but still laughed as she said, “Alright children. Let’s see if we can get something to eat, okay?”
“Finally,” Nadir muttered.
“Knock it off Nadir…if you didn’t want this, you should have kept your mouth shut like I told you,” Halo replied, shaking her finger at him.
“Oh shut up Halo,” he replied.
Halo and Zenith looked to each other, both of them smiling. Zenith extended his hand to her. She took it, and hand in hand they followed Nadir.
They were a family, and when at last Zenith and Halo were married, it would be a reality that they had lived with in their hearts for as long as they could remember. Being a family was no longer an illusion, and neither was the love both Zenith and Halo had carried in their hearts for many years.
Their path in life was hard, one lived in darkness, but was still filled with hope and love.
Even in the darkest of places you can find love.
Even in the most desperate of times, love is there.
And now, it would never leave them.
Zenith, Halo, and that pest Nadir.
Related content
Comments: 14
You're a hopeless romantic. And this story is proof, it's one of the many reasons why we love you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I don't think I've ever been called a hopeless romantic before, lol.
I bet you couldn't count those reasons one hand lol.
But thank you, in all seriousnes. I really appreciate it.
I've been feeling really off today.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
This story says otherwise.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
A story of words from one's heart lacks the ability to do so.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
...I guess it doesn't.
Still, it's no good if the only way my heart can be heard is through the words of a stupid story, and a crapload of ridiculous poetry and lyrics that no one cares about.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You're welcome sis
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thank you very much ^^ I'm doing a follow up to this story so look out for that!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0