“What is this?” I ask, my voice a hushed whisper.
“When my mum and the other survivors landed here, they built a home in this mountain and farmed the lands around it. This cave soon became a library of sorts, a way for them to mark down their history so it wasn’t lost, and their descendants could come back one day to find it,” he explains. I walk away from him a little to look at the wall with the most drawings on it, purely because I can’t read the writing around here. I bet Maxx can though. I feel Maxx move with me, stopping at my side. I can feel the heat blasting off him, warming up my skin and relaxing me.
“That’s when the planets were destroyed?” I ask, pointing up at the drawing at the top of the cave that is bigger than the others. It is of two massive planets, one a pink color and the other is blue. They are both split into little pieces, like this is just before they exploded. There are light bursts all around them that look like stars, but they are so many different colors instead of just white.
“Yes, the pink planet was the dark and the blue was the light,” he tells me. “This was when everything was destroyed. Our home was destroyed.” I follow the drawings to dozens of little circle objects flying away from the planets.
“The escape ships?” I question, and I look over to see him nod at me, before returning his attention to the drawings. I look back and follow the drawings to a planet which is clearly Earth. The ships are surrounding it, and then the next drawing is of dozens of people in a cave. All of them are drawn different colors and only one of them is blue. None of the people in the cave are pink or white or grey. I know that means my ancestors didn’t land here, they couldn’t have.
“Is the blue one your mother or father?” I ask.
“The blue figure is my mother, and the purple one next to her is my father. I only got his light with my eyes when I’m using my powers,” Maxx answers, and I look back at him. His whole body goes tense when I turn to stand in front of him and reach a hand out. Maxx doesn’t stop me as I place a finger on top of one of the swirls. The warm feeling overwhelms me, and I pull my hand back.
“Sorry, I can feel the pull…I just don’t know how to stop it,” I whisper.
“Austin might be able to teach you,” Maxx says, his voice going cold as he steps back. “Being around your own people is better for you.”
“What if I don’t want to just be around my own people?” I ask, feeling my heart beating faster in my chest.
“Then you will get us both killed. I won’t let that happen, I can’t see you nearly dead again, Freckles,” he says firmly, crossing his arms against his chest. “I can’t do that to us.”
“What do you mean nearly?” I ask, and he turns away from me, walking off, but I run ahead, stopping right in front of him and holding out my hands. “Please tell me. I know you were at the car accident. Tell me what happened. If you care about me at all, you need to tell me.”
“Freckles…” he says, shaking his head.
“Don’t Freckles me! I need to know! I thought I was crazy for a year, and I still think I am in a way…I need this answer from you,” I say, trying to hold in how much I need him to tell me the truth. “Please,” I whisper, and that final plea seems to do something to him as he stops glowing and nods once in defeat.
“When soulmates are in danger, our souls call to each other. Even though we had never met, I felt you just over a year ago for the first time when you were dying,” he explains, and my mouth feels dry as I try to take in what he is telling me.
“The car crash…” I whisper.
“Yes. I didn’t think about it, I just flashed to where I felt you and found the car,” he admits. “I didn’t expect to find you like you were.”
“I was inside, and my dad was flung out of the window,” I say quietly.
“I didn’t see your dad, only you. I ran to the car and opened it. You looked terrible, you looked close to death, and I knew I had to save you, even when I sensed you weren’t one of the light,” he says. “When I sensed that saving you could kill me.”
“The branch…” I drift off, my hand covering the place on my stomach. Maxx steps closer, lifting his hand to my forehead, and traces the mark, never once touching my skin but I feel like he is anyway. All I can do is breath in his sandalwood scent, trying to stay calm as I finally get the answers I have been looking for.
“It went straight through your stomach, and your head was hit badly. I placed my hands on the injuries and pushed light into you, to heal you. It nearly killed me because you drained me with every moment I touched you,” he admits. “I healed your head first, and it took more to heal your stomach after I pulled the branch out.”
“I don’t know how to thank you…you saved me,” I say in awe, and he lowers his hand, briefly pausing with his fingers next to my lips like he wants to touch them before dropping his hand.
“You don’t have to thank me…I just couldn’t let you die,” he explains.
“The marks? The pink hair?” I ask softly.
“The marks were left by me healing you. I don’t know why it did that, I’ve never healed a dark before. I healed Abby once, and it didn’t do that,” he says, and I don’t for a second suspect he isn’t telling me the truth. “The pink hair is because healing you unlocked your own powers. That would have happened if you met any light and drained them.”
“You saved me…why would you not want to tell me that?” I ask.
“Saving you…it cost me something,” he admits. “I was angry at you for so long, I still am. I just didn’t want to bring up the past.”
“What did I cost you?” I ask, my voice cracking a bit and not hiding my emotions as well as I wanted them to.
“My mum. She followed my flash and came to the crash,” he says, his eyes burning with anger as he remembers. “I stumbled out the car, and she helped me flash back to our house, but a flash so far away was picked up on by our enemies.”
“Landon said she isn’t dead,” I whisper, the only thing I can think to say.
“Landon hopes she isn’t, but I know there is a good chance they have drained all of her by now. They attacked us and took my mother while I was warning the clan. I passed out before I could help my mother, and two others of our clan were taken. Iris and Abby flashed us all away and saved us,” he tells me. “I was the next clan leader after my mother, and I should have protected her. Instead, I put everyone in danger because of you.”
I step back at his words, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“That’s why I’m angry. I saved you and you cost me everything, and you still haunt my every move,” he breathes out.
“That’s not my fault. None of it is,” I snap back, tired of him blaming me. “I am sorry your mum is gone, but it is not my fault you came after me and saved me. It is not my fault you think I haunt you!” I shout the end part.
“Freckles…”
“Ura! My name is Ura!” I shout, stepping closer to him, and his eyes burn with anger as he looks down at me. “You blame me for your mum, and you won’t even fight to be with your soulmate. I won’t stand here making you feel better, pretending to be your friend so you feel better. I am not yours, I didn’t choose any of this, and I won’t be blamed for just existing.”
“It’s not like that—” he says, and I shake my head.
“It is!” I snap. “No wonder you don’t want me. You pretend I’m the cause of all your problems rather than trying to fix them.”
“You have no idea what I want, Freckles!”
