After a few minutes of gently pushing through the eager crowds, Ben and Zachariel finally made it to the town square. On the side stood a large, mighty oak that overshadowed much of the area. From its branches hung several lanterns—each lit with a different color flame—draping decorations, colored tinsel, notes, carvings, and other objects too small for him to identify. From the path to the town center, the ground transitioned from loose gravel to solid cobblestone, with a few parts decorated and written on as if a festival tradition. At the base of the tree was a large, engraved rock wrapped in the firm embrace of the roots as the rest of the circle expanded out from it. As Ben took in the enchanting sight, he also noticed something.

“This is technically a town circle, not a square,” he remarked in the angel’s ear.

“Hilarious,” Zachariel said as he lightly shoved Ben away. “Now, go sit down. Don’t give me an excuse to use my sword.”

No argument there, Ben thought as he briefly stumbled. Better to shut up and find my seat than be shish ka bobbed by an angel.

Zachariel broke off from him and sat in the back, on a humble yet distinct chair that belonged to the village chief. Ben sat next to him on the cold, stone-laden ground, tucking in his knees and resting his chin on them. Despite being in the center of a sea of noise, he had never felt so alone...and frustrated. His answers seemingly lay with some person far off in the mountains, at least until Ariana’s passive-aggressive angel dad had randomly decided that his stay in Riverglade had been extended involuntarily.

Why the sudden change? Ben wondered. Why flip-flop from not trusting me to insisting that I stay longer?

Ben glanced around, then noticed the burn mark on his shirt. Zachariel had only changed his mind after he had caught fire.

Maybe it’s a safety thing. Zachariel might think I injured myself or something. Ben felt underneath it, only to find his skin perfectly fine. Slightly rough, a little sensitive, but intact. Guess I got lucky. I didn’t even feel it. Now, I’m basically a prisoner because some dude with a torch probably brushed by me without paying attention.

“Hello, stranger! You a newcomer?”

Ben looked up, his train of thought derailed. A young couple had sat next to him, accompanied by a small dog that hitchhiked in their picnic bag.

“Uh, yeah,” Ben answered. “Got here yesterday.”

“Oh, so you haven’t been to one of our festivals before?” the boyfriend asked. “It’s well known across New Eden, but not everyone gets to see it. You must be from another village.”

Ben shrugged. “Nope. All of this is still new to me.”

“Ah.” The boyfriend nodded. “That means you haven’t seen Ariana yet.”

“Well.” Ben glanced over to Zachariel, whose angelic eyes briefly crossed his before looking forward. “I’ve met her, yes. I heard she’s pretty good on the fiddle.”

The man and his girlfriend laughed as the dog yipped. Ben briefly reached over and petted it.

“Oh, trust me,” the boyfriend said. “She is the best part of the festival, hands down! Every year she steps it up, it’s never the same thing. It’s fresh entertainment, every time.”

Ben raised an eyebrow, withdrawing his hand from the dog. “Yeah?”

The woman nodded, peeking over from her spot. “Other villages may have fireworks, or dancers, or some other fancy show. None of them have her, though. The way she plays on that violin?” Her eyes glistened in wonder. “It’s incredible. It’s like she was sent from The Creator himself!”

“She’s that good, huh?”

The couple smiled excitedly and looked forward as Ben delved back into his thoughts. He had never heard her play before, at least, not in the way the famed musician herself described it. Even if he was confined to the town, at least there was entertainment courtesy of Ariana, the crazy violinist.

Ben glanced over into the crowd on the opposite side of where he and Zachariel sat. In front sat three girls, all of whom had their eyes fixed on him. The one in the middle flashed him a confident, hungry smile. Ben arched an eyebrow.

Suddenly, all the noise died down. Everyone faced forward as the light from the planetary form in the sky illuminated the circle, the lights from the multi-colored lanterns shone brighter. Ariana walked gracefully into the light, her violin and bow at the ready. She wore a pure white dress that almost seemed to glow from the light above. Under it, she wore a set of dark, tight jeans with a pair of black and white sneakers. Her hair was tied into a cute, curly ponytail, her azure eyes glittered.

Ben sat still, his breathing slowed. His muscles tensed as his gaze met hers, and for a moment, the two locked eyes. Ariana smiled at him as she broke the stare, moving her bow to meet the strings of her violin. She paused for a moment before drawing it across slowly, emitting a beautiful sound that seized his heart from him, quickening his pulse.

Zachariel leaned over, smirking as Ben stared. “Now, this is the good part.”

Ariana sped up her performance, the song’s beat becoming quicker and cheerier, her bow a mere blur. She danced as she played, each motion tied to a note she played; her feet constantly shuffled and shifted, the slender, graceful movements in sync with the beat. Her smile was bright, haughty, almost mischievous. Ben felt his chest pinch tight, his vision becoming narrowed and focused on her.

She met his eyes, smiling as he watched her. For a short time, she never broke eye contact. Her body twirled and twisted, her bow gliding up and down the strings, her left hand shifting across the neck of the violin as she continued her graceful dance, never once missing a note or going out of tune.

As she played, the lights departed the surrounding lanterns, following her movements like moths drawn to a flame. Her bow lit up as well, leaving an afterimage of her from each move until Ariana’s light illuminated the entire town square.

Ben stared in amazement, his chest heaving as he took in the incredible sight. How could someone have such mastery of two insanely difficult talents, much less be able to integrate them in a flawless, artistic manner? However, the best part for him wasn’t the music, the light, or the dancing itself. It all seemed to be but an outlet for her, a conduit to show the world how beautiful her soul truly was.

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She leaped onto a nearby rock and back off again, briefly striking and grinding the strings of her violin with her bow. Her feet paused for a moment, but her music kept speeding up; his heartbeat intensified with the tempo. Finally, the song took a dramatic and beautiful decline, slowing its pace until she finished it with an elongated note. A loud cheer erupted from everyone as Ben stared, awestruck. The lights returned to their respective lanterns, burning brighter than ever before.

Zachariel elbowed him, smirking. “Not bad, eh?”

Ben continued to stare, unbothered by Zachariel. “That was…”

“Great? See, I told you wouldn’t want to miss—”

“…beautiful. Ariana is so…”

Ben stopped mid-sentence as he felt the angel’s eyes stab into his. He avoided Zachariel’s gaze, hiding his face in his long hair to keep the angel from seeing his reddened face.

Ariana concluded her performance by taking a graceful bow. She ran over to Zachariel, giving her father a quick hug. As she pulled back, the angel quickly smiled at her to hide his last death glare aimed at Ben.

“Did you like that one, Dad?”

Zachariel laughed heartily. “I sure did. I’m surprised you got the light fairies to help. Normally, they are stubborn little creatures.”

Ariana blushed sheepishly. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I helped one of them out the other day, and they felt they had to thank me.”

Her father nodded, pride gleaming in his ethereal eyes. Ariana turned to Ben, her voice heightened. “So, how was it? Was I good?”

Ben quickly glanced at Zachariel, whose intense eyes were fixed on him. Finally, the angel’s expression relaxed. He sighed and made a quick motion with his hand to let him know it was safe to express his opinion. Ben exhaled, letting the excitement rush back into him as he turned his attention back to Ariana. “Is that a trick question? I’ve never seen anything like that before! The way you danced and played, and…and the lights!”

He really hadn’t. It was so mind-blowing that he had to remind himself to breathe.

Ariana beamed at him before turning to her father. “Hey, Dad? Can me and him have a minute? Like we talked about?”

“Of course, Ari.” Zachariel blinked, his eyes lowered. “I’ll be…ah, mingling.”

Ariana threw another quick hug around him. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.” She quickly kissed his cheek and grabbed Ben by the hand, leading him away towards a bench on the outskirts of the town square. They both sat down as Ariana let her hair tumble down to her shoulders with a smile.

“So, ya really liked it, huh?”

“Yeah, you weren’t kidding about being talented.” Ben nodded, smiling. “The townspeople were right about being hyped. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Ariana giggled and whispered in his ear. “This is kinda awkward, but…” She moved next to his ear and whispered into it. “…I’ve been working on that song forever. If it’s okay, I wanna dedicate it to you.”

Ben’s eyes widened in surprise as he heard the words. While he couldn’t recall, he was sure that he had never seen a dancing violinist before, much less had a song dedicated to him.

“Are you sure?” Ben asked. “You barely know me.”

“That can change,” Ariana said with a gentle smile. “If you want it to.”

“I…I would,” he said, his cheeks slightly warmer. “So, do you have a name for it?”

Ariana pondered it for a second, then shrugged. “Actually, I don’t.” She nudged him. “Do you have any ideas?”

Ben shrugged as well. “Eh, not really. Sorry.”

Ariana frowned. “Aw. We’ll think of something later down the line!”

“You think so?”

She held out her hand and closed all her fingers except for her pinky. “Pinky promise? Every song needs a name!” she babbled cutely.

Ben brightened up and locked pinkies with her. “Promise.”

She smiled at him as the sound of instruments began playing from the band that had just arrived. In an instant, Ariana was on her feet, pulling Ben up as well. She led him to the dance floor, where she put Ben’s right hand to her waist and elevated his left in the air.

“Whoa! What are you doing?” Ben asked, surprised.

“Just go with it!”

Before he could even process it, Ariana led him in a session of haphazard dancing. Though he fought and stumbled at first, his body soon joined in the ebb and flow of the crowd, and he found himself smiling, even laughing.

I’m…having fun?

Dancing with Ariana was like playing and chasing a childhood friend around a tree, only they were in front of each other, and music blared, egging them on. They spun around in circles constantly, both laughing uncontrollably. Ariana took a few missteps just to irk Ben, and he got a small revenge by spinning them around faster.

“Woo hoo!” Ariana shouted over the loud music.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be leading, Ari!” Ben said, feeling vertigo overtake him. They were laughing so much at the ridiculousness of it all that he was sure they would both die from lack of air.

As they spun around, Ben let himself lock eyes with her. He couldn’t believe that this Ariana was the same quirky girl who had found him in the forest.

Is this what she is really like? Ben wondered. If so…

Ariana smirked at him as she broke the duo’s spin and twirled around before ending back up in Ben’s arms.

…how was I so lucky to meet someone like her?

At Ariana’s behest, Ben took the lead. They danced reasonably well as a pair, their movements somewhat in sync when the beat was slower. When it sped up, however, all bets were off. She locked arms and spun him around, sending him whirling into the crowd at the foot of Zachariel.

“Uh…hey.” Ben hesitantly looked up at him. “Long time no see.”

The angel stared down at him. “Oh, so you wish to dance with me, huh?”

Uh oh, Ben thought. He immediately got to his feet and tried to make excuses.

“Well, you see...I’m, uh…”

“Do you?” the angel demanded, wings fluttering.

Ben froze and stood silently.

Zachariel broke his bearing and burst into laughter. “Learn to take a joke, Ben. You can go back to dancing with Ariana…so long as you behave.”

Ben nodded quickly and ran back to Ariana. She giggled so hard that she could have given the Pillsbury Dough Boy a run for his money. Though his face burned at first, he eventually laughed at himself and grabbed her hand to resume their dancing, the strings and drums playing to the side dragging them into euphoria.

The music sped up, soon starting to outpace them. Ariana tripped over Ben’s foot and landed on her butt, taking him down with her.

“Ow! Hey!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to…ow!”

They stared at each other for a solid minute before they burst into laughter. Ben almost wished that this moment, the time he spent with Ariana, would never end. He frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Ariana asked, concerned.

“I…” He managed a smile. “…nothing. I’m glad you invited me here, is all.”

Ariana smiled as Ben stood up to his feet and helped her. They left the dance floor again, both plopping back down on the bench. “That was fun! I also didn’t know you could dance!” She elbowed him in the side lightly. “That was pretty good, Ben!”

Ben shrugged. “The funny thing is, I didn’t know I could dance either.”

Ariana blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah. I hadn’t even smiled in a long time until I came here and met you.” Ben said softly, letting the thought slip from his mouth.

Ariana turned her head away, and he could swear she was blushing. She looked back at him and asked, “Wait a minute. You said you haven’t smiled in a long time. How would you know that if you have amnesia?”

“I don’t know how, but I can feel it. Like, I can feel that I’m from Earth. The rest is still blurry, like a camera lens that refuses to focus. Know what I mean?”

“Sort of. I don’t know what a camera lens is, and I don’t know much about Earth. Zachariel tells me I’m from there too, but it doesn’t seem like it.” Ariana frowned. “By the way, I’m sorry if it seems like I don’t care about your past. I really do. I just…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Ben smiled. “You’re not the only one.”

Ariana beamed and straightened her posture. “Besides, as your duly elected friend, it’s my job to help you get your memories back!”

“Duly elected?” Ben chuckled. “Who elected you?”

Ariana gave him a confident smirk, jutting her chin in the air. “I did.”

“I guess that settles it.” Ben laughed, looking back at her as she returned the stare. “Looks like you and I are…”

Ben never got to finish his sentence. Ariana was now latching on to him, hugging him tightly. She released him and grabbed his wrist.

“Come on, there’s one more thing I want to show you before the night ends!” she said, gripping his wrist tighter as she grabbed her violin case.

Ben used his free hand to scratch his head. First, Ariana showed him a bunch of fish. After that, the sunset. Next, she introduced him to her passive-aggressive angel father, who undoubtedly desired to vaporize and reduce him to ash.

God only knows what this girl will do next, Ben thought, then dismissed all the doubtful thoughts with a shake of his head. In the end, Ben smiled, going along with her gladly.