Ariana watched all night as Ben tossed and turned in his struggle for sleep. At first, he mumbled strange, indiscernible words. His face twitched and contorted.
“Hey,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”
Ben continued his mumbling for another hour before his words erupted into screams. He curled into himself, turning, his face contorting as he demanded his ‘Lilly’ back.
Ariana leaped from the bed and knelt next to Ben. She hugged him close to her chest and rubbed her fingers through his hair, trying to calm him. Smoke rose from his arms, his skin warming steadily. Despite the discomfort, she tried to ignore it and kept holding him. His body began to shake violently, as his fingers dug into his abdomen.
I have to stop it, she thought desperately, her breaths quick, shallow. But how?
Come on, Ari! Think! the voice in her head cried.
Ariana rocked him back and forth as Zachariel came running to the door. “Who’s that screaming?” His eyes widened. “What happened to Ben?”
“I…I don’t know.” Ariana rasped through tears. She couldn’t bear to see him in pain. “Please, Dad. Help him.”
Zachariel knelt and placed his index and middle fingers on Ben’s forehead, muttering a quick incantation. Ben screamed even louder.
“It’s not working!” The angel growled, his fists clenched. He briskly stood up, wings fluttering. “Stay here, Ari. I’ll go find—”
“—Dad, wait,” Ariana whispered as she cradled Ben. His screams had faded to short gasps; the shaking was subsiding. The smoke from his body dissipated, the heat with it.
“Ariana,” Zachariel said, his voice lowered. “Keep doing that. It’s working.”
She obeyed, rocking him back and forth as she soothed a song into his ear. “Calm your wonderful soul. The angels have you tonight. Oh, calm your painful heart…”
As the notes left her mouth, Ariana’s skin tingled. It was the song Zachariel sang to her as an infant. Something about the words, the way they were said always stirred something in her soul.
Thankfully, sleep came to Ben as she drew her song to a close. Ariana smiled sadly and set him back down on his pillow and brushed her fingers through his hair, this time barely whispering the lyrics.
Zachariel sighed. “Stay with him and make sure he sleeps alright. If necessary, we can bring him to the infirmary tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Ariana said, her voice shaken. “I tried to—”
“It’s alright.” Her father raised his hand and slowly lowered it, a reminder to her to keep her voice down. “He must have had a flashback. Not a pleasant one from the sound of it.”
“He lost Lilly to some bad people.” Ariana admitted, almost regretting her words. It felt like she was betraying him, telling Zachariel the part of his past that he entrusted to her alone.
Zachariel’s eyes widened. He shifted his gaze to Ben, and a look of pity crossed his face. “I see. So that’s what he was hiding.”
Silence filled the room as Ariana avoided his gaze. Eventually, her father turned around to leave, but paused in the doorway. “Keep him here. I’ll return in the morning after my patrol is finished.”
Ariana nodded. With that, Zachariel walked out of the house, extended his wings, and flew away. With a sigh, she looked back down at Ben. He seemed calm and restful, something that eased her heart more.
Good thing too, she thought. I don’t want him to be in pain. Not now, not ever.
With her gaze fixed on him, Ariana squeezed his still-warm hand. She wanted to stay with him, to be his source of comfort, his safe space like she had just a few minutes ago. Not only that, but she wanted moments like that to last forever.
But why? Ariana wondered, her jaw tightened. She didn’t exactly know. Either that, or she refused to admit the true reason to herself. Something about him, she decided, made her drawn to him, though she couldn’t narrow it down. What was it? The pain in his beautiful eyes that made her heart ache? The kind smile that often crossed his lips despite it?
Poor Ben, Ariana thought with a frown. You don’t deserve any of that. You deserve to have a calm, happy life with people that love you even if it’s with that Lilly girl and not me.
As the thought passed into Ariana’s mind, she gripped him tighter. As horrible as it was, she secretly hoped that he would stay with her, that his past wouldn’t matter anymore and that it would just be the two of them for as long as they lived.
I don’t want to let him go, she admitted to herself. I know it’s selfish, but I just can’t.
Ariana sighed, continuing to rub her fingers through Ben’s hair. The calm, tranquil look on his face suggested he was enjoying it, which lightened her heart even more.
“Hey Ben?” She smiled and bent down to whisper into his ear. “I…”
Suddenly, he began moving around, mumbling once more. This time, it was a name.
Her name.
“Ari…Ari. Hey, beautiful.”
“Oh,” she whimpered, her cheeks becoming rosy. For once in her life, Ariana was at a loss for words. Other people have given her that same compliment, but she never really registered it, nor did she care what they thought. But for Benjamin Blake to call her something like that, something so daring as the word ‘beautiful,’ suddenly it mattered the entire world to her.
Her room faded, replaced with the sunshine on Ben’s handsome face, when he had laughed as if his pain never existed. All the adventures that they had shared the days before flowed into her mind.
The light in Ariana’s vision twisted and fluttered until it formed into a multitude of shapes; the leaves and trees of Leanoir forest. She walked her way through the brush, violin case slung over her shoulder as she silently debated the length that her closing vibrato should be for her song at the festival.
Ariana slowed to a walk to her usual spot in the forest, looking forward to practice. She unclipped the case, pulling out Ole Betsy and tucking her under her arm. She tuned the violin, rosined her bow, and prepared to draw it across the strings.
That is, until she noticed someone lying on the ground.
That’s odd, Ariana thought, taking a cautious step back. Aren’t these woods usually empty?
Against her better judgment, she scooted closer. She tilted her head, wondering who the mysterious person was. She bent over to get a better look at him, her blonde hair falling over her left shoulder.
The person was a young man with medium-length black hair, an angular face, a pronounced nose, and light skin with reddish-brown undertones. He wore a navy-blue shirt with jeans ripped at the knees and plain, unassuming shoes. The sunlight passed over his rigid face, softening it.
Wow, the voice in her head teased, he sure is cute, isn’t he?
Ariana moved her violin to hip level and poked the person with the bow. He didn’t budge. She lightly kicked his foot, yet he refused to awaken. His chest heaved up and down, ruling out death as an explanation.
“Huh. Weird.”
After pondering it further, Ariana approached him slowly, but soon stepped on a twig, snapping it. The stranger’s eyes fluttered open. He stared up into the tree line blankly, not noticing Ariana. She leaned over him and looked into his eyes. They were gray, like the beautiful storms that occasionally blessed Riverglade village with a light, lonely rainfall.
Ariana froze. Not wanting to make the situation even more awkward, she decided to start the conversation. “Hey there, stranger! Who are you?”
The stranger stared back at her and replied, “Uh…what?”
Her eyebrow arched. A few words later, she learned his name.
Ben, he had said. Benjamin Blake.
The name echoed as the memories fast-forwarded to where the pair were having their splash-war at the river. Ben had gotten up from the stone-covered shore and stared into the beauty of the New Eden sky.
This all must be so new for him, she thought.
Ariana paused once she saw his face. He looked lost, worried…almost lonely. The mere sight of it made her heart sink.
“Everything okay, Ben?” Ariana asked with a disarming, gentle smile, stepping closer. He initially faced her, but then turned away, his dark hair blowing in the ethereal wind as he focused on the horizon.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “Just a bit wet.”
Ariana frowned. She knew it was a lie.
Maybe you can cheer him up somehow? The voice in her head suggested.
Worth a try, Ariana told the voice. She stepped closer and lightly socked him in the arm. “Say, can I show you one more thing?”
“I don’t know, Ari. I—”
Ariana placed her petite, string-imprinted finger to his lip. “—just one?”
The imagery shifted once more, this time to the festival. Ariana and Ben were seated on a bench outside of the party.
“By the way, I’m sorry if it seems like I don’t care about your past. I really do. I just…”
Want to be your friend.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re not the only one,” Ben replied with a smile. Ariana’s eyes widened.
Does he mean what I think he means?
Only one way to find out, girly! the voice said.
Ariana took in a quick breath, mustering all the confidence she could, “Besides, as your duly elected friend, it’s my duty to help you get your memories back!”
“Duly elected? Who elected you?” he asked, chuckling.
Her chin jutted out as she allowed herself to radiate confidence. “I did.”
“That settles it.” Ben smiled warmly. “Looks like you and I are…”
Unable to hold back anymore, Ariana latched onto him tightly, almost crying happy tears. Benjamin Blake was now her first real friend.
But that wasn’t it. Ariana didn’t quite know what, but there was more. She had first felt it in the forest when she touched Ben’s hand, a strong passion that made her ache for him in a way she didn’t understand. As they spent more time with each other, be it their street performance or their meal on the rooftop, that feeling only intensified.
After flashing through all their memories together, Ariana brought herself back to reality. She was still sitting next to Ben, still running her now-trembling fingers through his jet-black hair.
It was then that she finally realized something that she had been hiding from herself. All those years, she felt something missing, a longing for someone. And now that he was there, she couldn’t help but entertain the selfish idea…no, the hope that maybe he was brought to New Eden for her, an answer to her lifetime of loneliness and prayer.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Ariana lowered her head and stared lovingly down at him. Part of her wished he would wake up, so she could lose herself within those stormy gray eyes of his. Then again, she also wanted him to stay there and sleep peacefully, so she could continue gazing at him and rubbing her fingers through his soft hair.
She again bent down to whisper in his ear. “Ben, I know we just met but I think I’m…” She hesitated. He was asleep, but it seemed he could hear everything she said. She paused for another minute or two, trying to phrase in her head what she was trying to say. Finally, she took a deep breath and exhaled, mentally preparing herself for the earth-shattering words.
Ben’s eyes fluttered open. Upon realizing that Ariana was sitting next to him, he slowly turned his head toward her, confusion evident in his expression.
“Uh, morning,” he said, mystified.
Ariana froze, her eyebrow twitching. Suddenly, she had lost all courage, the least of her now multitude of worries. How much did he remember? What was he going to think? Did he feel the same for her? Was her hair messed up? Did she look attractive? Was breakfast ready?
Ben looked around. Noticing her lack of movement, he waved his hand in front of her trembling eyes, trying to draw her out of her trance. “Hello? Anyone home?”
Leaping onto her bed, Ariana pressed her back up against the wall, accidentally causing Ben to smack his head against the floor.
“H-how much did you hear?” she stuttered wildly.
Ben blinked, rubbed his head, and looked back at her. “Hear what?”
“Umm…nothing.” Ariana sighed in partial relief, yet struggled to hide her shaking as she climbed down. “Nothing at all.”
“Uh…” Ben arched an eyebrow as he assessed her, “…okay, I guess.”
Ariana stared back, then froze upon inspecting herself, her slender form clad in her outrageous polka-dot pajamas, that, for some stupid reason, that was suddenly embarrassing for her.
“Get out!” She demanded, pushing Ben out the door. “I’m not dressed!”
“You’re wearing pajamas…” Ben remarked, his voice trailing off.
“Exactly! So, can you please get out?” Ariana finished shoving him out the door and slammed it shut. She ran to her dusty, wood-rimmed mirror, messing with her hair to make sure that it looked good, among other things like the nails and skin. Everything had to be perfect.
After a few minutes of struggle, Ariana finished with her hair. She picked up her outfit designs from the floor and opened the door to her closet, sifting through all her clothes, pulling out a set and holding it in front of her mirror. She growled.
The rejected outfits flung from her hands onto her bed over and over as she tried to picture herself in them mentally. As she threw the last bit, she noticed something on the floor—the bag from the store, the same day the girls had tried to lure Ben away.
Ariana’s cheeks burned. It was an outfit she designed in her head especially for him, unknowingly for this very moment, though she hadn’t had time to sketch it. She pulled the clothes from the bag and donned them. It was a red V-neck shirt with sleeves that extended no farther than her elbow. On her lower half, she wore a gray, frayed skirt that reached the knees. Under the skirt, she wore black, skintight pants with ankle-cut tennis shoes. She grinned.
Perfect! Now about my hair again.
She worked feverishly at it, straightening some parts and braiding others, trying to ensure that everything would be perfect. Once she had finished, she gave one final, grandiose look in the mirror.
Ariana sighed nervously. She didn’t look half bad, but the goal was to impress. Either way, she hoped it would be enough.
Enough for him.
----------------------------------------
Zachariel had just landed in front of the cottage when he heard a loud slam. He opened the front door and ducked through the doorway to see Ben waiting just outside Ariana’s room, a look of bewilderment affixed to his face. He didn’t notice the looming angel behind him.
So, he’s awake. Good.
“Good morning, Ben.” Zachariel said, clearing his throat. “I see—”
Upon hearing Zachariel’s voice, Ben spun around and paled. “Hey, uh, I swear nothing happened. Ari just started freaking out and gave me the boot.”
The angel arched an eyebrow. “She kicked you out?”
So much color had drained from Ben’s face that his skull was nearly visible. “I-I don’t know. I woke up, and she just jumped away from me like I was the pla—”
Zachariel’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t do anything to her, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.” Ben shook his head, scooting out of the way. “I swear to God.”
“Be very careful with that,” the angel warned, his stare cutting into the boy.
“I’m serious, sir,” Ben said with an exasperated sigh. “One minute, I’m asleep. The next, she freaks out about me hearing something, acting all embarrassed and saying she’s not dressed despite her pajamas…”
“Enough.” Zachariel held his hand up. “Sit down. I’m going to talk to her.”
Ben obeyed as the angel reached for the door and opened it, passing through to see Ariana standing in front of her mirror. She was inspecting herself at all angles, making even the tiniest of adjustments. It seemed as if she were trying to achieve perfection with her looks—something Zachariel knew was uncharacteristic of her.
“Ariana?” Zachariel tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She twisted to face him, azure eyes blinking in surprise.
“Dad! Um, I didn’t hear you come in!”
“Sorry to intrude, Ari.” Zachariel briefly glanced at the mess that was his daughter’s room before returning his attention to her. “What’s going on? Why the sudden obsession with how you look?”
“Oh. It’s…it’s nothing Dad. I’m just trying on some dresses!” She laughed shakily and gave a nervous half-grin.
Zachariel knew that wasn’t the case. He had seen enough on Earth to understand what she was going through. Crossing his arms, he stepped closer. “What’s going on, honey? You’ve never acted like this before.”
“I…” Ariana sighed, sitting down on the bed. “Well, I don’t know.” She shrugged one shoulder and tilted her head, her blonde braid tumbled down. “I was comforting Ben, making sure he slept okay and everything, especially after last night. Then, he…”
“Ari, did he harm you?” Zachariel’s eyes narrowed. “Even in his sleep?”
“No, nothing like that.” Ariana bit her lip and turned from her father. “He called me beautiful.”
“Oh.” Zachariel faced forward, and for a moment, silence hung between them. “Maybe I should kill him, after all.”
“That’s not funny,” Ariana growled.
“I know. Sorry.” Zachariel dropped his smile, interlocking his fingers and resting them on his knees. “This does sound like serious business. It seems you have a crush on our mysterious guest.”
Ariana’s cheeks flushed red. “Just a little.”
He tightened his hands together, sighing. “It hasn’t even been a week yet. You know he won’t be here much longer.”
“I know, I know!” Ariana stood, facing the window and gripping her forearm. “All this time we spent together since I found him, I just…”
“You just what?”
“I just can’t help it.”
“Okay.” Zachariel nodded sadly. “Ask yourself this, Ariana. Have you really fallen for Ben?”
Ariana nodded longingly. She studied her shoes to avoid eye contact.
Zachariel grimaced. He had never expected to become a surrogate father in the first place, but never once had he regretted raising her. Even so, this was a day he so feared for so long.
Now that it had arrived, he had a promise to keep.
“Ari,” Zachariel said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “look at me.”
Ariana complied, though her eyes glistened ever so slightly. “What if he doesn’t like me back, Dad?”
“I…” Zachariel paused, his jaw clenched. More than anything, he wanted to tell her to do everything she could to forget him and move on. He wished for her to continue to enjoy her life, free from the pressure and pain that came with so-called ‘love.’ And yet, as much as he desired it, the words never slipped from his mouth. He knew that no matter what he said or did, Ariana’s mind couldn’t change once she had her heart set on something. All he could do now was caution and teach her so that she could avoid her mother’s mistakes.
“There’s no proper way to make him like you back,” Zachariel said, his words carefully measured. “Just show him the real you and he’ll eventually come around. If not, it’s far from the end of the world.”
“I hope so.” Ariana frowned. “But I appreciate the advice, Dad. I don’t know how I’d do this without you, ya know.”
“Of course. I only want the best possible life for you, Ariana.” Zachariel felt his throat tighten. “That is all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Thank you, Dad,” Ariana said as she rose from the bed. Zachariel smiled as she pulled away, gazing at her in her outfit. For a moment, he glimpsed her as a young child again, showing off her latest creation.
Hey Dad! Like my dress?
“That’s a new one. It looks beautiful.”
“Oh, right. I didn’t show you this one yet.” Ariana blushed. “I made it for Ben.”
Zachariel chuckled. “It would be quite hilarious to see him wear that.”
Ariana’s face turned a darker red. “Not what I meant.”
“I know, I know.” Zachariel allowed himself a moment to recover. “So, I assume you and Ben are going back out into town today?”
“I think so.” Ariana’s smile faded. “I’m worried about it, though.”
“Why would you be worried?”
“Last time, there were these girls. They kind of ruined my day with Ben.”
Zachariel’s eyebrow arched. “What girls?”
“Alexis, Marge, and Bailey, I think.”
Strange, Zachariel thought. He knew everybody in the village personally, and yet he had never heard of any girls with those names.
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Zachariel smiled encouragingly. “Now go have fun, Ari. Remember not to burn down any restaurants this time.”
Ariana wrapped her arms around him and gave him a warm hug. “I love you.” She released it, then skipped out the door and shut it behind her.
Zachariel sighed as he sat on her bed in silence, giving himself time to accept the inevitability he had dreaded for so long: that his little girl—who he had protected and raised since infancy—was falling in love. He briefly glanced at Ariana’s pillow, seeing her stuffed rabbit tucked in under her blanket.
“It’s hard seeing her grow up, isn’t it?” he asked.
The rabbit’s button eyes stared ahead blankly. Zachariel sighed.
I suppose it had to happen sometime, he thought somberly, but who were those unknown girls Ariana mentioned? Travelers? Visitors? They aren’t residents. Unless…
Suddenly, Zachariel's wings went rigid, his eyes widened.
Oh no.
He hurried out of the room, exiting the cottage as he screamed for Ariana. Unfortunately, she was now out of both sight and earshot.
Zachariel grit his teeth. He needed to meet their new ‘visitors’, and deal with them—or else his village and daughter would pay the price.
----------------------------------------
Ariana stepped outside of her room and stood, her hands firmly at her side. She grinned nervously. “Um, hi Ben!”
Ben sat in his chair, eating cereal. He didn’t seem to notice her, his eyes staring down at his food. Ariana uttered a small growl.
Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea, Ariana thought.
Come on, girl! the voice encouraged. You’ve got this!
Mustering her courage, Ariana spoke louder. “Good morning, Ben!”
Ben startled, nearly jumping out of his chair. His spoon clattered to the floor.
Idiot, the voice told Ariana as she winced. You probably woke up the neighbors with that blow horn you call a mouth.
“Oh. Hey Ari.” Ben spun around. “So, what was that all about?”
Ariana blinked. “What do you mean?”
“You sort of freaked and kicked me out of your room.”
Oh. That.
Ariana twiddled her trembling fingers. “Oh. I was just having a girl…err, problem.” She laughed nervously. “You know, private feelings and…”
“Oh, wow.” Ben’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know that even happened in New Eden.” His face flushed red. “But if you’re moody, or uh, hungry. Then I won’t judge you. Promise.”
The air of awkward silence hung between them. Clearly, they were not talking about the same thing.
Ariana pursed her lips as she looked over at Ben’s breakfast. “Is that cereal?”
God, I hope so.
“Yeah, it’s good. Very flaky.” Ben gestured to the empty chair. “Do you wanna join? I can make you some.”
“No, I got it!” Ariana replied quickly. “Just let me get a bowl real quick.” She hastily walked over to the cabinet as she grabbed the bowl and box. Her shaking hands betrayed her, and random flakes spilled all over the counter and floor.
Relax! the voice said. You look like an idiot right now!
Ben got up from his chair. “Hold on Ariana, let me help you with that.” As he got up, she turned around sharply, bowl in hand, and accidentally poured half of its contents on his shirt.
Ariana covered her mouth with her free hand. “Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry! I—” She bit her lip hard. “I really didn’t…”
Ben stared at his shirt, then burst into laughter. He put the bowl on the counter as he smiled at her.
“Why don’t we get breakfast out in the village or something?”
Her cheeks burned so hot that she felt like her skin would melt off her skull. Ben blinked, slowly waving to regain her attention.
“Oh.” Ariana shook her head. “Sorry. Yes.”
“Huh. Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked, gazing worriedly at her. “If it’s too much right now, we can w—”
“Umm, yeah!” she lied. “Totally fine.”
“Oh. Alrighty,” Ben said as he pulled her towards the entrance to the cottage. “Let’s go, then.”
Ariana nodded quickly and ventured out of the cottage with him. She was walking skittishly at first, but stopped, reminding herself that she needed to look confident. To be confident.
Come on Ari, you can do this. Just like you do at the festival.
She straightened her back, perked out her chest, and attempted to do just that. Then, she tripped on a loose cobblestone, lost her balance, and almost fell on her butt.
Ben turned to her, his eyebrow arched. “You okay, Ari?”
Not like that, girly, the voice in her head said.
Ariana pursed her lips. As annoying as the voice was, it was right. Stupid thing usually was.
“Yeah, I’m alright! Don’t worry about me!” She beamed at him reassuringly.
Ben raised an eyebrow and turned back around. The pair sat down at a table in the shade of the oak tree that hung over part of the town square. The gentle sunlight bled through as they engaged in small talk for about an hour. Eventually, Ben broke the silence with the golden question.
“So, what was that whole thing about? Earlier when you kicked me out of your room?” Ben inhaled sharply, his lips pursed, like he was trying to dance around having to say the words. “You said you were having ‘girl problems?’”
Ariana’s eyes widened as she finally realized what Ben was referring to.
“Oh! No, not that.” She scratched her head nervously, feeling stupid. “Not that type of girl problem.”
Ben sighed in what appeared to be relief. “Ari, are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting kinda weird.”
“I…” Ariana sighed. “Well, I was struggling with some feelings, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
Well, Ari, the voice said, might as well fess up that ya like him.
“I kinda…”
Another voice interrupted her. “Hey, cutie!”
The pair turned to face the voices. To both Ariana’s surprise and chagrin, it was the annoying Alexis girl and her cohorts. She had hoped that maybe Alexis had gotten mauled by a wild animal.
“So, did you reconsider our offer?” Alexis asked. “We’re actually leaving the village here in a bit.”
Ben hesitated, took in a sharp breath, “I’m good. Besides…” He eyed Ariana with a smile, “…my friend here promised to help me.”
“Oh, come on, you know she can’t do anything for you! We—”
“—I’m fine, thanks,” Ben coldly remarked.
“Are you sure?” Alexis’s expression shifted to a deadly glare; a forked tongue protruded from her lips. “Last chance, cutie.”
Uh oh, Ariana thought. Forked tongue. Not good.
Well, if she got mauled by a wild animal, the voice in her head said, the poor thing probably lost.
Ben sighed, turned to Alexis, and promptly gave her the finger.
“No.”
Alexis sprouted a pair of demonic wings, her eyes turned blood red. Her body thinned until it was nothing, but gray, ragged muscle stretched over inhumanly sharp bone, the corners of her mouth stretched to reveal a hideous jaw filled with jagged teeth. Claws extended from what used to be her fingers and dug into Ben.
Ariana paled. “Ben!”
With a surprising strength, the she-demon lifted Ben and hurled him into a building a fair distance from the town circle. A low growl emitted from her throat, bloody claws snapping together.
“Marge, find and distract the angel! Bailey, go get the boy!”
They nodded with a triumphant hiss as they flew off into the Riverglade, sending the townsfolk fleeing for their lives.
Ariana attempted to run after him but was blocked by Alexis. The she-demon turned towards her as an evil grin stretched across her leathery face.
“This little brat is mine.”