Zeo

Unknown voices echoed in the distance, unintelligible words drilling into his head. Zeo felt like floating on a gelid river of dark waters as dense as blood. The current dragged him somewhere, far away. A metallic flavor lingered in his mouth, making him dizzy.

Every time he began to doze off, an electric shock awakened him, sending excruciating pain throughout his body. Zeo tried to scream, but his voice was a wordless cry no one would ever hear.

Zeo . . .

He recognized that sweet voice.

Zeo . . .

Yeah, it was her.

A flash before his eyes and the horrible pain crushing his chest woke him up. He gasped for air with all his remaining strength. Everything was dazzling white. His whole body burned as if dipped in acid, he could feel his skin melting and his eyes falling apart.

Everything turned into silent darkness again.

Isolated events from the past wandered his mind like ghosts, but the only vivid memory hammering his brain was her.

“Remnya . . . “ Zeo mumbled with his eyes still shut.

“Zeo?”

He recognized that voice, the same sweet voice from before, the same strong accent from always. Zeo felt warm fingers wrapping around his hand. He tried to squeeze them but couldn’t. Instead, he whispered again, “Remnya?”

Zeo felt a warm body bumping into him as strong arms wrapped around his torso. He recognized her lemon-vanilla perfume and the strawberry shampoo fragrance of her hair.

He finally opened his heavy eyes and saw her black hair tangled around him. Zeo heard her sobs, sobs he hadn’t heard in years.

Remnya was hugging him so hard he could feel his bones cracking, but Zeo didn’t care. Tears rolled down his cheeks uncontrollably, and his body recovered some of its strength. Zeo wrapped his arms around Remnya and cried with her.

Nothing else mattered; she was in his arms again. It was only them in the world.

“Rem . . . “ Zeo whispered in her ear. “Why are you crying?”

“Dumb idiot!” she yelled. “I thought you were dead!”

“I would never leave without saying goodbye, Rem.”

Zeo felt her hot tears soaking his shoulder. He didn’t want to let her go, ever, but reality slapped him across the face, reminding him of what this second chance meant for him.

“Rem,” he murmured, caressing her back and silky hair. How he wished that moment lasted forever, but he had something to do. “We need to talk, Rem.”

“Yes . . . we do,” Remnya replied between sobs and sniffles and then released his body.

Finally, Zeo could see her face. Remnya was a mess of tears, her eyes and nose red like a tomato, and her hair tangled and glued to her wet cheeks. Zeo smiled so much that his jaw hurt like hell.

Remnya rushed to wipe her tears and brushed her hair off her face. It was such an odd sight. Zeo thought he would never see her tears again. It had been so long. Immense guilt crushed his weakened heart.

“I’m sorry, Rem . . . “ he said, lowering his face and narrowing his eyes. “I couldn’t do anything to protect you.”

Remnya shook her head eagerly. “No, no! It’s my fault! I should’ve gone with you when you told me! I was stupid! I’m sorry!” Tears rolled down her cheeks like a raging stream.

“No, it’s not your fault . . . It’s their fault.” Zeo caressed her face and wiped her tears with a gentle touch. “But it’s not over yet. I’m gonna get you out of here, Rem.” His eyes lit up with fire.

Remnya gave him a concerned look and pouted. “I heard what you did, Brisa told me.”

Zeo looked away and clenched his fists.

“I want to punch you so bad, jerk!” she yelled.

Zeo wanted to punch himself too. Trying to save her had made her cry. Unforgivable. “You know why I did it?” he asked as a tear threatened to escape his eye.

“You wanted to save me . . . I know, but—”

“It’s because I love you!” Zeo raised his voice, narrowing his eyes as his pupils connected with her beautiful crimson orbs.

Remnya froze and stared at him as if trying to recognize the shy boy from the orphanage. “I-Uh . . . “ Remnya stuttered and hid half of her face under a strand of hair.

Zeo laughed and grabbed her hand. She didn’t react. “When I was lying on the ground, and life began to leave my body, I could only think of you.” He squeezed her soft hand. “And you know, what hurt me the most wasn’t the pain. It was knowing I’d never have the chance to tell you are the most important thing in my life.”

Remnya’s jaw dropped slowly, and her face reddened. Her lips quivered as she tried to say something, but no word dared to come out.

“I promised that if I had one more chance, just one more chance . . . “ He beamed at her. “I’d let you know how much I love you.”

A deep silence.

“Idiot . . . “ Remnya muttered, her gaze locked on the floor and her hair covering her face. “Zeo, you . . . “

“What?” Zeo tilted his head.

“You are a stupid idiot, Zeo!” Remnya yelled, her eyes spitting fire. She snatched her hand away from him and darted toward the door.

Zeo blinked, trying to process her reaction, his mouth wide open.

Remnya halted, her hand trembling on the doorknob. She grumbled and slammed her feet on the floor. “I should punch you!”

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Zeo stifled a chuckle. “Yes, you should.” He tried to sit up, but an acute pain resembling a knife through his chest made him groan in pain.

Remnya whirled and rushed back to his side, a deep scowl on her face. He giggled, trying to hide the intense pain revolting in his flesh.

“I’m sorry, Rem . . . “

“Shut up!” Remnya snapped and smacked his hand. She curled her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out for his face; Zeo felt like melting at her gentle touch. Her angry face softened a little. “We’re too young for that, dumb four-eyes.”

“For what?” Zeo stifled a chuckle. “I’m not asking anything, Rem.” He regarded her with a tender smile. “I’ll get you out of here. That’s all I know.”

“By risking your life again? Dumbass!” She smacked his forehead.

He ignored the pain. “If I need to—”

“I want you alive!” Remnya leaned closer as she glared at him. “If you die, who will be by my side, uh?”

Zeo was suddenly out of words.

“I’ll get you out of here too!” Remnya shouted, clenching her fists. “I have a power, and I’ll use it!”

“Rem . . . Are you talking about your fire?”

Remnya narrowed her eyes and nodded. “If I can control it, no one is gonna stop me!” A smile forced its way across her face.

Zeo wished he could share her joy. “It’s too dangerous. You could be risking your life!”

“Then, so be it.” She glared at him. “You risked your life, didn’t you? Yet, here you are.” Remnya smirked. “We’re not that easy to kill, Zeo.”

He let out a silent sigh. “I know I can’t stop you, but please, don’t do anything reckless. If anything bad happens to you, I—”

“I will be fine, I promise.” She messed up his hair. “You know I never break my promises.”

A smile drew across Zeo’s face. “We will do it together then.”

“Together.” She grabbed his hand tightly and gazed deep into his eyes.

They remained silent for a moment, whispering her thoughts to each other. Zeo had a sudden urge to lean closer to her face but didn’t dare. He just stared at her, cherishing the moment, loving her close to him.

“We do not have much time left . . . “ Remnya lowered her gaze. “Ronner won’t allow me to see you often, so I don’t know when we will meet again.”

He caressed her cheek and lifted her face to stare into her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Once I get you out of here, we’ll have plenty of time to explore this city together.”

Remnya bobbed her head and regarded him with a sweet smile that melted Zeo’s concerns for an ephemeral moment. He ignored the terrible pain and leaned closer to her, closing his eyes, but Remnya put her index finger on his nose, stopping him while she shook her head.

“What are you doing, you silly?” Remnya smirked and pinched his nose.

“Sorry. I just wanted to see your cute face up close.” His words flowed fearlessly.

Remnya stifled a giggle. “Don’t die, and when everything is over, you’ll be able to see this ugly face more often.”

“Another promise?” Zeo asked. His pain had disappeared.

“Promise.”

“I’ll live until then.”

*°*°*

Remnya

It was a muggy evening. Orange and gray clouds threatened to unleash a flood, but Remnya didn’t care. She strode through the garden, carrying two bottles under her arms. Brisa followed her, shaking her head as concern flickered in her eyes.

They stopped at the southernmost part of the mansion, meters before a massive wall protected by electric barbed wires and a sophisticated alarm system. There was no grass or trees nearby, the perfect place for Remnya’s experiment.

“This is a terrible idea, you know?” Brisa said, putting her hands on her hips. “And why do I have to help with such madness?”

“Because . . . “ Remnya opened a bottle and poured a blue liquid on the dry soil, drawing a circle around her. “You’re my friend, aren’t you?”

Brisa rolled her eyes and then covered her nose, grimacing at the reek of gasoline. “Where did you get that anyway?”

“Harry, the mechanic, got it for me.” Remnya smiled at her. “He took it from Belo’s car.”

“Even if you claim you’re immune to fire, this is too dangerous!” The color on Brisa’s face slowly disappeared as she observed Remnya lighting up a match.

“Trust me, fire can not hurt me.” Remnya smirked and gestured for Brisa to step away. “No matter how scary it looks, do not try to put out the fire, ok?”

Brisa tightened her lips and nodded slowly, sweat forming on her forehead.

Remnya dropped the match to the ground, and a massive orange blast engulfed her body. The intense heat made Brisa flinch and grab a hose lying nearby.

“Don’t!” Remnya shouted as her clothes fell apart into glowing threads. Flames hugged her body and brushed her hair with flickering fingers. She closed her eyes and focused on the warm sensation traveling through her body. Remnya stood still, breathing in the heat and tasting the flames.

I gotta be one with the fire . . .

Brisa’s legs trembled as the blaze reflected on her dilated eyes, her mouth wide open.

The fire began to die, and Remnya reached out for the next bottle, forgetting for a moment how physics worked. When she touched the bottle, the heat from her hands melted the plastic, causing the gasoline to blow up in her face into a massive fireball. The explosion stunned her and sent her flying backward. She dropped to the ground like a human torch.

“Remnya!” Brisa shouted, running toward her, but the heat made her halt one meter away from the scene. “Are you ok?”

Remnya lay still and chuckled. “That was fun.”

Brisa scowled and groaned with frustration. She rushed to grab the hose and splashed Remnya’s face at maximum pressure.

“What are you doing?” Remnya mumbled as the cold water muffled her words.

“You’re gonna turn into a pyromaniac at this point!” Brisa aimed the stream at her mouth.

“This is the only way to learn how to control fire!” Remnya yelled as she covered her body. “Don’t look!”

“Dumbass!” Brisa dropped two towels over Remnya’s head. “Did you think your clothes were fire-resistant too?”

“Oops, I didn’t think about that.” Remnya giggled as she wrapped a towel around her body and used another to dry her hair.

“Good thing I did.” Brisa shook her head, stretching her hand at Remnya. “Let’s go. You need a shower.”

Remnya rolled her eyes and grabbed Brisa’s hand, easing herself off the ground.

Back in her room, Remnya allowed the shower to remove the soot from her body. She grabbed her strawberry shampoo and rubbed her hair for long minutes.

“Did you find out anything new?” Brisa asked, standing by the doorway with her arms folded.

“No.” Remnya sighed. “I still can’t move the fire at my will. It just burns on its own.” She turned off the shower, and Brisa threw a towel at her.

“You will figure it out eventually.” Brisa twisted her lips in a weird smile. “I know you can do it.”

Remnya returned another smile and grabbed her hairdryer. “I noticed,” she started, glancing at Brisa through the mirror. “You’ve been wearing such cute clothes lately, Brisa.”

“Have I?” Brisa narrowed her eyes and smirked. “Are you implying my clothes weren’t cute before?”

“No! I mean, you don’t look like a maid anymore.” Remnya turned to look at her, scanning her from head to toe.

Brisa stared at her reflection in the foggy mirror. She certainly looked like a high-class lady now. “Lots of things happened . . . “

Remnya wrapped a burgundy towel around her and gazed at Brisa. “Is it Ronner, right?”

“What?” Brisa widened her eyes.

“He’s the one buying you nice clothes.”

“No . . . No! It’s just . . . “ Brisa bit her lower lip.

“He says he loves you. Is that true?”

Brisa stayed pensive for a moment and then let out a deep sigh. “Whatever he feels doesn’t matter. Nothing will change what he is or what he has done.”

Remnya lowered her eyes and rubbed her hands together. “When Persen had me trapped in my room . . . I didn’t understand what was going on.” She gulped as a knot formed in her throat. “I thought he wanted to hurt me, or even kill me, but . . . “ Remnya grimaced and clenched her fists. “Now, I understand what he wanted to do to me.”

“Rem, no . . . “ Brisa walked up to her and placed both hands on her shoulders. She stared at her with sweet golden eyes. “He’s gone forever, and neither he nor anyone will try to do that you ever again. Remember, your fire won’t allow such a thing to happen.”

“I understand, Brisa, but . . . I really need to ask you this.” Remnya locked her crimson orbs on Brisa’s confused stare. “Did Ronner do that to you?”

Brisa widened her eyes as her body froze. She looked away.

Remnya leaned her hand gently on Brisa’s cheek. “You’re so strong.”

Brisa stared at her from the corner of her eyes and tightened her lips.

“If it were me, I could not stand it. I’d just lose my mind, but you? You’re here, trying to help me, with a smile on your face. You’re amazing, Brisa.” Remnya beamed at her and grabbed her hand tightly. “I admire you, I really do.”

A tear trailed down Brisa’s cheek as she turned to face Remnya. Perhaps her words could heal a little bit of her soul, easing the pain for a moment. Brisa smiled, trying to hide her hears. “Thank you, Rem . . . “ she mumbled.

Remnya nodded as her eyes shined as bright as the fire burning in her soul. “I’ll get you out of here too, Brisa. It’s a promise.”

*°*°*