Grim Echoes

Chapter 33 - Maeve

Once again, Maeve had no idea how much time had passed, but it was late. Not sleepy, but she was tired. Both of them sat on the cold floor in front of the couch. The ugly brown carpet wasn't comfortable. She wanted to sleep, but even with Ander's presence she was still nerved up. He'd let her turn off the awful overhead fluorescent lights. They gave her a headache and made the passing of time even more uncomfortable. After he'd admitted, Mason only turned them on if there was someone new and they needed to be watched. Mason and Ander preferred lamps to overhead lighting. Will was the one who liked the brightness of an overhead. He'd hesitated when she asked to use candles but she told him she only wanted to use them at night so it was more normal, he'd relented and brought in six more to light the room.

"You ever feel like you don't belong in your life but you don't know where else you're supposed to be?" she stared at the wall. Much of her life seemed that way. A pull from a different time, or maybe just a different place? Unsure, but even in her happiest moments, she felt the tug. She was needed somewhere else. It wasn't really her life. She needed to leave.

"Every day,"

Maeve turned her head to Ander. His eyes were aimed at the floor, his bangs hid his expression. Knees were drawn up to his chest with his long, lean arms wrapped around them.

"Every day?"

"Yes," he said to the floor "It is easy for Will. He is a soldier, always has been. It simplifies things. Not required to ponder in depth. Fulfill your duty and keep moving."

Her interactions with Will supported Ander's words. Will wasn't comfortable when things weren't black and white. He didn't want to ponder deeper issues on a mission, at least not when she'd been there. "But you 're a soldier of night too,"

"Yes, I am. However," Ander picked at invisible lint on his black cargo pants. "It is not..my life, not the way it is for Will." his lips flattened.

Was he was jealous of Will having a definitive direction in life? "And it feels like you're there, doing what you're supposed to do but something is missing or off?" she prompted. 

"Yes," Ander finally peeked at Maeve, his troubled green eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "I want to help humans. I want to preserve mankind. I meant the oath when I took it but," he faltered.

"You want more? Or you could do more?"

"Yes. I want to." he ran his hand through his hair and pushed his long bangs back. "I do not know. I feel," Ander's voice faded away as his eyes lost focus.

"Feel like?" Maeve touched his arm lightly and pulled him back to the conversation.

A flush crept across his cheeks as he blinked rapidly. "Sometimes I sense I am being pulled toward something else. A calling I do not understand and I do not know how to answer, but it keeps pulling at me. That probably sounds crazy," he mumbled at the end and stared at the brown carpet again.

"It doesn't sound crazy at all." her hand still rested on his arm.

Ander jerked his head up with wide eyes and showed more of their unusual forest color, even with his pupils dilated. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again. After a moment, his lips moved into a lopsided grin.

"You don't have to hide from me Ander," at her words his locked protective body position opened and he moved next to her. She leaned closer and adjusted her hand to rest on his forearm. "I know my ability can be intrusive, but it also helps me know you better, the important parts. I accept you. You don't have to hide anymore." her voice took on a dreamy tone at the end.

Everything was hazy in the candlelight. His hand trembled when he placed it on top of hers. She was lightheaded and couldn't stop staring at the candlelight reflected in his eyes. His mesmerizing gaze held hers. Her lips parted. She'd only known him for a few days, but the connection to him was extremely strong. It would happen with people that she'd experienced her soul touch with, but with him, it overpowered her. She learned closer. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips. 

The flame flickered wildly beside them and warned it was about to go out. Ander brought his hand up to Maeve's cheek, but just before he touched it, the candle went out. They both jumped when the light disappeared. There were several other candles in the room, but none that were close.

What had she been doing? Talk about blurred lines. She shook her head, couldn't make that mistake again. Maeve didn't understand why the bond with Ander and Will was so strong. She'd already allowed it to overwhelm her with Will. That'd caused confusion and more problems than she could deal with right now.

"Can we go to sleep now?" she asked Ander, who'd resumed his protective position.

"Of course you can." he stood and held his hand out.

She took his hand and stood next to him before she squeezed his hand. "No, I meant both of us, together."

Excitement lit up his features. He nodded and rapidly put out all the candles and turned on just the desk lamp on the other side of the room. They finished their night routines quickly. Happy with his reluctance to be apart from her. As he'd told her, it wasn't like it had been earlier. It was more like the night they had slept together.

They settled on the couch in a matter of minutes. He insisted she sleep on the inside of the couch for safety. He laid on the outside, his back to the room. Once again, they fit together perfectly, even on a couch.

"I thought you said never have your back exposed," she teased with a yawn.

"This is the one place it does not matter as much,"

She smiled at him. His hand slid from her shoulder down to her arm and then back again, very lightly. The tension left her body. Maybe she could sleep. They stared into each other's eyes until her lids closed.