Attraction

A small smile slipped onto Cara’s lips as Andrew’s imposing presence came into view, but it faded just as quickly when she noticed Charity sitting in her hospital bed, laughing and smiling at whatever Andrew said. Andrew’s warm, attentive gaze seemed to only notice Charity amongst a room of beeping machines and shifting rocks. Why won’t he ever look at me like that? She wondered.

“Oh, Cara,” Andrew’s indifferent tone made her cringe, “I’m taking Charity out. Is there a wheelchair anywhere?”

Cara pressed her lips into a thin line and begrudgingly helped Andrew get Charity situated in the only wheelchair they had available. It was old and a bit rusty, but it was sufficient enough.

Cara eyed Andrew, searching for words but finding none. She was seething at the inability to win over the only person she ever wanted, and her voice dripped with sarcasm and she said to the two, “Have a good time.”

Charity noticed the snide tone and turned to give Cara a confused look. However, before Charity could say anything, Andrew rushed her out of the hospital. “What was that about?” Charity asked.

“Don’t pay her any mind. That’s just Cara. She can be rude and obnoxious, but she’s good at her job and would never let personal feelings get in the way of that,” Andrew replied.

“She looked at me like I killed her dog.”

Andrew chuckled. “Maybe in her mind, you did,” he replied, “or at least something of that nature. She thinks you took something from her.”

“That makes no sense. What could I have possibly taken?”

“Me,” Andrew replied matter-of-factly.

“What? A-are you two together?” Charity’s cheeks grew hot. The last thing she wanted was an angry, jealous girlfriend after her, especially one responsible for her care.

Andrew laughed loudly as though he found the idea of he and Cara together ridiculous. “No,” he finally replied once he stopped laughing, “and we would never.”

“Why not? She’s pretty,” Charity asked.

Andrew shrugged, “She’s not really my type. She’s a bit too intense for me, and we don’t really have anything in common.”

“Oh, so you do have a type then?” Charity asked jokingly, turning her neck slightly to see Andrew’s response.

“D-definitely not,” Andrew stuttered, and Charity caught the faintest tint of red appearing on his ear. She turned around and looked forward, her face also becoming hot.

For the rest of the afternoon, Andrew wheeled Charity around the underground city that was now her home. He showed her the various shops and introduced her to the owners. Charity’s warm personality made her unforgettable to nearly every person she met that day. Even Tom Challah, the grumpy old man who ran the bakery, and his wife Moriah, the strict school teacher, enjoyed speaking with Charity and were sad to see her wheeled off elsewhere.

While Andrew was not one that preferred social settings or small talk, he enjoyed watching Charity interact with all of the people he had grown to consider his family. And, as Charity introduced herself to practically everyone they passed, Andrew wrestled internally with his own emotions.

Regardless of if Charity meant it as a joke, her question earlier threw him off. He had never had any sort of feelings or even contemplated dating anyone before. He was simply never interested, and he had always busied himself with training and carrying out whatever mission he had at the moment. However, there was something about Charity that was different. Her bright smile, unfiltered candidness, and free-spirited nature made Andrew feel emotions that were unfamiliar, and he was not sure what to make of them. He had always been calculating and analytical, but feeling his heart race every time Charity looked at him with her deep, emerald eyes made him lose any ability to think.

The more he struggled to push away these feelings, the stronger they became. However, it wasn’t until they had reached the art studio that he realized there was no way he could rid himself of this ever-increasing feeling he had toward Charity. Jonathan Porter, an older man in his late forties who had lost his wife about five years ago, ran a small studio where he taught classes on various artistic subjects. He also made many of the cups, plates, and vases that were found in nearly every store and house throughout the city.

His shop was filled with a variety of paintings, vases, statues, and other beautiful works of art that had to have taken hours, if not days, to finish. Andrew didn’t know much about what Jonathan did, but he always admired the man and the way he worked so hard to bring light and creativity to people who felt they had lost all hope.

“Hello,” Jonathan said warmly as he wiped his hands on his messy smock.

“These pieces are incredible!” Charity exclaimed, “I’ve always dreamed of being able to make things half this good.”

“Are you an artist, Miss?” Jonathan asked.

“I love to paint, but I don’t think I’d consider myself a professional by any means. I’m Charity,” she replied, extending her free hand to greet him.

“I’m Jonathan, Miss Charity. I take it you’re new in town?”

“Yes, but I already feel so at-home here! Could I hear more about some of the art pieces?”

With that, Jonathan excitedly began walking around the shop, pointing out various selections to Charity and explaining the story behind them. Andrew paid no mind to anything Jonathan said. He could only focus on Charity as he wheeled her around after Jonathan. He had never seen someone’s face appear so bright and full of life.

He had heard Rose mention Charity painted, but seeing her deep admiration for the art on display now, it was clear how passionate she was about it. The longer she talked with Jonathan about his work, the more deeply Andrew fell for her. He began to think he may be crazy, to fall so deeply and so quickly, but he didn’t care. Whether these emotions were a fleeting feeling or had an eternal hold on him, he knew that Charity meant more to him now than anyone ever had before, and he wanted to see her as happy as she was today every chance he could.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“There’s one more thing I want to show you,” Andrew told Charity.

“Oh, okay,” Charity said.

“It was such a pleasure to meet you, Charity,” Jonathan gushed. “Please come back any time you’d like! I’ll be starting back my pottery lessons next week.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jonathan! I would love to,” Charity replied.

They both said their goodbyes to Jonathan, and Andrew wheeled Charity away. He rushed past the rocky stores and out of the city’s central hub. Although Andrew had already explained how immense this city was, she was still shocked at the sheer vastness of the hallway they were going through. She tried to count the number of doors they passed, but she failed due to the speed in which Andrew was walking.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Andrew replied. “It’s called the atrium.”

Charity rolled her eyes at his vague response. Andrew did his best to stifle the rising feeling of nervousness, hoping Charity would enjoy what she was about to see. His body seemed to be at odds with itself. His palms were becoming clammy at the thought of her being disappointed while his heart raced with the anticipation of seeing that excited, awe-filled expression once more.

When they finally reached the end of the seemingly endless hallway, Charity was overflowing with curiosity at what could be behind the wooden door that was masterfully carved with intricate flowers. However, of all the possibilities she pictured, none came close to the beauty she saw once Andrew had wheeled her inside. It looked like an underground oasis with trees, a rushing waterfall, and beautiful creatures of every kind: fluttering birds with majestic wings, buzzing insects that danced around the air, galloping deer whose coats glistened beneath the bright light, hopping rabbits with fluffy tails. Charity had never seen so much green, and her mind could not understand how this one room could not only be as big as it was but also brighter than the noonday sun despite its being underground.

Without saying a word, Andrew wheeled her near a beautiful, clear pool at the foot of the waterfall. Charity eyed Andrew curiously, noticing the nervous expression he had on his face as he dipped his hand into the water. Then, just as Charity was about to ask what on earth he was doing, an audible gasp escaped her mouth as a stream of water began to travel up his arm, across his shoulder, and stop in his opposite hand.

As if the sudden, physics-defying stunt she had just witnessed weren’t incredulous enough, Andrew’s arms and shoulders were completely dry, as if no water had ever touched them. Charity looked at Andrew inquisitively; but despite all of the questions flooding her mind, none could make it past her lips. Andrew chuckled as he walked over to Charity with the pool of water still in his hand.

“Here,” he said, carefully grabbing Charity’s unbroken hand and pouring the water into it without spilling a drop. Charity pulled her hand up to her face to get a closer look, and just as she did, the water began to move of its own accord.

It transformed into a multitude of shapes faster than she could keep up. She saw a dog, a bird, a bug, a tree, and several others before the water turned into a tiny person in her hand and waved at her. Due to the cast protecting the elbow on her only other hand and the shock that had left her speechless, Charity was left incapable of waving back or saying, “Hello.” Charity looked at Andrew, and with much effort finally managed to ask, “W-what is this?”

“An Immortal species known as a water valeri.” Andrew knelt by Charity. He watched her with intensity, his heart beating hard against his ribs as Charity’s amazement grew.

“An Immortal?” Charity said in disbelief, “I’m holding an Immortal?”

Before Andrew could answer, the valeri nodded. Charity shot a look back at Andrew, clearly wanting to know more but unsure of what question to ask.

“Exoneron is filled with Immortal beings,” Andrew cupped Charity’s hand as it held the valeri. “A lot of them left after the Great War, but many that could hide by blending in with their surroundings stayed. Most of the ones you’ll see in Calidun are golems who can be made of stone or steel; himmelli who are made from sky; and valeri who can either be made of water, fire, or leaves. Golems are massive, and you’ll be seeing a lot of them. There is a stone golem at every entrance to the city. They hide the city from unsuspecting eyes but are also indestructible and can crush pretty much anything pretty easily.

“Himmelli are everywhere in the sky. They can be as big or as small as they wish. They’re intangible and can appear as clear as a cloudless day, as thick and dark as a storm cloud, or as beautiful and bright as a starry night. They’ve saved a lot of lives by covering Elite with fog and causing a diversion long enough for people to escape. I can’t even count how many times I would have died if it weren’t for a himmelli coming to my rescue.”

Charity looked at Andrew. How many times has this man risked his life for the sake of others? How long has he lived a life that seemed like a constant fight? Could he be tired? Charity chose not to voice any of her questions and continued listening to Andrew.

“The valeri are the smallest Immortal species, at least to my knowledge. They always live in groups, and they can work together to do some devastating damage. There are enough water valeri in this room to flood an entire city. When fire valeri are together, they can turn a massive forest into nothing but ash within an hour.”

Before continuing, Andrew took the valeri from Charity’s hand and brought it back to the water. “Then,” he began again, “the leaf valeri can cause a huge tornado when they swirl around together. They could blow away a whole city block.”

“I don’t get it,” Charity said.

“Don’t get what?”

“If Immortals are this powerful, why don’t they just take over Exoneron again?”

Andrew let out a short laugh, “They never ruled Exoneron.”

“What?”

“The Immortals never ruled Exoneron, and humans were never subservient to them,” Andrew said matter-of-factly. Charity’s mind began to spin. Was everything she knew an elaborate deception? Could Andrew actually be lying to her now? She was so confused, she wasn’t sure which way was up.

Andrew watched the turmoil in Charity’s mind play out on her face. He swallowed hard and kicked the trunk of a tree and waited for Charity’s reaction as the leaves began to fly off and swirl around them. Relief flooded him when turmoil was quickly replaced with fascination, and Andrew’s knees became weak as her eyes sparkled beneath the cascading lights. Nevertheless, he continued walking toward her until he was right in front of her. He kneeled down to meet her at eye level.

“There’s a lot you don’t know, a lot that was hidden from you. I can’t change the fact that you were told lies your entire life, but I can do my best to help you see the truth now,” Andrew said.

“How do I know you're not the one lying to me?” Charity asked.

“I guess you’ll just have to trust me,” he replied.

“Do you promise to always be honest with me?”

“Yes,” he said earnestly.

“Then, we’ll see where this goes,” she smiled.

Charity’s smile, her decision to trust him, was Andrew’s undoing. He felt as though his heart may burst. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, but she had turned her gaze back to the Immortals still swirling around them. Their spiral dance cascaded brilliant shimmers of the bright light behind them. It looked like they were caught in a whirlwind of bright jewels and glittering gemstones. Charity was awestruck at the incredible sight.

“This is probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Charity commented.

“Yes, it is,” Andrew said without taking his eyes off of Charity.