Selcouth

Twenty

H

is voice related to the feel of velvet fabric in the form of sound. “I’m headed off to work,” Roman said as he grabbed his keys.

I played with the hem of my shirt. “Okay.”

“I wish I could say I’d be back soon but my shifts are longer than average jobs.”

I shooed him away. “It’s fine. Go. People need you. I’ll be fine.”

Roman put his keys down, walking over to me. “Hey, look at me.”

I faced him. “What?”

Roman bent down to my height as I still sat on the couch, criss-crossed, giving me a sweet kiss. “I love you, Zel.”

The muscles in my body relaxed as he said those words. He’d never said them before. “I love you, too.” I kissed him again.

He pulled away, chuckling. “I have to go. I wish I could stay.”

“How long do you have till you have to be there?”

“Twenty minutes. That’s including the traffic.”

I grabbed his shirt, pulling him back. I kissed him with all the passion I held. “Give me ten.”

I pulled him down more, pushing him back on this couch. I removed his shirt and pulled down his pants. He pulled my shirt over my head, unbuttoning my jeans.

I didn’t need much time to make our love bloom in a physical way.

I opened my eyes, squinting through the darkness. I pulled the blanket off me, shivering at the breeze in the apartment hit my naked body.

I stood up, turning on the light. I rubbed my eyes, letting my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. I could barely open my eyes.

I pulled my underwear on, sitting on the couch. I pushed my hair back, looking around the apartment. The one thing that was nice about this city was the fact that it never slept. I could go for walks at night without worrying about getting raped or killed. There were too many people around town for that to happen to me.

I also had the upper hand now.

I smiled to myself.

“What’s on your mind, Señorita?” Esclados asked me.

I folded my arms across my bra. “Well, Esclados, I’m thinking about what’s in our future now. It’s going to take time to process everything that has happened to me. I won’t lie. But I know I’m strong enough to survive it. I didn’t make it this far to give up now.”

“Tienes Animó. Esa es la forma.”

I laughed and stood, putting the rest of my clothes on. I opened the top of the tank, pulling him out. “I want to thank you. You saved us when you told Bors. I know it was hard because you don’t like him but I’m grateful for you and Bors. You guys saved our lives. You’re amazing. Gracias.”

“De nada mi princesa. Fue mi sincera placer.” He moved his arm as if trying to bow.

I laughed and sat back down. “Te amo.”

“I see you’re learning Spanish for me,” he said with an excited tone of voice.

“I’ve been trying. I think it’s a fun language. It’s something to do in my spare time. I would love to learn the language that my pet chameleon speaks.”

He stuck his tongue out. “I’d appreciate not being called your pet. I saved your life. I’m a friend now.”

“Ah, I see.” I smirked. “Mi amigo.”

“You’re making such progress.” He smiled.

I pulled a coat on and took him out for a walk with me. The sky was clear tonight, filled with thousands of scars that shined bright.

“Rapunzel Ahuja. How do you think it sounds? Will his parents accept me as a future wife?” I asked Esclados.

He rolled the joints where his legs met his body. “I’m not too sure. We would hope so.”

“I hope so. He’s all I have. If they don’t accept me, I don’t know how I’ll take it. I just want someone to accept me. My parents gave up on the hope of finding me. My sister gave up on loving me. I want his family to accept me. It would mean everything.” I looked up at the sky.

The skin under my bandage began to itch. There were some blisters and scars forming where I’d burning myself to cut the rope. It was still worth it. It would be a scar, reminding me of the time I fought for love and won. I had to look at it in a positive light.

Bors appeared next to me, walking alongside me. “Is the lizard bothering you?”

Esclados gasped. “Mantén la boca cerrada si sabes que es bueno para ti idiota.”

I shook my head, laughing to myself. These two were always going to have issues.

“We should do something.” I took them to a dark area, more private from where we were.

“Esclados, keep a lookout.”

I started to form a light, manipulating it. I admired it in my hands, hearing, “Señorita, someone’s coming.”

I made it disappear, leaning back in the darkness. People passed by, not giving me any attention. I wanted to practice my magic in the open but I couldn’t be seen. I was not going to deal with that again.

“Do you think this is the end of the road, Rapunzel?” Bors asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The end of your story. You’ve found love and defeated the bad guys. Do you think the best part is now over?”

I smiled and shook my head. “No, no. The best part has yet to come. My story continues on and there will be many adventures and great moments. I’m barely an adult. I know there is so much more to see. I have so much life to live.”

“And do you think that anything else will come about? Do you think maybe more people out there might be like you?”

I looked up at Bors, thinking for a moment. “Maybe. There could be plenty like me, just too afraid to show anyone. I believe if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone else. And I’d love to figure out who they are so I could finally have some real friends to trust. It’s just tragic that my own sister was worse than the woman who kidnapped me as a baby.”

“Life is tragic a lot of times.”

“That is so true.”

Esclados and Bors kept a lookout while I played around with my magic.

I gasped when I brought my light down and a person appeared behind it. “W-Who are you?”

“Relax, darling.” The woman reached forward, grabbing my hand. Her hand was not at all affected by the light.

The light disappeared and I stared at her in awe. I covered my mouth, recognizing her eyes. They were the same color as my own. They were the same shade and everything. “You’re my mother.”

“I’m your real mother.” She held my hand in hers. It was surreal knowing that I was seeing her here. How was this even possible?

“Why are you here?” I asked her, not wanting her to leave me.

“I just wanted you to know that we still love you so much. I know times were rough but I am so proud of you for the woman you have become. I’ll always be watching over you, your father and I both.” She smiled. The smile was so warm and loving. I would never be able to get the feeling of earning that smile out of my head.

“Don’t leave. I need you. I want to see you. I’ve never seen you.” I pulled her hand towards me.

She shook her head. “No, my darling, you don’t need me. You’ve done so well on your own.”

“Yes, yes, I do need you,” I begged.

She let go of me. “No, you don’t. You have become strong all on your own. You will see me again someday. We will be waiting for you.” She leaned down, placing a kiss on my head. “I love you, Rapunzel.” Her kiss held so much love and compassion. She didn’t need to tell me she loved me. The kiss did a well enough job of doing just that.

I wasn’t ready to see her go. I barely met her. “Don’t go, mother. Please.” I reached out to grab her hand but missed it.

She shook her head but kept a smile on her face as she faded away. I was left in tears, not ready for this loss again. She was gone too soon.

Bors cames over with Esclados. “What’s wrong?”

“My mother... I just met my mother.” I stared at the spot she had just been in. I would never get her image out of my head. She was so beautiful and so kind for this world.

Neither of them said a word and for good reason. It was comforting to be left in silence, knowing my friends were there for me.

When I felt okay enough to walk, I stood up, leaving the area with Esclados and Bors.

This was my life now. I had to take my mother’s words for truth. I had to keep going without her and trust that she and my father would be waiting for me when I left this world. I couldn’t wait until that day came. I would more thrilled to meet my parents and be with them forever.

The three of us walked around the city, underneath the stars. This night would always be one to remember.

I nearly lost my balance when my a dog came into my path. It ran around me, wagging its tail. I gasped, covering my mouth. “Oh my gosh, this is the dog that I met the day before I escaped. Mother sent him in to eat me. Aw, this is so cute.”

Esclados hid in my hair. “Absolutely not. I don’t like dogs and they don’t like me.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “That’s what you said about horses and yet you saved me with Bors’ help. That’s only a claim until my life is in danger.”

“Your life is more important than my hatred for Bors.”

I nodded. “That’s a good sign. I’m glad I’m more valuable than your hatred. That means a lot to me.”

The dog tried to jump on me and give me kisses. “He seems too excited to see you,” Bors said.

I smiled. “He is. I guess the animals around here really love me. Why is that?” I looked at Bors.

Esclados spoke instead, “Because you can make us talk and we sure love to talk.”

I rolled my eyes in a playful way. “Okay, okay. I get it.”

I walked more as the dog followed us. “We should probably head back soon.” I looked at the dog. I pet his head, feeling a tingle. “Shit.”

The dog looked up at me. “Shit is right. I need to find a place to take one.” I was shocked by the female voice. This dog was a female this whole time.

I looked at Bors. He said, “It was your hand.”

“Excuse me, I need to find a place to take a dump. Can we go?” the dog asked.

I nodded. We walked to a little park and she ran into the trees. She emerged again, ending up back at my side. “I feel so much better. Is your name Rapunzel?”

“Yes. What’s yours?”

She looked at me. “My name is Alice. I was named after my owner’s dead mother before my owner passed away. Do you wish to name me after your dead mother?”

I squinted my eyes. “Alice, was your owner named Kara by any chance?”

“Yes, why?”

Esclados muttered some words in Spanish.

I crossed my arms. “Because you’re named after my dead mother, too. Kara was my sister. I killed her because she tried to kill me. How Mother got you was a mystery. But now it’s all falling into place. There’s an even bigger connection to all of this than I thought. Everyone who wanted to hurt me is dead but the secrets have yet to be discovered.”

I stopped walking, looking up at the clock on Fifth Avenue. This was where I was found and taken to the hospital to meet Roman and fall in love.

I said, “Many adventures still await us, mi amigos.”