THE HIGH GODDESS

Three

   She loved the city. The big buildings, never ending cars, noisy streets. She was enthralled by everything. It was as if she'd stepped into a new, dazzling world. But what Reina really liked was the people. It seemed as if all of them were in a hurry. Barely anyone spared her a glance, which was unusual. Not that she was complaining. For the first in her life, she could say that she'd blended in perfectly. No one was giving her stinky stares or appraisals.

"Raye, why didn't we come here earlier?" She asked him angling her body towards him to avoid another passerby who seemed to be in a rush "If we had lived her from the beginning, the police wouldn't be on our ass"

"And why would you think that way?"

"Duh, look around you. Not even one person has noticed that we're new here. I bet that they wouldn't actually care about us or what we do"

Looking straight ahead, he said "I doubt it. I have a feeling someone out there is going to care"

"Who? Do you know anyone here?" Reina looked around them trying to see if she could spot a familiar face. Her eyes landed on something else instead and just like that her curiosity was replaced by wonder "Wow. I bet they have everything in there"

"Don't even think about it" Raye told her. He'd seen the mall and was somehow trying to avert her attention from it but Reina's eyes were like that of a hawk. Nothing got past her.

"I'm not in a hurry. We are going to live here so I'll have time to explore later" as she said that, she realized he wasn't listening to her. Since she'd known him all her life, she could tell his focus was elsewhere. He wasn't acting out of the ordinary or being obvious. She just knew him "What's with the look? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. Let's hurry. We have a lot of things to do" he lied. What he really wanted was to get off the streets. The problem with big cities was that he couldn't keep track of everything. Too many buildings and people. His guess was that soon someone would come knocking on their door and he wanted to be ready for them.

They got in a cab and were in their new house in no time. Reina's scattered brain couldn't concentrate on unpacking so she left that chore to Raye and instead went exploring around the place. It wasn't big or fancy but it was better than the house they had back in that small town. An apartment is what the city people would call it. The open plan kitchen was cool. She could order Raye around while lying on the sofa and keep an eye on him to see if he listened to her. That thought had her giggling like an i***t. Wondering what the view would be like from the third floor, she moved to the window. That's when she saw him. Dressed in a fitting three piece suit, the man looked gorgeous. He was probably the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. The tattoo on his right jaw only intensified his beauty.

Reina took a second to study him. His attire screamed classic but expensive. As a matter of fact, everything about him seemed exceptional. The way he stood there as if he owned the world and the aura he exuded made her curious to know what kind of a  person he was  It took her a minute to realize he wasn't doing anything but just standing there. With his hands in his pockets, he stared at the gate as if it was a new invention he'd never seen before. Opening the window she asked "Are you looking for something or someone?"

He snapped his head up "No"

"Then why are you standing there like that? Are you lost? Do you need directions to your...." Reina paused. If he was lost, how could she give him any directions when she'd just arrived there?

"I don't need anything. You can stop worrying about me and go back to what you were doing"

"I wasn't worrying about you. Just trying to help"

"I don't remember asking for your help lady. It would do you well to mind your own business"

His rudeness surprised her. She wasn't expecting it. Apparently everyone had a flaw. For all his killer looks, who'd think he was an asshole "First of all, don't tell me what to do. If I want to stand here all day and talk to strangers then I'll do it. Second, if you don't leave I'll call the police and have them arrest for trying to break in. I was watching you for a while and if you lived in this building, you would have already come in. You might be well dressed but you can't hide your suspicious ass. Who are you? What do you want? Do you live...."

"Stop it Reina. We've been here what, four five seconds? And look at you going off on a stranger" Raye told her trying to pull her away from the window. She looked at him for a second then back at the guy only to find an empty space "Who were you talking to anyway?"

"This guy. He.... Where did he go? He was just right there"

"Where?"

"In front of the gate. Do you see him anywhere? He was in a navy blue suit. Try looking for him in the crowd..."

"You promised to behave. Remember?"

"I haven't done anything"

"Except yell at an invisible guy. Right?"

"What do you mean by invisible? Are you saying I was hallucinating or something?"

He stared at her intently "Shall I start looking for a doctor? Your behavior sometimes worries me"

"Why? Raye, I'm not joking. There was a man standing...." She stopped. Why was she even trying to explain to him? "Forget it. If I really was talking to an invisible man then all the better. It means I haven't stepped on anyone's toes so we're all good"

"Look at you sulking. What do you want for dinner?"

"I'm not hungry" she pushed him aside and stomped to her bedroom. She really hated it when he treated her like a kid who didn't know what she was doing or saying. That man had been real. Not just that, but all the other things had been real too. She'd thought of something and it had happened. Too angry to care, she dropped on the already made bed and wished he would trip fall and maybe break a bone or two. Then she waited for a minute before rushing to see if her wish had come true.

"What? Did you change your mind? Are you hungry now?" Raye asked looking up from the phone directory on the table. Reina rolled her eyes, spun around and went back to her bedroom. So much for having powers. Maybe he was right about her needing to see a doctor. What if she was schizophrenic? That was a scary thought. Burying her head in the pillow she screamed out her frustration.

In the living room, Raye shook his head. It didn't hurt but it was a waste of his powers. Being in a human body couldn't stop some of her powers from coming out. She'd done more than she thought. Burning down their first home, hurting kids she didn't like, turning anyone who wanted to hurt her into nothing. Even in a human body, her soul couldn't take anyone looking down on her. Of course, most of those things happened without her knowledge and he always took care so she wouldn't find out but sometimes her wishes were extreme. If he was a mortal, he would have ended up in the hospital with at least four broken ribs. How much longer could he hide everything from her? It had been twenty years already. Could they have ten more? He needed a little more time to find her original body.

But there wasn't much time. The body she had now could only take her so far. The fact that she wasn't taking care of it didn't help. Humans needed food and water to survive. Over the years he'd had to force her to eat in order to maintain that body. As a child she at least listened to him. However now that she was an adult, there were things he couldn't force her to do. Her thoughts were also getting out of control. If she didn't restrain herself, something bad was bound to happen sooner or later. The only way he could stop her was tell her the truth and he would have done so a long time ago if he wasn't scared of what would happen after.

Unlocking her memories while she was in a human body could only result in one of the two. She could end up destroying earth, the heavens or both. He couldn't risk having any of that outcome. The only solution was to find her body as soon as possible.

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Who cares about what Reina does? Personally I want more interactions between her and Ahrein. What about you?