Broken Mate, Fixed By Fate

12 ~ Mind games...

Ok, now I’m obsessing over it.

Because obviously, he hasn’t forgotten. And despite the race with time, apparently, Elijah is very much still in the game, when I was convinced he’d given up!

My heart pounds wildly in my chest, fully alert all of a sudden. What is he planning? He had days to act on the bet but he waited until the very last minutes to do something!? And now he’s even taunting me with it? Why!?

He’s messing with me, there’s no other explanation. Doing his best to confuse me enough for me to make a mistake. Well, I am both frustrated and exhilarated. And I’m not gonna lie, I’m also a little turned on because he’s being super provocative on purpose. I like this side of him. For some reason, it makes me feel very feminine.

Yeah, something is seriously wrong with me. But the truth is, whatever he’s doing…it’s making me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt these past weeks. And even though I refuse to acknowledge it, deep, deep, deep inside me, I am grateful for the distraction. And for giving me back a little bit of my interest in being myself again and continuing my dream.

His declaration that he still intends to win the bet gives me the shock I needed to be more observant however it also sent me into hyper-panic and all my senses are now in full defensive mode. He seems so confident that he’s going to win, so he must have some important cards hidden up his sleeve. But what, damn it!?

I stay vigilant from then on, steeling myself against sudden surprises that might pop out along the way. Given his announcement, I would not put it past him to try and scare me shitless before reaching the crystal cave.

“Relax, Maeve,” he says, chuckling as he pokes me on the side. “You’re so serious, all of a sudden. Tell me, are you suddenly worried of—oh, I don’t know…losing?”

I glare at him which makes him grin even wider. Which, of course, in turn, makes me suspicious. Is he starting his moves now? Is this the plan? Annoying me to the point of forcing me to snap at him? He can’t possibly think it’s going to be enough. There must be something else—gods, this is so exasperating!

“Look at those eyes shooting daggers at me! Impressive!” He whistles, looking delighted rather than repentant or even mildly contrite. “You might not be talking but you sure have very expressive eyes… and your facial expressions betray you.” He snickers. “Although, judging from the intensity of dislike there, I’m mighty glad you can’t talk right now, otherwise I bet I’m going to get an earful.”

I ignore him. He’s doing it on purpose, I’m sure. Annoying, maddening, pesky little pest! I’m going to win this bet if I have to bite my tongue the whole way to the Crystal Cave!

“It’s still a long walk ahead, and it’s such a beautiful day, are we really going to spend it in sullen silence? C’mon, you know you want to talk to me.” He teases and I look at him with blank eyes again. “No? All right. We can do this your way, but I’m still going to win.”

Another cryptic comment. Jeez! What does that even mean!? How is keeping silent going to make him win this wager? But he did stop talking and now every bloody movement around us is making me jump out of my skin. I glance at him every now and then, trying to predict when he’s finally going to pull out his ‘big guns’, but so far, he’s still walking calmly beside me, with a relaxed expression on his face, looking unbothered by the fact that we must almost be there by now.

It’s been more than twenty minutes since we resumed hiking. Maria said it takes around an hour and a half to get there…and if my calculations are correct since we stopped halfway, we should be there in less than ten minutes, give or take.

“We’re almost there.” He says all of a sudden, smiling again. “I’m going to explain to you the lay of the land, so to speak, so you know what to do when we get there, okay?”

I nod, listening carefully.

“To reach the Crystal Cave, we must pass through a tunnel of other caves first, which we will enter through the first cave by the river. Obviously, the passages are usually ankle-deep, at least, with river water and as we proceed and move deeper, the water sometimes rises til past your knees.”

Holy crap, it’s a good thing I wore short pants today but what about my shoes? He didn’t tell me to bring slippers…

He grins at my worried glance at my shoes. “Slippers are useless there, you’ll only risk slipping, or getting stuck, or even hurting yourself. So we’ll go barefoot, the rocks and stones aren’t sharp enough to cut anyway. The water is very clear and you will see where you’re going so there’s no need to worry. I got two flashlights in my bag and I’ll give you one when we get there.”

I blink. If it’s a cave, will there be bats in there? Is that how he’s going to scare me? I better prepare myself for that. As he continues to explain to me what to expect, I begin to hear the sound of a river close by.

He grins at my expression of wonder. We slowly make our way along the very rocky river, which has incredibly giant boulders that he tells me are supposed to be ‘alive’.

“The locals call those boulders living rocks…they claim that they are alive…that they grew from small river stones to the giant boulders you see today, and that they are still growing.”

I stare at the boulders anxiously. That can’t be true. But then again, what do I know? What if they are indeed living creatures? What if they can hear us?

Okay, now it’s kind of creepy! I’m never going near a boulder ever again!

We finally reach the entrance of the cave he was talking about and I suddenly want to turn back. It isn’t as big as I imagined it would be and it looks very dark inside, the walls covered with moss and who knows what else.

Looking closely, it would seem like the walls are moving, pulsating… as if the cave itself is…breathing. A chill runs up my spine. No wonder the locals believe the stones and boulders are living beings! From where we stand I can hear water dripping from the cracks at the ceiling of the cave and the air current is creating a whooshing sound, almost like the sound of an enormous beast breathing from up close.

Elijah hands me a flashlight. “Here you go. It’s waterproof so it won’t go out even if you drop it.” He shows me how to switch it on and off. “All right, we’re all set… Give me your hand, the entrance is the most tricky part because it’s where it’s most slippery because of the rocks but a couple of yards in and it’s more sandy ... You should be fine then.”

I can’t—I can’t do this! Just looking at the cave is giving me a serious case of claustrophobia. What if this… beast of a cave closes its mouth and swallows us both, alive?

Girl, move your feet, damn it! You’re so close! So close to making your dream come true! A f*****g sponsorship by the queen herself to the most prestigious international school of fashion! Show that asshole that he made a colossal mistake of betraying you! Come on, Maeve, move!

Elijah must have seen the terror in my eyes because he frowns and pulls me to him for a reassuring embrace. “Hey…hey, what’s the matter?”

I shake my head, trying so hard not to hyperventilate but failing miserably.

“Are you scared? Oh, sweetheart, don’t be. I’m right here with you. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.” He lifts my chin to make me meet his eyes. “Listen…we’re almost there, you know. The Crystal Cave is but a few yards away! You’re about to win.” He smiles, the kind that reaches his eyes and lets me know what he’s saying is true. “And so am I.” He murmurs.

I stare at him.

What?

He takes both my hands. “You know why I was never worried about losing the bet?”

I shake my head.

He chuckles. “Well, because… I already won.”

Whatever does he mean!? I haven’t spoken a word, not even a grunt!

He grins. “I won the moment you agreed on the wager. I won because I was able to make you look up again—dream once more. I won because…your spark is being reignited when you have decided to take back your life. And that has always been the point, Maeve, isn’t it!? Healing you.” He takes a deep breath. “Forget about the words—they will come back in time, when you’re ready, just like with your tears. It’s just a matter of time. But this—you wanting something for yourself, betting against me to get what you want? This is a big win. MY win. And I’m so, so very proud of you, sweetheart.”

I didn’t realize my tears were falling until he wiped them away. All the things I’ve always wanted to hear from Jack, I’m hearing from this… almost stranger who met me just a few days ago and who has been nothing but kind to me, so endlessly patient and understanding.

Elijah wiggles his eyebrows and whispers. “So…are you ready to formally win the wager now?”

I sniff, wiping away more tears, before taking a deep breath, and nodding, smiling shyly.

He smiles widely instead. “Good. Do you trust me not to let anything bad happen to you?”

I nod.

“Well, then... Take my hand, my lady.”

We finally make our way into the cave and he holds my hand steadily, his palm warm and soft against mine, murmuring encouraging words as we slowly wade deeper into the darkness, our way illuminated only by the two flashlights we each hold in the other hands.

True to his words, the tunnel keeps getting smaller and smaller and soon we are forced to bow low. I grip his hand tighter. I could have let go of his hands way back while we were closer to the entrance but his hand gives me such comfort that I refuse to release him from my hold. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to mind.

“This is just the uncomfortable part and then right after the smallest part of the tunnel, there should be another cavern which is much wider, but also deeper in the middle. There’s a very strong current in the middle that sucks the water into a hole that we don’t have any idea where it goes, so we will have to be very careful there…and stick as close to the walls as possible. There are boulders we can step on, so as to be in the water, and after this big cavern, it’s only another short tunnel…and at the end of it…is the Crystal Cave.”

I take a deep breath. We’re almost there…I can do this! Without the pressure of winning the wager, I am now more relaxed and focused on just crossing the damn cave. I had to let go of Elijah’s hand because he needed to hold on the wall of the caves as well and he was walking in front of me, leading the way, which is how I saw exactly what happened, while it was happening before my very eyes.

Elijah steps onto an apparently loose rock, and I watch in horror as the blasted thing betrays his steady footing. In a heartbeat, I see him twist his body in a desperate attempt to regain balance, arms flailing as he tries to grab the wall for something to hold onto but fails to find any. I open my mouth in a silent scream and it’s as if time slows down while I watch him slip and fall. A sickening thud echoes through the cavern as his head hits the unyielding rocks that were supposed to keep him from falling into the water. His flashlight slips from his grasp as he loses consciousness, the harsh sound of shattering glass punctuating the dreadful accident before sinking into the water, leaving us with only one flashlight, the one I’m holding.

“Elijah!” I scream.