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Chapter 78 Dizzy Girl

“It was great!” One the way back I was

still immersed in the grandeur of the performance. I held my hands excitedly

and looked at Edward in the face. “The second song was magnificent, but best of

all was the last one, The Light of the

Miracle. The lights were so fantastic when that the angel with the

snow-white wings came down with his arms open. I wish I could take a photo of

that scene. I must remember to bring my camera tomorrow.”

Before he ruined my plan mercilessly, Edward

gave me a funny look. “You’re not allowed to take photos during the performance.”

Those words made me upset. I looked at

him in a manner that was supposed to evoke pity.

“I need it for my private collection!”

I whined.

He gave me a seductive look, “You can

have my body for your private collection.”

All of a sudden, my face got red and hot.

Was the power of his eyesight growing stronger every day, or was my imagination

growing wilder?

The music company, Capitol Records,

seemed to be quite confident of him, and their promotion plan was quite unusual.

For the moment, there would be no photographs and no records, just a series of

scheduled performances to enhance popularity. Such a low-key approach was bound

to arouse public curiosity. If it failed, Edward was very likely to fall into obscurity

but there was also the possibility he would become a sensation.

“Keeping a low profile, huh?” I asked,

looking out the window at a string of lights. “Aren’t you worried about nobody

showing up?”

“I only worry about whether my

performance is perfect or not.” Truly, he didn’t look like he cared about

audience attendance. Not that it mattered anyway. Judging by the number of

girls at the Curtis Institute of Music, he didn’t need to worry about such

things.

Before he went out the next day, he

came to my room and woke me up. He told me to go to the concert hall with mom

and uncle Denny before the start of the show. I gave a nod and sank back into

my sleep. When I finally got up, I found that I was alone in the house. Uncle

Denny had gone to the company and mom went out to buy shopping.

Since Edward’s performance wasn’t

going to start until three o’clock in the afternoon, I began sorting out the

pictures I took in Tibet. While I was doing that, the phone rang. I let it ring

multiple times before I picked it up.

It was Philip and he sounded rather

anxious.

“Are you available now?” The sound of

his painful gasps came to my ear with a remarkable intensity. Whatever it was,

it was quite serious.

“What is it?”

“I broke by accident my last bottle of

potion and my eyes are killing me. I remember that you have another bottle stashed

somewhere, don’t you?”

“Sit down and don’t move,” I said

anxiously. “I’ll be there right away.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble.” Even with

his voice distorted from the pain, he still wanted to say sorry to me.

“Just hold on a few minutes,” I said

and hung up.

I grabbed the small bottle, put it in

my bag and rushed out of the house. I was in such a hurry I completely forgot

my promise to Averill. That would have to wait. Phillip could go blind if I did

not get to him in time.

I knocked on the door several times

before he came to the door.

From the hall came the sound of

objects crashing to the floor. When he unlocked the door, I saw that he had

gotten temporarily blind. His eyes were shut and a grimace of intense pain

distorted his features. The pain must have been excruciating. He was biting his

teeth and he was drenched in sweat.

I helped him lie on the sofa and gave

him some drops. That made him calm down right away. The muscles on his face

relaxed and his breathing became normal again.

Still, it took him a few minutes until

he opened his eyes again. His bright blue pupils were full of gratitude, but I

felt that there was still something wrong.

“How do you feel now?” I asked.

Phillip remained silent for a long

time. His eyes blinked, his pupils turned to my direction, but he couldn’t

focus. He smiled bitterly and his voice trembled slightly.

“I don’t feel any pain, but I still

can’t see.”

“Then we got to take you to the

hospital immediately!”

I called a cab that took us to the nearest

hospital. The doctor who examined him said that Philip was in imminent danger

of losing his eyesight and needed to stay for further examination and

treatment.

I took care of the admission

procedures while Philip was led upstairs for laser treatment. The brief

procedure did not last longer than thirty minutes.

I waited patiently until they took him

to his bed. He was now in a white robe and bandages covered his eyes. I took a

seat next to him and put my hand over his.

“You’ll be fine soon.”

“I was hoping to see you one last time

before going blind, but now it’s too late.”

“Don’t say such things; your eyes will

be fine in no time. In a couple of days you will be strolling down the street

and your eyes won’t be able to get enough of all the beautiful girls.”

“Isn’t it time for Edward’s

performance? You need to go now.”

I quickly took out the phone to check

the time but the screen was black. It seemed that I forgot to charge it

yesterday.

“Phillip, do you have your cell phone

with you? I will call uncle Denny and ask him to pick me up. Edward will surely

curse me if I show up on my own.”

“I left it at home,” said Phillip with

a dose of regret.

“It’s all right,” I said. “I’m going

to try to find a payphone.”

I left him with the promise to come

back after the show and headed to the hallway. Unfortunately, the only payphone

there was out of order.

I remember seeing another one at the

main lobby so I hurried to the ground floor. Indeed, I was right. As soon as I

put my finger on the dial pad, I heard a voice from behind.

“What a coincidence.”

Gosh,

it was Averill!

A strong fragrance came to my nostrils

and my mind sank into oblivion. The last image in my dim vision was Averill’s

angry eyes and the blood oozing from the gauze on her cheek.

Then I lost consciousness.

Chapter 79 Abducted

I sank into a grey abyss without any

dreams. How long was I there? I did not know. It could have been a moment or an

eternity. It was hard to tell the difference.

A sharp wave of pain brought me back

from that state of nothingness.

My neck was hurting. Who was biting me?

Edward’s bloodstained lips parted from

my neck. His eyes were sad, and the sharp tip of his teeth was visible from between

his lips.

“Oh, my little thing, why did you

leave me? Death has created a deep gap between our two souls,” he said with his

deep and slow voice.

I felt terrified. Was I dead?

I wasn’t sure about anything. I could

not move, nor open my mouth, nor make a sound. My eyes looked around and I saw

myself lying in a black coffin carved with beautiful patterns. Edward, in his

magnificent costume, was lying at the edge of the coffin, his long fingers

slowly tracing the curve of my face.

I wanted to tell him I was not dead,

but no sound came out of my throat.

He suddenly began to laugh low, his

eyes unfurled, his lips raised in a beautiful curve. “Never mind, I can find

you just the same.”

I watched him get up and go to the

window with the thick red velvet curtain, as if I knew what he was going to do.

I was scared, and I shouted madly in my heart, “No, don’t do that! I don’t want

you to do that! Please don’t do that!”

He stood at the window, his fingers

clutching the curtain, and smiled back at me.

“I’ll always be with you.”

He slowly pulled the curtain to let

the rays of the sun come in the room. The beams of sunlight that burst through his

body enveloped him in pale blue smoke. The only thing I could do was watch the

smile on his face melt away. His entire body collapsed and disintegrated into a

pile of goo. His eyeballs burst out of his sockets and a thick red fluid poured

out of every orifice. Like a wax candle, he slowly melted away, leaving behind

only a heap of bones, which in a matter of second had transformed into a pile

of dust.

Nothing

remained…

My heart was shattered in a million

pieces. I opened my mouth and I screamed.

That was when I regained consciousness.

I breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing it had only been a dream.

The bright light right above me

prevented me from seeing anything. What had Averill done to me? I felt my heart

beating violently. I tried to gasp, but I found that I didn’t have the strength

to open my mouth. I got suddenly nervous when I thought about what had occurred

before I lost my senses.

Averill’s voice suddenly came to my

ears.

“I’m not sure about what to do. Should

I kill her right away?”

It seemed she had a hard time making up her mind. “That’s too boring,”

she said. “It would be more interesting to destroy slowly what you cherish. That

would be more fun.” Was she talking to Edward? I wondered whether the show had

started yet.

I turned my head away from the

blinding lights so that I could see what was around me.

I was lying on a tall platform with a

wall on my left and a railing on my right less than ten meters away. My wrists

and ankles were tied together with a piece of rope. The only sort of movement I

could do was to wiggle around like a caterpillar.

Averill was sitting on a wooden box

not too far from me, talking on the phone. The distant sound of a crowd came to

my ears. Where on Earth was I?

“What would you like? An ear or a hand?

Just let me know. When you start the performance, you shall receive my gift. I

suppose that even with your lover’s bloody limbs on hands you could perform

without a flinch, am I right? I really want to see that…Ha, is this a threat? I’m

really scared.”

I needed to find a way to get out of

there. The last thing I wanted was to lose one of my vital parts.

I thought of the time I saw them together

at the square in Brussels. Edward must have said something very mean to Averill.

She seemed to be very pissed off with

him.

“Hurry up, or I won’t be able to

deliver my gift by the start of your performance...Make up your mind!”

After a brief moment of silence, Averill

sounded confused.

“Are you sure about that? You’re going

to let go of your career for her sake? Well, that’s a tempting offer, though; I

must say I have never met anyone who has been so willing to let go of things so

easily. Are you sure you don’t want to put on a fight?”

This didn’t sound right. What was

Edward planning to do?

“Am I willing to make an exchange? Not

sure yet!” She let out a loud cackle before she continued. “It is a pleasure to

see you at my disposal, but it is not enough to make up for all the humiliation

and the pain! You ruined my face, Edward!” She lowered her voice, grinding her

teeth. “Don’t assume I don’t know things! You’re just trying to buy time! Don’t

be so confident that you will find her! She’s in a place you can’t imagine.”

A place Edward couldn’t imagine? Where

had she brought me? I rolled my eyes to adjust to the light. Above my head, a

tall glass dome slowly revealed itself.

“I won’t touch her until you drink

that stuff in front of everyone. After that...I can’t be sure.”

I was anxious and confused about what kind

of agreement Edward had made with Averill. What did she mean by “drinking that

stuff?”

Chapter 80 The Deal

Averill came over and stood above me. “Are

you awake?” She put the phone to my ear so I could heard Edward’s voice. He

sounded desperate and tense.

“Susan? Are you hurt?”

The sound of his voice made me want to

cry for no reason. I gritted my teeth to calm my voice. “I’m fine,” I said.

Before I had the chance to say

anything else, Averill pulled the phone away. “Remember, no tricks,” she said

to Edward before she hung up.

“Don’t waste your time,” she said as I

struggled to get loose. Her eyes and voice were icy cold and her lips formed a

vague smile. She was surely enjoying it.

“What did you ask Edward to do?”

Averill grunted and covered her face

with a bloody gauze. She refused to answer my question.

“Do you know where you are?”

I shook my head slightly.

“Well, just look around? We’re in the attic

above the concert hall! I sneaked in yesterday and found this nice hiding place.

Isn’t it perfect? It will never cross Edward’s mind that you’re right above his

head.”

She took a long, sharp knife out of

her handbag and waved it back and forth in front of her as if she was going to

cut through the air.

“My initial plan was to cut off your

ear and send it to him, but he made a tempting offer that I couldn’t resist.

Can you guess what it is?”

“No idea.”

“He agreed to give up his career for

your sake.”

I opened my eyes and my lips trembled.

“No. You can’t allow him to do that.”

Only I knew how much work he had done

and how much time he had spent. How strict his food control was and how much he

practiced every day. How could he destroy all this for the sake of me?

“Edward,

you must be crazy! Why did you have to put me above your career?”

“If you want revenge you can cut my face.

Don’t let him do such a thing.”

“You i***t! My face is ruined. I shall

never again be able to make a living by the same means. I intend to take revenge

on all of you!”

I had to find a way to escape from

there. But how? My bag was lying on the floor not far from my feet. If I could

get my hands on it then maybe I could reach the little box, which I could use to

cut the rope that tied me together.

“It’s almost time for the show,” she

said. “It’s going to be spectacular, especially the part where the star drinks

a glass of wine and announces that he will leave the stage forever.”

I said nothing and looked down,

wondering how I could reach the handbag without revealing my intentions.

Averill stood up, walked back and

forth, made two circles, looked at me, and vanished down the safety ladder. She

was eager to see with her own eyes Edward destroy his career.

I was overjoyed. Now I could set forth

my little escape plan. I leaned over and stretched my fingers to catch the

little box. Then suddenly she appeared again at the top of the ladder. I

wondered whether she had decided to skip the show.

“Maybe I should just ignore the deal

and cut off your ear or finger right now,” she said while checking the ropes.

Did she truly mean such a thing?

“Do you really hate me that much? Even

if I’ve never been mean to you, even if I’ve helped you?”

Averill looked into my eyes and

suddenly stood up and turned to the safety ladder. “Don’t waste your time

shouting for help. Nobody is going to hear you up here. If Edward’s suffering makes

a good spectacle, perhaps I will spare some of yours.”

With an evil grin on her face she went

down the hatch.

With some effort, I managed to grab the

handbag and my fingers reached for the box. I took it in my hand and held it

close to the ropes. With one press of the button, the blade popped out. While

the blade cut through the rope, I kept my eyes open for Averill. My head was

swirling and my heart was ready to jump out of my chest. Every second was

crucial!

Eventually the blade went through the

rope and my wrists were set free. I brought them to my eyes. There were two

dark bruises and some traces of blood.

After doing the same with my ankles I

raised myself to my feet and stuffed everything in my bag. The drops of blood

on the surface of the box reminded me of little red flowers. I pushed the blade

in and tossed it last in the bag.

My legs were still weak after being tied

up for so long time. I got dizzy when I tried to walk and collapsed to the

floor. I took a breath, rubbed my numb legs, limped to the stairway, and prayed

unconsciously and silently for Edward not to drink the potion.

My heart was torn apart by anxiety.

Fear and pain flooded me like frozen seawater. I was trying so hard to swim

forward but I felt myself sinking.

I needed to reach a safe shore as soon

as possible.

I didn’t even know what the time was. I

was in a state of despair just by thinking about what he was about to do. I

would rather slit my own throat than let him suffer such humiliation. I pressed

myself to keep on going forward. I had to get there in time before he drank the

conium.

It was an ordeal going down the ten-meter

long safety ladder to the floor of the concert hall ceiling. When I reached the

bottom, I paused and looked around.

I was now standing in the “fly space,”

the area above the stage where a

system of ropes, counterweights, pulleys, and other stools allowed the technical

crew to quickly move set pieces, lights, and microphones on and off the stage. If

I tried to shout down to the stage, could Edward hear me? All I needed

was for him to catch a quick glimpse of me. This way he would not drink the

potion.

Chapter 81 Escape

From where I was, I could hear the

sound technicians shouting to each other as they tuned the instruments. I felt

so lucky that the show had not started yet.

My attempt to shout at those below

brought no result. It was more than twenty meters down to the stage, which was

barely visible thanks to the steel beams and all kinds of equipment blocking my

view. It was too far away and there was a lot of noise from below. I couldn’t

make myself heard even with a loudspeaker.

What I had to do was find a way to get

down there. I scanned the area looking for a potential exit. There it was! The wooden

door right across from where I was standing. That must have been the only way

to get out of there. Holding the beams tightly, I treaded on the narrow ledge

and reached the other side.

I pushed the door wide open. It revealed

a narrow wooden staircase that probably led to the backstage areas downstairs.

The only problem was that Averill was

standing at the bottom of the stairs. She turned around the instant she heard

the creaky sound of the rusty door hinges and gazed at me with evil intention.

Slowly she began climbing the stairs.

I had nowhere to run.

The sound of applause signaled that

the show was about to begin.

My head was blank and cold sweat came

out from under the skin of my limbs. My fingers were shaking uncontrollably.

It was all lost!

“Don’t even think about it. It’s too

late!”

She had reached the top of the stairs

and now stood next to me.

My miserable condition must have been

a source of amusement for her. She put her hand on my arm and smiled at me.

“No!” I shouted out and pushed her away

from me. Although I knew that those below could not hear me, I kept on shouting.

“Don’t drink it, Edward! Don’t!”

What could I do? Even if there was no

one to stop me, it was too late to run down the stairs, not to mention that

Averill would probably put up a fight if I attempted to do so. There was only

one way to reach Edward fast enough.

I grabbed the railing and looked down,

the height made me dizzy. I bit my teeth nervously. Should I really try my luck?

It was clear to me that jumping from up here was tantamount to suicide, but one

of my leg was already over the railing.

“Are you nuts?” asked Averill and

dragged me back. “I don’t want your life…yet.”

“Let go of me, you b***h! If anything

happens to him, I’m gonna kill you!”

Averill, who had never seen me like

this before, was stunned for a moment. She shrugged her shoulders and stepped

back.

“You want to jump? Okay, go ahead. Be

my guest.”

That is when I saw the two symbols of

purity hanging above the stage just a few meters away from me. The wings worn

by the actor during the last song of the set! If angels could fly, so could I. The

operating system didn’t seem too difficult to handle. The wings were attached

to a system of wires connected to a mechanism that could be controlled by the

simple push of a lever.

All I needed to do was to get there. I

stepped outside the rail and with my arms stretched out, I began walking on the

narrow steel beam like a tightrope artist. I focused on my target and avoid

looking down. Losing my balance meant the death of me.

At that precise moment, two security

guards came up the stairs. Apparently, someone had heard my screams.

“Get back here, Miss,” they shouted at

me.

“If you want to do something useful

you can arrest that girl. She kidnapped me!”

Averill raised her arms and pretended

this was a joke. “Nothing happened here. It was a misunderstanding,” she said.

One of the guards took her from the

arm and led her downstairs. The other one jumped the rail and came after me.

“Please come back Miss before you’re

hurt!”

“I need to save Edward first,” I said.

“I remember you! You’re the maid of Mr.

Edward’s family!”

I realized this was the guard at the

door when I came to bring Edward dinner.

I looked down, and I saw a man in the

middle of the stage holding a glass of wine. Although it was too high to see

clearly, it must have been Edward!

“Don’t drink it!” I shouted.

“Come back, Miss,” shouted the guard.

There was a thunderous burst of

applause as Edward raised the glass of wine and brought it to his lips.

It was now or never!

I had now reached the wings.

I put my arms through the shoulder

straps, buckled up and pulled the lever. My move turned on the complex mechanism

that was made of several pinions enclosed in a box located a meter or so above

the wings. I slowly began to rise; I quickly pulled the level towards the

opposite direction. Immediately my descent began.

The floor of the stage was getting

closer and closer. I closed my eyes and shouted his name out.

“Edward…”

My freefall stopped with a jerky

movement just one meter above the floor of the stage. I opened my eyes and saw

Edward standing two meters away from me. He gazed at me with his big dark eyes.

His face was strange, enticing and calm. And his mouth slowly began to smile.

He came over and took me in his arms.

My fingers reached to touch the scarf

around his neck. Had I reached him in time? Not knowing the answer made me uneasy.

“Did you... Did you drink it?”

He smiled and shook his head slightly.

I looked down at the pieces of broken

glass scattered all over the floor and I felt like being lifted in the clouds.

Gone was all the anxiety and agony. Now I could laugh and breathe again.

The continuous applause from the

audience seemed to come from another world. The only thing that mattered to me

now was that pair of eyes firmly focused on mine. It was as if we were the only

people in the theatre.

This man was willing to destroy his

own pride for me. On many occasions, he had displayed his love for me. Was

there a way I could I pay him back?

I put my hands around his neck and softly

said the words.

“I love you.”

Three words that kindled the stars in

his night-sky eyes. His face seemed to shine and his lips were trembling. There

was a moment of hesitation before he stuck them on my own to give me a quick,

deep kiss.

Chapter 82 Finale Act

The whistling and applause that came

from the audience brought me instantly back to this world. Silly me! I hadn’t noticed

he was wearing a microphone. Feeling embarrassed, I immediately covered my face

with my hands. Everyone in the hall had just heard my words!

Edward put me down gently and took my

hand. He could not pretend any longer that the audience was not there.

“Please allow me to change the order

of the songs. This one is for my love, The

Light of Miracles.”

The music started and the lights

changed into blurred colors. Dry ice rolled up from around the stage, and the

trained dancers began to spin.

Throughout the song, his hand tightly

grasped mine. He gazed deep into my eyes and sung the magical lyrics.

“Love

is like a miracle light, lighting this absurd world.”

It was the happiest moment of my life.

The following morning I opened my eyes and saw a newspaper next to

the tray with my breakfast. Printed in big bold letters on the front page was

the sensational headline:

Amazing Singing. Amazing Love.

Printed beneath the title was a photo

of me in Edward’s arms wearing the angel wings. The photo had been taken the

precise moment we were kissing.

I was so furious I began to yell like

a maniac. “How could this happen?”

The reason I felt this way wasn’t because

such an intimate moment had become public. No! It was the way I looked.

Sure, Edward was elegant and perfect,

but what about me? I didn’t need to mention the dust and dirt all over me. The

photo was so clear I could see the tears rolling down my dust covered cheeks!

The caption intended to inform the

reader that Edward’s first concert, with his mysterious girlfriend showing up

as a guest performer, was a huge success. With a grunt, I tossed the paper away

because I couldn’t stand looking at myself.

“I’m going to kill whoever took this

photo,” I declared.

Mom came into the room and sat next to

me. She took the paper in her hands, gave it a good look and smiled.

“What a romantic moment. The wings are

quite beautiful.”

I was too angry to speak. Nobody had

the right to present me to the world as a mud-marked monkey, no matter how nice

the wings looked.

“I need to talk to my lawyer. I’m going

to sue!”

Edward pushed the door in and came in

the room. “What’s going on here?”

“She thinks the photo makes her look ugly,”

said mom.

Edward glanced at the newspaper. “Why

don’t I feel the same way? I think you’re gorgeous.”

“Lier!” I said. However, I couldn’t

help smiling.

Mom shook her head and laughed. “If you

don’t believe me you should believe Edward. Now I’m going to leave the two of

you alone.”

“Mom!”

She smiled and left the room. It

seemed that Edward had passed the test.

No more than two seconds had passed

when another invader stormed into the room. It was Alex carrying his medical

bag. Edward had asked him to come check on me. He sat next to me and took out

of his bag the blood pressure machine.

“I’m fine, I’m telling you!” I kept on

saying.

“We just need to be sure. Someone who

cares about you dragged me here for this.”

“All right, go ahead. How’s Phillip by

the way?”

“His family told me he is scheduled

for surgery tomorrow.”

“I hope his eyes will be fine.”

“What about Averill?”

“She’s dead,” said Edward.

I could not believe me ears. “Averill’s

dead?”

“Edward, I know you really want that

woman to die. Unfortunately, she is still alive,” said Alex.

“What happened to her yesterday?” I

was in an utter state of confusion. The last thing I wanted was she showing up

again for more revenge.

“She was chased by a security guard down

some stairs when she fell and cracked several bones. She’s in the hospital now

and when she recovers, the next stop is prison. Yes, she is going to do jail

time.”

“She deserves it,” said Edward.

“She’s a cunning woman,” added Alex.

“We tracked the signal and knew that she was somewhere near the concert hall,

but we could not imagine she was hiding right above our heads.”

“Are we done now?” asked Edward.

“Almost,” said Alex.

Edward watched Alex unfasten the blood

pressure machine and made a gesture for him to hurry up.

“Goodbye,” said Alex and left the

room. He murmured something as Edward closed the door behind.

“That wasn’t very polite,” I said.

“I couldn’t wait for us to be alone.

Just you and me.”

He sat next to me and touched my bandaged

finger. “Does it hurt?” he whispered. I looked at his face and shook my head

foolishly. Since yesterday, I couldn’t help blushing whenever I looked at him.

He leaned over to kiss me. He stuck

his tongue between my lips and searched for mine.

I suddenly bit his lips and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I was so dirty yesterday, how can you

still kiss me?”

He smiled, raised his eyebrows, and

looked at me in a hypnotic manner. “Trust me; you were incredibly beautiful. If

you can’t believe it then maybe I can hypnotize you in believing it.”

I believed him. Because his lips,

fingers, skin and whole body  confirmed the

same thing. That he spoke the truth.

I was so happy I fell asleep in his

arms.

When I woke up, the sky outside the

window had been stained with a beautiful purple sunset. Edward was standing silently

by the window. His hand caressed his chest and his head was leaning forward as

if he was contemplating something serious.

“What are you thinking about?”

The way he looked up at me illuminated

every dark corner in my soul. The edges of his mouth were curved and his voice came

out soft and cheerful like a cloud in a clear May sky.

“I think they’re probably gone.”

I didn’t know what he meant by “they”,

but it seemed I could understand. However, what did that matter? Just looking

at him was enough to make me smile contentedly.

Chapter 83 Secrets

A few weeks later, I woke up in the

middle of the night. In an almost zombielike state, I put on my robe and went

downstairs where I found Edward sitting in the living room alone. He was drinking

at that moment a mint flavored drink from a plastic bottle. Lately he was in a

creative mood and spent most of his times locked inside his room and writing

new songs.

A loud yawn came out of my mouth as I

approached him. Just in case he hadn’t heard the footsteps.

“Well, well, well,” said Edward and

looked up at me.

“Is there anything to eat?” I asked.

He stood up and came close enough for

me to see the two small flames burning in his dark eyes. A sudden jolt of fear

brought me out of my sleepiness.

“Hey!” I said to him. “What are you

doing?”

He came forward so that his nose was

now touching mine. The scent of mint mixed with that of his body, invaded my nostrils.

“If you’re showing up like this, how

am I supposed to remain indifferent?”

I didn’t know whether I should laugh

or cry.

“How should I know that my yawning

turns you on,” I said.

He laughed with my words. “No, I didn’t

mean that.”

He touched my open cleavage with his

clean and warm fingers. “I like what you’re wearing.”

What was I wearing? I thought I was

wearing pajamas. No, it was a semi-transparent nightgown. One of the straps was

hanging down, exposing my shoulder and the upper part of my breast.

I could see the flames within his eyes

getting hotter and hotter. I gulped and moved away from him.

“I’ll go and put something on…”

Edward came after me with a smart

smile on his face. “I will help you change.”

“No! I reached out and pushed him away

from me. Suddenly I felt dizzy. This gave him the opportunity to take me in his

arms.

“Huh? Put me down!”

He ignored my plea and took me

upstairs where he laid me on the bed.

I got up only after Edward helped me “change

my clothes” as he had wished. I opened a drawer in the bedside table and took

out a small notebook. Written on the front cover were the words “Susan’s

Secret.” I went to the first blank page where I wrote the date at the top of

the page. Below I scribbled a few lines.

After finishing, I put it back in the

drawer and turned the key in the lock.

A few days later, I happened to get up

earlier than my usual time. I wanted to take some early shots of the city for a

weekly magazine. The purpose was to capture the city lights during the early

hours. An ending that signified a new beginning, forever repeated in an endless

cycle.

When I returned home, the house was very

quiet as nobody had woken up yet. With the camera in my hands, I tiptoed to my

room. The door to Edwards room was wide open, something which I found unusual. I

stretched my neck to look inside.

He wasn’t there.

Then I heard a noise coming from the

bathroom. I snickered, put the camera down, and approached quietly, trying to

scare him.

The door was half-open and I could

hear the noise of water running. I jumped out with my hands stretched out like

a zombie.

“Boo!”

Edward was standing in front of the

mirror with his face covered with shaving foam. When he heard the noise, he

raised his eyes calmly to glance at me, and went on with his business.

I was disappointed. At least he could

have pretended to be scared. But, hey, that’s what it’s like to have a

boyfriend who’s a lot older than you. You could never expect to trick him. He would

always be the one playing the tricks.

I stood there and watched him shave

his cheeks. The blade was like a snow-sweeping car. From wherever it passed, it

left behind a trail of bright clear skin.

I pulled his shirt to gain his

attention.

“May I do the rest for you?”

He handed me the razor and looked at

me suspiciously.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to slice

your cheek.”

The only way to reach him was to make

him sit on the edge of the bathtub. I put one hand on his head and I brought

the razor to his skin.

The blade slowly scraped the lower

part of his chin. His eyes narrowed, and his eyelashes cast a dense shadow

under his eyes. From their depths emerged a gleam of light that struck me as

bright as a ray of sunshine through the jungle.

I felt my heart beating fast.

“Close your eyes.” I demanded, “Or I’ll

cut your face.”

His mouth moved a little, as if he

wanted to laugh, but he said nothing and closed his eyes obediently.

I did his cheek from both sides. I

wiped the foam off his face with a wet towel and touched his chin, beckoning

him to look up.

He raised his head and revealed his

long neck.

A scene from an old horror film came

to my mind. The psychopathic photographer pinched the chin of a pretty model

and told her to raise her head. A few second later, he slit her throat with a

razor blade.

I found that amusing and started to laugh.

“What so funny?” he asked. His Adam’s

apple bobbed up and down with every word he was saying.

“Don’t talk, or else you may regret it.”

I was worried that I would cut his

soft skin of his neck. I bent down and approached my face to his. His unguarded

attitude made me want to kiss him. The warmth of his body that arose from the

collar of his shirt mixed with the fresh smell of the morning shower he had

taken. His lips were so close to my eyes that I almost kissed them.

I shook my head to recover myself. His

breath seemed to me like a lure, or a reflex, like drooling at the sight of a

blueberry. Smelling it made me feel warm and relaxed, and my senses became

sensitive. At moments like this, my body craved kissing hugging and touching.

All kinds of tender intimacy.

Alas, why were his lips so attractive?

I had to calm down. I took a deep

breath and laughed at myself. Susan, if you went on like this, you should not

laugh at Edward for being a wolf.

The razor moved, making a scratching

sound on his skin.

Edward’s hands slowly climbed up to my

waist, and the heat of his palm pressed my skin through cloth. As I bowed my

head again, I felt the heat in his palm becoming hotter, spreading all over my

body and creeping under my skin.

My heart was beating twice as fast as

what it ought to. I was trying to calm myself when I saw Edward open his lips

and breathe quietly. I stopped and stared at his lips, which were soft, smooth,

wet, like flower pedals under the sun.

I took a deep breath and saw my

fingers shake lightly and uncontrollably. Maybe not because they were shaking,

but because my heart was having illusions.

In my mind, the alarm bell started to ring.

I felt I heard a voice in my head shouting “Danger, Susan!”

I raised the back of my hand and touched

my burning hot cheeks.

If we kept going like this, it would end

up with more than a single kiss.

No more. This man was a panther when

he moved and a Venus flytrap when he didn’t. He just stayed there quietly, and waited

for the poor insect to land on one of its leaves.

I bowed my head, gritted my teeth and

held my breath, while I finished shaving the last patch under his chin. I was

ready to turn and run to my room when a deep groan came out of Edward’s throat.

A groan or a sigh, which I could not remember. Anyway, his vague voice made my

spine shake. My entire body was burning at a higher temperature than the fires

of Hell. I lost my mind and rushed to kiss him.

He did not waste a minute in taking

the lead. With our lips and tongues entangled in a frantic dance, I could only wonder

whether I was the seduced or the seducer.

Well, no matter what, I had to add a

new chapter to my secret diary.