NICHOLAS'S POV:
I watched my parents and sibling waddle to the water and joined the Dela Vega's. Candace looked overly excited as mom and dad dived one after the other. Riviere the timid one even managed a smile. Clover giggled and his body was shaking with laughter. The Dela Vega siblings cheered and clapped as their parents admired what my parents did urging the couple to do jumps at the diving board set at the far end of the waterfall.
My heart constricted with happiness seeing each of the people I cared being happy once again. This is the first time that we formally bonded with our visitors. Shanara held Candace as Golden and Vivienne made a war with the water with Carlisle and Gavin. Candace screamed happily at the fight. Clover and Riviere in awe, just stared wide eyed unable to choose which team they'd join.
I walked slowly to the shallower part of the water and accidentally saw my reflection in the water. I was startled to see myself staring into my smilling face. I blinked and tried to remember when I last smiled. And I clearly remembered the day I found Meryl's body floating in this same water wide eyed and lifeless. My body grew cold at the memories I was holding back as pain sliced through my heart. I clenched my jaw as tears started to form.
I didn't notice Shanara standing beside me with a strange expression in her face. She stared at me and held my right hand. Electric shock sliced through me as our palms touched and I blinked involuntarilly at how she stared at me straight and unblinking, her eyes a dark brown abyss.
My whole body calmed down as our hands clenched as one, Shanara's hand warming me up to my heart and I staggered back.
'Dont fight it. Hold my hand and think nothing. I'll give you rest.' Her soothing voiced echoed through my head but no words were spoken. I let her warmth succumb through my whole body and felt all my sadness, hatred and pain slowly receed and rest. I saw her eyes turn green in a second and became hazel in one blink.
"How?" I managed to look at her questioningly and I loosened my grip at her hand suddenly.
"I can feel your pain, Nicholas. All of it. But dont worry because I calmed them down. I could absorb them and make them mine to make you free but you cling on to them as your floaters in a wide ocean. I feel that you will feel lost if I take them away from you, so I calmed them all instead. It will hurt me if I absorb them but its nothing compared to what I've been through. For now, feel nothing but rest and calmness." she explained as her hand let go of my hand and went up to caress my cheek.
I stood motionless unable to think of what to do with myself. My heart ached as her touch left me and I almost slapped myself for thinking so and felt that I was cheating on Meryl. But Shanara's sudden absence made me feel regret and wanted more from her touch. But why? A second ago, my feelings toward Meryl was solid as a rock but now what I felt was confusion and disorientation. I cursed myself and dived into the water delving deeper into the cold water thinking about my Meryl and all the sadness and grief to come back to me. My heart was beating normally, and it annoyed me as I was expecting pain and sadness envelope me with a rumbling heart beat. I waited a couple seconds more but still felt nothing. Instead my mind rumbled into a lot of questions.
Did Shanara just hold my hand without me resenting her and arguing? Nawwww. I resisted didn't I? And what was that about her absorbing my sadness and the such? I was pretty sure that she startled me thats why my emotions were diverted. Her eyes made color changes because the sun hit her right? But how can I hear her in my head? And what was that nightmare I had about some bells ringing?
Annoyed, I went back up to get some air and saw that the water fight has died down into laughter. I saw the place in a new perspective. I felt calm and whole and just wanted this day to be perfect so I could be back to being mean again at work tomorrow. I looked up at the sky and noticed that it was nearing noon. Thats it. I will just have to finish this day and everything will be back to normal tomorrow. The normal me. For sure....