::Please note that for this fanfiction, Isabel did not accept Lorian's gift of Immortality, nor did Lorian die at the end of the series. Everything else, is the same.::
‘My son, in all my years of running the Guard, I’ve never heard such a question.’ The Immortal stated in a semi irritated tone, his soulless eyes piercing the calm violet orbs of his own flesh and blood.
‘I ask only to see her. She is ill after all.’
And that’s how it happened; I was in Isabel’s world for the first time since my two hundred years of training with Lorian.
Isabel
The last thing I remember before nearly collapsing onto the kitchen floor was Jimmy laughing at a sudden outburst from my brother Matt, followed by an entire swirling light show. Of course, Matt flipped out, but I was more than used to his overly sympathetic ways; I was, after all, a few years younger than him.
‘Isabel!’ Matt caught me mid-fall, a stern look forming on his face. Oh boy, here we go.
‘You should really be sleeping.’ He said, adding emphasis on each word to make his point. As if I was still tired. Yeah, right.
‘If I sleep anymore I won’t be tired for bed!’ I rolled my eyes, making sure to add a hint of sarcasm to my words. He didn’t notice.
‘I’m only trying to help Isabel. As your Leader, you should know that . . .’ He goes off again with his all-mighty Leader speech. Ever since being dubbed Leader of the Guard, Matt has taken every speech and used it as an excuse to show he truly is worthy. I close my eyes, trying to focus on the tiny dots forming against my eyelids. It doesn’t help. Matt continues, lost in his brotherly lecturing. Jimmy, my step-dad, makes a v-line for the living room, a hint of sympathy being geared in my direction before he vanishes completely behind the wall. I feel bad for him. Without thinking, I brush past Matt, hurrying upstairs to my room.
‘Isabel, I’m not finished!’
Something strikes me on my way to my room, a slight tingly feeling that one could only call anticipation, for what I don’t know, but I quicken my pace in hopes of finding out. There is definitely an eerie calmness once I open and shut the door, revealing darkness like no other, and two luminescent violet orbs staring back at me. My first instinct is to jump back in alarm, but a sudden spasm sends me into fits of coughing.
‘Who’s there?’ My voice comes out between coughs; those eyes seem to be bearing deep into my soul. I realize that I know those eyes, and it hits me.
‘Arkarian?’
‘Isabel.’
His voice sent shivers down my spine, and I find myself breathing heavily all of a sudden. The one person I never wanted to witness my being sick, was sitting on my bed, cloaked in darkness and sudden moonlight. Arkarian sat poised on the bed, his light blue hair flowing gracefully against slender shoulders; I could barely make out a pale purple shirt, and deep blue pants. Sometimes, I really do fear my keen sight brought forth by Lady Arabella; I wonder if she realized what her gift would do to me.
‘What are you doing here?’ A sudden dryness fills my mouth, and I begin to find just how hard it is for words to form. He must notice this, for he shifts slightly on the bed, eyes closing momentarily before gazing blankly out the window. It’s dangerous for him to be here, yes.
‘You’re ill; I came to take care of you.’ His response comes moments later, brisk, and to the point. I feel defeated without really fighting to begin with. A dream, I try to tell myself, it’s all a dream. Arkarian isn’t here, and my heart hasn’t jumped halfway up my throat; Lorian would never allow his finest outside the Citadel, let alone within the mortal realm of Angel Falls. This has to be a dream!
‘Everything O.K. up there sweetie, I heard a noise!’ Jimmy calls from downstairs; he must have heard my untimely outburst.
‘Everything’s fine! I just hit my arm that’s all!’ I respond, rather quickly of course, wouldn’t want to create anymore confusion for the poor guy. Arkarian stifles a laugh at this, raising a hand as the room suddenly fills with light; I realize that he’s turned on the ceiling lamp without even moving an inch, and for some reason it frightens me. I waver by the door, eyes locked anywhere but on the man sitting before me. Jimmy seems to believe my excuse, for he doesn’t respond. At least he’s good when it comes to keeping secrets. I wonder if he knows about Arkarian being here, but just as quickly as that notion hits me, I throw the thought away as said being shakes his head no.
‘He doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way.’ Mind-readers just have to love them. I nod slowly, exhaling a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding up until that point. So it is a secret; our secret. At least my coughing has stopped.
‘How’d you manage to leave the Citadel?’ I wander over to the bed, making sure to keep a steady tone as my mind works on jumbling any lingering thoughts. He grins, eyes glistening, and I know he won’t tell me, not yet at least. I sink down next to him on the bed, just then realizing how exhausted I am. A bed never looked so appealing, let alone the run-down blankets I’d had since I was five. All goes silent downstairs, Jimmy and mum must be getting ready for bed; I could care less at the moment about what Matt is doing.
‘Arkarian?’ I pause, collecting myself as I huddle closer to the blankets for much needed warmth, ‘does this mean you’re staying here tonight?’ The words seem foreign coming from my mouth, and I find myself licking my lips against better judgment; I know he’s reading my thoughts, seeing that I can’t seem to make my mind calm down now. And, I know the next sensation, for a great wall has been broken in my mind, and I have no way to close it; Arkarian tenses, taking in everything because of one swift mistake on my behalf. His eyes soften, however, and I find myself enveloped in a gentle embrace, light blue hair easing its way across my shoulders in soft tendrils. I love him, he knows that, and for once I hope we can stay like this forever.
There is a hidden longing in the way he holds me, while those slender fingers find their way to my unruly hair, brushing tenderly through the locks as if a few knots can be easily conquered by way of hands. His touch is calming, and with it I receive the greatest reassurance one could ever ask for.
‘If I make you sick, it’s not my fault.’ I warn, even though my body eases into his touch with each passing moment. When did I become the attention-seeking teen that I am today? Oh yes, that’s right, back when Ethan would ignore me during training . . .
‘Isabel, I’ve been alive for 600 years, your being ill won’t harm me.’ Arkarian’s chest vibrates against my frame with each word, only proving to send another round of butterflies into my already aching stomach. I force back a gasp, feeling that well-known red tint taking over my face. Sleep is barely on my mind now, there’s really no way I’d let those sweet dreams take over tonight. I turn around, my eyes meeting his for a brief moment before his lips caress my own; our second kiss, the first being a year ago when I risked everything to save him from Lathenia and her Order, and yet it seems like a daily routine. We really do seem like age-long lovers, but that’s how it is now at least for him, I didn’t accept Lorian’s gift of Immortality. The kiss ended almost as quickly as it began, both of us pulling apart to stare idly into the other’s face; there are times when I can tell Arkarian wishes that I took his father’s gift, for during those seldom moments I can see pain in his eyes, this is in fact one of those moments, and once again I am at a loss for words.
‘Hey, Isabel did you ask Ethan about the whole dance thing at school? He sounded really bummed out when he heard you were sick . . .’ My brother, Matt, knocks on the door, his voice being droned out by the wood; he still was slow on the whole relationship going on between Arkarian and I, and chose to consider it a fling rather than a life-long commitment. At times his assumptions were needed, like when explaining to mum why I was ‘gone’ (my body was in constant paralysis every few hours of the night), but at the moment his game of ‘Let’s see who Isabel can date next’ was becoming rather old, and tiring.
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