"Remember that, Lina?" Zell asked, pointing to a picture held in a plastic page of a thick leather bound photo album that Lina had laid across her lap. The two of them sat cuddled up at the edge of her bed in room twenty one, recalling memories with each familiar smile, pose, and place. In response, Lina nodded, a strand of her sleek black hair falling off her shoulder. She looked up at Zell and smiled her famous halfmoon smile, her wide coffee brown eyes waning to two semi-circles with her heartily laugh.
"Of course! Now, how could I forget that," she joked and flipped the page. Zell, whose face was previously pressed against Lina's cheek, pretended to gag. The picture he was never fond of--the one of him standing with another girl: Sadie. Everything from that ridiculous braided pigtail down to the side of her head to the jealous smirk on her lips made him want to hurl. Sadie had been--if you wanted to say--a "girlfriend"--much to her own personal delight. More so, she was a pain in the neck assignment charged in order to protect Lina during her time of need. Long story short: no one liked her.
"Okay, seriously, why is this picture even in here?" Zell snatched it out of plastic covering and tossed it off randomly to the side. He hated looking at it--just seeing her stupid smirk and her hand pulling on his arm in the picture made his skin prick. He looked angry, she looked satisfied--a sneer in her smile.
Lina shut the photo album and set it aside--the rest of the pages were basically empty, meant for them to keep adding pictures as they progressed. She turned around and hugged Zell, the two of them plopping down on their sides. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "My Belle," Zell chuckled and she closed her eyes, thinking intently about the warning she'd received the other day. It only felt safe to think of such things there with Zell.
It had been a letter from her very own Master Tokeen--the man who had taught her everything she knew and who'd willingly raised her into who she was today.
Lina,
How are you? Are you well? Don't both replying, I will not be here when you do for you see I am on my part traveling for another experiment the heads of my department decided to hold. Anyways, Lina, I have to talk to you. I sensed in your life force the other day that perhaps there has been a change in your emotion.
Knowing as you are, from a different time and place, I am concerned for your well being. Have you fallen in love? Is this the case? In all of my teachings, I have not prepared you for anything like this, but I warn you--you must be careful. If the one you give your heart to does not at any point give equal in return, your life force could be in great peril!
Take care,
Master Tokeen
Lina hadn't quite taken any mind to it the moment she'd opened the letter, but each day she started thinking more and more about it. Was it that her physical and mental being were strengthened by her love for Zell? Or was it that only because of this admiration for each other that she herself could be possible? How did this change come about? She felt like she'd also been fine before she met Zell--if at all lonely.
No matter, she loved him and he loved her and at that moment, it seemed like everything she could have asked for. "Zell?" She feared they were both falling asleep with the comfort of the other's presence.
"Hmm?" he mumbled--yes falling asleep just a little bit.
"I can't live without you, Zell..." she told him and the day rolled on lazily.