The Earth Shifter
Chapter Twelve

Father.

For some people it’s just a word, but for me it meant something completely different.

Safety.

My question lingered in the air between me and Aaron for quite some time. And he looked at me with a solid rock face. Then he started walking again.

“Why do you care to know, Amber?” He answered my question with one of his.

“No reason.” I said shrugging but made a note for myself to discuss it with his mother.

“You didn’t tell me...” I started again.

“How are your parents?” He interrupted me asking. I’ve mentioned my parents once to him I think according to my non-functioning memory.

“Fine. Where are you taking us anyways?” I asked changing the subject.

“Wait and you’ll see,” He answered me with a smirk.

The sun hasn’t set yet. I think we still have sometime till the night comes and the weather is so damn hot. Although the breeze was cool. Like a sea breeze.

I looked at Aaron and noticed that he had this light colored soft stubble on his face it made his dimple look like it was shy of showing up with the smirk.

I quit staring and focus on the task in hand...

“You have to tell me,” I said but he refused and we continued walking till I smelled the breeze of the sea. Then we arrived into a sandy ground and a sea in sight.

The only thing which has grabbed my attention was the ginormous wave curling in the horizon. I stood looking at it till it melted into the water. It looked beautiful and intimidating at the same time.

“Wait here for a second.” I heard Aaron say but didn’t look at him I was so wrapped up in the compelling view of the sea. It never failed to impresses nor scares me.

I stood for quite some time till he got back from wherever he went. He was wearing a black broad shorts and holding a surfing board, under his arm, with black and white mandala patterns all over it. It looks like it was personally customized or something because the right leg of his swim suit held the exact same patterns but a little smaller.

“You like it?”

“What is it?” I asked.

“The surfboard, Amber.” He said holding it between us like a barrier.

“It’s... Uhh creative.” I answered.

“Thanks, Now come on.” He said and ran towards the sea. He reminds me so much of my brother with the way he ran excitedly towards the sea like he was a long gone friend.

Oh. My. God. No!

What he was doing has suddenly hit me and I ran after Aaron and stopped him. My mind was going into a complete and utter mess.

“Aaron stop.” I ordered him. He didn’t seem bothered with my firm tone. But I was. I don’t like to talk to people that way so I took a breath and changed it.

“What is it?” His face was confused.

“Are you going to go surfing?” I asked.

“Yes,” He answered shrugging.

Of course he is.

“You can’t Aaron, please.” I said frantically.

“Why not?” He asked not getting my point.

Oh no! I can’t let him go. I must stop him.

“It’s dangerous.” I put it out on the table for him.

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“But you told me that your brother is a surfer. You’re the best one who should know that it’s not that dangerous,” He said simply. “It’s fun,” He continue and walked towards the sea but I held his arm stopping him.

“Just don’t do it, please.” I begged him.

“I really don’t get why.” He pushed it annoyed.

“Well, I’m... Uhm Aqua phobic a little bit,” I told him. His mouth formed an O. It was a 25% lie but I really can’t go into open water or see anyone do it so it’s not completely a lie.

“You could’ve just said that from the beginning. But I didn’t ask you to go into the water,” He concluded. I thought that he was going to let it go for now. I looked at him and back at the ginormous wave. It was preying on the people surfing inside it like a vicious mercy-less monster. Only the look of it makes me feel terrified to pit of my stomach.

The memories came back and I blocked them firmly.

That’s not a good time to have a mental break down.

“Can’t we just sit here on the sand and wait for the sunset or something?” I licked my lips nervously. My whole body was trembling but I was hopelessly trying to hold myself together. I expected him to ignore me and do what he wanted but he just sighed and buried the surfboard in the sand in an upright position and dropped next to it.

“Fine,” He rolled his eyes. I blow out a breath of relieve and tried to silence my heart that was pounding hysterically inside my chest.

I sat next to him. “Thanks,” He just nodded and kept staring longingly at the huge waves crashing into the shore.

I felt bad for making him do that but he didn’t know what was hidden behind it.

“You know, I’m pretty excited about the new job.” I tried changing the subject.

“Yeah? Me too. We’re supposed to meet him tomorrow morning, right?” He asked distracted from the sea a little bit and looking at me.

“Hmm,”

“I’m happy because I’m finally going to have a good job,” I mirrored my emotions smiling.

We sat staring at each other. I think he forgot what I said but I don’t even remember too.

“Aaron?” I asked slowly.

“Yes?” I looked into his eyes in order to see his emotions or anything in them. But they were a blank. I’m very annoyed now from these stupid contacts. I tended to ask him to take them off when a strong wind blew past us and I closed my eyes so that nothing comes into them. I opened my eyes to say what was bothering me but it looked like I’m not the only one who was bothered from these contacts.

Aaron blinked rapidly several times and his eyes started tearing up. He looked at me and it was bloodshot.

“What’s wrong? ” I asked him concerned.

“I think something got into my eye?” He’s gone crazy with the rubbing.

“You should take off your contacts. They could be contaminated.” I said.

“Pshsh, What contacts are you talking about? I’m not wearing...” He was distracted by his eye from what he was saying.

“Who are you fooling here? You’re hurting your eyes take them off!” I ordered him. He nodded and looked at the ground his tears falling on the sand between his legs making it look darker.

He moved his index finger towards his eye and took the lens gently and held it over the tip of his finger. Half of it only came out.

“I can’t take the other half out. I think it has broke.” He exclaimed throwing it on the ground and quickly poking his eyes crazily.

I opened my purse and searched inside.

“What’re you doing?” Aaron asked sniffing and wiping his tears only more to fall from his eyes.

“I’m taking the other half out.” I answered.

“What? No! You don’t know how.” He said holding his hand out and looking the other way.

“Relax, I’ve done it before. ” I said.

He was rubbing his eyes like a maniac I held his hand away from his eye then I took out a sterilizer and rubbed it on my hands quickly. Aaron scratched his eye again and I held it away.

“Stop with the scratching! you’re making it worse.” I warned him then started taking the lens out.

“It hurts,” He whined like a little child but I read about it once that it does hurt and that’s why he couldn’t take it out by himself.

“Stop moving already.”

He did and I just touched the tip of my index finger to the bottom edge of the lens, gently slid it down and then lightly pinch it off his eye...As I slid it down it kind of bunched upwards making it easier to pick up.

I took it out as slowly and carefully as I can and threw it away.

I scanned it and it was covered with many tiny particles, dust I suppose. It must be what has been bothering Aaron.

Aaron then took the other lens out and did the same.

“Feel better?” I asked.

“A lot, thank you.” He was looking at the ground. He smiled gratefully and I smiled back at him. His eyes stopped tearing up shortly afterwards.

“So, Who was it? I mean, the one you took off his lens?” He asked. I grumbled internally. I thought he wouldn’t remember.

“No one? I lied but you weren’t going to let me help you if I didn’t say that.” I defended myself. “Sorry.” I told him.

“It’s fine.” He was still looking at the sand.

“But, why did you wear them? Because I’m sure as hell that you don’t have a weak sight.” I asked the one question that was bothering me from the first time I met him in that company.

“No, I don’t have a weak sight” He laughed then continued. “I wear them because of the people.” He said as if that explains everything.

“The people?” I asked.

However, he didn’t answer. Instead he looked at me.

I gasped, “Your eyes are...” I forgot to continue. I was too warped up staring at them.

“Violet.” He continued for me. “Turned out that my talent had a price, right?” His face told me that he wasn’t that happy with the price.

His eyes were black but if it wasn’t for the orange glowing buddy over my head, I wouldn’t have been able to see the violet crystal shaped freckles. They were barely visible. But they made his eyes look like a huge violet diamond. They looked breathtaking.

“People always stare at them and it gets really uncomfortable and if I was lucky nobody would ask. besides, I really don’t have any answers. So I had to hide them.”

“Aaron, your eyes show your emotions I don’t think it’s fair to hide them or hide who you are. ” I said.

“Look at them, Amber. They’re too obvious no one would be looking at anything except the color.” He countered.

“At least I would. Besides, they’re too beautiful to be hidden.” I exclaimed. Honesty dropping from my mouth. I didn’t even give a single thought to what I was saying. He looked shocked for a moment.

“I don’t know, but they’re not normal, you get what I mean?” He told me embarrassment covering his face.

“They are not and so you’d know, nobody’s normal, Aaron. They’re all pretending to be.” I said what sounded right for me to say. He simply shrugged.

“You’re making it sound so easy to deal with.”

“That’s because it is.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like I have any choice now, do I?” He smiled.

We then got up to go back to his house before it gets dark.

I felt bad for Aaron he didn’t look comfortable in his own skin. And for me that made the people notice him even more and the shops’ lights weren’t that much of a help.

The color wasn’t even that visible. Mainly they looked black but if you look closer you can make out the dark violet outlines. There were so many purple shades inside his eyeball.

I know what Aaron felt it wasn’t easy to handle people’s stares and embarrassing questions all the time. It seems fun at first to have all of this attention around you but then it grows uncomfortable and stressing. And having a normal life can seem impossible sometimes.

People kept staring at him and as we were walking we saw a boy who had fallen off his bike and when Aaron carried the bike off of him and helped the young boy to get up, it only took the boy one look at Aaron’s face to start crying again. The boy was too young to understand something like that.

On the contrary, a girl wanted to take a picture with Aaron because she thought that it was ‘totally cool’ but he refused embarrassed and took me and walked away.

“Don’t be mad. ” I nudged him with my elbow playfully.

“I’m not mad. It’s just I can hide my sight but this.” He stopped pointing at his eyes “Hiding is not something I can do.”

“Yeah, too bad. I wish their ability would be visible too.” I teased him and he shook his head with a smile.

“You’re crazy, Amber. you take everything so differently than anybody else.” I looked at him I’ve never considered something like that but I don’t know if it’s true.

“That doesn’t make me any crazier than you. I’m a pretty normal citizen.” I told him.

“Said by the golden glowing girl, ” He said in a singing voice.

“keep saying that till you glow with golden writings yourself.” I shot him a glare.

“I won’t. I think I have enough of my share of freakish powers to deal with.” His eyes were glowing and the violet crystals were floating like they were in a black sea.

He took my white cap and put it on and kept looking at the ground till we arrived to his house...

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