10 Million Fireflies

Bay Institute

Tic toc tic toc

Five minutes more until dismissal, yet the clock seemed to stretch its hands, and the minutes trickled by slowly. Jenny nervously tapped the tip of her foot on the floor. She shifted in her seat when the outstretched hand started to move.

Four more minutes. The noise from the classroom muted. Only the sound of the clock can be heard.

Three more minutes. Jenny smiled. Her eyes still locked on the hypnotizing round object on the wall. She grabbed her bag and zipped it closed, hugging it tightly to her chest.

"That's it for today. We are a month away from graduation. Don't forget to fill up your release forms and..."

*RIIIIIING*

Jenny dashed out of the classroom right on the dot. The teacher stretched out her hand to call her runaway student, but the girl never looked back, leaving her friends in wonder too.

Out on the school grounds, Lucas sat inside his pickup truck parked under an Oak Tree; its leaves served as his shelter against the blazing afternoon sun.

A soft knock.

A sunny smile.

Jenny entered the pickup truck the instant Lucas unlocked the doors. She hugged him, and giddily asked, "Where are you taking meeee?" Lucas's hand fumbled about at the backseat, and a small smile escaped his naturally stoic face when he pulled out a single stalk of long stem rose. Its petals colored pearl pink - a hint of white as pure as her conscience, and a hint of pink like her cheeks when it blushes.

"Awwww an Ecuadorian Rose!"

Lucas looked at his crazy koala and thought, if he could shield her away from the monsters of the world he would, but how could he do that when the monsters were her family? He shook his head and started the car.

Jenny sniffed the rose out of habit, and the light floral scent reminded her of waking up on her birthday to a room filled with roses from family and friends. She smiled silly, wondering how a stalk of rose could compare to a hundred or more roses. She looked at Lucas and realized that it was he who made the difference. "I love it Lucas," she tried to kiss him, but the seatbelt prevented her from doing so. Hence, she took it off and quickly gave him a peck.

The pickup truck braked all of a sudden. Lucas, agitated at his crazy koala, chided, "Jenny!" his voice, one decibel louder, made the girl cower in her seat. He let out a long sigh and buckled Jenny back. "Please, keep your seatbelt on at all times." Jenny bit her lip and nodded her head.

During the entire ride to their destination, the couple sat in silence. Jenny would look at the side view mirror and get a glimpse of the Capital, shrinking as they drove farther away. She glanced at the driver beside her and pouted; she knew what she did was wrong, but how could he raise his voice like that? If only she knew how long that day was for Lucas. If only.

Finally, they've reached their destination: the seaside at the northern tip of the Capital, two hours away, a 100 kilometers drive from the business district.

Lucas didn't open the door for Jenny this time, still angry at her temporary lapse in judgment. He walked straight to the cargo bed and set up a little picnic area for them. Inside the truck, Jenny wiped a small tear from her face and flicked a finger on the rose. 'If you don't open the door for me, I will not get out of this car ' she prayed in her heart, for her hormones itched to have a big fight with him tonight. To her disappointment, Lucas opened the door and carried her in his arms, gingerly placing her on the cargo bed.

"I'm sorry."

"Mmm."

The two ate in comfortable silence, filling their stomachs with their picnic spread: a clear broth soup garnished with freshly picked dill from the Co's garden, a hefty serving of vegetable salad made with asparagus, purple carrots, and snap peas, drizzled with ground Macadamia nut dressing, and steamed fish with ginger and scallion.

After they finished their dinner, Jenny swung her legs back and forth as it dangled on the cargo bed. The twilight sparkle was casting an aesthetic pleasure of different hues of indigo and the stars, one by one, twinkling in the distance.

"It looked different," she said.

"What?"

"The sky looked different away from the Capital."

Her words made Lucas envision something else. His gaze landed far beyond the horizon. Of course, everything is different away from the Capital.

"Let's go," Lucas held out a hand, Jenny eyed it for a second before getting off the cargo bed without his help. He tilted his head and scratched his temples. He thought everything was okay when they started talking with each other; she even said sorry. Well, I guess it's not ok until she says it is, Lucas thought.

They walked towards the ocean, where the soft waves tickled her ears. They both took off their shoes and dipped their toes in the water.

"The water is warm, Lucas." She grabbed his arms, her voice shook in excitement. Lucas eyed the girl, bemused at what her next move is going to be. Jenny ran away from the shore, and took off her uniform, left alone for her undergarments. She ran back and did the honor of removing Lucas's clothes, too, throwing it towards her pile of clothes. She yanked the speechless guy towards the sea, dipping half of their bodies into the unusually warm water. When the water started to reach her neck, she climbed on Lucas, wrapping her legs around his waist, and her arms encircled on his neck. He held her by the buttocks, keeping her snug to his chest.

She wiggled a bit to get a good look at his face, and sheepishly said, "I'm a bit heavy because we just ate dinner." Lucas threw his head back and laughed at his crazy koala's logic. He didn't mind whether she's heavy or not because what really bothered him was the awkward position that they were in.

Suddenly, Jenny squealed in astonishment. She swept her long and delicate finger on the water's surface, and it instantly glowed green.

"Is this your surprise?" she untangled herself from his embrace, making him frown.

"Mmm."

Jenny swirled around and around, creating 10 million fireflies that glowed on the sea. Lucas reached out his hand to grab her, afraid that she would be swept away by the current but his fingers could only slightly touch hers.

Jenny was all smiles, not bothered one bit by the dangers of the water.

Lucas looked at her gleam brighter than the bioluminescent algae. She's no crazy koala. She's a bewitching fairy in disguise. He swam closer to his fairy and lifted her back, wrapping her legs around his waist, encircling her arms on his neck, hugging her close to his chest.

He planted soft kisses on his bewitching fairy's innocent light brown almond-shaped eyes that should never see the savage world of The Foundation. He kissed her ears that should never hear the cries of people pleading for their safety. He kissed her lips that should never give an order to take someone's life.

For her, he would do everything to keep her pure from the monstrosities of the Capital. For her, he would give his life.

The bewitching fairy giggled with every kiss, unaware of its true meaning behind them. Lucas moved his lips to her ears and whispered sweet nothings until a tear fell from Jenny's eyes.

"I love you, Jenny Huang."

Edited by Swaning