Am I In Love With Her (III)

A mesmerizing moment to see,

But I am in-depth to unsee,

I am drowning in the cold waters in the pit,

The death will wait for me.

***

THE YEAR 1904, 100 centuries away from the present time.

"C'mon, Althea, wake up!" Qing Long cried out as he knelt down and do it over and over again. He was not losing hope on reviving her as she checked her breathing. He could feel the warmth on her lips and nostrils while Qing Long felt light and like a feather grip on his arms.

Althea opened her eyes slowly as she coughed up the water that she had senselessly drunk.

She sat up as Qing Long fell back on the sand and closed his eyes. He was catching his breath too, quite notice how he had dragged himself to the darkest of the waters he could find. He closed his eyes as Althea was drenched, the ribbon had untied from her smooth hair, and it was now cascading all over her shoulders.

She punched her chest over and over again as she puked all of the waters that must have set inside her lungs. When she finished, she closed her eyes and fell back on the floor, only to find out that her body was weakening at every second. She hitched her breath after a little and couldn't contain the fear that was creeping up on her chest.

She sat up straight a little while and saw Qing Long was doing the same. He saw that his clothes were still intact as the way it was, his face was still the same, but his eyes were worrisome and bothered about something. He swallowed as he looked up to Althea and they were both connecting their gazes.

Althea shifted her eyes to the other side and mumbled, "What could happen now? Fang Ying Yue will be lost again, eh? I mean... the Crown Prince will be crazy about her whereabouts for today. I just wanted to know everything that's why I reach out to you."

Qing Long breathed as he asked, "Are you still worried about Lei Jie? Or are you bothered by how the Fang Clan will kill you if they found out you're talking to me?"

Althea scoffed as she closed her eyes and looked at him with a stern face. She mumbled, "I was just surprised by what happened but this is getting out of hand. I wanted to go back from where I belong... I just... don't know how I could... maybe..."

She widened her eyes when she realized something. She swallowed as she wracked her brain about what happened that day. She gasped as she realized everything. She walked inside the Hanzi times that day, with Chen Li by her side, waiting for the announcement to arrive. She was praying to the God of Literature to grant all her wishes, but she knew it was not him that could bring her luck.

Althea whispered, "I know from that day I would be unlucky as I am, but I still..."

Qing Long was watching him from that distance and asked, "What is it?"

Althea looked at him and swallowed as she does get time to finally say what she had to. She looked at that distance, seeing the island of the Qing Empire surrounded with lights like fireflies in the graveyard, and she started to tell, "I am a freelance article writer at the Hanzi Times. During the days, I always break through the morning to wrack my brain up for the newest reports through the actors, actresses, and politicians in Shanghai. Then, there came a writing competition for author attributes. I realized I could win that because of how I do my job."

Althea laid on her knees close to her chest as she felt the shiver through her thin robes. The trees swayed all around the area as she muttered, "I qualified at the first round of the competition, and I was... been informed that I passed the next stage... but..."

She leisurely looked at Qing Long's shadow white eyes and smiled sadly while whispering, "I lost because I use the prohibited folklore."

Qing Long was taken aback by that and he knew it was his legend. He had been passed down to generations after generations, saying that the Cursed Dragon was prohibited, and he was forbidden even to say his name. Qing Long opened his mouth slightly and glanced sidewards. He pursed his lips as he knuckled his fists and knew that Mei was right.

The Healers were never healers if they will not curse him before even meeting him.

He nodded as he understood it once and for all.

"I thought I might win by breaking the normal culture criticism through the prohibited folklore, but I was surprised when it turned out the things that were not my way," Althea gripped the skirt of her robes and a tear fell down on her right cheek. Qing Long was still silent, he doesn't know what to say.

"I am so in a rage that day. Or should I say earlier. I don't know what time it was now," Althea chuckled before continuing.

"I stormed out of the company again, went inside my house, and I wanted to find what I was looking for," Althea said in a low voice. She saw that Qing Long was glancing the other way and she licked her lips in devastation and guilt.

"I apologize for not saying it earlier. I just want to keep it to myself once the time I had to fulfill my duties here just to come back from where I belong. I never knew I would be someone here," Althea said in a soft and delicate voice. She might crack at any second and just wiped the tears that fell down from her cheeks.

"You also cursed me?" Qing Long recovered himself from the silence he took up a little later while Althea gazed at him. Her eyebrows furrowed a little bit as she was confused about what he was asking.