Chapter 15

~Zayne Beckett~

I understand that I just got back from a field trip. A long one. Remembering little Zayne, he wanted to explore the world; view all of the famous monuments, try different kinds of foods, and just explore the beauty of a country. Right now, during this time, he had an opportunity to.

Little Zayne had a chance to make his own dream come true, and there was no way he was going to give it up.

After a couple of weeks, I had been worrying that we wouldn't be able to go at all. I still had to convince everyone to go and it was already going to be so difficult; I had to persuade them to go without revealing Aurora's secret.

Convincing Carter was the most challenging. He said something about him not being able to leave because he had a girlfriend. I told him Nadia could've come too, but he countered by saying that he didn't want to hear me complain about being the third wheel. Then I informed him that he didn't need to worry about that since my family and Aurora were going as well.

I should have thought about what I was saying though.

Carter froze. "Aurora is going?" he asked suspiciously.

The longer I stayed silent, the more I realized how stupid it was for me to say that. "Yes," I said regardless.

"The... the new girl?"

I paused. "Yes, the new girl."

He stepped back and eyed me down. "But why? You barely know her for three months now."

"I'm just trying to be nice. Trying to get out of my comfort zone."

"Oh my god, you like her."

I laughed. "That's funny."

His brows furrowed as if he failed to try and read what was going on inside my mind.

I sighed. "I guess she's growing on me. It's nice to not be the third wheel every once in a while."

He regarded me for a moment before finally agreeing to go. He said he would tell Nadia about it and later confirmed that she was also going.

Everything was already planned, I just needed to convince my mom and Meghan. My mom was a little hesitant about it at first. Then I told her about the hotel spa and how much she rightfully deserved it, and she almost immediately agreed.

The real problem was Meghan, who refused to go because she just didn't want to pack a suitcase and that grandma would make cookies for her every day.

"Don't you want to try the different kinds of Mexican food?" I asked. "I know you love your nachos and guacamole."

"Nope." Meghan sat on her bed with her arms crossed, sticking her nose in the air.

"I'll buy you a new toy if you go. Any toy you want." At this point, I was kneeling in front of her.

"I'm getting too old for toys," she pointed her nose the other way, avoiding my face.

My jaw slacked at her statement, knowing she was in love with her toys. I sighed, almost giving up, but I fought on. "What will it take for you to go? Take you to an amusement park?"

At this, her eyes shot toward me. "I'll go if you promise to win me a stuffed shark."

I hesitated, wondering if there was anywhere in Mexico I would find a stuffed shark. But I was desperate. Blindly, I said, "I promise."

Meghan smiled brilliantly as she jumped up on her bed. "We're going to Mexico!" She fist-bumped the air excitingly.

I fell back on the floor in relief. I had finally convinced everyone to go on a trip to Mexico. One thing was for sure, that trip was about to be very exhausting.

◇◇◇

Finally, a time to relax. Everyone was already excited to view Mexico. The hotel itself was incredible. It was certainly modern but had a Mexican vibe to it. All the palm trees and masonry floors with balconies from each room were strategically designed. From the balconies, there was either a gorgeous city with its residents doing their daily errands or a massive forested area revealing its beautiful nature. It was truly a sight worth seeing.

All six of us decided to settle in and go sightseeing the next day since it was almost sundown when we arrived. Just like the field trip, it was a three-day two-night trip.

"Remember, you promised me the shark," Meghan said, bringing my face towards her with a serious look.

"We'll go tomorrow after lunch," I say, pushing her small hands away.

"Alright, Meg, time for bed," our mother called her. I watched my mom take Meghan to her room while I stood up. Meg kept her strong, glaring eyes on me as she disappeared behind the doors.

As if right on time, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I looked around to see Aurora smiling sweetly.

"What?" I asked flatly.

"It was cute," she says in a small voice.

"What was?"

"How she reminded you of your promise," she giggled.

"I know my promise and I won't break it," I grinned while folding my arms.

"Hey, um, sorry for interrupting, " Carter now arrived with a towel on his shoulder, "but do you guys want to come with Nadia and me to the river we saw on our way here?"

"The one that's near the hotel, right?"

"Yeah. It's like a two-minute walk. You down?"

I glanced at Aurora. She shrugged at me. "Sure, I guess," I told Carter. "Unless you wanted to have fun with Nadia and hoped we wouldn't come."

Carter stared at me with his mouth slightly open. He narrowed his eyes so subtly, I think Aurora saw right through it more than I did.

"Fine, I'll shut up," I groaned. "Lead the way, my good sir."

A short walk later, Aurora, Carter, Nadia and myself arrived at the river. The only light source we got was the moon. No one seemed to be bothered by it, but Nadia suggested we keep a phone light on in case they lost us.

"Is it legal for us to be here?" Aurora asked, suddenly super aware of the surroundings.

The forested parameter emitted an eerie feeling. But the cool breeze that blew through and around it enhanced the creepiness with the sound of howling wind. There was only one way in and out of this area, which was easily identifiable by a lamp post just beyond a few trees where the forest was thin.

"Of course it is. I checked with the hotel staff already," Carter assured her. "I heard some residents saying stuff about how someone saw a ghost in the trees around here though."

"What did the staff say about that?" Nadia asked. "Do they encourage the creepiness?"

"Yeah, that'll spook a group of four teenagers," I said, folding my arms.

Carter shrugged. "They don't know what's going on. They just got like one or two complaints about people seeing flashback memory kind of things. But they weren't memories of the people who experienced it. At least, they didn't think that was the case. The scenarios didn't feel familiar to them."

"Spooky," Aurora noted, stepping closer to me by one.

"Scared?" I asked her.

"It's okay," Nadia smiled comfortingly. "Those are just myths. There's no way ghosts are real."

"Of course they're real," Carter tilted his head.

"What? They're not."

"Here we go again," I sighed. "Guys, you're just gonna start arguing again. He believes in ghosts, she doesn't, move on."

Carter glanced at Aurora, giving me a weird look before Nadia agreed and dragged him off. They got in the water after dipping their feet to get used to the cold temperature. It was a solid five minutes before they actually got used to it.

While the couple played around in the water, Aurora and I sat on the bank and enjoyed the cool night. There were only five stars visible in the sky at the time. I was eager to see the night in all its beauty.

I hugged my knees and stared at the sky, patiently waiting for the stars to reveal themselves. To think, I wasn't this interested in stars since I met Aurora at the park. Although, something told me Carter helped her plan that.

I glanced at Aurora to see her gazing longingly at the moon. The beautiful, incomplete full moon reflected off the water with small waves. It was bright enough to light up the entire area just enough for us to see each other in the dark.

"I'd think the hotel staff would recommend visiting this place in the dark," Aurora said breathly. I looked at her and she smiled at the river. "It's just as peaceful as the park at night."

"It really is," I sighed. "Places like these feel like the best places in the world."

"People have different definitions of 'best places in the world', like Meghan; her favourite place would be an amusement park," Aurora states, keeping her smile.

"Oh, like how my mom's favourite place is a spa?" She nodded at my question. "Then Carter's favourite place is probably wherever Nadia goes," I chuckled lightly. "Probably in that river too."

"That seems right, " she giggled.

Nadia and Carter squealed out excitingly as they splashed each other with the cold lake water while Aurora and I looked on. I turned my gaze at Aurora. "What about you, Angel? What's your favourite place? On Earth, I mean."

She sat silent for a wink of time, thinking about her favourite place. "I'm not sure." I considered her for a moment while keeping my eyes on only her. "Where's your favourite place?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with the stars that just arrived.

I exhaled as I looked up, amazed by a dotted night sky. "Anywhere I am with the people I love."

"Really? Zayne Beckett does have a soft side after all," Aurora let out her contagious giggles.

I cracked a smile and resisted turning to stare at her again. I had to constantly remind myself that she could've heard my thoughts. Or maybe it was just out of her range. Maybe they were too loud and obnoxious for her. But she could've clearly seen me watching her.

Would I risk it?

My gaze redirected leisurely to her. Her eyes were stuck on the couple as the chill passed through her hair. The moonlight reflected a shine at just the top of her irises, the tip of her nose, and the gloss on her lips.

She shifted and looked back up. I didn't bother to move. The wind blew more to make her hair fly. The light lit up her entire expression, her cheeks turning rosy pink. She took a deep breath and eased into her knees with her eyes filled with a fascination for the stars.

The more I stared, the more I worried that she knew I was admiring her. But it didn't matter. For what it was worth, I couldn't care less. Her beauty was more than the speckled shining stars in the serene night sky.

I risked it.

It took everything in me to not make any irrational moves. I really had to force myself. In some parallel universe, I would've done something foolish to snatch her innocence away from her. And I would never forgive myself for it.

I refused to do something so soon.

I refused to do anything at all.

But I refused to let her go.