24. Because

FELIX POV

"Why are you doing all this?" I heard her say with frustration filled in her voice. Those words echoed through my brain repeating itself again and again. They are exact same words I said to her long back when she was behind me. When I was 27 years old and she was 23. The scene from almost three hundred years ago played right through my mind like a movie scene.

My mind went hazy from all the disastrous events that happened after that. Every heart wrenching incident that kept me awake most of the nights not letting me sleep. The incidents that gave me nightmares. I suddenly felt like I was pulled back into that moment again. But this time, our places are switched. I was the one who asked her this question back then 'why are you doing all this?'

I remembered the answer she gave me. Those words are ringing inside my ear. "Because I Love You" I say out loud forgetting about the world around me. I feel like I am drowning in the ocean of peace after I said those words. These four words have been stuck inside my throat for like 294 years. I thought my mind forgot how to say these words after she left me.

I look into her deep grey eyes which are suffocating me, taking my breath away. Her frown disappeared after hearing me. The fireworks shot up into the sky illuminating her face with the glow that of a star. For a second, I saw Aine in her. She looked exactly the same as Aine. With the tiny mole under her left eye, her eyes, her nose and lips. The only difference is her eye colour. Her eyes are grey like ashes depicting that she is dead from inside. I don't know why but I felt a surge of sense that I need to protect her. I have to protect her from all the sick games of destiny.

The cold night air is electrifying my body sending chills down my spine. That sound of fireworks behind us, the light casted on our faces, her eyes showing how broken she is, the breeze touching her skin, her hair falling on her face increasing the unreal beauty. My stomach twisted in overwhelm and a sudden burst of butterflies felt all over my body.The air feels like it is dipped in bubbles and petals. Everything is so magical. Until she spoke up.

"What ?"

LYRA POV

It feels like I've seen this scene before. My question and his answer. It is like I anticipated it already. But I don't even know how. His face softened while saying this. His face is flushed. For a second, the sound from the fireworks, people chatting, the machine sounds from other rides, the blasting horns from the nearby highway all seemed to be fading away. I frown in confusion as I looked into his eyes. They held a hint of pain and pleasure. They grew lighter with each passing second. The eyes that people say are inherited from dark dangerous creatures, are actually holding a bit of suffering and desperation in them. Not just a bit but a lot more.

His words are struck in my mind. Many people confessed their feelings to me and some of them are girls too. I always trashed them or stepped on their feelings throwing them aside. It felt like I was a different person the moment he said that. It felt like I've heard it before. The exact same words in the exact tone. But what's ironic is I feel like I was the one who said that. Why? My phone buzzed pulling me out of the trance. I blinked in confusion as to what I heard " what?" I asked and watched him slowly come out of his own river of thoughts.

I guess we were under the spell of night air. I looked down at my phone as to why it vibrated earlier. I opened it and saw that the alarm went off at 6: 00pm. I looked down at the operator of the ride at the bed of the Ferris wheel. We almost got near to the ground. That means the ride is coming to an end. As the people should get off their chambers in a particular way that the balance of the wheel is not disturbed, we are the first ones to get off of it.

As soon as I reached the ground, I started running around shouting Leo's name. When I was almost bumped into a man looking for Leo, this idiot who's behind me grabbed my right hand to stop me from the collision. He looked at me with concern and said " watch where you're going "

"I don't have time for that. Let me go! " I shout into his ears and tried to loose my hand from his grip. But he tightened his grip around my hand as he started at me with such love filled eyes that are making me go insane. "I am not leaving you alone. You're going insane. Do you know that? Nothing will happen to him he will be alright. I will help you!"

" I said I don't need anyone's help!!! Do you have cork in your ears? Leave my hand!!" I struggled to get free from his grip but he is holding me so tight. But he is not hurting my hand. His grip is strong but it's not too tight. At the same time, it's not loose too. My already crazy mind is on the edge of lashing out on him.

"Felix! Leave me!!!! I don't know if he is in danger. Let me go!!"

"Only when you calm down. He will definitely get scared if he sees you in this situation "

"I don't care as long as he is alright!" I am almost yelling at him at this point. Why is he acting up? I am normal. I am just a little bit panicking but I feel fine. He doesn't even loose his grip a tiny bit. That's what increased anger to its peaks and I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Let me go!!!"

FELIX POV

I was terrified of her current situation. She is breathing profusely and she is drenched in sweat all over her body. She is acting like a maniac but claims that she is normal. At this point, I am afraid that something might happen. Her brother missing for just one hour is making her act like an insane person. Afraid she might hit me , or worse she might even kill me here of all places, I decided to let her go.

All of a sudden, she started shouting at me.

"What the fuck do you want?"

I just stare at her in surprise. More like dumbstruck. The words are refusing to come out of my mouth. My body refusing to react because one wrong word and I knew she would dig my grave.

"I have been waiting you will go away on you own. But you insisted to follow me around with some idiotic subordinates. I don't even know his name but he has been following me since the day I met you by mistake. And I don't even know why there are cars always parked near my house every morning. All these are giving me creeps. How do you think a girl feels when someone is monitoring them all the time? Do you think I can even eat in peace? Everytime someone messes up around me, I can't help but doubt if that someone is a tail you sent to follow me. It feels like I am being watched every single second. Do you know what people call this? Stalking. And that's an act that could throw you behind bars. I won't hesitate to do that if I ever sense someone behind me. I already warned you to quit and stop this act. And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, you show up at the very mismatched places and timings. I am searching for my missing brother and you just decided to take it for granted. I don't know what happened to him. Or where he is. But you keep messing things up. You don't even know how to live your life. Do you even have something casual in your wardrobe? Who the fuck wears a tuxedo to an amusement park? You look like a waiter in a five star restaurant. Just leave me alone. Don't make me regret killing someone so naive to understand what I mean. I don't have any interest in love or dating. So go out, and find another girl for your games. Stop following me. You got it? Leave me alone"

Her face is all red from the talking. And at that very moment, I decided to leave for the day. If I stay here for even a minutes, she would definitely kill me. Just when I was turning to leave, her mobile buzzed again. But not like earlier. It is a more obvious intimation that she have a message. Not to the mobile but to her wristband. Her mobile screen turned red with bright white letters stating "EMERGENCY"

She opened the pop up message box and the message showed that someone is in danger.

AUTHOR POV

Lyra widened her eyes after seeing the message. The message is from a wristband. Her mobile screen showing the text that it is an emergency situation with two options below. Open and ignore.

'Emergency message from B10 Lanyard wristband'

Lyra clicked on the open option and the message is directed to a text message box specifying all the details along with a gps location window.

'Emergency notification from the B10 Wristband.

User id : 5249B

CT name:Leonard Marino

Contact: Emergency

Location: 41.40338, 2.17403

Accurately 3.04 kilometres from you'

Felix watched her run from the spot after taking a quick glance at him. He sighed and followed her without her knowledge. She ran for almost twenty minutes towards the location specified in the map and started shouting his name. It is a water rides section which is in closing time. Some people are dispersed here and there as they all looked at her when she is shouting. She couldn't see him around. She searched the whole place for about fifteen minutes but to no avail.

Felix went behind a tree at a spot where he can see her. Lyra is in her own world searching for Leo that she didn't noticed Felix. She thought that she must have scared him away. She kept calling Leo's name in case he can answer her.

After almost ten minutes, she spotted a small office which looked like some watchman's room. She decided to ask him about leo as there will be a chance he may have seen him. She entered the room and her eyes fell on a familiar face. A young boy sitting in the chair with his hands wrapped around a coffee cup.

Her face softened a little after seeing her brother. The scene from 10 years ago replayed in her mind. She saw him for the first time in the police station. His small figure, trembling in fear is wrapped in warm blanket with a small cup with milk in his hands. He was looking at everyone with his big blue eyes. His face is flushed and covered with dirt on the cheeks. He had a small cut on his right hand and so many more on his back. A small shattered heart rested inside his tiny body.

As she watched him, memories from past reminded her he isn't a little boy anymore. He looked up at her after he sensed that someone is watching him.

A painful smile broke on his lips as he watched her walk closer to him.

His eyes slowly glistening with tears in them.

The watchman of Blue world, finished his rounds and entered his room just then. "Is she your sister?" He spoke softly to Leo and turned to Lyra.

"He is fine dear. I found him struggling to breathe. I think he was just afraid of something. I couldn't ask him any questions as it may trigger his fear again. You can take your time here. I will leave you two " the man in his forties said to Lyra before turning to leave.

"Thankyou sir " Lyra said to him in a soft tone gaining herself a nod of approval and a sweet smile from him.

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