Samantha’s Keeper

The usually silent drops of water echoed like thunder inside the cave, turning the place eerier than it already was. And when a cold breeze from above them seeped in, it left a sound reminiscent of a lions growl which sent Samantha shivering, feeling as though her limbs had been chilled, precluding any form of movement. As the seconds ticked by, the feeling became so intense it finally forced her to careen toward a boulder and plastered herself on it. In normal circumstances, she would have felt irked by the moss that covered the stone, but in those seconds, she envied them and wished she could take their place. If only she could disappear, melt, and shape herself into something else to escape her current condition, she would.

Arduously, she rubbed her eyelids which felt too heavy to be kept open, and wished to will the sting left behind by the tears that were shed minutes ago. The words from the being had struck her very core, ripping her heart to shreds as though nothing she had done in her life mattered or held value. Yes, she had been a coward when it came to her dreams, but she had done many things to alleviate what lacked due to that cowardliness. She thought those were enough. Her timidity to fully unravel herself, and her potential in the face of unavoidable circumstances in life was beyond acceptable, she knew that. But… But…

”Had enough of your self-pity? ”

She threw the winged being a look of scorn. How in the world did he even know of those things about her? Was it painted on her face? Did she perhaps carry a sign on her forehead that said, here is a coward who was given countless opportunities in life but never dared to take the leap, persecute as you deem appropriate?

”Stop scowling and redeem yourself. If you felt attacked or misjudged by my words, then, by all means, humor me. ”

She watched in silence as his lip inched upwards and then curled into a smirk after those words. He looked like a freaking God, seated on his high chair, staring down at her as if she was nothing more but a pebble on his shoe. His eyes had the color of the sun, bright and blinding. His wings looked menacing with their humongous size that loomed from behind him as if meant to instill fear or simply intimidate. His long hair fell perfectly beyond his shoulder blades which made him look like one of those rock stars she adored as a child. Then slowly, her eyes drifted down to his bare chiseled chest. She couldn help but wonder, does he not own a shirt?

”Clothing is for those who feel that they need to hide something. ”

His sudden utterance of words immediately took her out of her self-induced trance. What was she doing? Did she just check him out?

”Checking me for what? ”

”Get out of my head, ” she screamed before she even had the mind to stop herself.

”Then be yourself and pull every bit of you together. We must begin before I lose my temper. You have pushed me to my limits. I have been nothing but kind to you because you
e a woman. A vulnerable specie which the world would be better off if rid with. ”

”Excuse me? What the ** did you just say? Because Im a woman? You have been considerate because of that? Oh, and BTW, you were never kind. You have been a jackass since I got here! ”

She almost had the air in her lungs knocked out when the being suddenly flew and landed in front of her. His hands grabbed both her shoulders and gripped them tightly then banged her on the stone behind her. Her head lolled to the side upon impact which created a heavy fog in her brain that obscured her sight. She was on her way to losing consciousness once more, but whatever haziness that claimed her had flown out of her body when the being suddenly straddled her, preventing her legs from moving. She was trapped. His hands were firmly curled around her shoulders while his legs had both of her own, wedged between them.

Instantly, her face took a dark shade of pink and her body uncontrollably shivered. She tilted her head to the side and kept her eyes on the ground, not wanting to look the being in the eye.

”You have done nothing but compare me to an animal! Is that what you see me as? Am I an animal in your eyes, or do you perhaps identify yourself as one? That would make your remarks understandable. ” He growled at her.

Afraid to open her mouth and potentially say a word that would further his anger, she kept silent. She tried hard not to shiver or cry, but alas, she failed. Tears dripped from her obsidian globes one after the other. She trembled and even felt the hairs on her skin—which at that time had already gotten too cold to even feel anything—rise.

”Answer me! ”

She wanted to, but she couldn . She was cold, scared and most of all embarrassed by their current position. She wanted him off her. She wanted him to release her shoulders and most importantly, she wanted him to keep his eyes—which seemed to linger all over—away from her face and her chest.

She couldn tell what it was, but the being suddenly jumped away from her, and with a speed, she never thought possible, returned to his seat.

With a frown, but obvious relief on her face, she looked at him. He seemed amused.

A peal of laughter came out of the being, making their silent abode explode with echoes that nearly drove her insane.

”Do not delude yourself that I have intentions other than to hear your answer to my questions, woman. I have no urge to indulge in human desires. ”

Samanthas frown deepened at his remark. What had he meant by… Her train of thought was interrupted when the meaning behind his words dawned on her, like a bolt of lightning, the realization kicked at her and almost made her choke on air. Had he assumed that she was thinking of something perverted?

She threw him a glance but instantly regretted it when she saw the amusement on his face. The smirk on his mouth was mocking and it annoyed her to the core. She was about to argue, but he cut her off with, ”Don lie, I saw right through your thoughts. But allow me to say this. Im no human being, therefore, the wants of the human flesh do not affect me as much as it does you, or any other human. I have no intention of resigning myself to those stupid actions. I claim no urge to touch you, those things on your chest, and most importantly, that thing between your legs. Now, enough with all these roundabout words between us. Are you ready for your first question? ”

Samantha felt like her tongue was paralyzed. You don say things like that to a woman. A virgin, most of all!

What is wrong with him, she thought—anger bubbling from within her soul. What he said was like flares of fire that flayed her ego as a person, insulted her body and most importantly, her value as a female!

Angered, she resigned to do something she knew was foolish. Despite her fear and hesitation, she laboriously stood from her spot, trudged the uneven cave ground, and headed straight for the being. When finally she was in front of him and his mighty chair, she pointed a finger and yelled, ”You! You have no right to enter someones head without their permission! You can berate a woman for being a woman, and most importantly, I wasn thinking of anything perverted, especially when it comes to something like you! ” She huffed as her face turned a deep shade of red, but she kept her stance—glad that she didn stutter while screaming at him. She mentally smiled and patted herself on the back when he frowned. Empowered, she glared at him and then kept a smug look on her face, uncaring as his frown deepened.

She thought she had shown herself to be more than a coward and things could have gone the way she wanted, but she unfortunately shivered, not because of the chill that ran down her spine when the being scowled but more out of her barely covered body that had been exposed far too long in an unforgiving atmosphere. That brief display of weakness made the being chuckle.

Instantly, his wings spread out as he stood from his chair, and when he walked towards her, his already menacing set of feathers stretched further, appearing like a shroud of white blanket behind him. When he increased his strides, he noticed her eyes widen, he grinned and mockingly asked, ”Scared? ”

Looks more like a duck who wanted to dry its feathers, she thought to herself.

”A duck? ”

She flinched after his words, and then took a step back. She thought hed hurt her again and throw her to God knows where, but none of those happened. The being instead, laughed loudly. His wings shook as his body rattled with the amount of amusement he felt.

Summoning a false sense of courage, she mumbled, ”Glad you find me amusing. ”

”Don think that I haven seen through your ruse, woman. But yes, you
e amusing. Your incessant banter is quite refreshing compared to your predecessors. But it ends here. Now, settle yourself somewhere and ponder on this, ”If you were given a chance to dominate anything in this world, what would it be and why?

”Wait, what? Is… Is that the first question? You haven told me the rules. You… You can just blurt it out like that, ” she stuttered. Her eyes were wide, her heart pounded like a marathoner on a race which boosted the shivering of her body.

***

He rubbed his temple and barely had the strength not to growl at her once more. He looked at her weak and jester-like stance. Great, now he had started to think of animals too! The woman has the brains of a canary!

He released a sigh and flicked his finger. It wasn something he often did because it weakens him, especially when it came to a Dela Torre, but he felt that giving her proper clothing and a better place to stay would convince her to cease her repartee and finally take her quest seriously.

He watched in silence as her jaw dropped when she found herself seated on a bed with the same clothes she had worn before her kidnapping. A bedside table was also there, filled with food and juice.

”Eat, rest and ponder on the question. I will return in a while. ” He said to her. He expected her to keep silent, but she did not. She shouted at him, ”Wait, lets have a proper conversation. What are the rules? How will this go? How many questions do I have to answer? Is there a right and a wrong answer? Should I answer with my thoughts? Should I… ” He cut her off by raising his hand. He couldn , he just couldn stand her anymore.

”There are no right and wrong answers. I just need you to convince me that your answer came from your heart and must be taken seriously. If you fail, you die. ” He then spread his wings and flew towards a junction above the cave then perched on a flat-surfaced boulder. He closed his eyes, dominated by thoughts of nothing more, but freedom.