POV RICHARD "Is that what I'm thinking?" My father's eyes widen and his emotion is almost, if not, the same as that of a man facing his wife in labor for giving him a legitimate heir. He walks over to the precious stones and touches them as carefully as he would a crystal. " Diamonds, Dad! Diamonds!" I repeat loud and clear, so that there is no doubt "With just those three, we have London at our feet. If we find more, the world..." I speak without modesty, after all it's not every day that a fortune comes into our lives and much less into my bed. "How did this happen?" my father interjects, and until the end it is time for me to step up to the podium, or not... " Whatever it is, not everything is won yet. " He says. Unfortunately Mr. Jeremy knows his son and does not allow me to gloat before the time. "Yes, Father. But you don't know what I have discovered, the skyfallers, they are wolves! " I reveal with all my enthusiasm, expecting at the very least a hysterical reaction or cu
POV AKIRA"Take them back, Selena. The most important thing is to have you here and if it's not possible, they can't make it up to me" Richard displays the diamonds and I am dumbfounded.So, I wasn't wrong when I defended their true intentions and friendship?"How nice, Richard, to know that I wasn't so wrong about you" I reply to Richard, still a little incredulous about his attitude."See you someday, Selena, in case an upcoming farewell is not possible! We will be leaving soon" He says a sullen goodbye, and quickly, at the pace his condition allows, returns to the interior of the residence."I'm sorry Selena, my son is suffering immensely from this separation. Give him time" Mr. Rockfeller justifies what he considers nothing courtly for a knight like his son and compensates me, guiding me to the door."Yes, I believe so now, and unfortunately I cannot reciprocate" I understand Richard's feeling, because that is what I live with Alfred at present."In the big city, love is built, no
POV ALFRED "They will live happily ever after!" I spoke at the behest of anger and wounded pride, not that I wanted Selena to walk into the Rockfellers' mansion and have the door shut so hard along with the feeling that it would be hard to open it again to get her out. I would not wait for her any longer when I had already done so for ten minutes, hiding behind the wall. Selena had just been a finished story, however, I am reminded that the good ones always fall into the wheel to be told again and again. So, I wouldn't deny myself one last stop, a far way from our turbulent present. The past is more affectionate with the disappointed and moving on to a place where my memories are joyful and uncontaminated by Selena's skepticism with Skyfall or her schism with the Rockfellers. A place where we could not guess what the future awaited us beyond being free like water that does not block before stones, even though they are precious. So a waterfall at the end of a trail that would t
POV ALFRED"Selena, you have me so addicted that I can't even imagine the water walking down your body unattended by my touch..." I am jealous of the smallest things that come between us, starting with her still soaking wet body and the remnants of her clothes that need to be stripped off to be skin to skin.It is ungrateful of me to complain, however, when I experience the touch of her breasts rubbing against the fabric of my shirt and my fingers reciprocate with teasing contact across her face until I reach her lips to kiss her one more time before my mouth devours her for other recantations. "Mine, mine, mine..." I repeat endlessly the same way I steal for myself lingering kisses from her lips."Only yours, with all my heart and soul, Alfred..." Selena declares herself and this coming out of her mouth touches my heart. And for the moment, everything I had once had with others seems to be mere instants, because I am now almost discovering what pleasure served with love feels like.
POV AKIRA SELENA "Look at me, Alfred! It's me Selena" I don't understand why he has his eyes closed. "No, you will leave if I wake up. You are my Akira Selena..." He hugs me tight and I don't understand what is happening. "Alfred, it's not a dream. I am here" I squeeze his cheeks so that he wakes up and faces me, looking into my eyes. Which is a bad choice, because the Alfred who threw me out returns.... "Selena?! What are you doing here?" He rejects my touch, and his humor fades to give way to the angry man he becomes when he speaks their name . " Where are the Rockfellers? Is this a trap?""No, Alfred. They are not the monsters that everyone thinks they are ..." I would like to make him understand, however, his look is unfriendly and he threatens to leave and I don't intend to lose him again. So I try to correct my speech as briefly as possible: " I only said that because they didn't want the stones, Alfred. They were the ones I threw into the water and hit your head. But
POV RICHARD"How can you be sure Selena will give news from wherever she goes?" I question my inconsequential father, who lights up a cigar in a patient's room.I am not a big fan of this practice, but now that I am going to be a Billionaire, it will do my image some good to smoke one and stop being a little boy recently out of college with idealistic dreams of changing the world when in my pocket is the real force that moves the world: money."Give me one, Dad!" I ask and he doesn't object to my request. The annoying thing would be my nurses who have already banned my drinks, and the cigar will be the new item added to the list. "The sure thing is us doing it. I have sent a man to follow her. If she goes back to Skyfall, it will be as we agreed. If she goes on to the little town in the South, we'll make her life so hell there that she won't think twice about coming back here and begging on her knees that you reconsider your request" He assures and I am more at peace that we are alw
POV RICHARDThe horse does the feat of less than two hours to Skyfall. Which no doubt gave us the advantage of being the first to arrive, and the displeasure of having to wait for them, me sitting in a precarious chair, inside a hut that looks more like a little tree house made for children to play in during the summer.Both my guard and I are in Akira Selena's house. We were welcomed by her mother on our unexpected visit and the impression I got was that she was waiting for us, or maybe I'm just paranoid and sweating cold because they are huge wolves and in the slightest carelessness would devour us.A dread that is assuaged by the serenity that the lady prepares a tea, which I would rather die of thirst than taste it, while Selena's silly father, remains silent from when we set foot here."Will she be long yet?" I break the silence as I notice, through the curtain made of animal skin, that it is beginning to darken. "The answer, you have her, Richard. She left here to go to your
POV AKIRA SELENA"What is it, Selena?" Alfred stares at me and his lips open in a smile to mask it."I had the feeling someone was lurking there..." I decide to speak the truth.We begin a new chapter of our lives today and it will be without lies."I'll see!" His brave spirit wants to come into play and it has to be me holding his hand to bring back his body which is where I want to be."Never mind, Alfred, not when we can use that time to enjoy it some more..."My fingers tickle his arm in an attempt to relax him."That was crazy!" He says smiling, but I can feel all his nervousness."Too late for regrets, agree to marry me or I will pierce your eye with an arrow" I grab his neck with both my hands, emphasizing my warning of death."Selena the Lioness or would that be a she-wolf?" He doesn't take me seriously. "Try it, Alfred!" My half-closed eyes are my final warning to him."You know I would never leave you, I would cross unknown lands to find you, you are my destiny and that is
POV AKIRA SELENA It's Alfred wearing white men's clothes, but it's still the Alfred I know, who has the courage to cause a stir for the sake of his happiness at seeing a woman who is identical to me. And even though it is not me, I feel elated by the longing he feels for me . However, my heart squeezes to know that she insists on talking to the woman even though she recognizes that she is just a copy of me. I am glad he leaves the stage, but to my double dose of disappointment, it is to talk to another woman. The one who has accompanied him since his arrival in this splendid hall, and like me, she is uncomfortable with the possibility that Alfred is interested in the girl on the stage. I see the emotion of jealousy as a giant cloud around this Teresa. And it annoys me that she interrupts Alfred when he was going to explain why this girl is so important. Apparently it concerns me too, because Teresa mentions my name. However, she is not important to me, when I know now that Alfred
POV ALFRED"Luana?" I call out and enter without permission finding the door open.Involuntarily, my attention is caught by a scenery full of reddish objects, from curtains, carpets, and only the white of the sheet is saved."Alfred, welcome..." Luana who was hiding behind the door, closed it after I entered, and she is definitely no longer the same woman who almost took my eye out since we met.She bounces on my lap and in guardians name, that very light dress doesn't spare me from feeling her warmth and smelling her skin. However, that is not what I came here for."Luana, please..." I throw her on the bed and look into her eyes that turn to confusion."Yes, you are right, one night is not enough to reward you for the diamonds. How about, four seasons?" She smiles from the bed and gets up to wrap my body in a hug, but I need to resist."No, Luana! I've already said what I want from you, that we're going to London to find your sister!" I undo the snare of her embrace even though it fe
POV ALFRED"Luana?" I call out and enter without permission finding the door open.Involuntarily, my attention is caught by a scenery full of reddish objects, from curtains, carpets, and only the white of the sheet is saved."Alfred, welcome..." Luana who was hiding behind the door, closed it after I entered, and she is definitely no longer the same woman who almost took my eye out since we met.She bounces on my lap and in guardians name, that very light dress doesn't spare me from feeling her warmth and smelling her skin. However, that is not what I came here for."Luana, please..." I throw her on the bed and look into her eyes that turn to confusion."Yes, you are right, one night is not enough to reward you for the diamonds. How about, four seasons?" She smiles from the bed and gets up to wrap my body in a hug, but I need to resist."No, Luana! I've already said what I want from you, that we're going to London to find your sister!" I undo the snare of her embrace even though it fe
POV ALFRED"Luana?" I call out and enter without permission finding the door open.Involuntarily, my attention is caught by a scenery full of reddish objects, from curtains, carpets, and only the white of the sheet is saved."Alfred, welcome..." Luana who was hiding behind the door, closed it after I entered, and she is definitely no longer the same woman who almost took my eye out since we met.She bounces on my lap and in guardians name, that very light dress doesn't spare me from feeling her warmth and smelling her skin. However, that is not what I came here for."Luana, please..." I throw her on the bed and look into her eyes that turn to confusion."Yes, you are right, one night is not enough to reward you for the diamonds. How about, four seasons?" She smiles from the bed and gets up to wrap my body in a hug, but I need to resist."No, Luana! I've already said what I want from you, that we're going to London to find your sister!" I undo the snare of her embrace even though it fe
POV Alfred "Now can we talk?" I am more confident of a positive answer now that the man has left and only the two of us are left on a deserted street. But, what I have to receive from her, is a beautiful slap given to my face. "That's for disgracing my last chance to change my life. I don't know who you are, but stay away from me!" She says and walks off without looking back. "My name is Alfred, I am a skyfaller, indigenous as you speak. I met your sister and I need you to listen to me..." This information spoken out of my desperation to see her go, does slow the brave girl down, but not enough for her to look at me or give up on leaving. "I know you were left as a baby in a church. I have come for you, Miss, whatever your name is..." I am forced to speak the whole truth and hope that she feels prodded to know about her past. And apparently, this time it works. "How do you know I was left in a church?" She stops walking and turns to stare at me. "Your mother lived with my peopl
POV LUANAWith difficulty, Father Augustine leads me into a small room where host and wine are kept."I came to bring you this here..." I place the money in his hands and squeeze his fingers tightly so he won't let them go to the floor."No daughter, it's sin money. I can't accept it" He refuses, and deep down I already expected that attitude from him.He never accepted that I did not want to follow the mission of being a novice and becoming a wife of God. And being a woman of life affronted his values as much as he cultivated that everyone deserves God's forgiveness."It's not from sin. I will remake my life with a good and serious man. I need your blessing" I speak the truth."I give it to you, but I don't need the money. Distribute it to the poor on the street. Each one of them is our brother, God's family" He refuses the money again."Speaking of brother, family, priest, has no one ever come looking for me?"So many years have passed, but I never lose hope."No, you were left by
POV LUANANoon strikes the clock and it's just another day like any other. The dreams also remain as usual, as well as the head aching from last night's punches. The only things that change are the ambitions.One day, a part of me laments that I am not a high society lady, that I cannot wear luxurious dresses and jewelry. Another morning, the other part of my self, is thankful for the freedom.My classmates still sleep in their rooms. Good thing we have a house we can call our own. Luckily, my friend and colleague Cecilia ensnared an old man and he granted her the deed before he passed away. The man had no children, which ensured that we would not be evicted a week later. Laws don't usually apply to people like us, while those who belong to high society, their word is enough.So it's no sin to delight in the old age and withering away of petty men who in their youth, by daylight, would kick women like us like a freckled dog, and at night, rub themselves on our bed shamelessly and wit
POV ALFRED"Alfred, please sit down! Everyone is looking!" Teresa forbid me quite embarrassed."I'm sorry, Teresa, but I can't..." I walk on and thank the guardians that there are no seats in front of us and the only obstacle I need to overcome is a stage.With the flexibility and agility of my body, in three times I find myself on a surface made of wood and covered with flowers that keep falling as she continues the show.Her singing is for them, but her gaze is for me. And although I am not the old mother or the gypsy, I can read what they say and they are hard on me. They judge me a barbarian when I judge their fairy mistress."You are not Akira Selena..." I state surprised as I stand closer.It is the same face, yet not the same look. Hers is that of one who has lived much and would have much to tell, complete with sad episodes. "Of course I'm not, you idiot" she says in the small pause of the song "Get out of here" she recommends."I won't, I need to talk to you, milady!" I reso
POV SelenaMy soul watches my body being swallowed by the waves. It is a tragic end for one who once dreamed so much. I didn't delude myself that this act would lead me to an end to pain. I know that it is stored in our essence and that death is not a refuge to escape from it.On the contrary, between life and death, the veil of wisdom falls and everything expands. Memories are no longer the solitude of our blind self that saw only our version of ourselves. It is a recapitulation of ourselves and the lives of those close to us.Poor Richard, I don't hate him right now. He is much more lost than I am and confuses desire with feelings. A soul lacking affections, since the only way to have them in his whole life was to please his father and have rewards that he dubbed love.My body and purity also symbolized having my love and not having them, he felt rejected and driven by a hatred that is subtly fueled by his father's image. I am waiting for the guardians to come for me or open the ga