90 Into the Mountains (3)

They had all ridden for most of the day and they could no longer see the burnt ground, it was all just burnt mountain after mountain. The clouds covered up the moon and the light was scarce, they couldn't remain flying.

After landing, they formed groups of two to stay on watch by pulling out a game that Lucas had from Keero City. Eight straws all with two of the same color equaled a pair, Clain and Dalton took the first watch followed by Leena and Linx, Kavira and Nyla, Brenda and Lucas. Each group had two hours on guard before waking up the next pair.

Leena was a bit excited to be sharing a watch with Linx, he was almost an identical twin to Izak. It pulled her heart strings, she remembered being in love with Eric but after realizing what Izak meant to her those last few weeks she spent traveling with him. It wasn't difficult for her to fall so deeply into love with him, even though she was thirteen at the time.

The first two hours of the night went by quicker than Leena would have hoped. She was at the watch site before Linx and her heart was accelerating. Seeing him among the group was one thing but being alone, felt so much more intimate and personal. He had a girlfriend but still she couldn't staring at him and feeling like he was the same Izak she once knew was wrong but she couldn't help herself.

Leena was alerted to Linx's presence by her own power, she couldn't help but gaze up at his familiar face. Linx was keeping his distance, he remained standing next the the rock Leena was on but closer to the tree he was leaning on.

Silent night, no wind, no animals, nothing. Leena wanted to kill this silence but she wasn't in the best condition to do so. Still she gathered up courage and was about to say something when he spoke. "Do you miss him? The man that you said I look like.."

Leena stared blankly at Linx before she dropped her gaze back onto her pendant. "I do." She caressed the moon stone with her thumb, it wasn't so shiny today with the moon being covered by clouds but it was still as beautiful as the first day Izak gave it to her. "He proposed to me when I was thirteen years old. It doesn't seem like a long time ago to me but sixteen years have passed since then."

Linx glanced over at the girl, watching her as she stared lovingly over the pendant. "He proposed with this pendant, said he would always protect me. At first I didn't believe him but something inside me didn't reject the proposal. I'm glad I didn't."

Linx strolled over to the rock Leena was sitting on and sat next to her. "You see him when you see me." Leena's teary eyes threw him off guard and without any thought he pulled her into his embrace. Leena wanted to push away, this was wrong, he has a girlfriend. In the end she couldn't bring herself to move, everything about him felt right.

His warmth, his gaze and his aura felt like everything she missed.

The tears stopped, quickly pushing away before he removed himself. She was embarrassed, she didn't know Linx very well but here she was clinging onto him like she needed him. "I'm sorry."

Linx couldn't describe it but his heart ached watching this girl cry and move away from him. Her spirit carried a familiar feeling. He didn't try to reach for her to bring her back into his embrace. Kavira probably wouldn't be able to understand the situation so he just let bygones be bygones.

The two hours had gone and it was time for them to go wake up the next two. Linx was just about out of reach when Leena grabbed his hand, he turned over to watch the girl standing in the dark facing down with nothing but shadows covering her beautiful face.

"Hold me. Just one more time... Hold me." Linx didn't have to think, he stepped around and pulled her into his arms. She didn't cry this time but he could feel her trying to make peace with the fact that Linx will never be Izak. Izak was most likely gone no matter how much she wished he was here, the only way to know the truth was to find Amira.