10 'Silver Ocean'

After that compliment, Tyler was back to his incomprehensible conduct, maintaining a strategic distance from me. My plan to keep him within my sight went down like a lead balloon.

Meandering around in hopes of finding Emalie or Wiola, I caught a glimpse of them dancing in the front yard through the wide entrance. My vision got obstructed by encountering a few guys.

"Hey! Aren't you Linnet? Happy birthday!" One of them addressed me revealing his crooked smile.

"Uhm, Yeah, thank-you." Giving him an urgent smile, I tried to peer over his shoulder to see my friends.

"Uh-Oh not like this." He shoved a glass of brown beverage towards me which reeked of alcohol. "Finish it up!"

"You need to drink it for us to have some fun," He thought.

"No, thanks." I asserted. "C'mon good girl, enjoy your birthday, drink it up, " said the one on his right while taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Ugh, why is she being so difficult?" I heard one of them thinking.

"I said I don't want to!" I stated curtly.

Displeasure evidently made its way on their faces except for the scrawny looking one in the left. He, on the contrary, seemed to be at a loss.

"Why is Tyler looking at us like that? Like he'll come and end our lives right here. Don't tell me, because of this girl?" He thought and gaped at me while tapping the arm of the middle one.

"Hey, let's go have another drink. You heard her, she doesn't want to, " he said nervously.

"What are you–" He stopped to stare at something behind me–"alright, let's go. I need a drink right now."

"Why does he look so angry? Are they close? I wouldn't have tried on her if I knew that, darn it!" He thought as he left towards the hall.

On pivoting, I discovered Tyler nonchalantly inclining against the kitchen counter and sipping the same earthy coloured beverage, conceivably alcohol. His eyes took the alternate route on meeting mine.

Disregarding him, I kept peeking into the yard where My friends danced within the crowd.

Emalie's dimpled cheeks wore an unusual blush as she danced with Ryle. Sufficient for me to assume that everything went right.

"Awww, that psychotic bitch Emalie ditched her best friend for a guy! I might as well take advantage of this situation," I heard Megan's thoughts. She stood right next to me, Wearing a pink see-through mini dress.

"What is birthday girl doing here all alone?" asked Megan with a devious smile.

I didn't feel like entertaining her at all right now. 'Should I just tell her to screw off?' I considered.

"Who said she is alone?" A silky deep voice interrupted us. I recognized the owner of this voice right away.

We turned around, behind us was Tyler with his usual smirk. Without any warning, he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me near his side. "She's with me."

"What?? How could you? Is she your choice? What's so special about this hussy?—" I immediately took a gander at Tyler's playful expression, as I wanted to deflect her thoughts. It worked.

As Megan left, I asked him, "Why did you appear now? You seemed quite busy when those guys were forcing me to drink." He removed his hand from my waist and went on, "I didn't need to intrude."

Now that I thought about it, he was right. He only needed to glare at them to make them disappear from my sight.

I read it somewhere, that there are some people who have all the earmarks of being overall nice and quite pleasant when you first meet them however as you become acquainted with them more, they are actually a little insane and dangerous. Tyler had to be one of them, however, figuring him out entirely was something inconceivable.

"So, it was necessary when I was with Megan?" I asked.

"Yes, it was." He started walking with both of his hands in his pocket. "I heard from Emalie, she's troubling you because of me. I can't let that happen."

"And you think she'll stop troubling me after the show you put on for her, a few minutes ago?" I asked, following him into a jam-packed hall which was practically a bar.

"Umm..." He pretended to think for a moment. "Maybe?" He flashed his perfect angel-like smile at me.

"You're seriously–" I held on to Tyler's sleeve abruptly when I stumbled.

Funny, how he could grab my waist like it wasn't a big deal at all and here I was, couldn't even gather up the courage to hold his hand when I needed it.

"You don't seem to be enjoying this party," he said.

"Nope, it's not like that."

"Why are you even trying, when you're not good at lying? You want to escape from here, don't you?" He asked, noticing my discomfort.

As the music got louder and drummed my ears, pricking pain numbed my feet crammed in high heels, I realized he was correct. I was worn out and exhausted. These type of parties were never my thing to begin with. I needed to head off to somewhere quite. Even for a while.

His intense gaze held mine for don't-know-how-long like they were searching for something inside my soul. A subtle grin unravelled across his face. He just knew my answer. I didn't need to tell him, he could read my face.

With one shove, he made his way through the crowd and took me upstairs. Not so much as a single soul was there. He instructed me to hold on to him firmly and take a couple of strides ahead.

With no suspicion, or apprehensions, I complied with him. As though I was beguiled or contrained by him, I grasped his sleeve all the more more firmly. he rested his hand over my eyes and stepped forward.

A quick jolt shuddered my body and when I opened my eyes, we weren't in a suffocating party anymore. Earthy and wheaty aromas lingering in the moist air soothed my soul. We stood in the middle of an enthralling wheat field, encompassed by slopes.

White-silver glow of the glorious moon poured from above, bathing the whole wheat field and turning it into a silver ocean.

"I'm not drunk, am I?" I blurted out.

'I'm sure I didn't drink, perhaps someone had spiked my drink, or is it a dream? Can a dream be this beautiful and vivid?'

"You're not drunk," he said.

"How did we get here?"

"Through a portal."

I was not stunned, possibly I was. Yet at any rate, he was offering me answers.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Be true to yourself." He fixed his eyes on mine again, like he could see through my soul. "There's something you're more curious of."

"What does your pendant have to do with me? Why does it glow when I touch it?" I asked without thinking much. He already saw that coming.

He smiled. "Because you, Linnet, you're not an ordinary human girl."

I had been told that I was different, I was used to living in oblivion to my own existence. Until he came in my life and turned my world upside down. How was I supposed to take it? I had been dwelling on these unanswerable queries concerning my own self. ' Who am I? Why can I hear thoughts? When did it all begin?' And today specifically, I was curious about it more than ever.

"Then who am I? Why do I have this ability to hear thoughts?" I asked desperately.

"You clearly possess a part of Enchanted Tanzanite, and you are not completely unaware of it. You just need to awaken its powers," he answered.

My mind was in turmoil, unable to grasp whatever he said and he could discern that well too.

"Let's make it simple for now. Linnet Flores, if you want to explore your true self and awaken the powers that lie within you, if you want to test your limits. Take my hand, I'll show you the path." He offered his hand; his palm facing the sky.

"In case you prefer not to, I can take you back, and your memories of here would disappear. You would be back to your everyday life."