Fumes of desire

•••THIRD POV STARTS HERE•••

"I don't understand," Silvermist could only suck her bottom lip in frustration, brushing the dust on the floor with the sole of her silver stiletto.

She was only sitting on a wooden bench near the gate of their humble home, feeling in trance.

She still couldn't believe the things that had happen all at once. One day she's only a normal girl and the next day, she'd be facing guardians and who knows what more—what more?

"It seems like this happened before," a thought suddenly slipped her mind. "The overwhelming feeling. The sound of people laughing. The smell of the decorative flowers... everything here seems like a blurry fuzzy dream."

"No, it can't be," she shook her head, convincing herself otherwise, because she knows at the back of her mind, things were seemed to be just a rewind.

Frost's presence still sends shiver to her spines even after an hour of his disappearance. He said couple of things her submerged mind could no longer process. She knows she missed a substantial amount of information, but that's the less thing that she should think.

She made a horrible mistake and the man specifically told her to thank everyone she has to thank and say farewell to them forever as if it's the most normal thing to do.

Truly, Silvermist has been summoned by the guardians' father, the Moon King, to the realms of the divine creatures—as what Frost calls it—to face the consequences of her actions.

She was given 24 hours to get herself ready from the major change of fate in the entire humanity record and was instructed to say a magic word to summon him.

Indeed, ignorance of the law excuses no man and she can already tell the quote applies everywhere. She has no choice. She placed everyone's lives in danger: the family that she yearned for, the relationship that she hoped for—the friendship she had become too cold to care for.

Even the lives of the people she hasn't even met yet.

Unbalanced seasons bears total catastrophe to humanity. She didn't know much yet and Frost was too calm when explaining things to her; however, she already knew the gravity of her actions.

She thought she had grown cold enough to feel less emotion; nevertheless, the bitter image that she has been plastering for a long time only remains as mask to cover what was shattered.

"Babe, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Silvermist's eyes rose and met Levi's worried look once again. He was quick to stop in front of her and leaned down which take them almost nose to nose that Silvermist cringed.

It's been a year since the last time Levi was this close to her and he should no longer be.

"Woah, what's with the look?" Levi grimaced. "You've been really acting really weird tonight, is there anything wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

Silvermist's lips parted. She wanted to talk, but no words escaped. Everything just kept evaporating at the tip of her tongue before she could even open her mouth—and so, she shook her head.

"What do you mean nothing?" Levi had to say it and stood up straight. "I thought we already talked about this, babe? What happened to no secrets should be kept from each other?"

Silvermist's throat dried and it stung. Yes, she still remembers that promise and the memories about Levi breaking it first, is also as clear as the peaceful night sky.

"Nothing," finally, she was able to speak and forced a smile. "I-I think I was just being emotional."

Levi heard how her voice broke; he had no choice but to let go of the tension. As much as he wanted to know what's going on, he also doesn't want to pressure her. He knows his girlfriend so well that he is certain what's going on inside her mind is something so crucial that she had to keep it from him.

"Hey, what's with the sullen atmosphere here?" Valorie suddenly appeared beside Levi, eyes fixed on Silvermist. "Didn't you like the program, Sil?"

"I loved it, Val," she cleared, stood up, and held Valorie's hand. "I love everything you and the girls did for me today. You don't know how m-much you m-made me happy and I hope..." She paused to breathe a little.

"I hope I can spend more happy times with all of you, just like before—just like now."

Silvermist's eyes started welling that Valorie had to look at Levi for answers, but he only shrugged.

"Geez! Stop sounding like the world's going to end soon haha," Valorie faked a laugh, pinching Silvermist's hands. "And sorry, but I have to break this little emotional conversation we have. The visitors are about to leave and they wanted to say goodbye formally to you."

Silvermist mentally chuckled. What a coincidence; fate really did its job to make it easier for her.

She nodded and was about to leave with Valorie when Levi grabbed one of her hands, so she stopped and so did Valorie.

"Hmm?" Silvermist raised her eyebrows.

"We'll talk later, okay?"

"We always do haha," she joked.

Levi frowned, then snorted softly with annoyance. "Yes we do, but I wanted more to it."

"Oh, stop being so nosy," Silvermist playfully flicked his hand away. "I was just being emotional, that's all to it."

"Whatever you say, go now. I love you."

Silvermist choked for a moment, cleared her throat, and whispered. "I love you, too."

Valorie giggled; nevertheless, evidently flattered and giddy by how the two act.

"Enough of that!" She decided to drag her friend away. There's no way to end it fast, she thought.

Everything happened swiftly and now the visitors and Silvermist's friends already left. Her parents went in to rest, and now, only her and her boyfriend remained sitting on the same bench earlier.

"The weather's a lot colder tonight, don't you think?" Levi spoke, looking at the starry night sky.

Silvermist glanced at him and looked the same way as he does. "I think so, too, and if you stay here for long, I think we both might freeze to death."

"Nah, you just want me to scram off, that's all," he chuckled. "But, we didn't talk much today and the past few days."

He turned to look at Silvermist. "I just want to make it up with you."

"You don't have to," she whispered. "It's not like we'll run out of time to spend with each other, right?"

'Twas a genuine question, Silvermist had a hard time answering herself.

"Hmm yeah and one thing," Levi moved a little closer. "I've seen how you and Gail looked at each other earlier, have you, guys, been fighting?"

Silvermist's lips thinned. She wasn't expecting to that name in the middle of their conversation. The bitter feelings she had for a long time rose once again that she had to look the other way so Levi won't see.

"How can you tell?"

"Well, the most sensible answer to that is because I saw how she stared at you earlier and how you stared at her when you she weren't looking."

Levi's answer only added more load to her chest. She spaced out for a moment and what caught her attention next had cleared things that were bleary the entire time—a shooting star.

No. THE shooting star.

Silvermist's teeth gnashed.

"That horrible lying bitch!" Silvermist's uneased feelings earlier now made more sense.

Levi was about to speak, but she cut him off.

"Why were you looking at her?" Silvermist swiveled and casted a resentful look at her lover. "Of all people, why her?"

Levi wasn't able to answer although he remained calm. It is unclear where he was speechless at. Was it the unexpected question or the question itself? No one knows, even him.

"What is this all about, babe?" His voice went coarse, indicating disorientation.

"You tell me," Silvermist pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment and then spoke. "Gail and I was never okay ever since—the three of us were never okay ever since."

Levi's eyes drew down, lips trembling. "B-But that was just one m-mistake, babe. Just one m-mistake and I already promised you and will keep on promising you, it will never happen again."

He reached for his hands and looked at her directly in the eyes. "You also promised you will forgive and forget, too, right? That we will leave the past and move on happily together..."

He softly caress her hands. "I promise I will never do anything that would hurt you again. Please trust me again this time. Okay, babe?"

Silvermist couldn't help but sneer in secrecy when she remembered the same, exact words Levi used after they reconciled against his unfaithfulness with Gail.

Decisively, beyond no doubt, Periwinkle did not change Silvermist's fate; she only turned back the time and altered her memories.

Now, everything finally clicked. 'Twas indeed a maximum level of ambidextrousness she had reaped from the ne'er-do-well, evil-of-a-woman.

If only she had not seen what had happen in the future, she might have already been swayed by Levi's words.

She fell for it before—"and I'm never falling for this shit ever again."

Slowly, Silvermist pulled her hands back and gracefully placed them on her lap. Feeling that the pain she felt before isn't the same pain she's feeling currently, a smile curved on her lips.

Perhaps, after a year of being separated from Levi and how they ended, all she was seeking for was a validation—something she realized she shouldn't have been needing the entire time for her to move on.

She was too blinded to understand the chain reaction of betrayal. It felt awful. It felt degrading. It wrecks even the sagacity of the frail intellectuals.

That, she finally understood.

"Babe?"

As Levi's soft voice bounced against the cold air, Silvermist sighed, eyes fixed to his.

"I hope you will live a long and happy life," she whispered.

Levi's brows met in an instant. "What are you talking about?"

Silvermist only answered him with a smile and slowly she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Levi's cheek.

No matter the pain; no matter the amount of continuous realization—no matter the disappointments—genuine love will never disappear completely.

"NIX..."

In a soft voice, she whispered the moment she leaned back and in an instant, a familiar scent came rushing into her nostrils.

Calmly—gently, time seem to move slower and slower, and then finally, it stopped.

Silvermist was only left staring at Levi, frozen in one point. She also noticed everything went one shade duller in hue apart from her.

Eyes drawing down the ground, a grim laugh escaped her lips. "I'll make you pay for this, you nefarious wench!" She groaned.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you'd call me this fast."

She looked back and there stood Frost. He was only looking at her in a neutral expression; nonetheless, she got a feeling inside of her which suddenly run after her veins.

It's loneliness, but it wasn't hers.

"Can you take me away from here?" Silvermist spoke and before she knew it, tears had started streaming down her cheeks. "P-Please take me away from h-here. I want to set myself f-free from all of these pain—" she gasped when Frost suddenly appeared in front of her.

He was leaning, too close for her to see his face clearly.

His eyes are like serene ocean, as what she describes them in her mind. The way the moonlight shine behind him made his hair look like they were shimmering as though each strand were woven out of silver glitters.

His lips were like blooming red rose—so red they almost looks like they were bleeding.

She didn't mean to stare at him, she never did, but he looks so magical, she couldn't help it.

"Taking you away from here won't erase any pain, Sil. As a matter of fact, you'll be facing more to it, but you don't have to worry anymore," Frost reached to her hand to where the mark is glowing.

"From now on, you will never be alone," he smiled and kissed it.