A MAZE OF GREED

It was finally time to say goodbye. Florence stood at the port near the ship. And her Perrito had accompanied her carrying her bag with him.

The gust of the wind and the chirping of the birds above their heads indicated the time of the morning. They stood in silence for a while, looking at the people and, the goods getting uploaded in the ship.

People hugged their family and friends. Some dab their moistened eyes as saying goodbye became a hard task. Some were promising their next visit, and some were just waiting for the ship to sail towards its destination.

"Finally it is time!" Florence said, breaking the silence.

The man kept looking ahead at the ship and nodded. "Yes, it is."

She studied his face for a minute. She searched for any emotions. She did not know why, but she expected him to say something- what? She did not know. But he stood in silence with a void face.

"Do not you have anything to say me for the last time?" She then asked.

He slowly turned his head to look at her.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything! Like when are you coming back or, will we meet again? Or, maybe you can ask me to stay." She looked at him expectantly.

He paused for a moment, then chuckled dryly.

"I know you are not coming back... ever! Neither you can stay more. I knew that from the beginning, then why would I say those things now?"

Florence did not know what to say to this man. He was probably the only man who stayed with her for this long, and that too not only for satisfying his physical needs.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as the images of them together and naked on the bed of her room rejuvenated in her mind. With him, it all felt right! He was different from all those men she had been with.

His touch and feel were more genuine than even Edwin. Because she always knew that Edwin had no strings attached to her. He was with her only because he wanted and probably had no other interesting thing to do.

But her Perrito, he was different.

Florence's chest tightened with emotions. The thought of staying back and leaving Vincardine behind lured her mind. Was not it the easiest thing to do?

But then she looked at him through different lenses. He was wearing clean yet old pants and a shirt. His shoes were not made up of superior leather and shine in the daylight. He was not wearing that expensive perfume.

He had no carriage waiting for him. Even all these days, he made her walk all around as he could not afford to pay for the ride. He had an old mother to take care of, and the only legacy he was left by his family was that old building.

Now Florence asked herself- Was it really worth leaving her life behind for this man?

Obviously no!

She was about to get what she had ever dreamed of- a title of an O'Dell, a handsome husband who was capable of satisfying all her needs, a mountain of money at her expense and, the respect that she was always denied by society.

Yes! That was her life waiting for her in Vincardine. Here on Warthford Island was only a part of her mad heart that she would always keep safe with her.

A ship's horn honked, and it was time for departure. They both stared at each other for a minute. Then Florence took her bag from him.

Giving a tight smile she said, "Thank you... for... for everything!"

He smiled back, but she noticed that it did not reach his eyes. He only nodded his head.

Taking a deep breath, Florence could not stop herself from raising on her tip-toes and placed a tender kiss on his lips. He did not stop her, neither he reciprocate her action. He just stood there and let her have her way.

Coming back to the ground, she then turned around to walk in the ship's way.

"Miss Florence"

She heard him call her name. Maybe he finally had something to say. She smiled at herself.

"I hope you get Mr Edwin."

She froze. Turning to look back at him, she stared at him, puzzled.

"You were calling his name every night we were together."

The look in his eyes tugged at her heart. But she had so much to achieve, and this man was only an incomplete chapter of her life, that she purposefully left half done.

Not saying anything, she picked up her pace and ascended the stairs of the ship.

Ten minutes later, the ship left the land and marched through the water. Standing on the deck, Florence could still see his tiny form far away.

He stood right there till the ship disappeared from his sight.

*

*

*

Last night, Zoe did not wait for the whole night. Darius kept giving her knowing glances and his signature wicked smiles that used to irritate her then, and after decades, nothing has changed.

In the morning, the colour of the celebration had faded, and reality jumped in. At the request of the Garfield's, the meeting was arranged over breakfast.

The Vampires, Cyfrin and his father and their trusted commanders were all huddled up in a room where they had some privacy.

Zoe paced outside the room anxiously. She had enough idea of why the Vampires were here. But she dreaded what they had to propose and if her father and brother would agree with it.

When she heard nothing from them for more than an hour, she grew restless. To keep her mind away from these thoughts, she decided to practice archery till the meeting was over.

She walked out of her home, and descending the long stairs, she walked through the village. Leaving the houses behind, she reached a practice field where her family and other warriors from the village practised the battle forms every day.

Yesterday's tiredness had kept others away from the practice field, and Zoe was glad for that. The circular area was surrounded by long and thick trees- acting as a wall.

Reaching the archery part, she saw a bag made up of wild bore's skin filled with the arrows. Her favourite bow was in her room, and she had no will to go back to get it. So she decided to use the available bow.

As soon as her fingers touched the bow, her all thoughts channelised into a single tunnel and, raced to find calm.

She picked up the bow and one arrow from the bag. She took the stance and stuck the arrow in the bow thread. Closing her one eye, she aimed for the red circle in the centre of the target board.

Taking a breath, she freed the arrow that aimed right where she intended it to be.

A satisfying smile spread on her face. Archery had always been her favourite form. The one reason was it made her focus and clear her head. And, the second was... it was taught by Edwin.

Zoe lost the track of time as she got engrossed in the archery. Another arrow hit the right spot after slitting the first arrow. She smiled proudly. By now, she was drenched in sweat, her hands were sore. Yet, the taste of success kept her going.

She heard the sound of clapping coming from her left. Her smile vanished, and a frown etched on her face as she saw Darius walking her way, taking his sweet time.

"Marvellous! You still have that charm Zoe." He smiled.

Ignoring him, she raised her bow again and strung another arrow in it.

"What kind of hospitality is this? Can not a guest complement their host?"

Zoe was now getting angry. She never liked the young Vampire, and she was not happy that he was on their land. She aimed for the target, and when her fingers were about to release the arrow, Darius stood right in front of her.

With her quick reflexes, she immediately turned her aim to the side, and the arrow went flying to stuck in the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Darius! What the hell are you thinking?" She screamed.

"You know, I can not die."

"Only if the tip of the arrow was made up of that special wood." She grumbled.

Zoe put the bow down and turned around to get away from this clingy man. But he had other plans for her.

"Why are you behaving like this?" He asked.

Now Zoe had enough of him. Turning around to face him, she glared at him through her cat-like eyes.

"What do you expect me to do Darius? Hug you and tell you how much I missed you? Forget it Darius. Bcause we were never friends!" She spat in anger.

"We could have been, if you have not wasted your time tailing behind that bastard Edwin!"

"Shut up, Darius!" Zoe was now infuriated.

Darius, enjoying her riled upstate, continued, "You look beautiful Zoe. Even then also you were the most striking girl in the Academy. I wonder how Edwin could not see that in you?"

Zoe knew what he was doing. It was public that she liked Edwin during their training period in the Academy. And for that, she used Lester to get Edwin. The fight she and Lester had at the end of their training period was a talk of the Academy for years.

Zoe felt guilty for doing that to Lester. But, now she thought they both had moved on from the past. And Darius, of all people, had no right of talking about it.

"And, I wonder how can people be so dense to not see what the fate has chosen for them."

She smirked as she knew that she had hit the right spot. The colour of Darius's face changed.

Before the topic derailed from the track, he put a finger on Zoe's curiosity.

"The past is past Zoe. But do not you want to know the present and its implications on the future?"

"I do not want to hear you anymore Darius! I am leaving." She tried acting nonchalant, but she wanted to know what happened in the meeting.

"Well... I refuse to believe that if it involves Edwin O'Dell and your people." Darius smirked cunningly.

"Darius!" Zoe warned.

He only shrugged his shoulders and started walking past her while saying, "Congratulations! Your little brother has agreed to our proposal."

He walked away while whistling leisurely, but Zoe stood stunned at her spot under the scorching heat and sweaty forehead.