Daeva: Black Diamond Chrysalis - Danielle Bolger (essential reading txt) 📗

With shaky arms Lara collapsed on the dirt and wept unrestrained.

Then beyond my vision I saw Dorothy smirking as she walked away singing the final verse from her song.

Even if the world must break

Even if destruction lies in its wake

I will never give you up

Abigail

As soon as I heard the doorbell chime I was off my feet and arrived so quickly to the front door that I almost transported myself there, but as I reached entryway it seemed I was not fast enough as another person opened the door first.

"Flowers, for me? Why, you shouldn't have!" Cathy gushed resembling the perfect image of a young lady before quickly lunging forward to steal the bouquet of daffodils that emerged from the border of the door. These, however, shot up quickly and as the girl lunged up for them she failed to reach the height needed to carry out her diabolical purpose.

"Sorry, little miss, but these are for someone else." A male's voice came from around the door's frame. Circling it I located deep brown eyes that lulled me into their warmth instantly. Below them gentle lips opened wide then morphed into a smile. "Abigail..." He breathed. "You look... stunning!"

I smiled feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "Thanks, Eric. So do you, you look like a real gentleman!" And though his attire was somewhat casual, it was definitely dressed up smart for over the top of dark jeans and a white T-shirt was a navy blue blazer fitted to his physique exceptionally. He finished it off with beige suede shoes and a lacquered hair-style that culminated in a look so highly polished that it made him appear as if he was a youth pop-star. This had me slinking back as I bit my lip nervously.

"Hey, Abigail, don't go anywhere." He reached out and as he grabbed my hand I felt a tingle at the place of contact. Then he lowered the bouquet bursting with and gold in his other hand and offered them forward. "I still need to give you these, flowers of happiness to match the most joyful girl in the world."

"Well, if you insist!" Squeaked Cathy as she lunged across and snatched away the flowers I had only been just able to touch. She began to skip away but quickly followed into a moan. "Mum, but they're mine!"

Turning behind us I saw my mother with the daffodils in hand as she drew their aroma in deeply. "Hm, so precious. Cathy, off with you! Go have that ice-cream you've been whining about."

"Yay!" Cathy sung as she ran away towards the kitchen to claim her new prize.

"Here." My mother came up to us and presented the flowers back towards me. Grasping them I too took in their scent and brilliant champagne lustre.

"They're gorgeous, Eric. Thank you very much!" Facing my mother I handed her back the flowers. "Mum, do you mind putting these in a vase for me, please? And if you could put them somewhere high so that Cathy can't get to them I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course, honey." My mother answered with a giddy wink before moving away to the kitchen also.

With my mother gone Eric took a step into the threshold where he grasped my other hand as well where again it tingled with the contact. His eyes wandered up and down my body before resting back into my eyes. "I can't believe it, you look like a woman! I mean, I can believe it, of course! You're gorgeous!" He added hurriedly. "I just, I just never realised how much of a lady you've become..."

I blushed and lowered my eyes so that my orange dress filled my view. Putting it on I had felt a little awkward for it was a garment I was not used to. It was a halter-neck dress which hugged my body intimately before loosening at the hips. It stopped just short of the knee, but was not entirely modest for the low dropped V at the front and my exposed shoulder blades at the back. On my feet were beige peep-toe heels and for my hair my mother fixed into an up-style that incorporated a matching beige ribbon. It was all my mother's doing actually, the dress included since it came from her wardrobe. This did indeed seem too womanly for me as I had yet to fill out the front as much as my mother did, but she insisted this would be a splendid dress for my first date with my new boyfriend, the colour suiting my complexion perfectly. I had allowed her to clothe and doll me up without reluctance for I knew that without her help I would likely fail to apply even lip-gloss correctly with how unsteady my nervous hands were.

I was still unsteady, my hands just as nervous within Eric's hold as my face burned red towards the ground.

"Hey," Eric released a hand and raised my chin up so that I focused back into his lovely chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to. I just meant that, you're beautiful..."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"So, you still excited to catch this movie?"

"Sure am!" I cheered.

"Great! Only," he turned us around to stare at a white four wheel drive parked by the curb, its engine rumbling softly. "Please don't think me lame, I got my Mum to give us a lift and then it gets worse, my brother decided to come along too..."

"That's great! I love your brother!"

Eric narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "You sure? It's not too lame getting a ride with them?"

"Of course not," I gave his hand a little squeeze. "It's never lame around you!"

Eric's face beamed as he led me down my front walkway. "You really are the best."

Just before reaching the car a boy jumped out from the far side and raced around to the curb. There he grasped the door handle and with an exaggerated yank pulled the sliding door wide open. Then he turned around and with a subtle bow declared almost with a shout, "Abigail and Eric, your ride awaits!"

I giggled as Jordan extended a hand out towards me.

"Why, thank you." I responded as I accepted his help where he aided me into the large car. The boy was grinning so wide that I thought at any moment he was about to burst out with laughter but he maintained composure the whole time.

Next Jordan ran back around the other side where he held out the door for Eric.

"Thanks, buddy." Eric said softly before Jordan closed the door and raced to the front passenger seat beside his mother.

"To the movies we go, enjoy your ride!" He called from the front.

Eric leaned across the centre seat. "He wanted to help so he's being a chauffeur."

"Well he's doing a fantastic job!" I said loudly and watched the boy's shoulders in front of me pull forward as if performing a silent chuckle.

It took less than ten minutes before Eric's mother pulled out the front of Skyward Cinemex. There were fifty or more people loitered out the front: eyes gazing upon the shining movie titles headlining the building; sitting about on benches scoffing down popcorn; and a group of toddlers running around apparently playing tag. There were plenty of families about, but by far it was young people that populated the scene. Teenagers mostly, ones too young for busier night-lives but yearning for excitement already. Some were in groups but many were in mixed gender duos and as Jordan opened the car door Eric and I joined those numbers.

Once the car had driven away Eric drew my gaze up at the bright lights on top of the building. "What movie do you want to see? Romance, comedy?" He suggested.

Scanning the titles I pointed a finger up. "How about that one?"

"Butterfly of Hope." Eric read aloud. "You sure, that's an action film? There might be explosions in it."

"I know," I responded, "but I saw the preview and think it looks really good."

"Well, alright then. Anything you want, my darling." Eric husked before drawing me to the box office outside.

As we waited in the line I remarked, "That was so sweet of your brother, chauffeuring us like he was."

"Jordan really likes you. He wants..." Eric trailed off.

"He wants what?"

"He wants you to... become part of our family, so he can see you more often." Eric admitted.

"Well you can tell him that I already consider him a little brother!"

As Eric approached the counter to order our tickets he could not shake the massive grin on his face. After buying the largest box of popcorn and a massive slushy drink to share we made our way into the theatre and selected seats towards the back. Where there was someone in front with a head that partially obscured the screen Eric took the seat with the worst view. "I'm taller than you so I'll be able to see fine here." He explained.

The movie, despite its innocent sounding name, was filled with plenty of explosions and gun-fire. It was a war-movie and though normally that genre was not generally listed among my favourites, this film I showed particular interest in. The story centred around a teenage girl who fell love with a boy right before the country they lived in became the battlefront to World War III. The two were residing in North America at the time but the girl, she was Australian and when her family discovered the war ensuing around them they fled for their homeland where it was hoped that Australia's isolation from the northern hemisphere would provide them refuge. This sadly broke the two apart but before they said their farewells they made a promise to meet back at a local lake that was home to a very special and rare emerald butterfly.

But the journey from the United States to Australia proved to be from the fry pan and into the fire for as soon as they reached there the family soon discovered it to be massively occupied by enemy forces. During the waging battles the girl was soon separated from her family and was lost to despair until she caught sight of a green butterfly, the exact same sort that was native to the American lake. With new resolve she journeyed from country to country as first a stow-away then as a military recruit, all so that she could return back to the United States. Then finally, two years later and as the war drew to its end she arrived back to the lake but the boy, who would be certainly a man at this point, was nowhere in sight. The girl then searched through records of deceased locals and in a heart-breaking ending discovered that his name was listed among them. The movie ended with a scene where the girl was crying by the lake but then suddenly stops as an emerald butterfly once again flies across. This one was remarkably similar to the first butterfly the couple saw that bestowed two black spots on its wings resembling the shape of a heart.

As we walked from the theatre I tried to hide my tears but just couldn't cover them up.

"Hey, Abigail, it's okay, it was only a movie." Eric soothed.

"I know but it just ended so sadly."