He glances off to the right and grins. "Let's go."
Hand in hand, we slowly make our way over to the boat. There's something nice about being with him, and we don't have these moments often. A man ducks under the cover and steps out when we arrive.
He looks us over and then glances at the boat. "Are you guys wanting a ride?"
Charlie steps toward him and places something in his hand. "Are you available now?"
"There's no time like the present." The man opens his arm and motions us to enter the boat. "Please sit in the back, and we’ll get this ride going."
As I step into the boat, I discover it is even smaller than it looks from outside. There's just enough room for two people in the back with the driver sitting in the front.
"At least I have an excuse for getting so close to you." Charlie’s shoulders shake with laughter as his hands rub down my arms.
"You know you don't have to have an excuse for that." I turn into him and gaze up at his eyes.
The driver sits down and starts the engine. "As soon as you two get situated, we’ll be on our way."
We both sit down and get comfortable even though it's a tight squeeze. Charlie entwines his arm with mine, and I lay my head on his shoulder. The boat takes off, and soon we’re flying through the ocean with the wind blowing through my hair.
It's strange – back on Earth you can smell the salt in the ocean water, but not here. The two suns are setting, causing the clouds and sky to reflect various shades of purples, pinks, and blues.
It's breathtaking, and for once, my powers are... This is the first time I feel at peace inside since absorbing the three artifacts. Ever since that first day, there's been some kind of imbalance inside me, and it gets worse. Now I know why; I must have all four artifacts inside me to feel balanced, but today I feel just like my old self.
I close my eyes and enjoy the comfort of Charlie and the sweet breeze around me. This is the most relaxed I’ve felt sense Beth's death. "I could get used to the idea of living here. It's beautiful and peaceful."
Charlie kisses me on the forehead. "Me too. Either way, we have to figure something out. There's no way I will lose you."
Not sure what else to say, I remain silent. However, at least this amulet is working. I open my eyes and take in the view as we drive past beautiful islands full of flowers in various shades of oranges and yellows and greens. They’re small but beautiful islands. Not big enough for anyone to live on.
The tour takes about an hour, but Charlie and I get to spend some alone time together. When we pull back up at the pier, the man gets out and smiles. "Did you enjoy the trip?"
"We sure did." Charlie jumps out of the boat and reaches in to help me out.
We’ll need to do this again. "Thank you so much."
The suns are almost all the way down, and one moon is now beginning to rise in the sky. We head back the way we came walking on the cloud-like sand. The water looks even more beautiful with various shades of light blue mixing in with the usual emerald green color.
"What do you say we put our feet in the water?" Charlie gazes at the beautiful waves as they crash down.
That actually sounds like a great idea. Who knows how long it's been since I’ve done something like that just for fun? "I'll race you." I drop my shoes and socks and run toward the water.
"You know you won't win." Charlie soon catches up. "I told you that you wouldn’t be able to beat me."
I laugh loud when he catches up to me at the edge of the water. He grabs me by my waist and twirls me in the air, setting me down in the surf. I gaze into his eyes as he lowers his lips to touch mine.
Something connects to me—power pulses through and up my legs and into my core, tugging at the other three elements inside me. The longer I stay in the water, the stronger the connection gets.
His eyes widen, and he pulls back. "Chris, what's wrong?"
Jerking out of his arms, I stumble out of the water. As soon as I break free, the connection begins to fade. Holy shit. "The water is linked to the artifact. That's why they don't want me to take it. Their land will die since water is what fuels everything here." But I'm not gonna survive if I don't.
10
"Come on, let's get away from the water." Charlie takes my hand and pulls me back.
"Hey, are you upset?" We just had a wonderful evening together, and I hate to end it this way.
He takes in a deep breath and turns to face me. "I thought this would be a great evening, and then I ended up putting you in danger."
Is he crazy? "That's the best time I've had in years. You didn't put my life in danger. If anything, we figured out part of the puzzle."
He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. "I came here to protect you."
"And you've done that. I wouldn't have survived the market without you." He's the reason I calmed down and didn't implode like I did back at the mansion.
"Let's head back to Ria's. You've been out here too long." He gives me a small smile and intertwines his fingers with mine.
We begin the trek back that way slowly. The silence is comfortable, and as we walk past the houses, we notice the lights are on.
"It looks like people are
