4. The darkness beneath you

I checked the time on my watch, and it was time for the barbeque. As we prepared the meat for grilling, I looked around for her and she was nowhere to be found. I began to wonder if it was all a dream, and then behind was the rainbow girl and her friends talking to Mia. Mia introduced them to our group, her name is Emma, and she was with her brother Lucas. I could not take my eyes off her, then I noticed she tried to make a gesture. 

“Hi”, I said.

She smiled back again. They asked if they could help with anything, we gladly agreed. 

“You could join us camping”, Joey said. 

“The more the merrier!”, said Mia as she saw my face beaming at Emma.

Lucas helped me out with the barbeque, whilst the others prepared the camping tents and the itinerary. In amidst the peace the wind brings, it was the perfect atmosphere to set up a campfire. The best moments come from spending time with friends, after dinner, we all gathered around the fire to play a few games and converse. I looked at Emma, and she started talking about herself. She told us about her parent’s Mr. and Mrs. Carter, and Lucas being both her cousin and brother. As Sam, Joey, and Mia spoke about their families, I could not take my eyes of Emma. 

“I am going to take a walk”, I told the guys. 

Emma immediately got off her chair and asked to join me. The image of the moon on the waterfall and the scent of the mountains binds us together at the moment. Nature has the bliss of making people fall in love. Mr. and Mrs. Carter brought Lucas and Emma camping to Waterfall Meadows after Emma was born. The serene atmosphere kills all the negativity in the world, and Emma’s parents made this a tradition.

“Do you love this place a lot?” I asked.

“Yes, this was the first place my parents brought me to when I was a baby. The positivity and scent of the atmosphere make you fall in love with the place. Watching people like you and I fall in love here, get married, and bring their kids here is the best feeling. I look forward to coming here all the time.” 

As she walked, she continued talking about the beauty she finds in the place. It was my first time talking to her and it feels like I have known her forever. The silence between us feels pure, every word she said feels like music to my ears. As we watched the stars dance in the sky, we spoke and spoke till the campfire burned.  

The sun rose the next morning, and it was our last day. We decided to take a swim in the waterfall pool. As the sun shone on the water, the pool was light blue like Emma’s eyes. We could not stop talking to each other. We did not realize that it was evening already, and we had to drive back home. 

I was in the middle of drinking my coffee with Emma next to me. I see her beautiful smile and light blue eyes and I felt lucky to be with her. As I held her hand, I could not stop telling her how beautiful she is. With the music around us, she was all I wanted to listen to. My alarm rang loudly, and I realized it was all I dream. 

It has been weeks, we only spoke over text messages and phone calls, and met over a cup of coffee. I felt that it was time I wanted to see her again. I want to take her on a real date. Our date was at the Blue Moon bar. 

Just like in my dream, there she was at the table in front of me, I never felt so lucky in my life. She was dressed in her favourite light blue dress with a silver purse. With her by my side, I will climb every mountain to be here again. Without her around, there will be no destination at the end of my journey. I find hope, trust, and faith every time I looked at her. Whilst passing her the glass of champagne, I noticed a mark on her wrist. It was a symbolic tattoo that I have never seen before. 

“What is that mark on your wrist?” I asked mildly.

“Oh, this! It is nothing really, it was like love at first sight. When I saw it, I knew I had to get it.” She swiftly removed her hand from the table as she spoke. “Why do you ask? Does it not suit me?”

“It unquestionably suits you.” I shrugged as I noticed her feeling awkward.

There was a sudden pause and then we found ourselves gulping down a cup of coffee. She was quiet the entire time on our way home. I knew I asked the wrong question, but I could not stop thinking about the symbol on her hand. It was a full moon symbol with 2 crescents on either side. I found her behaviour to be unusually different. We have been seeing each other for a year, and I never noticed the mark before. I began thinking, “If it were new, she would have told me. If it were old, I would have seen it. Why will she hide something?”

As I looked across the room from Jannett to Lucas sitting next to me in the hospital room, I began thinking if I should tell them the truth. The truth behind Emma’s strange behaviour, her reason to leave, and the reason why she never met her family after our first date. The darkness that is beneath her pure nature, her existence, and enemies that we have been trying to hideaway. It may be a clue to find her, but the reality will hurt her brother and Jannett.