The whole village gathered to commemorate Albert and Joe. Just as a family would, they supported and accompanied each other. Sadness was present for several days.
Almost three weeks passed, and my life began to change.
Russell's family, the people of Crescendo and even Russell himself made every day enjoyable. I had discovered that their company was something I had always yearned for.
I was slowly leaving behind the loneliness and giving myself the chance to be happy.
One morning, Russell invited me to walk through Crescendo, reaching its limits without leaving the dome.
I accepted. I loved walking and, exploring that beautiful place, seemed like the perfect plan.
We walked beyond the houses and stores I was now accustomed seeing, until we reached what seemed to be another side of the woods, but we were still within the limits.
He took me to the most amazing place I had seen since I arrived at Crescendo.
Hidden among the trees, a shimmering lake spread over the territory of the beautiful kingdom. The water was so pure that it perfectly reflected our figures. He took my hand and led me to the edge, where he helped me to sit down in the grass. That day, I had decided to wear a dress, without a corset of course. I had my hair in a braid, but I decided to let it down to enjoy more of the wind blowing against my face. I was in paradise.
I noticed that Russell was staring at me.
'What?' I asked him with a smile.
'No questions? No need for me to explain how we have a lake in the middle of the Kingdom if we are not Anapos?'
'No, I just wanted to enjoy this place, it's beautiful.'
'Yes, it is.' He said, without taking his eyes off me.
I looked at him embarrassed. He pulled out some strands of hair that had come loose on my face. His touch against my skin felt different. Every minute that passed, it was as if we were connecting more and more.
In the last few days, he had been nothing but good and considerate towards me. No one had ever treated me with so much respect. I admired his personality. He had the ability to connect with people so effortlessly. He spoke fluently and always knew exactly what to say. He had a special sense of humor, the kind that never fails to make you laugh or at least smile. Would it be so wrong to consider him as more than a friend? Would it be so wrong to believe that maybe I could give myself the chance to feel that kind of love?
I wasn't sure I could trust my feelings. But in that moment, I could only think of one thing. If I could have stopped time, even for a second, I would have stayed there that afternoon with Russell at the lake.
We spent a long time talking about meaningless things, until we decided to go deeper and talk about our lives. I told him about my family.
I told him about my mother first. I allowed myself to remember the best moments I had spent with her. I even dared to tell him about the day I was notified of her death. I held back my tears while staring at the shimmering water of the lake. At this, he dared to pat me gently on the shoulder.
Then, I continued with the years after her death. How my father had resigned himself to living in the worst conditions. How my brother treated me from bad to worse, to which he added:
'I don't like your brother; I would never want to cross him.'
I concluded with my need to help my family, especially my sister, the only one who had treated me well in that house after my mother left with the Gods. I told him that she had sewn my dress, the one with which he found me in the woods.
'She is very talented, but in Bieno there are no opportunities for anything. It's a pity, is she was here, maybe she could have a better life.'
Russell listened to me with attention and respect. He only asked me one thing.
'What was your mother's name?'
'Elina, her name was Elina.'
He stood up and picked up a pebble from the ground.
'It is tradition to express gratitude for something by throwing a pebble into the lake. So...' he cleared his throat. 'Thank you Elina for taking care of Milaia when no one else did.' His words touched me deeply. He threw the pebble and immediately looked at me. I stood up and took one myself.
'Thank you, Russell, for being the way you are, and I thank the Gods for leading me to you.'
I threw the pebble and noticed that his cheeks went red.
I was hoping, wishing with all my heart that he would say something about it.
However, he surprised me by just saying:
'We should go, we don't want to miss dinner.'
Maybe it was all in my head, maybe what I was feeling was only because he had saved and helped me, maybe he just saw me as a friend. Whatever it was, he had made it clear to me and I would respect his decision, even if it hurt a little.
We were walking and talking about the worst jobs I had ever had, including cleaning spittoons, uncovering pipes, serving incoherent drunks, until Russell's face turned into concern.
'What's the matter?' I asked. 'Did I scare you with my stories?'
'There's no turning back now.'
'What do you mean by that, Russell?' We hadn't leave Crescendo, hadn't we?
'We are in his territory', his voice was filled with bitterness.
I wasn't so scared knowing he was there. There was something about him that gave me peace. He made me feel safe, I knew he would protect me no matter what.
'Who?'
'If I say his name, he will appear, so I cannot tell you', we still stood still without moving. Try to take a few steps back slowly, maybe he doesn't know we are here. What an idiot! I should have known; I was distracted by...'
'Russell', I whispered pointing at a small sign. The sign was blurry, affected by the humidity, but I was able to distinguish a few words. I don't know why I decided to read them out loud:
'Syform Territory', when he heard me, Russell tried to run but to no avail.
The very moment I finished saying those words someone stood behind us.