“Behind the door,” Reed mouthed, before walking to the door.
Avalon’s feet thawed from her square and she escaped to the only place that’ll give them a chance.
Reed took one last look at her, his eyes relaxed in hopes of comforting hers, for they were tense. Her options would be shredded to the bone if it all ended here.
She inhaled a gust of air and was determined to hold it in while Reed spoke to whoever was at the door. She nodded at Reed in confirmation, and he bit the bullet.
Avalon squinted her eyes closed—ready to hear a familiar voice. They were all nightmarish for Avalon. No one in this town would have kept her secret safe, which made the situation more perilous and likely tragic.
“I told you I would come again,” someone said at the door, his voice masculine and dissimilar to anyone’s from town.
Hearing that, Avalon released the breath which she ultimately didn’t need to hold for long.
Both men turned to the door, each seeing a different picture.
“The client,” Reed said in a way to inform Avalon, though he knew she’d already figured it out.
“Yes, I am the client,” the man answered, perplexed. “I’m not leaving until I get a meeting,” he then said calmly, his voice mingling with the ocean’s.
Avalon calmed herself and took in the few seconds she had before Reed would turn him down. Cool-headed, she fought the matter over.
“Welcome to Efil Wol, then,” Reed said coolly before shoving the door.
To that, Avalon stared him down and reached for the door. The man outside had kept the door ajar by kicking his foot inside.
Reed shook his head; “No one should know who you are,” he mouthed.
“He’s a stranger,” she mouthed back, her hand pressed to the handle.
No client before had ever seen Avalon. No one besides Reed knew who she truly was beyond a well-bred young lady. Taking on this job would also mean direct communication with the client, that before even agreeing on the job, it now seemed.
“I have to,” she said, her voice a fresh sound in the cabin.
She took a deep breath and exhaled in a controlled manner before travelling past Reed and twisting the knob.
The man outside was surprised to see the door opening again. He retracted his foot, his shoe slightly flat on the sides. While he guessed someone else had been in the cabin, he had no idea it’d be a woman with hair as dark as a new moon and eyes as bright as a full one.
“And who may you be?” he asked, intrigued.
She smirked, determination blazing in her soul, “The one you’ve been looking for.”
---
Eyes still held open by an unknown force, Avalon embraced her folded legs, head on her knees. It was hopeless. Sleep would escape her for the night, slip out of her wet grip and promise—threaten—to come back tomorrow. The moon was nearly out of sight, and the stars were overshadowed by a sun still turned to another continent.
Avalon blew out a breath, attempting to suppress a yawn—then followed a sigh. She was soon jolted awake by the creaking sound that flared behind. It could only be one person, but she’d been in such deep thoughts and he, in such deep sleep, that she believed herself alone in the world. The feeling had trailed behind her since her first memory of life. It was practically a shadow. A shadow cast by the very sun which is supposed to spread warmth and light.
“Nervous?” he said, voice quiet and gravelly—for he’d jumped out of bed the second his eyes unfolded.
“No,” she quipped without a thought.
Whether she felt it or not, she’d never disclose the truth.
He grimaced, seeing through her tough facade.
“Then, sea watching? Living in Efil Wol, you must’ve seen it all your life. Is the view different from a boat?”
He seemed playful, always. Avalon didn’t take to it. She wasn’t here to befriend him or get in his good favour.
But she was nervous. Nervous about working out in the open on a foreign island. Nervous about what comes after. Nervous life would turn more hellish than it ever was.
“I-” she started, “I..” she repressed the desire to be vulnerable. “I’m not keen on sleep,” she said, veering her head back to look at the brightening sky.
It wasn’t a lie.
He nodded, staring at her long hair; it sprawled down her back and covered part of her face. He could only see the easy flutter of her eyelashes and a cheekbone pressed high by her knee.
“You’re acting as though it were a choice: to sleep.”
She remained quiet. He was right, but the fact didn’t render it any easier.
“While you do need some shut eye, pestering you about it won’t aid you. Perhaps it’ll make it worse. I might not have milk in the boat, for the risk of it spoiling is far too great, but I have tea which I can brew on the stove.”
She turned to look at him, eyes sinking a little, “Do you have coffee?”
---
The man sat on Reed’s sofa, his loose white blouse draped over his faded black trousers. He had long hair for a man; it cascaded past his ears and nape but didn’t reach his shoulders.
He pored over the cabin. It didn’t take him long.
Reed stood in the corner, still by the door. He wasn’t sure if he should intervene or leave them alone to speak.
Avalon faced him a few steps away from Reed. She’d never quite seen a man like him. She eyed the buttons he’d left open and noticed half his chest was out. She felt shame for him.
She’s been told all her life not to talk to strangers, especially men. Reed had been the first person she’d broken that rule for. With this man, she was spitting on the rule. She tossed the thought away, for it hadn’t fully registered. She pierced his eyes with a proud demeanour, all the while he returned the gaze with interest.
“I’d say you caught me by surprise. While I did not imagine your appearance, I don’t think you would’ve crossed my mind if I’d tried.” He did not mean it as an insult, for that was his truth.
She coughed, “Of course you’d be surprised. Who wouldn’t?”
“Was he surprised?” he asked, pointing a hand towards Reed.
“Not so much. He’s never surprised.”
From what she saw, Reed never externalized his emotions—making her think he had none. Yet, he was more stunned than Avalon herself when he discovered what she could do.
She faced the stranger again, hoping to bring back focus to the matter at hand.
“Could I see your boat?” she demanded as her first condition—and the first step towards what would change her life forever.
“Of course,” the stranger replied, passing a hand through his hair. “Are you taking on the job?”
She furrowed her brows, dazed that he’d assumed it.
“No. I must inspect your boat first and hear more tidings about this task. I haven’t had the chance to hear much from Reed.”
“I see,” he replied, content. If those were the only conditions, he was confident she’d agree. He hadn’t had the intention of leaving alone, anyway.