She eyed him suspiciously as she poured him a second cup of coffee, the first having grown cold. She waited for him to settle his large frame fully on her stool, situated at the counter where she prepared customers’ orders. He brought the cup to his face, inhaling the sweet aroma of brewed coffee before taking a sip. The first taste seemed right to him, as he proceeded to take a large gulp, emptying the cup. Mel stared at him in disbelief.
“What?” He was oblivious to his own actions.
“It was hot,” she stated matter-of-factly. It suddenly dawned on him how strange he must have appeared to her. Despite having experienced the stuffy air on Earth, he was unfamiliar with the concept of hot beverages. The first person he encountered at the bus station had beads of sweat on his forehead, something he had never witnessed in Airodia.
“Pardon me, this is my first time on Earth.”
“You mean New York?” she raised an eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders. Technically, it was also his first time in New York. The stories he had heard from Airodians who had visited Earth were that it had countless destinations, each of which would take a lifetime to explore.
“You spoke to me earlier today.” She began clearing the tables, signalling her intention to close the shop. She wanted to appear unfazed by the bizarre question she asked.
“Yes,” he replied, his gaze fixated on the empty cup in his hands. The taste of the coffee still lingered, and he longed for another sip. “Do you have more of this?”
She looked in his direction, noticing how his long legs reached the floor, a luxury she would never experience seated on that stool. His dark hair was stylishly slicked back, enhancing his handsomeness. “Your lips didn’t move,” she ignored his question, realizing he hadn’t even paid for his untouched meal.
He turned to look at her and caught her staring at him. She quickly averted her gaze, hastily placing one of the stools facedown on a table. Moving swiftly to the next table, she cleaned off the crumbs that must have come from a toast.
“I heard it gets dark here, yet it’s not dark, and you’re closing for the day,” he disregarded her question, realizing how crazy it would sound to explain what he did but she used the same means.
She recognized her own irrationality in questioning the situation. Maybe she was hallucinating, and he wasn’t actually speaking to her. After all, she had the unique ability to hear people’s thoughts, and perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her. But there was something nagging at her—his uncanny resemblance to the man in her dreams. And his obvious questions only added to the mystery.
Deep in thought, she weighed the possibilities. Could this be a coincidence? Or was there a deeper connection between him and her abilities? The lines between reality and imagination blurred, and she couldn’t shake off the sense of intrigue that enveloped her.
“It’s a breakfast shop, and I have to prepare for my other shift.” She replied.
“You’re hardworking,” he commended. She glanced at him but chose to ignore his remark.
“I think you should leave now.”
“No, Mel. We need to talk. It’s urgent,” he insisted, recognizing that he needed to reveal the truth eventually.
“You know my name. So, I’m not crazy after all. How did you speak to me earlier?” The shock mixed with exasperation in her eyes indicated her growing fear of the young man.
“I’m Pedro. I used the ancient form of communication from Airodia,” he finally confessed, knowing that she would eventually discover the truth.
“The ancient what of who?”
He hadn’t anticipated the immense challenge that lay before him. Convincing a hard-working woman, juggling two jobs, to leave behind her entire life and accompany him to Airodia to help save his land seemed like an insurmountable task. As he pondered the magnitude of his request, he couldn’t help but correct himself—it wasn’t just his land, it was their land, their shared responsibility.
The weight of his mission bore down on him, realizing that mere words would not be enough to persuade her. He needed to find a way to convey the urgency and importance of their joint endeavour, to make her understand the gravity of the situation. It was clear that this would require not only logic and reasoning but also a deep emotional connection.
He approached her cautiously, fully aware of the difficulty he faced. Rising above his own fears, he sought to convey his passion and determination, hoping that his sincerity would resonate with her. There was no room for doubt or hesitation. Their destinies were intertwined, and together, they held the power to make a difference.
Taking a deep breath, he mustered his resolve and prepared to share his story, knowing that their shared journey was about to unfold, intertwining their lives in ways they could never have imagined.
“I assure you, I mean you no harm. I would never raise my hands against you, as it goes against everything sacred to me—God and our ancestors. If you could spare me just a moment of your time, I will reveal everything you need to know,” he pleaded earnestly, his voice filled with sincerity.
“You must be even crazier than I thought,” she retorted, her disbelief evident. “God and ancestors? Who talks like that in the 21st century? I need you to leave my shop immediately, or I will call the police.”
“This is the second time,” his words resonated directly in her mind, causing her eyes to widen in astonishment. A mixture of shock and curiosity painted her face as a faint grin curled upon his lips. “I mean, this is the second time you’ve threatened to call the cops,” he clarified, his voice conveying a sense of urgency. “But don’t you want to know why you can hear me? I’ve visited you in your dreams countless times. It leads me to wonder if you are the one—the one connected to Airodia, your mother’s land. It’s a place where the sun never sets, where pain is merely a distant concept…”
His voice trailed off, the weight of impending danger lingering in his thoughts. If the Talaticans were to breach the portal, his people would face unimaginable perils. He hesitated, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down upon him. He knew he should follow with the words, “the absence of fear but pure bliss,” but he couldn’t bring himself to utter such misleading notions. Fear had infiltrated the air in Airodia, nightmares haunted the innocent, and the streets lay deserted in anticipation of the Talaticans’ sinister control. The burden he carried weighed heavily upon his shoulders.
“In truth, Airodia needs our help,” he finally voiced aloud, his words carrying the gravity of their shared destiny.
“You know about my mother?” she questioned, her voice filled with a profound sense of surprise. For as long as she could remember, she had harboured a lingering curiosity about her birth mother, a yearning to unravel the mystery of her own origins.
Pedro met her gaze, a mixture of empathy and understanding shining in his eyes. “Yes, why else would you understand me? You possess the blood of both humans and Airodians within you” he replied softly, his voice carrying a gentle reassurance. “Airodia, your mother’s land, holds the answers you seek.”
Her heart fluttered with a combination of anticipation and trepidation. Could it be possible that her long-awaited quest to discover her roots had finally led her here, to this enigmatic encounter with Pedro?
“But where exactly is this Airodia you speak of? Is it located in North Africa?” she inquired, her curiosity pushing her to make sense of his words.
“North Africa? What is North Africa?” he replied, his own confusion dawned upon him as he realized the disparity in their knowledge and perceptions. Time was slipping away, and he could sense the imminent arrival of danger, amplifying his need to return to Airodia without delay.
Pedro’s gaze grew intense as he contemplated the looming threat. Every passing moment intensified his longing to be back in the realm he called home, where he possessed a deeper understanding of the imminent perils and the measures required to safeguard their world.
“We’re running out of time,” he murmured, his voice filled with a sense of urgency. “Airodia beckons and danger draws near. I must return immediately, and I implore you to come with me. Only there can we uncover the answers that elude us and fulfil our intertwined destinies.”
The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, a pivotal decision waiting to be made.
Her frustration grew as she remarked, “You always seem to answer my questions with more questions. It’s becoming quite exasperating.”
In an attempt to bridge the gap between their understanding, he responded earnestly, “Airodia is not hidden from me. It’s not a physical place that can be pinpointed on a map. It exists beyond the realms of ordinary perception. I can see it in my mind’s eye, feel its presence deep within my being, and sense the connection that binds us to our homeland.”
Her brows furrowed, attempting to grasp the concept he was describing. The notion of a place that defied conventional understanding seemed far-fetched, yet his unwavering conviction gave her pause.
“So, Airodia is some kind of intangible realm?” she asked, her voice tinged with a mix of scepticism and curiosity.
“In a way, yes,” he replied, a glimmer of anticipation shining in his eyes. “It exists beyond the physical boundaries we perceive, transcending time and space. It holds a profound significance, not only to me but also to you.”
Her mind whirled with questions, but she couldn’t deny the strange connection she felt towards this mysterious realm he spoke of. It was as if a distant memory had been awakened, tugging at the edges of her consciousness.
Abruptly, the entrance to the breakfast store violently swung open, revealing two imposing figures. Towering at seven feet tall, they brandished colossal axes as they forcefully barged into the establishment. A surge of fear and adrenaline coursed through Pedro’s veins as he instinctively pulled Mel protectively towards him, narrowly evading an imminent attack. The assailants moved with uncanny swiftness, catching Pedro off guard and unsettling his composure. Panic gripped the air, and Mel’s piercing scream filled the space as she sought shelter behind the counter, her heart pounding with terror.
Pedro, driven by a fervent determination to shield Mel from harm, engaged in a desperate struggle against their attackers. However, the odds were stacked against him, and he soon found himself overpowered by their brute strength. The weight of an axe came crashing down upon him, unleashing an agonizing surge of pain that coursed through his body. The searing torment forced him to release his grip on the first assailant, realizing that his efforts alone would not be enough to ensure their safety.
“Mel, focus! Think of a safe place,” Pedro urgently commanded, pulling her closer to him, their bodies pressed together in a desperate embrace. With a final moment of resolute concentration, he closed his eyes, channelling the depths of his mind. In an instant, they vanished from the perilous scene, leaving behind only the chaos and confusion of the attackers, their escape from their clutches finally realized.
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