The Structural Silence *COMPLETE* (Book 1 of The Transition of Pinn)

Euphoric eyes (Chapter 18)

Ivy:

The street I am walking on curves in an unexpected direction and I decide to turn at the next corner in order to continue what I hope is the right direction. Hope being the word because at this point I have taken so many turns I easily could be walking around in a circle in this dark neighborhood. The fact that the streets all look similar is not helping.

Opff! I slam into a hard chest as I cut around a narrow corner. A hand reaches out and grabs my arm to keep me from falling. I look up to apologize, and I mean way up. Gosh he is tall. A hood covers his head and the shadow of which covers his face making it impossible for me to see his face.

"Sorry for—"

I shut up the second I see him lowering his hood. He is the most handsome man I think I have ever seen and I'm ashamed to say that I am staring. Square jaw, thick but sculpted eyebrows, wavy chocolate brown hair, a dream man.

His eyes are the most intense lime green, they almost glow. As he looks down at me, I feel unusual waves of euphoria emanating from my arm here his hand grips increasingly tighter into my flesh. His eyes are simply captivating as his pupils expand so as to cover all but a sliver of the lime green. His perfect mouth parts slightly while he stares down at me.

"Yachib! Yachib!" someone shakes his arm but I can't look away from his eyes even for a moment to see who it is.

"Yachib, we can't take her" the male voice says again.

Yachib doesn't acknowledge the voice but continues to stare.

"Yachib!" a deeper more stern voice calls from further down the street.

I hear footsteps on the cobblestones and then I am yanked away from Yachib's grasp. I hear a growl from Yackib but  I am no longer entranced by those eyes. Now I am looking at an older man, maybe in his late forties. He holds be at arm's length out in front of him. His face is stern, but his eyes are kind. He has the same lime green eyes, but they don't pull me in. He has a faded scar across his right cheek. He wears a similar black cape with the hood already down.

The man says something to me, but I am still in such a daze that I find it hard to concentrate on his words

"Wha-?" I manage to force out.

He impatiently interrupts "What is your name?"

"Ivy"

"Okay Ivy, who do you belong to?"

"Um... belong to?" I respond trying to fight of the trance that holds me captive "Oh um... Giddean. Senator Giddean Hertilz"

The man nods "We will come back and get you Ivy."

"No Uncle! We must take her now" my eyes shift to see Yachib sneering at the older man.

The man turns to his nephew, "When you are leader of our people you can decide whatever you want, but while I am you will obey me."

"But uncle-"

"No, we don't have a plan to evacuate her safely. Would you really risk her life?" He pauses giving his nephew a look and when Yackib doesn't respond he continues "We leave her here and we will come back to get her."

The uncle puts up his hood as he turns and begins walking down the street without so much as a glance back. It is then that I notice the 3 other men hanging around, two of which immediately turn and follow their leader.

Yackib still stares at me.

"Come on" the man who stayed behind commands.

Yackib just stares for another few seconds before turning towards his companion and walking down the street. His god-like face is grim with his lips molded by tension into a straight line. As he reaches the far corner of the street he glances back at me for only a fleeing second before he rounds the corner.

With the finality of Yackib turning the corner I feel a dull stabbing in my heart. They are leaving me behind, Yachib is leaving me behind... and I am sad about it? I remember the weird euphoric feeling of his touch and rub my arm. What on earth was that? I don't like it... I don't like the trace it put me in, the apparent loss of control. I am staking internally from the encounter

Suddenly I am anxious to get back to the familiar or what presently passes as familiar. I've had enough exploring, enough new. In my few days here, I already have a favorite reading spot in a chair at the corner of Giddean's garden courtyard. I started practicing yoga again for the first time in years. Adam the cook has been making special meals for me to remind me of home, chocolate chip cookies to go along with tea. Yes, I need to get back to safety or what counts as safety at this moment. And with that I continue on my way back to the square.