New Moon 1 (4 page)

He
is talking in codes and I cannot make sense of what he is
saying.
“Why can I see you at
night?” “You wish to see me in daytime, too?” he asks and I can
sense some amusement behind that voice.”You are dead serious on not
showing your face,” I say, “It will be great to know that someone…I
mean, I have made another friend, in this strange place.” “Friend?”
he muses, “I don’t think we are just friends,” “Aren’t we?” I ask,
“I am your bodyguard, not friend,” “But, from whom, are you
guarding me?” “From yourself, Tris, from your own destructive self!
Why did you think Alan brought you to this place?” “You tell me,
then,” I ask and hear nothing but a soothing silence. He seemed to
have gone numb. “Answer me, please,” I make my voice extra soft and
pleading, “Your charms won’t work on me, sweet,” he answers, “You
called me and I came to meet you. That’s all you need to know. When
the right time arrives, you will answer many questions by your own
self.” “But,” I stand, “Why can’t we be friends? Is it related to
my being human…?” “Let me ask you something,” he stands and walks
up to the side of railing, “Don’t you find it weird that the guy
who has kissed you welcome the first night, turns out to be the one
who is there to protect you on the order of deity Krishna? I have
already violated one rule, Tris. I should never had done that
but…,” he halts, “But,” I complete him, “You could not control
yourself?” “It’s not that,” he whispers angrily and in a flash, I
find myself pinned to the wall again, with his arms on my head’s
either side. “There is something so innocent, so irresistible about
your soul that,” I hear his quite close to my ears now, “I cannot
control myself, whenever I am around you,” “Are you talking about
us being lovers or something? That is seriously so impossible, you
know. I mean, it has been just one two months of my being here…,”
“I am death and you are human,” he says again, “that is the reason
enough for me to make my distance from you. The smell of your
soul…,” he halts and I can feel his chilled, cold breath on the
side of my neck, “I know so much about your past, present and
future, pet. It breaks my heart to see an innocent flower like you
in such a situation. Many virile things will try to break you and,
mind you, they will try your very patience. But, you will have to
remain strong. I have something for you,” saying that, he takes out
a small black locket from his front long pocket. I am still holding
my breath and see him tying the thing around my neck. “It is a
protective charm. Anytime, you feel the need for me or want my
help, just touch it.” It is a yin-yan locket, signifying the bond I
am going to share with the death, itself. “Why can’t we be
friends?” I ask all the same, “Because death and humanity never
goes hand in hand. Being the immortal, I can’t have any relations
with the mortal on earth. I kill, Tris. I destroy lives; take the
soul to the gates of heaven or hell. In such a case, how can I let
my emotions…,” he goes silent again and I hear him sighing.
Indirectly, he is telling me that our relationship has no name! I
am still scared, terrified even! The entire conversation feels like
some sort of bad dream. Don’t people tell that they saw death in
their dreams? Maybe, something similar will happen with me. I will
wake up, soon…” You still are considering me a dream, are you?”
“God!” I gasp, as he turns to me, “I can’t be there around you, all
the time, Tris. I have so many other works on my hand. I can’t give
my entire time to you, as much as I like to do that. This charm
around your neck will protect you from some ill things and will
warn you of upcoming danger. Take notice of it when it gets
heated,” “Thanatos,” I whisper immediately, “What dangers?” “I
wish, I could say them out loud,” he says and in a flash, without
my realizing it, his face is again very close to mine. Now, his
cold breath is touching the corner of my mouth and I am frozen on
my spot. “Test your heart desires before giving into them,” he
whispers, “Always, and I mean it, be around your two besties, Ian
and Ray. They are your real powers,” “But Kay and Lyn?” “Have no
danger looming on their head,” he says automatically “Though Kay…,”
“What about her?” I ask. Sighing heavily, once again, he shakes his
head and says, “ I cannot reveal Krishna’s plan to you,” he
whispers, “It’s again our code of duty,” “You can trust me with the
secrecy,” “if,” he cuts me, “ I tell you everything now then, there
will be no future. You have been assigned a special task by your
endearing lord, Tris. Though, when the time will arrive, I am sure,
you will prove as a great warrior. Shakti will always need you,
human or not, it doesn’t really matter,” “Thanatos,” I say, “You
are scaring me,” “I am alerting you. There is a difference, pet,” I
chuckle and find his sweet breath washing my face, “You are a
walking temptation, Tris. I may kiss you already, before I go
insane with this crazy need for possessing you,” my head is
spinning with this melting talk of his. I don’t believe his words a
little bit, but, in a flash he pulls me into his arm, and crushes
my mouth under his seductive velvety ones. I am feeling drowsy
again but, in a strange energizing sort of way. As if, he is
pouring inside me the light of his heart, which has been conserved
by the darkness, surrounding him, as a cloak. Dragging his mouth to
my neck, he kisses the skin and nibbles it lightly. I sigh heavily
and my eyes are fluttering open. “Thanatos,” I sigh and try to stop
him, “Stop. I am scared. Please, Thanatos,” muttering a curse, he
leaves me in a flash and I hear a voice, “Bloody hell Tris, what
are you doing here in the middle of the night?” turning to the side
of the entry, almost breathless, I look towards Lyn’s amazed and
shocked face. “I am sorry,” I gulp down enough water and steady
myself, “I was just,” “No pet,” says Thanatos in my head, “You are
never going to mention anyone about me. Firstly, I am visible to
your eyes and no one can see me, and secondly, no one will believe
you. I am your little secret, right?” Lyn is still staring at my
flushed face and dazed eyes. She is giving me some sort of weird,
freaked out look. “What?” she asks again, giving her frown to my
side, “I was…I was thinking. No,” I shake my head, clearing it out
of all the fuzziness, “I was out here for night strolling…not
really sleepy…,”

*****

Lying in my
bed that night, I am going over the talk that I had with Thanatos.
A special task has been assigned to me, he said. Rolling my eyes to
the bedside drawer, where Krishna’s idol is kept, I am questioning
him internally. Who is this angel of yours? Is he really, death?
Why have you gifted me this power of seeing him when no one else
can? Why did you assign him as my guard? Everything is so tangled
up. I close my eyes and try to forget those haunted, hood covered,
black lips, which have kissed me twice now. First Ted and
then…Thanatos…!

****

I am heading
towards the first class of the day, when I see some people
decorating it. On every corner and turn of the building, pumpkin
with lighted candles, has been kept. Entering inside, I am amazed
to see that there is no one in there. “What’s happening?” I murmur,
“hey girly,” comes Ian from back and hugs me around neck. “Hi boy,”
I smile, “Happy Samhain,” “Samhain?” I ask him brows furrowing, “Oh
sorry,” he grins, “I forgot that mortal world calls it Halloween,
right?” “Is it Halloween today?” I ask, surprised at the speed of
the time, which has passed my side, like a blur. “Where is
everyone?” I ask, “Teachers have given us off, today,” he says, “We
can go around and have the day to ourselves. No more boring
studies,” “Wow,” I say and smile, “That’s great.” “I am going for a
swim,” he says, “You know, the lake. All the beautiful mermaids are
going to change their form tonight,” noticing him more carefully; I
see Ian has changed from dark colors to creamy white today. He
looks happy today and for some reason, I find him…attractive at the
moment. “Hey,” he clicks his finger, “Earth to human. You want to
join us?” “Us,” I repeat, “Someone else is joining, too?” “Ray,” he
shrugs and his face loses the happy smile. “Ian,” I take his hand
in mine, “Is there something you want to talk about? Something you
want to share with me? What’s wrong, boy? What is wrong between
both of you? Did you people have a sort of fight with each other? I
can’t see my two friends like this,” “it’s nothing,” he shrugs and
pulls me behind him, “Let’s go,”

****

I see both of
them swimming, along with the other beautiful, fairy-like,
mermaids. Other students are there, too. One of the weresnake,
changing to his human, slips out of his cloth and step into the
cold water! I am scared of merely being near to all these species.
Grasping one of the brightly tailed diva by her waist, I see both
of them fusing their mouth with each other, as if, too hungry to
even care about others. The passionate moment going in the middle
on the lake, makes my eyes hurt and I turn to others. “It is going
to be a new moon, today,” the voice comes from my side and I turn
my head, only to see Ted, along with his group of boys. “Really,” I
smile as he sits next to me, “And what does that means?” one of his
friend, Mark, I think, imitates me. The group of their erupts in
laughter and I try to hide my blush. “What is there to laugh?”
comes another feminine voice and Kay sits on to my next side. Boys
go all hush and I look at her. With her two long white wings on her
back, hair open and eyes glittering golden orbs shining at us, she
looks like some soaring Goddess. “Kay,” I say, “You look amazing,”
she laughs at my open mouthed expression. “Why, thanks, Tris.” She
shakes her head in light laughter and Lyn joins our little group,
too. “New moon,” Kay says, “Signifies everything new for us. We all
go to our hybrid forms today; the power of moon is both thrilling
and scary, tonight. When you see that white orb shining in the sky,
you feel…excited. The feeling is beyond description.” “Really?” I
ask. Clive and Ralph, both smirk in their bad-ass way and Elmer
joins them, “Never seen us in our monster form, have you?” I shake
my head in denial. “You will, tonight,” Ted laughs and everyone
joins him. I feel something hot in the base of my neck. I touch the
spot absently and instantly, get alert. It is my yin yan locket
heating up. As I turn my head, the scream leaves my mouth, “Watch
out,” a strong pair of flappy, scaly wings is about to pass over
Ted’s head when I raise my eyes to it. In an instant, before anyone
blinks the eye, the person fell down on the ground in front of us
and there is a low thud. “Ow,” says the person and all of us stand
from our seat, “Bloody hell, Keith,” says Ted, as he clears his
clothes out of the dust. “Hey,” says the boy named Keith, “Who
pulled me down?” “No one, silly,” says Clive, “But, I felt the
pull. As if, someone just commanded me to fell down,” “No one of us
did it,” Lyn says. “Hey beauty, you flying with me tonight?” Keith
asks. “In your dreams,” she rolls her eyes. “Did you do it?” Kay
says softly, as she turns to my side, “Did I do what?” I ask,
“This, pulling Keith down?” “I just thought…I mean, I thought he is
going to hurt someone…” Kay’s eyes go wide with amazement but she
shakes her head, all the same. “Keith,” Kay says, “Have you met
Tris? My friend?” “Our friend,” Lyn, joined by Ian and Ray, says in
chorus. I giggle and see Ted’s group rolling their eyes. “Hi Tris,”
he takes my hand and then, he stiffens, “Human?” “Don’t you read
the notice?” Ray eyes the weird boy, “Keith is a were-eagle, Tris.”
He says, “He keeps on showing of his strength of flying but, never
even bothers to read the school’s notice board. The thing about
Tris’s arrival was pasted there, fool. It said, nobody is to harm
the human, neither day nor night. She is one of us, now.” In
amusement, I turn to eye Ray. Even I was not aware about that
strange notice. Did Alan actually put up some sort of a notice
about me on school board? “Nice to meet you, Tris,” Keith raises
his hand to me, “You too, Keith,” I reply giggling. As he hugs me,
my gaze is caught by Ted’s strange emotion. He
looks…uneasy!

****

The moon is
high in the sky and Alan has commenced the ritual for worshipping
Kali, the deity of Shakti. Samhain, Halloween…they all are foreign
names for the great night of the deity, he has said in the
beginning. Actually, the day when the ancestors and the great deity
descend on the earth, it is known as Kali night, in actual sense. I
was not aware of this thing but then, since every mythical thing is
a stark reality for me, I am aware of not disbelieving everything
easily. After the Puja ended and everyone was filled to their
throat by the excellent food, I saw students making it to the side
of the gate, where guards were actually opening the giant things,
letting them all out so that they can go out for nightly stroll and
to enjoy the mesmerizing moon rays. Looking above me, I too, feel
attracted by the beautiful and sadly romantic symbol of the night.
Moon. Back in orphanage, I always felt a connection to it without
even knowing the real thing. Thanatos had said that I am blessed
with the affinity to death and also, when the time will come, only
then will my affinity will help me. “When time comes, you will be
able to heal any dying person and make him or her come back to
life. But, in this process, you may have to sacrifice something
very near to your heart or…maybe your own self,” I am still lost in
my thoughts when something cold touches my cheek. Turning to the
side, I let out a small squeak, “Thanatos, where did you come
from?” “I am always around you, sweet heart,” he chuckles and I
look around, to see, if anyone is seeing him or not. “No one can
see me. Do I have to remind you that?” he says in a bored sought of
voice. “Stop reading my mind,” I say and then sigh. “I could feel
your mind churning in some light and almost,” he pauses, “romantic
side,” his voice comes out, as if, he does not like the sound of
it. “No,” I say, “Nothing of that sort,” “You like Ted, don’t you?”
he asks and my mouth goes dry, “I…” “Don’t lie, pet.” He cuts me,
“I can feel it. You can’t hide anything from death now, can you?”
“No,” I shake, “I am not hiding anything. There is no need to do
that.” I try to explain but… “Ok, I like him,” I say it. “You
jealous?” I ask him, trying to analyze his mood, “No,” he says, “I
don’t have any problem. It is of no concern to me…whoever you
date.” At some distance, a howl of the wolf disturbs the night and
it is joined by the others of the pack. “As I always say,” he says,
“be careful with your heart’s desires, pet. Heart is a criminal,
when it comes to love,” I turn to answer him but he vanishes, just
like that.