He Was Her All

Chapter 9: Exploring

When they arrived in Palma, they went to a bakery and got some slices of Coca de Trampò. It was a pastry that looked like pizza but only healthier since it was topped with vegetables.

They had an orange smoothie with it while making their way to Carrer del Moll to go on the boat tour. Mariana's brown curls were blowing out freely in the wind as she held onto Micah's hand. She felt really safe with him and he gave her a sense of security and warmth.

"Hey, Micah," She spoke up cheerfully.

"Yeah?"

"If you didn't work for Xavier, what would you have done?"

"Hmm, I'm not really sure. I would probably still be working at the café where I was previously but to be honest, I want to open my own restaurant one day."

"Is cooking your passion?"

"Yep! I love cooking so much, I used to watch YouTube videos and that's how I learned."

"Aw, that's so nice. I'm more into writing and journalism."

"Ohh so are you a journalist?"

"Yeah, I am a freelance journalist."

Before Micah could say something, they arrived at the port where their tour boat was. They sat at the top for a full view and the tour commenced.

The boat began driving around the Bay of Palma. It vibrated against the gentle tranquil waters which were glowing under the bright sun. Mariana looked at the city in awe. She saw cars driving past and people on bicycles. There were palm trees on the side of the road and patches of grass between the lanes.

"This reminds me of when I went to the Dominican Republic last year..." Micah murmured in a soft voice.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I was visiting some family there and we spent a lot of time on the beaches."

"So...are you Dominican?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh wow, that's so cool! From both sides?"

"Yep, both my parents are Dominican."

"Oh, that's so sweet! My parents are a bit different though. My mom was actually from Italy while my dad was American," She lamented sadly.

"Can you speak Italian?"

"Erm some words, I'm not that fluent though," She blushed and looked away.

The boat continued to soar along the waters. They saw the cathedral of Majorca as the sun's light glazed upon its Gothic walls. A burst of water suddenly spurted out into view, spraying the air with morning dew.

The boat stopped and the passengers got off to explore. Mariana and Micah went to the cathedral together. The entrance of it towered over their figures as they entered its premises.

They sauntered through the halls, passed the glass paintings, and entered the main room which was lit up with candles. The colors of the glass danced a melody around the floor. There was a big chandelier that was made up of millions of flames that impersonated a flowery ember.

They settled their glow onto Mariana's heart necklace. Her eyes followed the light and so she cradled it with two fingers. Her lips curved into a warm smile but something caught her eye.

A glimpse of a spark was at the corner of the pendant but she just thought that it was caused by the lights of the ceiling.

After they explored the cathedral, they went to the Palma Aquarium which was nearby.

They explored through the dark rooms which were occupied with panorama tanks. There were stripy clownfish peeking through their blueish anemones, little cute seahorses, and some sharks. They saw the electrifying tails of the bubbly jellyfish as it swam into the coral reefs.

They came across a touch pool which Mariana stuck her finger in and felt a little starfish. She tickled the middle of it until she saw a tiny red dot being reflected in the pool. Her eyes followed his path and it came from the corner of her necklace.

She wondered why it came from her necklace so she washed her hands and went to a corner. She opened up the pendant and all she could see was her family picture.

Still, she wondered where the red dot could be coming from.

She turned it all around until she could see that there was something else stuck. She tried to turn the picture over and when she did, what she saw something that she didn't expect.

There was another picture inside, but not of her family. Instead, she saw a younger version of her mom and Xavier. Her mom had pigtails and wore a pink dress and had a big toothy grin. On the other hand, Xavier was dressed in a blue shirt, black vest, and had one arm slung around Daisy.

The picture itself looked normal until Mariana noticed unusual in one of her mother's eyes. There was something peculiar about it that didn't sit right with her.

She tapped on the eyeball and felt something...

It felt like glass so she picked it up and it was a tiny heart-shaped object. She peered closely and her reflection stared back at her.

Then she realized that what she held in her hand was a camera...

Which can only mean that Xavier could see where they are...

Which meant that he was on her way... to get her.

Mariana suddenly coughed up some blood as her heart began to race. The realization that Xavier could be on her way made her very restless. She felt a chill run down her bones at the thought of him capturing her and doing unspeakable things to her body.

She felt that she had another enough and it was time to go home before something bad happens.

"Micah!" She rushed over to where he was standing, reading some information about the fish.

"Can we back to the hotel now?" She panted out.

"Why? Are you tired?"

"No, it's just... I really feel like we should be heading back now," She pleaded.

He looked around and then looked back at her flushed face. "Okay, we can go back now."

"Thank you," She let out a sigh of relief as they made their way back.

When they went back to their room, Mariana showed Micah what she had found. He didn't really know what it was so he grabbed a magnifying glass from the table and started looking at it.

"Do you think it's a tracker?" Mariana asked, her body slightly shaking as she bit down on her nails.

"Looks like it, I wonder how he managed to put a tracker in here."

Mariana also wondered how he managed to do that, unless...

When Xavier finally finished Daisy's necklace, he held it up in the sunlight.

"I think it's ready," He announced.

"Thank you so much, Xavier!" Daisy hugged him tightly and tried to collect the necklace but Xavier held it out of reach.

"I have the make some final adjustments first," He then got up and went to another room. Mariana followed him curiously while her parents while chatting away.

She watched him from the doorframe as he carefully inserted something.

"Uncle!" She called out in her tiny voice.

Xavier jumped and turned back to face Mariana. "Oh hello, Mariana."

"Whatcha doing?"

"Oh I'm just making sure the necklace is tightly fixed so it doesn't come loose," He stuttered as his eyes darted all around. His voice was shaky but Mariana just shrugged and went back to her parents.

As Mariana pondered over her memories, everything started to make sense.

Ever since her mom got the necklace, Xavier seemed to have been monitoring their whereabouts because every time they go somewhere, he'd always be there.

"Okay, so I'm going to get rid of this thing so we should be safe for now," Micah said.

"Okay," She replied, her mouth was quivering as she tried to maintain her smile. All this uncertainty about Xavier was making her very anxious.

Micah successfully destroyed the tracker and discarded it immediately. Meanwhile, Mariana was dismayed by the thought that Xavier could be making his way to Majorca at any minute and take her back. Her mind wasn't able to stay calm and began to heat up in fear.

A few minutes passed and Mariana's fearful thoughts soon turned into thoughts of hopelessness. She rested her head against her palm and looked forlornly towards the ground, releasing a melancholy sigh.

She felt like there was no point in running anymore. If she tried, Xavier would still be able to find her so what was the point?

Even if she tried to run, it would just be futile and unlikely to succeed.

Mariana, unknowingly, started to cry because of the horrifying fate that awaited her. She didn't feel like going on anymore.

Micah noticed her crying and ran to her side. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Xavier is going to find us and then he's going to kidnap me again," She choked out her words due to her throat tightening.

"You think Xavier is going to find us?"

"Yes..." She looked up at him with her scarlet painted eyes. Her hands were wrapped around her belly. Seeing her like that pained Micah. He hated seeing her so distressed because of Xavier.

"Mariana," He began, approaching her. "Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? Hopefully, Xavier hasn't even checked the tracker but if he has, I won't let him get to you."

"Do you promise?" She looked up at him and the look she gave him made his words get stuck in his throat. He really wanted to protect her but he didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep so he only nodded.

****

Before going to bed, Mariana and Micah decided to watch a movie. Mariana chose Finding Nemo but towards the ending of the movie she was fast asleep on top of her bed.

Micah was munching on some popcorn in the dark. He only turned to look at her when he started to hear snoring.

He got up and pulled a blanket over her sleeping peaceful body.

Don't worry Mariana, I'll keep you safe.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Q: Do you think Xavier knows where they are?