He Was Her All

Chapter 4: Safe and Sound

As Mariana ran into the forbidden darkness, there was an alarm going off and red beams of light circled the premises. She heard as agents raced around and guns going off in pursuit of her.

Taking a deep breath, Mariana held the car tracker in her palms and crawled through the moist grass. She could barely see where she was going as it got closer to the dark hour, the hour where she would have been taken to Xavier.

Panting heavily, Mariana snaked through the grass while she followed the green dot on the tracker. All she needed to do was to get to Micah's car as quickly as possible without being caught.

Come on, Mariana, you can do this.

Once she stopped at a tree, she raised herself up and leaned against it. Her eye peeked around and she saw as agents walked around with scanners.

"Okay, I have to move slowly and quietly..." She whispered to herself.

She turned back around but soon froze.

A few meters away, was a figure whose crimson eyes bore straight into hers and he had a gun pointed in the direction of her heart. She gulped in fear as she saw a smirk appear on his lips and he started to get closer and closer...

Mariana shook in fear and grabbed the nearest thing in the ground, which happened to be a long stick. She held it in front of her like a shield and slowly backed away.

The figure suddenly pounced out of the bushes and began to chase Mariana. She screamed and started to run for her dear life.

However, those searching the perimeter heard her cries and started to chase after her. They began shooting at her feet as she dodged the bullets with grace.

Her hair blew behind her like a handkerchief as she ran as fast as her legs could take her. Her breathing became more hollow as she was gradually losing stamina and thus, jumped out of sight into a deep patch of grass.

She stayed low to the ground with the frightening beats of her heart as it was agitated by the rapid bangs of the gunshots.

"I think she went this way!" One of the men said.

Mariana listened as their rushing footsteps dissipated into thin air. She was still breathing heavily out of shock for what just happened.

Once no foot could be heard anymore, Mariana sighed out of relief and looked at the tracker. According to it, she was very close to Micah's car.

Mariana smiled and picked herself up. She walked as her breathing was returning back to normal.

When the tracker started to beep, Mariana looked ahead and she was standing in front of a black Volvo car. She looked at it in wonder and then pressed the unlock button.

The two doors for the front seats unlocked so She slid into the passenger seat, locked the car, and waited for Micah to come.

It was relatively warm and the seats felt very soft. She stretched out her legs and relaxed back into her seat.

A loud knock interrupted Mariana's rest as she gazed upon the window. Micah was staring at her with a smile as he opened the door.

"Hey you made it," He said.

"Yeah," Mariana smiled.

"Great, now we can get going."

"Where are we going by the way?"

"To my place, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay, off we go then."

The car's engine started up and they were off in a flash.

"How are you feeling?" Micah asked.

"Hmm, I don't know."

"Aw I understand but you are safe now, okay?"

"Okay!"

As Micah was driving off into the horizon, Mariana rested her elbow on the window and gazed up at the stars.

The night was young and fresh. The sliver, crescent moon lighted up the dark clouds as it passed them in the car. The twinkling stars had a glow like a firefly as they filled up the whole sky like a blanket.

"It's a very beautiful night," Micah commented.

"Yeah, it is..." Mariana said, still staring upwards.

Suddenly it started pouring rain.

The clouds splattered the rain across the window, making tiny tapping sounds against the glass. They were like crystals, refracting the light from the moon as they danced around in front of Mariana.

She always liked car drives when it rained. The way each individual raindrop slithered down like a race, the way they touched the ground and burst into a million pieces, the way the rainwater rushed down the sunken streets and into the drains.

It was truly amazing.

When the two eventually reached two massive metal gates with a curl pattern, Micah scanned something a card and it opened, allowing them in.

"Welcome to my home," Micah said.

He parked right in front of the house and they got out.

Mariana stepped out and took in her surroundings. There was a big fountain with two dolphins in the middle of a patch of grass, a long line of black and white limos that were parked a few meters from them, and a garden which had rows of various colored flowers.

"Wow, this is where you live?" Mariana said in amazement.

"Well this my parents' house, but yeah."

"It's so pretty..."

"Thanks."

Micah locker the car and took Mariana's hand into his as they slowly approached the mansion.

Mariana's eyes gazed up in shock at the beastly building that towered over her. It was a 3 story house that was brightly lit up inside, giving it a warm, evening look. It had huge windows encircling the premises and it gave off a very homely, cozy feeling.

"Come on in!" Micah said, opening the door.

They strolled in and were standing in the middle of the hallway.

Mariana was in awe of her new, unfamiliar surroundings. The floors were tiled with polished ivory porcelain and there was a matching rug under them with a navy, mosaic flower that had a pattern similar to a kaleidoscope.

Above their heads was a crystal chandelier. It had a little sapphire and sliver jewels hanging down from it.

"Wow, this place is beautiful..." Mariana slowly muttered.

"Thank you, would you like me to show you around?"

"Sure!"

"Okay," Micah then led Mariana around the house.

They first went into the living room. There were three-seater leather couches facing each other with a glass table in the middle. Sitting on top, was a vase with two scarlet roses and a remote for the plasma TV that was attached to the wall.

"This all looks so pretty..." Marian said in awe.

"Yeah, this is one of my favorite places to chill, plus you can go to the backyard from here and into the swimming pool."

"You have a pool?!"

"Yeah would you like to see it?"

"Yes please!"

"Okay, come on then."

Micah approached the double doors leading to the backyard and slid it open. Together, they walked outside and were faced with a swimming pool that stretched far out. The waters were tranquil and had a mix of teal and turquoise.

"It's so beautiful, are we allowed to go swimming in it?" Mariana asked.

"Yeah, just not right now because it's getting late."

"Oh yeah, that's true, but thanks for showing me around."

"Your welcome, you can see more tomorrow morning."

Mariana smiled warmly at him as they went back into the house. She followed Micah up freshly painted stairs and they halted in front of a door.

"This is one of the guest rooms, you can stay here if you want."

"Thank you, Micah," Mariana said with a heart full of gratitude.

He smiled and opened the door to a huge, master bedroom. It had lilac curtains with a double bed and the walls were a lovely cream.

"Oh, Micah this is too much! I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, it's my pleasure."

"Thank you so much!" She threw her arms around him, enveloping him into a tight hug.

"It's no problem," He said, gently caressing her hair.

When they pulled apart, Mariana had tears forming in her eyes. After everything she has been through, this man was being so kind to her.

"I'll go get you something to change into," Micah said.

"Okay!"

Micah disappeared into one of the rooms. Meanwhile, Mariana made her way towards the light purple bed and plopped herself down on it. It was very soft but firm.

The room was nicely decorated in her opinion. There was a fragrance of lavender and apples in the air that filled her lungs as she waited for Micah.

"I'm so glad he's not like the others," She whispered to herself.

Micah suddenly returned with some pink pajamas slung around his arm.

"These are my sister's old pajamas, she's around your height so I think they will fit you," He said as he walked towards her.

"Are they clean?"

"Yeah, they got washed just two days ago."

"Would your sister mind?"

"No, she doesn't wear these that often so it's fine."

"Well...okay."

Micah smiled and handed her the clothes. "There's an en-suite bathroom just there so you can get changed."

"Oh okay, thanks."

"No problem."

Mariana got the pajamas and then walked over towards the bathroom, but before going in I turned to face Micah.

"Micah."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything."

"Your welcome."

"I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem."

"Would your parents mind?"

"Well, usually they would, but if I tell you the reason you're here, they wouldn't mind at all."

"Oh okay."

"If you need me, my room is directly down the hall, near the stairs."

"Okay thank you!"

Before she could go in, Micah ran up to her and said goodnight. While he was doing that, he quickly clasped something in her hand and left.

Mariana stood there in confusion as she fiddled with the metal chains that tangled around her fingers.

She thought to herself that she would look at it tomorrow morning because she just wanted to go to sleep right now.

Mariana settled the chain on the vanity table that had a vanilla flower and entered into the bathroom. She had a stress-relieving shower as the water ran down her shaven skin. She used the mango shower gel provided and it gave off a very fruity aroma.

When she was done, she dried herself off with an aqua towel that she found hidden in the cabinets and she changed into the pajamas.

For the first time in forever, Mariana had a warm fuzzy feeling through her veins. She felt clean and fresh and above all, she was far away from her uncle as possible.

Mariana giggled in delight as she tucked herself into bed.

She could finally have a goodnight's rest without worrying about what Xavier will do to her.

And above all, She was really glad she made a new friend like Micah and he wasn't like the others.