5 The Stranger

Aria had run, ran like her life depended on it after what she'd done.

Her feet once again led her to her secret place-the only place she had to herself.

She sat by the bank and buried her face in her raised knees and sobbed softly into them.

'Her and her big mouth.' 'Why did she have to say that?' 'Why did she have to question the laws?'

No one, no one had EVER done that.

They were the laws they lived by for hundreds of years. Who was she to question the laws?

She knew she was in trouble—deep trouble. Whatever happened, she would take it—she would accept whatever punishment they meted to her for what she'd done. She had questioned the laws not just to her Rabbi's face but in the presence of all the kids like herself present there.

She was in deep trouble.

After a while, her sobs subsided into little sniffs, before they finally died down.

She raised her head, wiped her face and stood.

She stretched a little and was about turning when she saw someone standing a few feet away from her.

Her eyes widened and she moved several feet away from the figure.

'It was him.'

Her hands shook slightly by her side. She man she had met the last time she'd been to the Nile-which was several weeks ago.

He was the reason she'd stirred clear of the Nile, of her secret place for so long.

In her anxiety and distressed state, the reason she'd avoided the Nile for so long hadn't even occurred to her—the stranger she had met.

She was facing him fully and so was he.

He was Egyptian—it was clear from his clothing. The setting sun shined brightly on his bronze skin and it glittered—or was it all in her head?

Like the last time she had seen him, he wasn't wearing any artificial hair, only a kilt wrapped around his waist with armlets on both his arms and a golden collar around his neck.

Aria looked closely but she couldn't make out his eyes.

He moved a few steps towards her slowly. She saw his eyes then—she had never met someone with such emotionless eyes.

But he stared at her.

She hid her trembling hands behind her-she didn't like the stranger thinking she was afraid of him.

"What do you want from me?" She questioned boldly.

He didn't reply for a long while and he merely stared at her with those eyes.

He blinked.

"You have nothing I want." His voice was as she remembered-deep and quiet.

Aria panicked a little at that point.

"Then why are you here?!" She all but yelled.

He quirked his head slightly to the side as if thinking.

Then he answered her.

"I don't know." Aria's heart hammered in her chest.

Now that she could see his face clearly, he looked no older than her and his eyes were dark brown—like most Egyptians.

"Are you lost?" She asked him again.

"No." He shook his head slightly.

"You're Egyptian, you shouldn't be here. I'll report you." She threatened.

His lips curled a little.

'Were her eyes playing tricks on her or did he just smile at her?'

It was barely there, in fact, it felt like she had imagined the whole thing because as soon as it came, it was gone.

Aria exhaled slowly. She was starting to think the stranger was delusional.

He moved closer to her till he was less than a foot away from her.

Aria's eyes widened, for some reason, she couldn't move-she was glued to the spot.

"You're an unusual one." He whispered staring into her chocolate coloured eyes. She took in a sharp breath.

"W-What do you m-mean?" Her voice shook a little. He remained silent and turned away from her to sit at the bank of the River.

As if entranced, she followed and sat beside him leaving a reasonable amount of space between them.

A moment passed between them without either of them speaking a word.

Aria felt suffocated and it was hard to breathe.

She chanced a look at him.

As much as she tried to figure him out, she just couldn't. Her mind kept drawing blanks at the questions that kept popping up in her head.

'Who was he?' 'Why did he keep coming there?'

Still facing him, she asked.

"What's your name?" She asked softly.

He seemed a little surprised to hear her voice as if he had forgotten she was even there.

He straightened and turned to face her.

He searched her face for what seemed like an eternity.

'Well, he wouldn't be impressed there.' She thought.

"My name..." He trailed a little. She nodded.

"I'm A-" He stopped short and his gaze drifted a little.

"My name's Ammon." He answered finally.

"What does that mean?" Aria asked. She found herself strangely gradually relaxing in his presence. Something flashed in his eyes as he stared at her.

"It means 'the hidden one'." She thought about it for a moment.

"What's your name?" He asked.

Something rang in her, like a kind of warning, as if she wasn't supposed to reveal such vital information.

The thought shook her in no little way.

"Uhm..." She trailed off.

"Uhm?" He repeated brows furrowing slightly.

"No, it's-"

She was silent for a while.

He waited patiently for her for a moment, but when she still didn't say anything, he spoke.

"It's fine if you don't want to."

"No, it's not that, it's just-" She trailed off again.

She sighed.

"It's Aria. My name's Aria." She stated.

"Aria." He tasted her name on his lips. His voice was soft and it made her stomach tie in knots and her toes curl.

His dark hair got into his eyes as the wind blew it carelessly—softly.

He was breathtaking.

Aria scolded herself at the thought that just crossed her mind—but she couldn't help it.

She was drawn to him, in an unearthly way. He was so attractive—it was otherworldly.

"Why do you come here?" She managed to ask him. The question must have caught him off guard because it took him a while to answer.

"I come here because I'm an outcast." He stated.

She waited for him to elaborate—but he didn't.

"Well, I come here to think." She said.

"And cry." He stated. She stared at him wide-eyed. It was true-it was the second time he had caught her crying.

She didn't give him a reply, she didn't need to.

"Crying doesn't solve anything." He said.

He had a faraway look in his eyes.

"That's not true. Crying helps me to release pent up frustrations."

"It's an outlet for me to let out emotions I can't express." She added.

Why she was even telling him all these was beyond her.

He gave her one of his rare smiles, it was gone as soon as it came through.

"What kind of emotions?" He questioned, his kohl painted eyes drilling into hers.

"Frustration, sadness, pain, anger..." She shrugged.

"So which is it?" He asked.

"Hmmn?" Her brows furrowed not getting his question.

"What tears were you shedding when I found you?" She sighed and looked down at her lap but she kept silent.

When she didn't answer, he looked away.

"I could tell. They were tears of—"

"Frustration." She finished for him.

He stared at her as if seeing a human for the first time. She turned and stared at him too.

For a moment, they just stared at one another, neither saying a word.

Something stirred within her.

For some reason, something told her she shouldn't get carried away, that she should be wary of those dark-rimmed eyes, that they could swallow her whole if she got too close.

"Who are you, Ammon?" She whispered, entranced.

He gazed into her eyes for a moment, a moment that almost seemed like an eternity, before finally speaking.

"Both our undoing."

...