CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Verifying that Lucas wasn’t at the only place where she knew she could find him, Marina decided to return home. The few sun rays that dared to escape through the persistent clouds had long disappeared, and the night announced its arrival soon.
With steps a little more consistent, the girl went to the old bridge, crossed it and tried to run home. Her legs, however, didn’t respond well to her commands, for she seemed like a disjointed doll moving in an awkward way. She failed the entrance lock four times until, at the fifth attempt, she succeeded. Marina rushed into the room, threw herself onto the bed, and wept more than a mourner, given the helplessness she felt. Tiredness eventually won, and moments later, she fell asleep. In the short time she slept, she didn’t get any real rest. She dreamed about what had just happened and the consequences of the choice she had to make. She spent the whole time curled up in the duvet and felt even more tired than when she had lain down.
The strident noise of the home phone woke her up violently, making her jump in bed. Sleepy, she stood up and staggered hurriedly into the living room. Marina picked up the telephone and tried to talk, but only a hoarse voice came out. Across the line came a quite worried voice, “Hello, Marina? Is everything okay?”
What to answer? ‘No, mom, it’s not OK. There's a demon harassing me and he keeps insisting on hurting everyone around me. Oh, and he wants to kill me. Help me. I can’t stand it any longer?’ It didn’t sound like an option. She couldn’t tell her that Barbatos had grabbed her by her neck, so she came up with a simpler explanation - an ordinary sore throat.
“I'm fine, but I woke up from a nap with a sore throat and I can barely utter a word.”
“Don’t talk any more then. When you hang up the phone, go to the bathroom cabinet and take some pills for sore throats. Listen, I'm just calling to say that Sofia is better and she comes out tomorrow at the visit time. Since your father and… Paula are working, I'll get her from the hospital and take her home. After they arrive, I’ll come back to Alcácer. I’ll arrive late evening. Be good, okay? Get well soon!”
Marina did what her mom suggested and went to the bathroom to fetch the pills. The pain that she suffered from hadn’t a pathological cause, but maybe the pills could help her to recover and mitigate the suffering. Before leaving the bathroom, Marina looked at herself in the mirror and was stunned: around her neck, purplish marks were starting to form, outlining clearly the fingers of Barbatos. If she showed up at school like that, questions would be asked - that would not be good. She had to think of a way to hide the marks.
The severe growling of her stomach made her remember that dinner time had passed long ago, although she hadn’t noticed it since she was asleep. She returned to the kitchen and heated a glass of milk. She also intended to make some toast, however, when she had the first sip of the warm liquid, the pain in her throat intensified so much that she quickly dropped the idea. She couldn’t even drink, let alone chewing and swallowing something solid. Still, she couldn’t afford to become weaker - that would be handing points to Barbatos. She poured milk in a bowl and started to break small pieces of cookies inside, which turned into a kind of soft porridge. She believed that she could swallow it if she took extra care.
The meal took almost an hour. Marina hoped to be much better the next day or she would have serious problems at lunchtime in school. After eating, she headed to her chambers, put on her pajamas, arranged the sports bag for the following day and chose the clothes that she would wear. As she was opening a dresser drawer, there was light in her mind: she would wear a scarf to hide her purple neck. The main problem was related to Physical Education, because the teacher wouldn’t allow her to do the exercises with a scarf: Turtle-neck sweaters were also forbidden. She remembered then of an old coat off a training-suit; she could rip the zip up, hiding the marks. Hopeful, she went to the closet, grabbed the coat and slipped it into the sports bag.
Marina let out a sigh. Never before had she given so much value to her miserable existence; now, she just wanted to return to anonymity, so that no one noticed her. She wanted to feel like a normal person for a while, so she went to bed and turned on the TV. It was on an episode of a series that she liked, so she decided to watch it. One hour later, she fell into a deep sleep that allowed her to rest as if she hadn't for years.
The relentless alarm clock made her wake up distressed in the morning. She hastened to turn it off and turned to the other side for two minutes more. At last she snorted, threw back the sheet and the blanket and got up. She got dressed and spent a good bit of time at the mirror fixing the scarf to hide the marks on her neck, which had accentuated during the night.
Someone knocked at the door; she assumed it was Joshua. They hadn’t settled anything, but going to school together was a routine that both had eventually adopted and no prior confirmation was needed. Marina went to the bedroom to fetch her stuff, and opened the exit door. The cold air that invaded the house made her suspect that no one would criticize her for wearing a scarf that day - it was freezing cold. She dropped her things by the door, even before greeting Joshua, and ran to her closet to get a warmer coat. It seemed that Autumn was trying to transform into Winter. While dressing the new coat, she returned to the entrance. She was preparing to snag the backpack, when Joshua gave her a red rose. Tired of the repetitive loop the beginning of the day, she returned to the room to put the flower next to the others. Lucas had left her another rose… she felt bad about it. How could he continue to offer her flowers when she was about to condemn him? It was best not to think about it, under the penalty of going into a severe depression. She went out at last, and greeted Joshua with a visible effort.
The boy found her voice very weird and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you okay? Your voice is sounding a bit... strange.”
It was a nice way of putting things, rather than simply saying that she seemed to have a frog in her throat. At cost, she explained, “I have a sore throat and I'm practically voiceless.” And shrugged her shoulders, as if saying that’s how life was. That kind of gesture, that required moving her neck, caused her enough suffering. Still, she’d had to do it to prevent anyone from become suspicious about what the scarf covered up.
They began walking to school. Along the way, Joshua told her that he had received visitors from America - his uncles and a cousin of his age – and they would stay with him all the week. He had spent the entire weekend playing PlayStation with his cousin and had shown him the sights. At night, they had gone to a bar and his cousin had found some girls who seemed very interested in knowing him better. Marina didn’t know his cousin, nonetheless she knew that Joshua was gorgeous. It was possible that the interest fell upon him and not his relative as he thought, which made her laugh. As punishment, she got a monumental pain in her throat.
Almost at the school entrance, Dennis joined them. The three of them entered the lobby and found Ana sitting in one of the first benches. Dennis ran to her and, while they greeted with a loud and non-discreet kiss, Marina and Joshua deliberately slowed their pace to stay out of the scene.
After the kissing, Ana paid a little more attention to Marina. She got up from the bench and went to her, handing her the phone. “Good-morning, cute one,” she welcomed. “Here's your phone. Will you confess that you missed it this weekend?”
Marina nodded her head while raising her eyebrows in confirmation.
Ana thought it strange that she didn’t answer, but went on. “What about your sister, how is she doing?”
“Oh, I forgot to ask you that,” said Joshua while hitting a hand on his forehead. “Damn… I’m sorry. Seriously, I swear I didn’t mean to…”
Marina gulped with great effort. She wanted to talk as little as possible, but she knew that it was hard to avoid speaking.
She pulled Ana closer to her, in order not to have to raise her voice, and whispered, “Sofia is doing better. She gets out of the hospital today and has to wear a neck brace for a while.”
“Hap
pily, it’s not anything more serious. She was very lucky. Falling and hitting your head on the ground is concerning. You never know what can result from that,” commented Ana.
Marina agreed that Sofia had been very lucky. The true hazard was in whom had caused the accident. Maybe from that day on Sofia would be safe, just like the rest of her family. At least, Marina would do what she could, even if she had to pay a mountain-high price.
After making a sign that she was going to the locker, Marina left her friends. She opened the locker’s door, made the desired changes, and turned her mobile phone on. She took a deep breath and wrote a message saying, ‘Meet me at the usual place at lunch time, please’. She sent it to Lucas. She closed her eyes tightly and leaned her head against the locker for two seconds. I must do this, she thought, trying to convince herself that she was acting in the most correct way.
The ringing of the bell called her back to the present and to a new terror - Philosophy class. She hastened to go to her friends and they ran to the classroom, arriving there at the precise moment that the teacher was opening the door. Before crossing the door frame, Joshua put a hand on Marina’s back and whispered in her ear "Courage!" She was going to need it, since things didn’t go well in the last class. Knowing Manelito’s fame, she could wait for his revenge.
During the entire lesson, Marina paid close attention to what was said, trying to understand the link between the contents she had lost and those from that lesson. To her joy, things didn’t sound complicated. To her astonishment, the teacher didn’t speak to her the whole class, except when it ended. When students began to leave, the professor asked her to stay. Marina swallowed painfully. A huge lecture was on its way and all she could do was to raise her imaginary shield to protect herself from the verbal bullets.
When they were alone, the professor put his hands on the table and interlaced his fingers, making them click. He cleared his throat and said in a tone of reprisal, “You will never again disrespect me as you did in the last lesson, my lady. Am I clear?”
“I apologize. I admit that I was insolent to you, sir. I promise I will not repeat it.”
Surprisingly, the teacher said nothing else. He stood up, placed the folder under his arm and left. Marina became suspicious and grimaced. Just that? It couldn’t be that simple. He must be saving something big for later, like a major negative in the test, for example. It was better to be ready for anything. She left the room as well and walked down into the lobby, where she found her friends.
“And you, Marina? Are you coming with us?” questioned Dennis when she got near them.
“Huh, where?”
Dennis explained that they and his cousin were going to have lunch at ‘Kira Café’. He repeated then the question, underlining every word, to prevent them from getting lost between the emissary and the receiver. “Do you want to have lunch with us?”
“Thanks, but not today,” answered Marina, kind of ashamed. “I already bought a ticket for the canteen and my mother would kill me if she knew that, with the ticket bought, I had slipped away to eat out. I appreciate the invitation, but I'll stick around here.”
Actually, she had no ticket for that day and, most likely, would eat something later in the bar. The most important thing was that she had plans for lunch time. Explosive ones! Before they started complaining that she never went out to eat with them, Marina broke in and said that she hadn’t yet bought the ticket for the next day and, if they wanted, she wouldn’t acquire it and would have lunch with them. Her friends rejected the idea early on, insisting on the urge of her going with them that day. The friends rejected the idea, insisting on her to join them that day. Given her intransigence, they finally dropped it.
After the bell, they walked to the classroom. They got in and Joshua sat in the desk behind Marina’s. The girl stared in a disguised way at the empty seat beside him - Lucas was missing again. After hearing what she had to say later, maybe he would never return.
The French lesson passed very quickly, perhaps because it was very busy due to the revisions for the test. As soon as the bell rang, students rushed out of the room before the teacher could pass them more exercises to solve. As there was still half an hour for the canteen to open, the three friends decided to sit in the lobby. Marina took that moment to copy her friend’s notes, while they talked about the family that was visiting Joshua. Ana seemed excited to meet his cousin, but Joshua was hesitant.
“What’s all that reluctance about, Gorgeous? Are you afraid that I might exchange your brother for your cousin?” quizzed Ana, teasingly.
If they were talking about the old Ana, Joshua’s fears would have a ground base. However, Marina had to admit that it was the first time that her friend appeared to be really committed to making a relationship work. The problem was that passions didn’t last long with Ana and the enchantment would eventually fade away. She hoped that this time it would last longer.
At the bell at 12.20, Dennis ended his classes. When he got near them, his girlfriend and brother got up from the table and said goodbye to Marina.
“We shouldn’t take long, sweetie,” said Ana.
“Linger as long as you need. I'll be right here when you return.”
“OK. So we meet here, in the lobby?”
“Yes, that's fine with me. Put on your coats. It’s unimaginably cold out there.”
Her friends waved in way of agreement. In fact, the day was too cold to spend much time on the street. Marina was glad that she had her scarf and that she had changed her coat before going to school.
The three departed then, leaving her alone. Marina remained sat for a few more minutes, until she could not postpone any longer what she had to do. She stood up reluctantly. There was still a hypothesis that she hadn’t considered: Lucas might not appear and everything would precipitate - it would be the unequivocal condemnation of her family. She took the phone from her pocket to check if it had any call or texts, but there was nothing. Would he have received her text? With doubt weighting on her spirit, she began to march.
Like the last time she had taken that way, the path to the back of the canteen proved to be turbulent and hard to bear. She wanted so much to control her life! She wanted to be Superwoman, with the most fantastic and phenomenal powers of the universe, to kick Barbatos’ ass and send him to the fifth dimension, so that he could never mess with her again. She wished Lucas would forgive her and that they would stay together. She wished… that everything was different.
She lowered her eyelids for a few seconds before taking the final steps to where she should find Lucas, convincing herself once again that she was doing the best for everyone. If it was really the best for everyone, why did she feel so bad? Believing that she couldn’t gather any more courage than the little she had, she breathed out deeply and walked the final paces. To her surprise, Lucas wasn’t at the back of the canteen. A spark of desperation mixed with concern stamped up in her eyes. Flustered, she took the phone from her pocket and pressed the speed dial. The answer came back in a recorded voice, ‘The number you have just dialed is not connected’. It was off. Maybe he didn’t even receive her message. She tried to call him again, as she felt panic beginning to grow inside her. What if she couldn’t talk to him? She assessed all the options left swiftly. What if she called Barbatos and asked him to extend the deadline for a day or two? He would not do it for sure; he had an inordinate enjoyment to play with her, since he was evil.
Tormented, she slipped down to the ground. What would she do? She could go to the skate park, but she had already been there the day before and he wasn’t there. Would he have gone to another dimension to get away from her? It was a possibility and she couldn’t blame him when she was the one who asked him to stay away from her. A voice deep inside assured her he wasn’t gone: he had left her a rose on her doorstep that morning. And he could still show up - she had to keep hope.
After almost three hours waiting, there was still no sign of Lucas. About to go on a rampage, Marina grabb
ed her phone for the umpteenth time and tried to call him, receiving the very same answer as before. Without vigor, she sat on the edge of the sandbox where the students practiced the long jump in the old days. Maybe it was her who was without reception. Although she was somehow relieved for not having had yet such a conversation with Lucas, the heaviness of the effects weighed too much and her conscience squirmed with grief. She crossed her legs and began to rock back and forth, giving reins to the nervousness.
She picked up her phone again; this time, the call was addressed to another person.
“Hello?”
“Hi, mom, it’s me. How are things there?”
“Everything’s fine,” replied her mother. “In a while, I’m going to the hospital to get your sister. Is your throat is any better? It seems that it’s still hard for you to speak.”
“Yes, I'm a little better,” Marina lied.
“Do you want anything?” asked her mother, as she considered her call a little weird.
After sighing in silence, the girl said, “No. Just tell Sofia I wish her to get better soon. And watch out when you do the trip back here.”
“I’ll pass her the message. And don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I don’t know what time I’ll arrive, so don’t wait up for me.”
“Okay, mom. Bye. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie. Bye.”
Marina feared what could happen to her mother on the trip back to Alcácer. She hoped that she would return before midnight. Barbatos said that he would wait until the end of the day, so she wouldn’t martyr herself before that. She tried to imagine what would happen if something terrible occurred to her mother. Probably she would have to leave school, the city and her few friends, and go live with her father. What then? Barbatos would pursue her dad and Sofia next? Paula would be the last to be plagued, since she represented her ultimate support. No, she couldn’t think like that; nothing would happen to her mother - she wouldn’t allow it. The key was on the one who stubbornly refused to appear. Where could Lucas be? Hope began to fade as a sand castle crushed by the wind, and she.
In an outburst, Marina got up and shouted as loud as her sore throat allowed her, “Lucas!”
She didn’t care that someone would hear her, as long as the targeted person would understand that she needed him. She waited two minutes and repeated her cry, which came out weaker this time. She was ruining her vocal chords, but it was a small price to pay. She remained in the same place in silence, waiting for an answer, but nothing: no voices, no steps, no air agitating - only emptiness. Defeated, she dropped to her knees in the sandbox, while biting her lip to hold back tears. It was her fault. She had sent him away and now he didn’t respond to her plea. Reason was on his side; however, she couldn’t condemn her family to the torments of a crazy demon. She felt so lost.
“I could really use a lighthouse to get me out of this darkness...” she murmured.
“Good luck with that. I once believed that I had found my light in the middle of the shadows, but she abandoned me and I lost myself again,” said a familiar voice, scaring her.
Lucas sat on the edge of the box, buried his bare feet in the sand and supported his elbows on his knees as he stared at the emptiness. Marina studied him: he was downcast and he was wearing only a pair of jeans. Seeing him shirtless made her shudder, not only because it was freezing cold, but also because that semi-naked body seemed to play with her, as if rubbing in her face what she had lost when she ordered him to stay away from her. Her first impulse was to take off her coat and go to him quickly, to put it around his shoulders. She crouched in front of him then to straighten the coat, so it would cover as much skin as possible. However, and since Lucas had his elbows on his knees, part of his chest was still quite exposed. Unaware of her own actions, Marina took her scarf and put it around his neck, letting its tips hang over his chest.
She stayed crouched, until Lucas finally dared to raise his eyes from the ground, meeting hers. He was there as requested. She had so many things that she wanted to tell him, but where should she start? As she was trying to make up her mind, she took her fingers to the tips of the scarf and pressed them against his chest to warm him up.
Recovering what he had said before, she whispered, “I know what you believed in. I believed in something similar, until the carpet was pulled from under my feet. Only God knows how much I’d like to get it back.”
“Why should you, when you had just what you asked for and you didn’t even measure your words to achieve it?” Lucas growled with bitterness.
It was true, she couldn’t refute it. Lucas was the light in her monotonous life, her first and only love, and she had told him that he had broken her heart and killed her. She remembered his rammed and hurt expression when she fired out those words; at that instant, she had broken his heart too. What had she done? She had promised him love, light and salvation, and then withdrew it all. And what was she doing now? She was preparing to take everything else away from him. She couldn’t do that.
Lucas turned to rest his view on the granulated ground, avoiding confronting Marina, who fought back tears. She didn’t want to be a crying-baby, she wanted to be strong, even because being there with Lucas had made her realize that she had only one way out - her decision was made. Allowing a certain peace to settle on her spirit, she took the place beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. Lucas didn’t complain or move, so she stayed that way for a while.
A few minutes later, Marina hugged him and whispered to him, “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I was a fool, I know. Don’t worry, I'll solve everything. If I’m successful, I’ll join you soon.”
The enigma contained in the last sentence made Lucas turn to her and stare at her with an expression of distrust.
Marina made a move to take her jacket from his shoulders, since she was getting pretty cold, nonetheless she gave up her intent. “Keep it. I won’t need it where I’m going.” That said, she smiled to Lucas and began marching back to the most recent school facilities. She knew what she had to do and would do it: it was the only way to be able to live (or die) with a clean conscience.
The air swung around her suddenly; Lucas had moved like Barbatos did and he was now barring her way. With a serious look, he demanded her to explain, “What do you mean by that?”
Marina shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, saying it was nothing special. The gesture, however, caught her with a sharp twinge in the neck; she couldn’t help letting out a moan. In an innocent act, she put a hand to her throat in an attempt to assuage the pain. Lucas followed her movement and watched for the first time the marks involving her slender neck. He assumed an expression of concern right away.
Holding her with firmness by her shoulders, he questioned, “What’s going on? Don’t lie to me.”
Marina didn’t want to lie. She wanted to tell him everything and ask for his help, but she felt that she hadn’t such right. He had given her much, she had taken him everything and she still thought of crucifying him for the sake of her family. She would be the one to put an end to that, not him.
Seeing that she didn’t answer, Lucas assumed a different stance. He made his fingers slide gently by her sore neck, as she tried to hide a grin of pain. He hadn't even noticed that her voice didn’t sound normal, so blind he was by his anger and sadness. He took off her coat and put it on her, doing the same with the scarf.
“No,” protested Marina. You have no coat, you’ll freeze to death.”
Soon she rolled her eyes in their sockets against the evidence. ‘You’ll freeze to death?’ Would there be a dumber thing to say? He was already dead, cold could not be blamed for that. Or was it to be blamed? She never asked him what had happened, nor had given him an opportunity to explain himself.
Lucas, however, didn’t laugh at the phrase. He shook his head and muttered, “I was forged in the fires of Hell. The cold is a relief to me, don’t worry.”
How could she not worry about him if she loved him? And there was s
o much at stake! Marina retreated two steps to regain her path, but he turned to bar her passage. This time, Lucas resorted to weapons that he knew she would have difficulty to resist. He closed the gap between them and began kissing her neck. The coldness of his lips felt good; it eased the pain, although it made her burn inside. I can’t waver, she repeated to herself. He couldn’t know what was happening.
“Please, stop,” she pleaded.
Lucas turned a deaf ear to her request and continued engaging in his task, to her despair. She tried to fight it with all her strength until, unable to dominate herself, she ended up breaking into sobs. She dropped her knees on the pavement and Lucas imitated her so that she would not be left without support. She threw her arms around him and held him close to her with all her energy. Lucas corresponded and embraced her equally with vigor. It was as if they wanted to mold into one. They were one: the feelings of one were the other’s.
Pressing his lips to her ear, he demanded in a whisper, “Tell me everything.”
Marina wanted to keep everything to herself, to spare him, nonetheless he was capable of tearing down any barriers she put up. Without breaking the hug, she propped her lips to his ear and mumbled, “Barbatos hurt my sister and he said that he’ll pursue my family, unless I do what he asked…” She wasn’t able to continue. She shut up and held him harder.
Lucas waited patiently, until he gently pushed her away and helped her to get up. He wiped her tears with the back of his hand, and asked in a voice as calm as the waters of a lake, “Tell me what Barbatos wants you to do.”
Marina shook her head with vehemence and diverted her eyes from him. Lucas didn’t give her much leeway: he held her wrists to keep her in the same place, and he grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. Gosh, I can’t do this, she thought, desperate. It hurt her to say what she had to say, even more staring at him directly. In an act of desperation, she tried to free herself, but Lucas was stronger.
“Tell me everything once and for all,” he ordered.
“I can’t! Don’t you get it, Lucas? I cannot do what he asks me. I didn’t lie when I said you deserved to be saved.”
Lucas gave her a slight shove for her to control herself. Then she pulled her so close that their lips were almost touching.
Marina clenched her fists and confessed, “Barbatos wants me to tell you to rejoin his legion. In return, he promises not to hurt you, because he says you'll be useful. If by the end of the day you don’t return, he will hurt my family, starting by my mother. My sister leaves the hospital today, in Lisbon, and my mother will make the journey back here by car at night, alone...”
Marina swallowed the rest of the words, while Lucas gradually loosened his grip of her. She didn’t want to imagine what Barbatos could do that night - the possibilities were endless and too terrifying. She dared to face Lucas, who had an expression as hard as stone. Would he think that she would ask him that? She was not asking him to.
She hastened to draw near to him and hold his hands, while saying, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to go back to the legion.” As he didn’t pay her much attention, the girl demanded firmly, “Look at me, Lucas!” Lucas unglued his sight from the floor and glanced at her as she requested. Marina passed her fingers with affection over his face, transmitting security and confidence. “I'll fix everything soon. Just promise me you'll look after my family.”
Lucas furrowed his eyebrows, suspicion robbing him again. What did she mean by that? What could she do to fix things? Nothing. Barbatos was too powerful. Unless... His eyes widened in shock. No, she would not go that far. Gasping, he yelled at her, “What are you going to do, Marina? What are you going to do?!”
His eyes begged her to tell him her plan, but Marina feared that if she told him, he would try to stop her. She was determined to do it and there was nothing else to ponder. In an attempt to shut him up, she shortened the distance separating them, took her lips to his and kissed him with urgency. Lucas tried to resist, nonetheless he couldn’t deny his feelings and he ended up letting go. It was as if their mouths hadn’t been away for days, nor ever had stopped kissing. It was a feeling like being at home, in their little corner of happiness. Taking into account what she intended to do, Marina felt that she deserved it.
When their lips parted, Lucas didn’t need her to tell him anymore, he had been able to read her soul. He held her in his arms and rejected her idea, “No, Marina. I'm not gonna let you do that.”
“It's the only way,” she guaranteed. “Even if you turn in, nothing assures you that he will stop harassing me or my family. If I die, there’s no point for him to mess with my parents and my sister or to chase you. He himself assured me that his only interest is to see me suffer, till I beg him to kill me. I'm not going to give him that pleasure. I’m going to die when I want and on my own terms.”
Lucas locked her harder and Marina realized that he was crying too. They remained embraced in silence. Occasionally, he gave her little kisses on her forehead as if protecting and comforting her simultaneously. When he pulled away a little, Marina's eyes fell by instinct on the scars that covered his chest. She ran her flickering fingers by them as she pressed her lips to avoid crying. He had already suffered so much! She had to save him.
The distant noise of the bell, announcing the end of classes, made them hit the reality. Lucas gave her a soft kiss on her cheek and began moving back, as he said through a smile, “You saved me long ago. Please, be happy. You deserve it. I'll give you the greatest love proof that I can give you.”
Understanding what was going on, Marina ran towards him, but Lucas dissipated through a black mist before she could reach him. Marina wanted to scream, to beg him not to go and to stay there with her, but it was too late: he had disappeared and would sacrifice himself for her. She staggered to the nearest wall and leaned there, while her back arched in a hard sob.
The relentless bell for entrance was heard, calling her to the next class. Marina wanted to move, but she couldn’t. She had just recovered an important part of her life, to lose it forever. Despite everything she had done and told him, he was willing to suffer the biggest of the torments for her. A voice inside her that resembled Lucas’ shouted "move!" and she obeyed. She started by taking undecided steps, that quickly became the race of her life. She arrived at her locker, got the material from inside it, and ran to the bathroom to wash her face. She turned to sprint toward the classroom and got there right on the late bell. The teacher allowed her to enter and Marina hastened to throw herself into the seat next to Ana, who looked at her with a puzzled air. Marina adjusted the scarf on her neck and opened the notebook at the right page. She felt her heart literally pounding in her throat. She wanted to prevent Lucas from turning himself in, but she didn’t know how. He had vanished; he could already have gone to Barbatos. She had lost him... She had lost him!