Page 23 of Saving Micah

Micah loves music and it helps keep her calm in the dark. For two years, she has gone to sleep to music playing in some sort of way.

Shinedown comes through my phone and I slip it into my back pocket. The first words to the song start …“Just like the crow chasing the butterfly / Dandelions lost in the summer sky / Cause when you and I were getting’ high as outer space / I never thought you would slip away”

“Mi, may I dance with you?”

She sighs before squeezing my hand. “I’d love that.”

I stop walking and slowly pull her into my arms.

It’s like approaching a wild animal when handling Micah. You don’t want to spook her. You have to be gentle and mindful to protect her.

She melts into me like she’s made to be here.

As we dance in the sand, listening to the waves roll onto the shore, I put my nose to her hair.

“I love you Micah. I’ll always love you. You’re safe.” I tell her the words but I hope she can feel that they are real. I hope that my soul tells her what words can’t.

“I feel safe with you Zant. Only you.” She whispers to me.

I sing to her as the music continues to play and we sway along with the south spring wind. I add this moment to my memory. These are the things that carry me. These are the moments that keep me from losing my mind. These are the moments that will keep my heart from losing her.

Chapter 11

Micah

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter

Dancing through the fire

{‘Roar’ -Katie Perry}

I smell him. I smell the salt in the ocean. Mysoul is connected to his right now and there is nowhere that I would rather be.

As the song comes to an end, he slowly lets me go and runs his hand down my arm to connect our hands. We lace our fingers together and begin to walk.

There is right at two months left of school. Then it’s off to college for all of us. We’ve all made plans to attend the community college that is almost two hours away.

I’ve been worried lately about how I am going to handle it. Kelly and Macy have talked to me several times about how things will be fine and I will be completely safe as long as they are around.

For the first semester, we are staying in the dorms. Kelly and I are sharing a room. Macy is getting a roommate but, we are all in the same suite. We’ve toured the college and know that there are three rooms per suite with two beds in each room. I’m curious to know who the other three girls will be and I keep praying that they are decent.

Zant and I find the others down the beach a little ways and join them. “What are we all doing?” I ask.

“We were waiting on you love birds.” Chance says with a smirk. My face takes on a deep shade of red I’m sure. Chance laughs at me.

“Well here we are. Now what? What time is it?” Zant says like it’s no big deal and checks his watch. “It’s almost 9. Are y’all ready to head back to the hotel?”

He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. “Don’t let him make you blush. That’s all for me.” He says where only I can hear and I feel my face turn a deeper red. I feel him chuckle as he keeps his face in my hair.

Everybody gathers the stuff and we make our way back to the van.

The next morning, I wake to a knock on the door. Macy gets up and swings the door open so the guys can enter our room.

“Ugh. We were supposed to sleep late. What time is in anyway?” Kelly says with her face hovering over her pillow and her eyes closed.

Chance jumps on her bed and she screams as she bounces. Levi takes the chair that goes to the desk and Zant comes around the bed and lies down beside me. Now I’m in the middle of him and Macy.

I look over to him and his eyes are a bright green this morning. “Hey.”

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