Page 12 of I Married Kayog
I glanced at the card and swallowed back the urge to tell him to keep it. Not wanting to give him another excuse to shackle me here any further, I simply took it.
“You truly are a fascinating candidate, Kayog Voln,” Colin said pensively.
“I’m not a candidate,” I said sternly.
“The UPO and the Enforcers can open the kind of doors for you that no one else can,” he said in a strange tone that was both commanding and meant to be coaxing. “Call me whenever you want to know more about any possibilities for you within our ranks.”
“Sure,” I said absentmindedly before all but running out.
My stomach roiled with the nauseous feeling that preceded a monster headache. The horrible pressure behind my eyes nearly made me want to claw them right out of my head. I all but burst out of the back door and took flight.
Through the windows that had resumed their normal opacity, I could see the crowd happily mingling within. My chest constricted with envy at the thought of all these people, be they friends, lovers, acquaintances, and even random strangers whogot to hang out in a common space, have fun, and simply enjoy their mutual company without a care in the world.
I both loved and hated my loneliness.
I actually liked people a lot. Given the choice, I would be the heart of the party. Sadly, I dreaded their emotions and how they wrecked me.
Why the fuck am I such a broken Temern?
Flapping my wings as hard as I could, I soared high into the sky and away from the populated areas towards the water. The farther I got from people, the more the brain-melting pressure torturing me decreased. The most painful part was losing the mesmerizing song of my beautiful dove. But the rest of the noise was too much for me to handle.
Memories of the breathtaking female filled my mind, dampening the enduring discomfort clawing at my brain. Watching me perform had aroused her. Every wave of her delectable emotions had set my blood ablaze, making me dance in an even sexier fashion. Her desire had fanned my own. A part of me felt embarrassed by the way I behaved on stage. I always made it a point to entertain without using sex or sending out the wrong signals to the fans, especially those who might be drawn to me in a romantic fashion.
But my dove changed everything.
I had wanted her to ache for me as much as I ached for her. A sadistic side of me I never realized lurked deep within actually took great pleasure in the fact that she couldn’t decide if she liked or distrusted me. My competitive side enjoyed the prospect of breaking down her walls and making her fall madly in love with me. However, this was a challenge I shouldn’t… couldn’t take on.
She was my soulmate, an impossible dream I never thought could come true. But I meant every word of this song I wrote for her. I was crazy.
She could be my peace…
Unfortunately, as proven tonight, even my dove wouldn’t be enough. The foul noises from the crowd almost buried her. As I completed the flight back home, the dark shadow that always seemed to hover above me swallowed me whole, casting me into a deep well of despair. I couldn’t live on campus. In fact, I couldn’t live anywhere that was remotely populated. Even the forest presented its own set of challenges.
As I landed on the small island far in the river running past the campus, I silently thanked the powers that be for its existence. It had required a lot of sweet talking and convincing to get the mayor to allow me to settle here, isolated from everyone. My cabin, custom made for my needs, had been a blessing. I rushed inside, closing the door. The noise immediately diminished by half.
Wings spread wide, I leaned against the door, the back of my head resting on the special padding designed to block most forms of communication signals, from radio frequencies to psychic waves. A shuddering breath escaped me. I couldn’t tell if relief, sorrow, or a mix of both prompted it.
I slipped down the length of the door and sat on the floor. My legs folded against my chest, I wrapped my arms around them and rested my forehead on my knees. A dull ache stabbed my heart as the beautiful face of my dove danced before my mind’s eye. As I waited for the debilitating pain in my head to fade, I hummed to myself the enchanting song of her soul.
I could dream safely of her, here in my home, my sanctuary… my prison.
Chapter 4
Kayog
Over the following two days, I attended class remotely. Of late, my ability to tolerate the presence of others noticeably decreased. Where I once could attend a couple of classes in a row before I needed to isolate myself, now I could barely handle a single one. The swelling in my brain also took longer to go back down. Thankfully, although the university didn’t know the full extent of my condition, they had given me leave to attend from home. My assiduity and excellent grades played a significant part in that special permission.
This morning, needing to resume my training for the upcoming canoe competition—not to mention my burning urge for physical activity—I flew back to the campus very early before the masses started stomping about. My stomach fluttered at the prospect that I might run into her. I both hoped and dreaded seeing her. My head told me that I should stay away, but my heart strongly disagreed.
I went to the hangar to retrieve my canoe. It was a sleek, single paddle vessel that I portaged to the river runningalongside the university. On each side of the water, they’d built multiple rows of bleachers along the shore for the public to attend the various competitions that took place here. Although I specialized in the short 200-meter races, I actually excelled in the medium and longer races, especially the 1000-meter one.
I placed the canoe in the water, did a bit of stretching, and then embarked on my craft. It had a large open cockpit with a foam knee block upon which I knelt. The footrest had been modified to better accommodate the shape of my bird feet. While I didn’t hate kayak racing, I much preferred the canoe as you steered with the paddle instead of needing a rudder. It required a lot more control, focus, and often using specific types of strokes to keep the craft moving straight—the type of challenges I loved.
I completed a first 800-meter lap, with some resistance bands on my craft and paddling at a leisurely pace to focus on my form, technique, and really establish that mind and body connection. On the return lap, I removed the resistance bands. I would do about thirty strokes at a set pace, before drastically increasing the speed for a short burst, then relaxing a little, and rinse repeat.
I then proceeded to a 1000-meter lap, at a leisurely pace. Taking position for the return lap, I set the timer of my bracer, and mentally prepared during the countdown for an all-out race. As soon as the signal went off, I paddled hard, even as I tried to pace myself so that I wouldn’t run out of steam before the finish.
Barely a hundred meters in, I felt her.
