“...It would make no sense that the Moon Goddess paired us, right?”
He takes a deep breath and we separate a bit, his hands lingering around me.
“Actually, I've thought about this a bit, and… what if I’m paired with… Clarissa?” he wonders. “And Mara, I mean, the other Mara is just a… passenger?”
I stay mute for a while. He even got that far? I chuckle nervously, but it’s certainly not funny. I take a deep breath and put my hands on his cheeks.
“Well, I don’t know for now, but I’m hoping to find some clues in there. About Clarissa or Mara, I don’t know. I just have a feeling.”
He slowly nods and we separate, although he immediately grabs my hand to hold, intertwining his fingers with mine.
“Alright. I’ll… have to trust you on that one,” he says.
Though I can tell he’s about as unsure as I am, feeling his skin against mine gives me a bit of courage. I don’t want to give up until we get to the bottom of this. And I am certainly not giving up on my bond with Liam. I need him.
We walk inside the building and immediately, the strong smell of chlorine annoys me. Liam makes a grimace too. I walk up to the welcome desk, and the old lady behind it brightens up when she sees me.
“Oh, it’s been a while!” she says.
Liam’s hand suddenly tightens around mine, I really wish I could do that mind-linking thing at this very moment. She knows me, she recognizes me!
“H-hi,” I replied.
“Sorry, Clarissa, sweetie, the pool is being cleaned today…”
Liam and I exchange a glance.
“Th-that’s too bad,” I mumble, “but… um… I actually just came to get some things I forgot. Is that alright?”
“Oh, really? Well, you know the way. But it’s only because it’s you, darling! Is your boyfriend coming with you? He’s handsome!”
I chuckle, and next to me, Liam’s ears become a bit red too. The old lady opens up the door, and Liam and I walk into the pool. There’s a long corridor with the changing rooms, but I ignore them and walk straight to the lockers. Careful not to slip on all the water spread out, I almost run to the first one I see, checking the lock.
“Mara? Are you going to explain?” asks Liam, a bit lost.
“Oh, sorry. I actually found a key, hidden in my bedroom a while ago, and… uh, Mara mentioned something about going for a swim, so I thought it might be a key to a locker here.”
“Okay. So, does it match? You got the key?”
I grimace. I would have brought it, if I had known! I bite my thumb, nervous. How would I even know which locker it is? There wasn’t a number or anything on that key! I take a deep breath and look around. What do I do now? Liam is waiting for me too. I glance to the side, and there’s a mirror above the sinks. Should I try it? I put down my bag, but as I open it, I get another idea.
“Mara, is everything okay?” asks Liam, unsure.
I stand up.
“Yeah, uh… I’m going to try something a bit weird, don’t freak out,” I say.
“Okay…”
Well, I guess there isn’t much that could freak him out anymore. I look around.
“Spark?” I call out. “Spark, if you want to make yourself useful, now is the time, lazy kitty.”
I wait a bit, looking around. Liam doesn’t say anything, but from his expression, I know he thinks I might have blown a fuse…
“Meow.”
I jump and turn around. Moon Goddess! Spark is sitting right there, next to one of the lockers, and look at that, he has that damn key!
