(Somewhere in Shanghai, China)Jiyo Kael took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then slowly let it out again. He could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his body, even as the tension slowly began to ease. The moment when he would have calmed down, his breathing would flow evenly again and his mind would be able to process the events of the past day, that was the moment he feared the most. He knew the feeling too well. Had it too many times already.As soon as tiredness set in and his body began to cry out for relaxation, all the hard-pressed feelings that he hadn't been able or didn't want to take the time for in the whirlpool of events would surface again. The images then inexorably caught up with him with a power that made him a defenseless victim of his imagination.People he had lost, people who had died through his fault, people he had killed himself, they all looked at him, could never be chased away, gradually turning him into an unfeeling monster, the longer it
Sometimes he thought he was in a dream from which he could wake up at any moment, only to be surrounded by terror, blood, and violence, surrounded by the world as he knew it."Let go, Jiyo Kael, look ahead..." he tried to say whenever the memories or imaginings of what might or might happen as a result of his disappearance threatened to overwhelm him. Once before, after the loss of his first love, he had fallen into this abyss and withdrawn from everything. But then there were still people around him who meant something to him, people who had finally managed to pull him out of his desperation, at least to give him another chance. Even as he struggled with his drug addiction, he had never been completely alone. He had thought that was exactly what he wanted back then, but now he knew better!He also knew there were better places for him than this part of the world, and yet he couldn't bring himself to move on. Unnoticed, a smile twitched across his facial features at the thought of wha
Ben forced himself to stay in the present and decided to find a place for the car and, if possible, a shelter for the night. Either he was lucky and found Jiyo before the storm broke, or he would have to extend his search further.Since there was a hidden place of worship just a short walk away, which was occasionally visited by a few archaeologists and interested parties, Ben managed to find a room for the night and shelter for the car fairly quickly.Relieved to at least be free of the mobile jail he'd spent the day in, he began examining the humble cluster of houses more closely.To his relief, there was not the slightest sign of the presence of any sort of organized crime. At the very least, it reduced the likelihood that the drug lords' influence might have extended this far. Because even if the Warlord was dead and the organization was smashed, something always remained. There were certainly countless inconspicuous ex-employees who could always attempt to create something new fro
Darkness crept up, reached out to them with its long shadows, and made Jiyo's face shine even paler than it had appeared at first. He looked like a ghost, lost among gray clouds, narrow and hollow-cheeked, with dark, empty eyes that could not express anything."Jiyo", Ben didn't know what else to say. Nature spoke instead of him, howling out his displeasure, his despair as if he could change anything by doing so.The first drops fell, dark and heavy. Nimble hands scurried across the tables, and removed glasses and bottles as if from far away came Spanish instructions, and requests to avoid the work.A flash of lightning finally snapped Ben back to the present. "Come on Jiyo Kael - let's go!""Yes..." Jiyo Kael sat up and looked to the side. But Ben had noticed the telltale glint in his eyes almost instinctively, and as much as it shook him, he felt the relief that brought him the awareness that he could still see the emotion in Jiyo. He knew that wasn't to be taken for granted. Cautio
"Please Ben!" Like a breath swallowed by the roar of the storm, he guessed the words more than he heard them, closed his curved lips with his hot mouth, and let his passion wash away every thought as he released one hand and with feverish fingers the disturbing one pushing fabric aside to get across the flat stomach to the chest, looking for hard nipples. He played with them, remembering the effect his touch had on the sensitive skin, and wasn't disappointed when Jiyo Kael moaned into his mouth, the sound fading into a whimper.Ben's mouth loosened and traveled down his chin and cheek to his neck. His thumb circled Jiyo's chest and slid lower until his fingertips trailed over protruding ribs to search along the narrow waist for the waistband of the pants. Ben's hand found the heat that had spread between Jiyo's legs, clasped the erect member, and began rapid, demanding pumping movements. He got faster and knew too well what Jiyo Kael wanted, what he had always wanted. And he hadn't ch
But in that deep sleep all that vanished, a boyish expression coming to the fore. The air of innocence was heightened by the silky hair, leaving the weather-beaten skin, the lines showing life in and around his forehead, eyes dug, forgotten.Again he found himself lost in the sight he had longed for, longing to wake the other but unable to interrupt his sleep. A look out of the window showed him that the sun had almost set, its mild light bathed the room in warm colors, set golden accents in Jiyo Kael's hair, and deepened the shadows that surrounded him.Suddenly he stiffened, winced as if he'd heard something, and opened his eyes. Their eyes met. Ben smiled softly and wanted to approach him, but the tense concentration that had suddenly taken possession of Jiyo's entire body prevented him from doing so.Jiyo jumped up with a jerk. "They're coming," he murmured, blinking twice before being able to get his bearings."Who's coming?" Ben smiled, to which Jiyo only gave him a confused loo
A month later, three weeks into the course, Marco Junior poured his mind into his studies. He had never been so fascinated by a course in his entire life. He is taking a course called Introduction to criminal justice and he loves it. He didn't have much to say about his trigonometry course. It was so easy and so was every course he took. He complained to Hershey about their crazy instructor for their English Lit course. They were told to write a 200-page paper on the most memorable moment in their life and even if he thought and thought, he couldn't think of anything that could fill two hundred pages. But then, he thought about the time he was on earth. He has been through so much since he was born. Things he never thought he would go through. So, what he finally decided on was a biography. Twenty years is long enough to forge into 200 pages. He will write about one of what is most important to him, his family. On Tuesday afternoon, he had been in the dorm room for about thirty minu
Hershey sipped, head bowed. She looked back at him. "Yes of course." She stated, feeling guiltyShe knew Marco would come out when he found out she was really enjoying talking to another guy in the neighborhood, where she enjoyed their time together. This made her laugh. Why should she feel inferior? He is what she wants. "I'm glad to see someone who knows how to laugh."Hershey sighed, "I'm sorry. I was just wondering how my boyfriend would react if he caught me talking to you."Rey smiled, raising his hands, "He need not to worry, I don't go around stealing other men women. I prefer to find my own."Hershey nodded, "Alright. He'll respect you more than that one."Rey nodded, "Alright, thank you, well, I should go if you know what I mean."Hershey sighed, "Yeah, alright, it was nice talking to you.Rey nodded, stepping back from their conversation, "Yes, you too."With that, he distanced himself from her. He started walking towards Danny's car. Hershey watched him, curious.Marco too