8.60 Happiness

Devan had been working hard improving his programming skills and continued to blaze the IT world. Although he was still young and vibrant, his laziness often got the best of him. He always wanted to use his vacation time as soon as he accrued it, but he never did…until this day. He just had a feeling that today would be a good day to chill out and relax at home. He slept in for a few hours. After he had gotten himself up and dressed, he sauntered over to his computer in his little kingdom in the basement and checked his email. As he did every day, he was looking for a reply from her. Ever since her last message, he had been troubled and often worried about her. He also often thought about his conversation with Alayna about his feelings for Leliana. He couldn’t deny there were feelings, but he was having trouble naming them. He cared about her, but there was always something more.

He scrolled quickly through his inbox disregarding anything that wasn’t from her.

He saw it.

He had been waiting for this for weeks, but he couldn’t open it. He feared what it might say and that there was bad news inside. Was this goodbye? Was it the last words he would ever read from her?

He stared at it.

The subject line said “Llamas are fun.” He thought that maybe it was a sign that she was in good spirits and there was good news inside.

He clicked.

It was the longest email he had ever read. Usually he would skim over something as mammoth as this–being a lazy reader and all–but he devoured every single word like his mother’s sweet, buttery, fluffy pancakes.

 

Devan, it’s Leliana.

Ignore the title of this message, I know it says “Llamas are fun.” but there’s something more important to tell you. But first of all, I am not an 800 pound llama! I am an honest Wonder Queen with feelings and emotions who loves you. Yes, I’m being completely honest with you, handsome man.

You may be questioning why I said Wonder Queen, and I shall tell you everything.

My parents were tasked by the Government with the job of conceiving a child with great intelligence, conceiving it using the perfect genetics both my parents possessed. It was all to help envision a bright future for the world. They conceived me. And I lived, learning skills that no one else should ever learn. While the normal child was learning how to colour, I was learning how to build advanced circuitry and design a robot. I was creating a cure for a stuffed animal and actually made it come alive. I became what the Government had wanted.

However, what the Government had told us was not exactly true. The Government may have wanted me to go along with them, but envisioning the future is far from what they had desired. My best friend from High School turned out to be an Ex-Wonder Child who had to endure great sacrifices to protect me. She was the one who told me about the real plan of the Government.

They want to use me as a weapon. They want to invade the world of Sixam and conquer it. They want to pool it of it’s resources and drain it’s world of everything that it has. I don’t want to be a weapon, I want to be with you.

And that’s my story. You may be kind of shocked right now, and you may actually be scared of me but don’t. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, and I’m sure that being honest with you is the best thing I’m doing right now. I love you Devan Holmes and I hope you won’t forget that. I know what I have to do and… if I do see you or talk to you again, the stars will have blessed me with the opportunity to do so.

Loving you always,
Leliana.”

P.S Here is a photo of me at my little brothers’ birthday party to prove I’m not an 800 pound llama.

“HOLY COW PLANTS, GIRL,” he yelled. “She is FINE!! What is she trying to do to a brotha?!”

He looked at her picture a few more times, and then he slumped down in his chair and spun around in it staring at the ceiling. She loves me? The email touched on several very important points, but her profession of love struck home the most. He suddenly realized what he had been feeling toward her. Still spinning in his chair, and grinning like the Cheshire cat, he thought about her words: “I am an honest Wonder Queen with feelings and emotions who loves you.” “I don’t want to be a weapon, I want to be with you.” “I love you.” “Loving you always.”

“She loves me,” he said with a cheesy grin on his face.

“DEVAN,” Alayna yelled from upstairs.

Upset that she interrupted his thoughts, he yelled in frustration, “WHAT?!”

“CAN YOU ANSWER THE DOOR? MY HANDS ARE COVERED IN DOUGH….AND FIX YOUR ATTITUDE ON YOUR WAY UP!”

“OK,” he yelled back. “Geez! Why do I have to do everything around here!”

“Thank you,” Alayna said when she heard him come out the basement door.

This better be somebody really important…interrupting my moment! 

Although the front door was glass, he couldn’t see who it was as he was approaching. This very thin person was standing in between the two panes. When he opened the door, he saw a familiar face. He knew this face, although it was a little more grown up from just a few minutes ago. He knew this face, but he had never seen this face.

“Leliana?!”

He stood there with his mouth open confused and nervous and confused and excited and confused and…did I say confused?

“How? What are you…you’re here! You’re on my porch. I was just…you’re here!!”

He was beaming…and frozen…and a bit lost for words.

Leliana stepped closer to him and threw her arms around him and said, “Hello, handsome man.”

It was too much. How is it that he just read her email and then she magically appeared at his doorstep? The Watcher must really love me, he thought. He still couldn’t form any words to say to her. It was all just so wonderfully confusing to him. Luckily, Leliana was not a stranger to taking charge.

“I know,” she said. “I shall explain everything.”

She started to sit down on the bench, but Devan snapped out of it and finally spoke.

“Ummm…let’s go somewhere else. Mama’s inside. Are you ok? You look exhausted.”

“I have never been better now that I am here with you.”

She was standing right in front of him, but he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Leliana…”

He couldn’t stop smiling. What a cruel trick for his brain to play on him, making him believe he was in the presence of his dear one. But, it was not a trick. She was very real, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“I know…I know,” she laughed. “Let’s go across the street to the little park. I’ll race you!”

“Girl, I don’t run anywhere…except to bed…and my computer!”

They were both animated communicators, and each time they raised their hands, their fingers touched and sent zings of electricity up their arms to the outermost pixels of their bodies. This was real. It was really happening. They were finally in each other’s presence. They were finally together!

“I didn’t know you were so funny, Devan!”

Although this was a planned event, and their meeting was less jarring for her, Leliana couldn’t believe this was happening either. She thought about the first time she ever received a message from him and how even the sound of his name was enticing. The first time she saw his face on her computer screen, there was something even then. She thought he was the most handsome guy she had ever seen. And when he wrote that she was beautiful…that was it–although she had tried to convince herself that it was only one email that meant nothing.

They went across the street. She ran, and he walked–he was very serious about not running. She waited for him, and when he arrived, he sat down and she commenced to tell her epic tale.

“I was kidnapped by the government at my birthday party…”

“WHAT?!”

“They took me underground to a science lab where they made me build a wormhole so they could invade Sixam like I told you. I didn’t want to do it because I knew that building it would help them, and I didn’t want to do anything that would help them. But, there was a small part of me that actually wanted to see if I could do it…so, I did! It took me three days to get it right, and when it was finally finished, I couldn’t let them do what they wanted! I wanted to do something that I wanted to do! My whole life has been about what the government wants! I’ve never been able to do anything for me! I deserve to be happy! So, I used to wormhole to escape to come here and find you! My happiness is with you!”

Devan experienced so many emotions during that tale. He was shocked that the government could be so evil and didn’t even know a program like that existed. He was enraged about her kidnapping. He was amazed at her brilliance. But, because he was still in shock at her serendipitous arrival, he was happy and relieved that she was safe and there with him. He recalled the first time he ran across her profile in the pen pal database. It intrigued him because he had never seen a listing for someone in his own town–at least what he thought was his own town. He also thought it was cool that she was a teenager. His other pen pals were adults with families. He was going to send her a message anyway, but it also helped that she was cute. He loved getting to know her and finding out their similarities and interests. He didn’t realize how much he liked her until he thought he was losing her. The ordeal Leliana went through was obviously stressful and painful, and he didn’t want her to dwell on it long. He wanted her to be happy. Now that they were together, there would be plenty of time for her speak of it and share her experiences. Now was not the time for his questions. It was their time. Now was the time to be together. 

“Sit here next to me,” he said with confidence.

All he wanted to do was look at her beautiful face. Well, that and lean over and kiss her lips. It was still very unreal that she was actually right in front of him, but every second in her presence made it more real. Each passing second, his world was more and more complete. He thought his life was pretty sweet before she arrived, but now that she was there it was sweeter.

“You’re even more beautiful in real life,” he said sweetly.

“So are you, handsome man.”

Leliana wasn’t going anywhere, but Devan didn’t want the night to end. They talked and enjoyed each other’s presence well into the evening. Devan asked about her family, and she told him of her mother’s death and her little brothers’ birthday party. He told her about his little sisters’ birthdays and about his very large family. They talked about music and painting and science–well, Leliana talked about science. As they were talking, they still kept brushing against each other. Devan thought they were accidents, but Leliana thought no such thing.

During the science talk, Leliana invited him for some stargazing and showed him Orion’s Belt. She explained how one of her brothers said it was her father’s constellation, and he was going to go to space one day and find him.

The sun had set a while ago, and the fireflies and chirping night creatures told them the end of the night had come. It’s not like they had separate homes to go to, but it was the sensible thing to do. Leliana reached over and grabbed him, held him close and squeezed tight. She didn’t want to let go. She was afraid to. Although she was very confident and always took charge in whatever situation she was in, there were still parts of her that got scared at times. She felt safe with Devan and knew everything was going to be fine, but in the back of her mind, she wondered if they could find her and take her back.

“Leliana?”

“Hmmm?”

“Are you going to let me go soon?”

“NO!”

“Why?”

“You might disappear! Or, maybe I will! What if they find me some kind of way and take me back? I feel safe here with you!”

“I won’t let anything happen to you, and neither of us are going to disappear. I’m real…you’re real…no llamas, remember?”

That made her laugh and put her at ease.

“No llamas,” she said. “Speaking of llamas…did you get my picture?”

He released himself from her embrace and said, “Yeah, I got that evil little tease!”

“Evil tease?!”

“Yes, it was evil of you to tease me like that! How you gon’ send me an email saying goodbye and talking about you’re going away and may not be coming back, and then send me that picture? You’re an evil little temptress!”

“But, you liked it, didn’t you?”

“It took my breath away!”

“Mission accomplished!”

“See! Evil! Anyway…let’s go home. I’m hungry, and you’re exhausted. I hope mama doesn’t go crazy.”

“I can handle her.”

“How? You don’t know what she’s like.”

“I am the Wonder Queen! I can handle anything!”