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“With everything that has happened, I would also,” he admits, and I appreciate his honesty. The lines of tension in my shoulders begin to ease.
“But the truth is that you belong here, Elena. With us.”
His words have a greater effect on me than I’m willing to admit.
“Only… in order to stay with us, you have to let go of what connected you to your previous life,” he reveals.
“What is that?” I ask, although I think I already know.
He hesitates, but then continues. “Neither me nor Cal would ever ask you to give up doing what brings you pleasure. I see nothing wrong with photography. I actually find it a beautiful hobby. But… you can never take photos of us, the village, anything that can reveal our whereabouts or identity.”
I gaze at him, then at the woods behind him. I feel torn between the two things I want, where I have to give up one of them. If I stay here, my dream of taking a photograph that will prove the existence of a mythical creature will be thrown to the wind. But if I leave, I know that I will regret it.
He senses my turmoil, so he approaches me and takes me by the hand.
“You can’t tell me that you don’t feel the same way Cal and I do,” he whispers softly, in a way I’ve never heard him speak before.
I immediately blush upon hearing his words. He’s right. I’ve fallen for them both but talking about it still makes me feel apprehensive.
“I...” I start, but I can’t finish.
“You never thought that something like this could happen, that you are equally attracted to us both,” he explains.
“Yes,” I nod, biting my lower lip slightly nervously. “That’s not… how things should go.”
“Why not?” he asks, with a shrug. “Who decides these things?”
“Well, I don’t know,” I mumble.
“You should,” he smiles. “It is your life, after all. You decide everything about it. You decide if you want to stay or go back to a life that obviously didn’t make you happy.”
I listen to him and realize he is right. He glances at my broken camera and takes it into his hand, examining it. “You know, I can fix this.”
“I have another one,” I admit. “So, it’s alright.”
“No,” he shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have done it, and I’m sorry. You shouldn’t excuse inexcusable behavior.”
“It’s really not a big deal,” I assure him.
“I would still like to apologize,” he urged.
“Apology accepted,” I tell him.
“Alright, now that we have that out of the way, you have to know that I can’t leave you here all alone,” he tells me matter-of-factly. “So, if you decide to stay here, I’ll stay here. If you decide to come back with me to the village, we go back. Whatever we do, we do it together.”
I chuckle not expecting this turn of events. A moment later, my voice takes on a more serious note. “Honestly? I don’t want to go.”
“Then don’t,” he quickly adds. “Come with me.”
“But I will never leave my camera behind,” I tell him honestly.
He inhales deeply. “I’m not asking you to.”
“You are just asking me not to take photos of your clan and village.”
“Yes,” he nods.
“Can you trust me that I won’t?” I ask him.
