~SIXTEEN~

 

Lilia tried to warm her hands over the knit fabric of her sweater as she watched the doctor finish up her mother’s exam. Fystian had seen that they were taken back to the lodge instead of the hospital. Jillian Avery had a lavish suite right next to the room her daughter had been given for senior week.

“Doctor?” Lilia straightened in the chair next to the bed.

“She’ll be fine, Lilia,” Dr. Eamon Lucas assured her, coming to squeeze her elbow. “A little bruised, but your mom’s a strong lady and very brave. I’ve given her a sedative and I’ll be back to check on her in the morning. Greg?”

Greg moved to shake hands with the doctor. “Thanks Eame. Step’s out in the hall. He’ll show you out.”

Lilia appeared to wilt when the doctor left the room. “I don’t know what I’ll tell the police if he calls them.”

“The cops won’t be called-not for this,” Greg took the armchair on the other side of Jillian’s bed. “Eamon’s very discreet. He serves as the personal physician for the lodge. Trust me, he’s seen more than his fair share of the unexplainable. Besides, Fystian’s already given a statement to the police. Thankfully, he had a change of clothes in his car-some of your neighbors were concerned enough to call after hearing the commotion. He told the authorities that he’d arrived in time to scare off an intruder.”

Lilia felt her back grow less rigid as the news reassured her somewhat. She sighed, looking down at her mother and smiled. “Doctor Lucas was right about her being brave,” she smoothed a tuft of Jillian’s thick hair away from her forehead. “She worked so hard. I never saw her sleep this way she- she always wanted me to feel safe. I don’t know where she learned to use a gun,” soft laughter colored the admission.

“You’ll be fine. You both will.”

“Thank you Mr. Craft and please thank Mr. Barber too.”

“You know, the rest of the kids call me Greg, you should start.”

Lilia blinked. “I don’t know what to- to say… thank you.”

Greg smiled. “You should rest, Lilia. You and your mother are safe now.”

“Mr. Cra- Greg,” Lilia called when he headed for the bedroom door. “Fystian…? Is he okay? He- he saved us. He…”

Greg’s smile seemed to gain definition. “You saw what he becomes?”

A nod was all that Lilia could supply.

“You should talk to him,” Greg twisted the doorknob. “Someone will take you there later, alright?”

“What if he won’t talk to me?”

Greg sent her a wink. “I’m pretty sure he will.”

***

 

Amaya Enson’s unexpected turquoise stare flared with traces of anxiety and uncertainty as she approached the cluster of trees that morning. While the warmth of spring had not yet fully penetrated, there was still evidence of early blooming near her home in town.

Closer to the mountains, the chill of winter still reigned. Amaya wasn’t surprised to find dead foliage when she arrived at Eternity Lodge for senior week. She was, however, eager to explore the environment and test the extent of her- power? Could she really call it that? All the experiences over the last several months had surely given her every reason to call it that.

Amaya smoothed both hands across her generous hips and sighed. A successful test in this climate would seal it. Growth was one thing, returning life was something altogether different. She was still debating that the incident with her Persian cat Melody was a fluke. The feline had probably just fallen into a deep sleep and by chance happened to awaken when she’d touched it. Melody wasn’t as young as she used to be, after all, Amaya reasoned.

She only wanted to start small and believed her chances of finding something without a conscience and in such an unforgiving environment would be the best source. Not to mention the low lighting of the area. The height and proximity of the trees made the spot very dim. It was almost nine a.m. and yet the space appeared as though it were nearing dusk. Cold and dark, death should feel right at home there, she thought.

Amaya knelt, shivering a bit when her knees touched the cold, hard ground. She’d selected the cluster of dead trees. She knew they were truly dead, victims of winter storms- they would not join the rest of the foliage during spring’s reawakening.

She reached out, laying her palms flat against two close trunks, curling her nails into the brittle bark. A breeze stirred, lifting the baby-fine tendrils of hair that had worked their way free of the long, thick braid that snaked about her head. She felt the telltale tug of some unseen force working its way outward through her palms and becoming one with the trees.

They responded. She could actually feel the bark plumping, becoming less brittle. Power indeed. Power and depletion, she realized when she let go of the trees. Her eyelids were like lead and Amaya felt her consciousness deserting her as inner darkness descended.

***

 

Suri jumped to her feet when Greg arrived in the den later that morning. She was as eager as anyone to know how Lilia and her mother were doing.

“Both are fine,” Greg helped himself to the fresh coffee waiting on the food laden cart near the den door. “Lilia’s asleep in her room. Eame gave Jillian Avery a thorough checkup. He says what she really needs is rest. I promised him she’d get it here,” he turned with a steaming mug in hand. “How are the students?”

“Fantastic, according to the house staff,” Suri reported. “The first round of concerts went off without a hitch last night. Everyone’s having breakfast now- some are dining in the main hall or on the west terrace.”

“How’s Fystian?”

“In his room,” Step told Caspian and watched as the group nodded solemnly.

“Lilia’s going to talk to him later,” Greg added.

“And when are we gonna get an explanation about what went on out there last night?” Mathias asked.

“My guess is that’ll have to wait until he gives one to Lilia.”

“Alright then,” Prime clapped once in response to Stephan’s reply and then turned to his sister. “Now will you please tell us why you wanted us all to meet here?”

“I-” Suri was stepping forward with an explanation when her invited guests were escorted into the room. She felt her heart lift and cast her gaze toward the floor. She was surprised by her reaction to Bakri M’Baye despite the fact that they’d spent several nights together. She’d tried to convince herself that it was just sex, but seeing him then raised her hopes that he might think it was more.

Bakri’s stirring gaze immediately sought out Suri. He made no secret of the fact that she held his full attention.

“Um, everyone,” Suri cleared her throat. “This is Bakri M’Baye and his uncle Dazhoun Emiohe. Bach- Bakri was the one who wrapped my ankle when I disappeared.”

Mathias exchanged a smirk with Prime.

Suraiya was smiling towards her family. “Bakri, Mr. Emiohe these are my brothers Prime, Caspian and Mathias. Our guardians Stephan Barber and Gregory Craft. Our oldest brother Fystian couldn’t join us this morning.”

Bach and his uncle nodded and uttered hushed words of welcome that were reciprocated by the other men in the room. Dazhoun Emiohe moved forward then, smiling when Suri motioned him deeper into the room.

Bakri followed and began to speak while his uncle got settled. “Gentlemen, our family is part of a tribe in the depths of eastern Nigeria- the Alabo,” he began, “We’re a very old tribe. We’ve been protectors since the earliest days of our origins. I’ve been living among you, at the base of the mountains for some time now. My people sent me here to protect you,” he made eye contact with everyone in the room but stared at length toward Suri.

“Protection. From?” Caspian prompted.

“Eternal life and power. Immortal’s seed of Finite Life. Bravery Returns to embrace Mortality’s Kiss.”

Everyone seemed riveted by Dazhoun Emiohe’s voice as he spoke. Afterwards, Suri merged forward.

“Sir? What does it mean?”

“Terrible things have happened, child,” Dazhoun Emiohe took the chair and mug of tea Stephan offered. “Since the beginning of time, terrible things have happened. Talk of good things and fine times are seldom heard of- they exist but on a scale of far less grandeur than their counterparts.”

The short, stocky man sipped his tea. “Nature requires balance as we all know. Day and night. Spring and fall. Summer and winter. Fire-water… the element of balance is also evident within time itself- there are times of joy, sorrow... Unfortunately, opportunities to regulate them don’t occur often. This prophecy foretells when such an opportunity might present itself.”

“Words on a wall that our guardians heard and made us learn so we’d have some connection to our pasts,” Caspian challenged. “With all due respect, Sir, aside from the immortal part, I don’t see how this prophecy pertains to us.”

Dazhoun Emiohe’s smile was one of cool knowing. “With all due respect, Son, the ‘immortal part’ actually has nothing to do with you.”

“Who are you?” Greg’s question was eerily quiet.

“I’m four hundred and ninety five years old,” Dazhoun shared. “In a world where youth is valued, it’s the opposite in my homeland- our longevity is determined by the works we do in our youth as is the quality of our afterlife.”

Dazhoun smiled toward Suri then. “My nephew tells me you’ve learned of the five ancient tribes,” he looked to Gregory and Stephan. “I’m surprised but grateful for your patience in sharing with them what you’ve learned.”

“Patience,” Prime blurted, “you approve of them keeping the truth of who we are away from us?”

“Until the time was right.”

“Sure,” Prime nodded, “because in one hundred and ninety years there never was a good time.”

“Prime!” Suri admonished.

“It’s alright, love,” Dazhoun Emiohe spoke to Suraiya, but kept his eyes on Prime. “Awareness means exposure among the clans. The job of my clan, the Alabo, is to protect. The Buruku are the evil ones… the Idan the magical, the Dawojina are healers. Akintunde means Bravery Returns. Every ten years of our life span equals one of a mortal human. Our physical aging slows when we hit puberty.”

“And these… clans,” Mathias asked, “are they all… immortal?”

“There isn’t a ‘yes or no’ answer to that. Only three have naturally long life- Alabo, Akintunde and Buruku. The Idan and Dawojina tribes have other gifts that are to merge with our own when the time comes.”

“And what time is that?” Caspian asked.

Dazhoun Emiohe set aside his mug. “As I said, my tribe, the Alabo, our job is to protect. No one in the five tribes is hidden from us- we see the actions of all.”

“Trying to tell us you’re God?” Prime grunted.

Dazhoun smiled in spite of himself. “We see all- we don’t know all. We haven’t a clue about the hearts of men or their minds and we don’t have a bird’s eye view of everyone on earth. Only the members of the five tribes and only their actions- their knowledge and motivations remain unknown to us, however. Anyone previously hidden from the other tribes is exposed once his or her powers seize.”

“Seize?” Stephan asked.

“The seizing occurs at the age of one sixty five.” Dazhoun clenched a fist for emphasis. “Powers become erratic for a time. They undergo a change from what they had been in order to transition to a higher realm or level. This tends to go on in some manner for about thirty or forty years before settling.”

Suri and Caspian shared a look and smiled. They finally had a label to place upon the unfamiliar stirrings they had been experiencing for almost the last three decades.

“So this ‘time’ you speak of, it was for you to drop in and what? Check on us?” Mathias asked. “Are we to be your apprentices?”

“No son,” Dazhoun gave a slow shake of his head, paired with an understanding smile. “This is, as they say, where things get tricky. There are aspects of this that even I don’t have the answers to and that was by design. Each tribe is privy to its own information-even after centuries of life, sharing is still a challenge for some. There are those much older than I am and even they have yet to uncover all aspects of our history- a history that many view as legend or myth. There was a time when people had more faith in things they could not see or understand- that time has long passed. You would find some who would argue that we ever existed at all. What I do know is that this… prophecy isn’t a prophecy at all but a song which indicates that, in time, the Akintunde will have a role to play. That ‘time’ depends on when Bravery Returns to embrace Mortality’s Kiss.”

“Bravery…” Prime braced his elbows to his knees as he concentrated. “When… Akintunde returns to embrace mortality’s kiss?”

“Jesus…” Suraiya had to sit then. “Is this about Fystian and Lilia?”

***

 

Mackenzy Masterson brought a hand to her head and took a chance on opening her eyes. She hoped the spinning that had ushered in her earlier unconsciousness had stopped. She was gonna have a helluva hangover and would have given anything to remember how she got it.

Mac opened her eyes tentatively- thin slits at best. She wasn’t brave enough to risk opening them further. The room didn’t look any more familiar than it had before. It was hard to make an accurate survey, given the scant flickering of candlelight which served as the only illumination.

“Sean?” She didn’t put much hope in the guy answering, but thought he could give some hint about their situation.

The last thing she remembered was them sharing drinks on the hood of his car before they headed out to the lodge. She’d needed the time to calm down after the episode with her folks.

Mackenzy’s light brows drew closer as she took note of something else in the room with her. “Hello?” Someone appeared to be sleeping across the dark space.

The candlelight flickered and Mac squinted when she noticed something on a tarp that covered she and her sleep mate. Dirt or… blood, maybe? Dread began a stealthy creep up the back of her throat when her gaze drew towards where the tarp raised over the other person (corpse?) in the room. A span of skin was revealed and she could make out what looked to be writing a-i-t-o?

Mackenzy’s heart rate surged in tandem with a mounting scream. The distinct sound of creaking wood reached her ears and she saw the door opening. Her scream died, relief taking its place when she saw Sean. He wasn’t alone.

“Do you think my appearance will hold?”

“Not sure. I never attempted rituals this close together before. You’ve never absorbed more than twice in one year.”

“It’s them- they are the reason.”

“You only saw one of them.”

“They are here. It makes sense. Abby is here. She knows nothing of who she truly is- doesn’t realize why her mother brought her here. It’s doubtful her mother even knows,” Victor Rwomire’s once remarkable face was then twisted into something abhorrent.

“Well… first things first. Let’s see if we can set you to rights.” Sean Morris whipped back the tarp.

Mackenzy watched as one mystery was solved. There was indeed a corpse beneath the tarp that covered her as well. There was no delight in having that question answered, especially when she saw Sean heft the axe he’d brought with him into the room. Deep inside, she acknowledged that the person may have yet been alive, but judging from the state of the body, life wouldn’t hold out for long.

Mac screamed when Sean raised the axe.

He stilled. His expression was nothing short of menacing even when he smiled her way. “You’re up! Great.”

Mackenzy blanched.

Sean grinned. “Enjoy the show,” he swung the axe.

***

“Fystian and Lilia are one piece of a very important framework. They are the most essential piece, but the involvement of many others is required- and not just any others,” Dazhoun Emiohe continued to hold his audience’s rapt attention.

“The majority of us experience the seize during the first wave- the seventeenth year of life,” he explained.

“Each year, members from four of the five tribes arrive at Kilimanjaro from all over the world in hopes of glimpsing the First Waves.”

Stephan leaned forward on the sofa. “The First Waves-what are their significance?”

Signs of unease began to plague Dazhoun Emiohe’s face for the first time since his arrival. “You see, the time will come when a stand will have to be made- one to defeat the rising tide of darkness in the world.”

Caspian exchanged a closed look with Prime. Prime cleared his throat to gain the floor.

“Defeat,” Prime stated, “that’s like annihilation, isn’t it?”

Dazhoun Emiohe’s pallor changed.

Prime noticed. “Those books of yours,” he looked to Stephan and Greg, “they mention the annihilation circle and the eclipser.”

Emiohe’s smile reflected surprise and a measure of approval. He too looked to Step and Greg. “Well, well I must say you’ve prepared them well- far more than you’ve let on.”

Greg’s attractive, weather-beaten face was soft with affection for his family. “Things have happened here that lead us to believe it’s best to arm them with more information.”

 

Bakri traded a look with his uncle and soon both men were watching Greg with expectant stares.

“There’ve been murders-at least three that we know of.” Step took charge of the explanation. “They’re gruesome, staged to make us think it’s an animal attack. A closer look reveals they are ritualistic in nature.”

“We’ve found the Aito markings on the bodies,” Greg added. “What is it?” He noticed how riled Emiohe seemed over the information.

Dazhoun Emiohe sipped from the water glass Bach had passed him. “All tribes know of the Aito acknowledgements of ancestral presences during various ceremonies- it’s a show of respect. The Buruku however, are the only ones known to draw on darker forces during its use.”

“Who are they?” Suri asked.

“Among the most evil among us. The Buruku are known to be shifters of sorts.”

“Fystian,” Suri whispered, her gaze more troubled.

“No one has ever been able to put a finger on what it is they become, but it’s something monstrous,” Emiohe shook his head somberly while sharing the information.

“With that capability,” he continued, “they’ve been known-feared- to use the Aito ritual to assume the life force of others, sustaining their looks, slowing their age and other effects of the shift.”

“But don’t they have long life like the rest of us?” Suri asked.

“They do, but it’s greatly shortened by the horrific deeds they are party to and have been party to over the years- famine, disease, things that have set the course of the world on a doomed path of imbalance.”

“And what of our path?” Mathias probed once Emiohe silenced.

The older man nodded, smiling as though he both approved and expected the inquiry. “You’re here to turn that tide, Son. The way you must go and how you should get there would be best heard from those with all the details,” he said.

“And this gathering is where we’ll get them?” Caspian asked.

“The Gathering is to begin in a few weeks. Attendees are only expecting to see the First Waves. An appearance by the Akintunde…” Emiohe appeared stricken by sudden elation, “it would be a powerful message.”

“Message to whom?” Prime asked. “The Buruku? Why?”

“Those ritualistic murders of yours,” Emiohe looked to Greg and Step and then back to Prime, “the First Waves, the seizing of the Akintunde quints...none of this has gone unnoticed by any of the tribes- most especially the Buruku. The fear is that the scales are about to tip and nature requires a balance.”

“There’s that word again,” Caspian mused.

Emiohe leaned forward from his regal pose to clasp his hands between his knees. “A substantial shift to one side or another could mean annihilation for us all. The Buruku want to maintain the balance as much as the rest of us. They can’t afford for any of them to go rogue.”

“Victor Rwomire,” Prime said. “Who is he? Who is he really?”

Emiohe resumed his regal pose. “Someone you should learn about in the presence of those who knew him best.”

Prime’s expression had returned to its grim set. “Looks like a family vacation is in our futures.”

~~~

 

 

Lilia reconsidered the knock she was about to drop against the door. Instead, she chose to press against it, taking a deep, courage-inducing breath when it gave.

Entering the room, she gave her surroundings a complete 360 degree scan and didn’t like a thing she saw. The place resembled a cell- a cell stocked with every book or movie seemingly ever made, but still a cell. In a far corner, she saw him in an old ladder-back chair. He was dressed only in a pair of gray sweats. Even with his bare back toward her, she could read his demeanor easily. He seemed defeated and in that moment, Lilia didn’t have the heart to disturb him.

“Who was he?” Fystian asked as though sensing her intentions to retreat from the room.

“My stepfather,” she confessed in a whisper. “Victor Rwomire. My mom and me- we- we’ve been running from him for years. We even changed our names. Around him, my mom always called me Abby-short for Tabitha, my middle name. That’s what he knew me as. Lilia is my real first name though,” she smiled wanly. “I can’t believe there was a time when I didn’t like it.”

There was silence then, with only the exceptional call of something wild in the wooded distance beyond the closed doors of the room’s balcony.

“Fystian-”

“Do you know how old I am, Lili?”

She bristled, though a tight smile tugged at her mouth. “I’m guessing not seventeen.”

“You have to stay away from me now, Lili. Last night should’ve shown you why.”

“Why did you help us?” She moved closer to where he sat. “How did you know?”

After a time, he bowed his head, held the breath he’d inhaled and then let it out in a single whoosh. “I saw you when you left last night. I… didn’t know whether to hunt down Caspian again or follow you. I decided to follow you. When I saw you were going home, I sat outside the house wondering if I should knock on your door.”

“Fystian-”

“Remember when I told you about Caspian’s scar? I made it sound like it was just brother stuff. It was more than that.”

Lilia sat on the arm of the tattered sofa near him and waited.

“I um… attacked Caspian during an… episode. When I was changed into that- that thing,” he bowed his head as though working to intake more strength. “I used to black out during that span of time and I didn’t know what I did to Casp until I came out of the change.”

“You… used to black out.” Lilia kept her voice quiet, patient. “But you remember helping me and my mom.”

Fystian turned his head slightly, but didn’t face her. “Something’s changed and I’m starting to have a connection to the shifts. I can see every minute, everything I do.”

“Well that’s good, isn’t it? Maybe-”

“No Lilia. Don’t do that. I’m not...cured and this... we won’t work. We can’t.”

“Why?”

He faced her then, turning in the chair to study her as though she had lost her mind. “Did you see what I became out there? How could you want to be with that?”

“I… I want to be with you, Fystian,” she smiled, pleased by her courage. She shrugged and slanted him a sharp look. “You have to know that.”

Fystian leaned back against the chair. “Years ago, hmph, try eighty years ago I killed a man Lilia. He was just a father trying to protect his daughter- a girl I wanted and I always got what I wanted. I don’t even remember it, my brothers told me…” he pushed up from the chair. “I tried to see her, tried to- to explain. She was too terrified of me to even speak to me.”

“I always thought remembering some part of the… blackouts would make some of what I… became easier to deal with- at least I’d know what I did or didn’t do.” He clenched his nape, digging in his fingers to massage away the tension there. “Remembering is worse. I see that now.” He turned to her, appearing to memorize her face beneath his pitch stare.

“I never want to remember fear… fear of me in your eyes.”

She left the sofa, walked toward him until only a foot of space remained. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

Fystian tilted his head, acknowledging the insult.

“Who wouldn’t be surprised to see something like that, Fystian?” She flung a hand out behind her. “Do you really not know the difference between fear and shock?! It’s not every day that a person sees someone change into a-”

“Monster.”

Lilia stilled. “I only saw one monster that night and it was my stepfather. When I saw you, I saw hope. Hope that me and mama might live through that.” She hesitated, but then followed through with laying her hands flat on his bare, sleek chest. “I enjoy spending time with you and I wish we could see where it goes.”

“Babe,” Fystian rested his forehead to hers, but pulled away. “You don’t know what you’re asking. There’s a lot more and my shifting is just one part of it. Some would call us immortal. I’m almost two hundred years old Lilia- you have no idea of what you’d be getting into with me.”

Lilia let her hands slide down from his chest and folded her arms over her waist. She could tell that his mind was made. “If you can’t at least trust what I’m saying a little bit… I guess there was really never anything between us.” She wouldn’t beg, no matter how much she wanted to. Her gaze was lingering, absorbing. “Goodbye, Fystian,” she turned, leaving him alone in the room.

~~~

 

Suri and Bakri kept to a remote corner of the foyer once Bach and his uncle had been escorted out of the den. There was more Dazhoun Emiohe had to share and Stephan and Greg decided that a break would be in everyone’s best interests.

“Calm down,” Bach rubbed Suri’s shoulders as he rocked her.

“We haven’t even scratched the surface of all this, have we?” her voice was muffled a little into his shoulder.

“No, love,” he kissed her temple.

“I feel like this is gonna tear my family apart-”

“We won’t let that happen. Hey?” He cupped her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks. “You guys don’t know how many people you’ve got looking out for you. And I’m at the front of the line.”

He drew her close and Suri happily lost herself in the crushing hug.

~~~

 

“Am I the only one who feels like a nervous parent here?”

Dazhoun Emiohe chuckled over Stephan’s dismay. “You two should be proud. They’ve been well prepared.”

“There’re still things we hid from them- came clean about way too late,” Greg watched Caspian, Prime and Mathias talking with Bakri and Suraiya.

“As parents, we overprotect, overreact… over do,” Daz grinned, “I’d go overboard any day to protect one that I love.” He clapped Greg’s shoulder with surprising strength for a man of his age. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“They don’t lack in confidence,” Stephan smiled at the people he helped to raise from infancy. “I pray they are ready for this.”

“They understand what’s at stake, even if they don’t understand all the elements that are involved.” Daz noted. “It’s in their blood to do their part and see this to the end. Whatever this may be.” He folded his arms over the multi-colored fabric of his robes. “There’s a saying in our culture- ‘Where you will sit when you are old, shows where you stood in youth.’ I believe their seats will be quite grand.”

“Lilia!”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the top of the stairs. Fystian had caught up to Lilia, grasping her arm just before she took the first step. He exchanged his hold on her wrist to take her hand.

“If you’re willing to listen, I’m willing to talk. I’ve wanted to keep you with me since I first met you. You’re willing to stay after everything you’ve seen and I,” he bowed his head, fixating on her hand smothered inside his own. “I’m standing here not believing you want to be here and so damn glad that you do.”

Lilia kept her warm, brown gaze trained on his incredible face, smiling at the uncertainty she saw there.

“I don’t want your fear or your hate, Lili, but I’ll take those any day over your pity.” He kissed her hand and seemed to be preparing himself to hear the worst.

“Fystian,” she took a step up, meeting him on the landing, “hate, pity and fear aren’t what I want to give you.”

Something flickered in the obsidian pools of his stare. His hands curved about her face again and he spared only a second to search her eyes before jerking her into a branding kiss. They lost themselves completely in sensation and were totally oblivious to the group smiling up at them from the foyer.

~~~

 

“Think we’ll be able to convince him to come with us now to Nigeria?” Mathias asked. He, Prime and Caspian grinned up at the affectionate couple, happy to see their older brother allowing himself to love again.

Prime eased his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and a playfully dubious look sharpened his features. “As outrageous as a family quest sounds, I don’t think it could compete with Miss Lilia Avery even a little bit.”

“Oh well,” Caspian sighed around the broad grin he wore. “Guess we’re gonna have to convince her to come along with us.”

The group in the foyer erupted into applause and cheer. The passionate couple on the stairs; however, were in no hurry to break their kiss.