She eyed him suspiciously as she poured him a second cup of coffee, the first had gotten cold. She waited for him to fully settle his large frame on her stool. He sat at the counter where she prepared customers' orders. He brought the cup to his face, took in the sweet aroma of brewed coffee, before taking a sip. It seemed as if the first taste felt right as he took a large gulp and emptied the cup. Mel stared at him in disbelief.
"What?" He was oblivious to what he had just done.
"It was hot," she said. He now realized how strange he must have appeared to her. He didn't know what hot meant except for the fact that the air on Earth appeared to be stuffy. The first man he saw at the bus station had beads of sweat on his forehead, something he had never seen in Airodia.
"Pardon me, this is my first time on earth."
"You mean New York?" she raised an eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders. Technically, it was also his first time in New York. The stories he had heard from Airodians who had visited Earth were that it had many destinations that one would take a lifetime to visit.
"You spoke to me earlier today." She moved to clear the tables in a bid to close her bakery; she wanted to appear unbothered about the bizarre question that was going to come after.
"Yes," He replied and looked into the empty contents of his cup. The taste of the coffee still lingered, and he longed to have another.
She looked in his direction, at how his long legs reached the floor; her legs would never touch the floor seated on that stool. His dark hair was stylishly styled backwards so that it slicked to his skull. It made him more handsome. "Your lips didn't move."
He turned to her direction and caught her staring at him. She quickly looked away and raised one of the stools and placed it face down on the table. Moving quickly to the next table to clean off the crumbs that must have been from the bread toast.
"I heard it gets dark here, but it isn't dark, yet you close for the day." He ignored her question. She knew she was crazy asking that. She must have heard voices or her head playing games with her. What about the fact that he looked so much like the man in her dreams? And why was he asking obvious questions?
"It is a breakfast shop, and I have to prepare for my other shift."
"You're hardworking." He commends. She glanced at him and ignored him.
"I think you should leave now."
"No, Mel. We need to talk, it is urgent that we speak."
"You know my name. I'm not crazy after all. How did you speak?" The shock mixed with exasperation in her eyes could tell she was getting scared of the young man.
"I'm Pedro. I used the ancient communication of Airodia."
"Ancient what of who?"
He scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to explain it better, not to appear crazy to her. Rising from the stool, he headed towards Mel. She moved backwards from him, holding a stool against him in defence. He raised his hand in surrender. He never thought it was going to be this hard. How was he to convince a grown woman who worked two jobs to abandon her life here and jump with him to Airodia and save his land...our land.
"I won't harm you. God and our ancestors forbid that I should raise my hands on you. If you could at least spare me your time, I will reveal to you all that you need to know."
"I swear you're crazier than I thought. God and what ancestor? Who talks like this in the 21st century? I need you to take your crazy body from my bakery, or I'll call the cops."
"That's the second time."
"Second time?"
"You're threatening me by calling the cops." He said, using his mind again to speak to her. The shock in her eyes was unmistakable, and a slow grin crawled up on his face.
"Don't you want to know why you can hear me?" He continued. "I came to you in your dreams many times. It makes me wonder if you're her. Airodia is your mother's land. There the sun never goes down, no pain is felt.." He stopped short on the track; if the Talaticans gained access through the portal, he feared what would become of his people. The next phrase would be "the absence of fear but pure bliss." He knew this was a lie. Fear lurked in the air in Airodia. Children are lost in nightmares inflicted on them. The streets have become deserted; no one wants to be caught unaware should the Talaticans gain control. And the weight he felt for having this great burden laid on him.
"Airodia needs our help." He spoke using his voice.
"You know about my mother?"
"Why else can you understand me? You're half human and half Airodia."
"Where is this Airodia that you speak of? North Africa?"
"Where is North Africa?"
"You seem to reply to my question with another question."
"Airodia isn't hidden from me, I can see it, I can sense it, I can feel it."
"So Airodia is you?"
"What nonsense." He laughed awkwardly. "Of course not. Airodia is there, he pointed towards the sky. "Right above the Clouds"
"What are all these nonsense you speak of?"
Suddenly, the doors burst open, and two hulking masculine figures, seven feet tall and wielding axes larger than the typical human could lift, barged in. They towered over the bakery's entrance and appeared irritated. Pedro snatched her to his side just in time to dodge the initial strike aimed at her. They moved too quickly, something Pedro had not anticipated. She screamed in terror and fled to safety behind the counter, hiding underneath it. Pedro went after the first man who swung his axe at Mel. He grabbed his head and attempted to pin him, but the other person hooked his axe to Pedro's shoulder. The searing pain shot through his vein, delivering numerous painful shocks to his head, and he lost his grasp on the first assailant. He groaned in pain and ran off to where Mel had hidden. The attackers trailed behind him
"Mel, think of a place," He commanded hastily. He pulled her to his chest, not giving her time to think. He closed his eyes and willed his energy to assume a form that made the two of them disappear.