marcus
I want it all give me everything that you got
Marcus watched her throw the stone, his attention lingering less on the rock itself and more on the delight that immediately followed when it vanished into the crimson current. The giggle that escaped her carried easily across the clearing, bright against the steady murmur of the floating river. He found himself smiling because there was something infectious about her enthusiasm, something that made even the strangest corners of the Greatwood feel a little less intimidating. Turning another stone over between his fingers, he glanced sideways at her and shook his head faintly. “I think people figure it out pretty quickly,” he said. “The awesome part, anyway.”
He tossed the stone upward once and caught it again, watching the crimson light reflect off its damp surface. “You’re not exactly subtle.” There was teasing in the remark, but no bite to it. His gaze drifted back toward her for a moment, taking in the way the fading sunlight and red glow of the river tangled together in her hair. Even exhausted, she seemed incapable of being anything less than vibrant. “Most people don’t run headfirst into mysterious magic pools, race across half the Greatwood, and then insist they’re completely fine afterward.”
A quiet laugh escaped him as he flicked his next stone into the floating river. It skipped once, twice, before disappearing beneath the crimson surface. Marcus followed its path until it dropped out the underside of the current and struck the ground below. Then he settled back on his hands, beside Nova, watching stones tumble through an impossible river.
He tossed the stone upward once and caught it again, watching the crimson light reflect off its damp surface. “You’re not exactly subtle.” There was teasing in the remark, but no bite to it. His gaze drifted back toward her for a moment, taking in the way the fading sunlight and red glow of the river tangled together in her hair. Even exhausted, she seemed incapable of being anything less than vibrant. “Most people don’t run headfirst into mysterious magic pools, race across half the Greatwood, and then insist they’re completely fine afterward.”
A quiet laugh escaped him as he flicked his next stone into the floating river. It skipped once, twice, before disappearing beneath the crimson surface. Marcus followed its path until it dropped out the underside of the current and struck the ground below. Then he settled back on his hands, beside Nova, watching stones tumble through an impossible river.
The full transplant bleeding with a new heart
