The Legend of the Blue Eyes by B. Kristin McMichael Page A

she
added.
    “I graduated from high school three years
ago,” he replied. Shocked, Arianna stared at the young man beside
her. Was he really so smart that he could graduate high school at
fourteen? Devin kept reading.
    “It’s too noisy here, and the party is still
going on,” she explained why she couldn’t sleep, though he hadn't
asked.
    “It could be a few more hours yet, before
everyone leaves,” Devin replied. “Just ignore the noise.”
    “That’s easy for you to say. You can’t hear
every little whisper about you,” she sulked.
    “Eventually they’ll get used to you, and the
gossiping should stop,” he replied.
    “Why is everyone making such a big deal
about me?” she asked. “Gabriel said there’s some legend about a
dearg-dul with blue eyes, but he didn’t know the details.”
    “Mm hmm,” Devin replied, not
elaborating.
    Arianna was starting to get mad at his short
replies. “Why won’t anyone tell me anything?” she complained.
    “They’ve told you quite enough for one day.
Too much information at one time can be bad,” he replied calmly.
“You need to get some sleep. Tomorrow I’ll answer all of your
questions, okay?” Arianna nodded. He was always correct. She
already had way too much to think about.
    “Can I sit here a little longer until I feel
sleepy?” she asked. Devin nodded without looking up from his
papers. “Thanks.”
    Arianna sat and watched the fire flicker.
The flames danced on the walls, captivating her attention, but she
couldn’t stop the sounds running through her head of the people
talking below. Arianna sighed. She wanted to sleep, but being in
such an unfamiliar place made it impossible to ignore all the new
noises she heard. There was nothing she could do to block out the
sounds. Out of the corner of his eye, Devin watched Arianna as she
endlessly watched the fire. She was exhausted from her long day,
but she wasn’t showing any signs of falling asleep soon.
    “You really need to go to sleep,” he said,
as he scooped her into his arms and carried her back to her
room.
    “But I can’t fall asleep,” she complained,
struggling to get out of his grasp. “It’s still too noisy in this
house.”
    “You have to get used to it. Your sense of
hearing has increased now, and it won’t change,” he added.
    “But,” she began to complain again.
    Devin sat down on the bed beside her.
Arianna stared in shock as he began to unbutton his shirt.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, moving away
from him.
    “Come here,” he directed in a serious tone.
He patted the bed and patiently waited. She slowly crawled back to
him, sitting on the edge of the bed. Devin took her hand and placed
it on his bare chest. “There’s something a dearg-dul can hear even
better than voices.”
    Arianna felt his heart beating beneath her
hand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the sound of the blood
rushing through his body. Arianna began to feel the outside world
dimming. She could no longer hear the guests at the party, or the
maid down the hall. Everything was covered up by the gentle
thumping of Devin’s heart. Arianna felt her body being moved, but
she didn’t fight it. The urge to sleep was slowly drawing over her.
Without the distracting noises around her, she could finally
rest.
    “Devin,” she asked, as she drifted off to
sleep. “Promise me that you will always take care of me.”
    “Of course,” he replied as she drifted
off

 
     
     
EIGHT

    Arianna lifted her head slightly and heard a
rush of noises around her. The bird outside chirped loudly, the
maids clicked as they walked down the marble hallways, and the
clanking of dishes told her it was already daytime. Arianna felt
the warmth of her pillow before realizing her pillow had a pulse.
She opened her eyes, in the dim light, and to her surprise, she
found she was lying on Devin’s bare chest. Swiftly, she sat up and
moved away from him to the other side of the bed.
    “I knew you were tired, but