The Lake

Marina hopped back onto the tree and sighed. She picked up Malecai;s hand and started to doodle.

Three boys about his age stood there, cruel smiles on their faces. "Hello, Cai. Remember us?" Malecai gulped and backed away. The diCapo triplets hated his guts for no reason. The biggest grabbed him by the neck and yanked him outside.

Marina absentmindedly drew on his arm now. It was a bunch of random things she was drawing, but she wasn't really paying attention. Marina looked down at him, wondering what was going on in his brain.

Malecai jerked in his sleep, remembering how painful it was falling into that well. The brothers just laughed.

Marina paused. She stared quizically at the boy, "Are you ok?" She face palmed herself, Malecai was sleeping, he probabably could not hear her. She crossed her legs and put the pen in her pockett. She quickly lost balance and tumbled out of the tree, "Oof." She groaned.

"What're you gonna do now?" The oldest, Alessandro (whom some called Ale), called, pouring water onto Malecai's head. He coughed and spluttered, trying to get out. "Help!" Malecai had called, but no one could hear him.

"Are you up?" Marina called

Malecai snored in response. Back in his dream, a girl's face came into view from the top of the well. "Leave him alone!" She cried, shoving the boys away. The youngest one shoved the girl back. "Go home, Martina. Shouldn't you be cooking or something?" The girl named Martina flew back and onto the ground. Malecai sat on the cold floor and shook his head. He wished that he could help. "Touch me again, Nicolo, and I'll tell my father!" The youngest laughed, the others joining. "That old man? What's he gonna do? He can't even walk!"

Marina climbed up the tree and sat down near him, "Guess that's a no." Marina looked down at the lake and smiled. Her name did mean something like 'of the water' so natually, she like the water. It's what gives rainbows their color after all.

That's when Malecai heard the first punch, the one that sent Nicolo to the ground. The middle boy named Raimondo raised a fist to the girl. Malecai snapped out of his stupor and jumped to his work, tying, tapping. In the time it took Raimondo to lower his fist, a rock embedded in his temple. Malecai turned the slingshot towards Ale and growled. "You will die like your brother if you don't step away." Alessandro ran off, hollering for his Padre. Martina lowered a rope to help him up. "Be careful. There's a well nearby." She smiled when he was on the earth. Malecai smiled at her I'm return. "I'm Martina. Who are you?" And Malecai then woke up.

"You okay?" Marina asked. She turned to Malecai and smiled.

Malecai blinked a few times and turned towards Marina with a smile. "Yeah." He couldn't shake the feeling that Marina and Martina just so happened to look alike.

"Well you missed it." Marina said smiling, "I porbably climbed up this tree twenty times."

"Looks like someone has mastered their fear." Malecai smirked.

Marina laughed, "Yeah, kindof. I was closing my eyes for some of the climbing and sitting, so I fell too."

Malecai's eyes widened and he jumped down beside her. "Are you okay?! Hurt at all?!"

"Stop your worring, you softie. I'm absolutly fine."

"I'm just making sure." He sighed. Malecai thought about his time in Venice, when he killed that boy. That's how he ended up getting his middle name late--David.

"You're too sweet."

Malecai groaned. "Yup. 'Cause every guy likes being called sweet."

"Yes the do." Marina replied smiling. "The good ones."

Malecai sprawled out on the soft ground. "Curse you."

"I'm immune to curses." Marina exclaimed, "I'm invinceable."

"Supergirl." He grumbled.

"Thank you for reconizing my superiority, citizen."