SUBMISSION TO THE ALPHA

, Arabella," he said. We walked for five more minutes with me in complete darkness. And then he suddenly stopped. When he peeled back his hands, I gasped. "You brought me back to the cave?" I

le- representing the moon-and a silhouette of a woman in front of it. I stared at it for a long time and smiled. "The Moon Goddess." He tensed and stared down at me, parting his lips to speak but no words came out. Instead he leaned down, picked up a small rock, and handed it to me. "You want to draw another one?" I asked. "For old time's sake," he said, cracking a smile. He sat down on the dusty ground, taking a stone in his hand too, and I sat next to him. "What're you going to draw?" I asked, leaning over his shoulder and inhaling his minty scent. He pushed the rock into the wall and carved. I watched him with excitement, blurting out guesses now and then. He chuckled each time, asking me if his drawing was that bad when I guessed he was drawing a stick figure, and continued. I stared between Robert and the drawing, my heart racing. The way his eyes shifted eortlessly around the rock, the way he moved his hand so smoothly, the spark in his eye... it made me feel young again. He glanc