I returned even more peaceful than when I had left.
A smile had naturally found its way onto my face, and my eyes felt open and calm.
Strangely enough, after three hours of continuous “moving meditation,” I wasn’t even slightly tired.
Quite the opposite, actually.
I felt rested, full of energy.
That was strange.
Despite how effortless it looked, a properly performed Tai Chi form, with low stances, no breaks in rhythm, and no sudden movements, was roughly equivalent to running five kilometers.
I had gone through nearly twenty forms, yet I was still full of energy.
I wasn’t even hungry, despite having eaten nothing since my light breakfast that morning.
Pleasant.
I really liked this whole “afterlife” thing.
Had my previous life really been so righteous that I had somehow earned a reward this incredible?
A loving family, a young and powerful body, a comfortable home in the countryside…
I certainly wasn’t complaining.
I was perfectly happy.
Just a little surprised.
As I walked across the field, a tiny speck appeared in the distance.
It gradually grew larger until it became a girl riding a white horse with black spots.
She had straight chestnut hair that fell freely over her shoulders, and I suddenly realized I didn’t remember ever having complained about my eyesight before.
Now, however…
Well, who cared?
The sunshine was warm, the fields stretched endlessly around me, and the fresh air was wonderful.
There was even a beautiful girl riding toward me.
What more could I ask for?
The distance between us gradually closed, and eventually she noticed me.
She could have turned away if she didn’t want to meet me, but she didn’t.
Instead, she continued straight toward me, even adjusting her original route slightly so that we’d cross paths.
Fine by me.
I had no problem with some company on such a beautiful day.
Especially because I realized, much to my surprise, that I had feelings for this girl.
Warm feelings.
I might even have called them love if I could honestly say I knew what love was.
“Lana…”
Her name surfaced in my mind almost automatically.
“Clark?”
That was her greeting.
Just my name.
No hello.
No hi.
Apparently, that wasn’t unusual around here.
People did it all the time.
“Didn’t expect to see you out here.
You’re always busy on the farm on weekends.”
“Dad told me to take the day off, so I decided to go for a walk.”
I tried to sound calm.
“The weather’s beautiful, don’t you think?”
On the outside, I sounded perfectly normal.
Inside, however, there were butterflies in my stomach, and my face was getting hot.
So were my ears.
Huh.
It had been a long time since I’d felt anything like this.
And you know what?
It felt good.
The girl rode closer before eventually dismounting from her horse.
And suddenly, I felt terrible.
Physically terrible.
My blood pressure seemed to drop all at once, while my nerves felt as though someone were pinching them throughout my entire body.
Nausea hit me, weakness spread through my limbs, and my knees began trembling beneath me.
My legs felt like jelly.
Holy crap.
The local beauties came with one hell of a side effect.
Still, using every ounce of willpower and self-control I possessed, I forced myself to remain standing.
No falling.
No swaying.
Nothing.
“I heard you pulled Lex Luthor himself out of the river yesterday,” the girl said.
“The son of the billionaire Luthor who lives in that castle west of here?”
“Uh-huh.”
My thoughts were tangled, and the horrible feeling still hadn’t gone away.
“After he almost ran me over with his Porsche.”
“So it’s true?
He went over the bridge?”
“Yeah.”
That was all I managed to say.
This whole reaction was starting to get annoying.
“Lana…”
I took a breath.
“Could you maybe get back on your horse?”
“What?”
She looked surprised.
She hadn’t decided yet whether to be offended or laugh.
“It’s probably not very comfortable having a conversation when you have to keep looking up.”
What else could I say?
She was genuinely tiny compared to me.
I was basically a walking skyscraper, and when we stood next to each other, she had to tilt her head almost all the way back just to see my face.
“Fair enough.”
Lana snorted, apparently deciding not to be offended for now.
“You really shot up since last year.
What do they feed you on that farm?”
“Same thing they feed the other bulls.
Steroids.”
I delivered the line with the most serious expression I could manage.
For about twenty seconds, she stared at me with wide, confused eyes.
Then she finally got it.
“You’ve developed a sense of humor?”
I couldn’t keep a straight face anymore and smiled.
“And you’re not even tripping over your own feet anymore.
What’s gotten into you?”
She finally climbed back onto her horse.
The moment she did, it became easier to breathe.
The pain almost disappeared, and my strength began returning.
“Growing up, I guess.”
I gave her the happiest, most carefree smile I could manage.
Lana slowly looked me over, and her eyes lingered for a moment on my still-bare torso and impressive abs.
Yes.
They really were impressive.
I’d been impressed myself when I’d looked in the mirror last night.
Naked.
Closely.
“Maybe.”
Her voice had changed slightly.
No.
I wasn’t going to get ahead of myself.
I’d watched her through the telescope last night with that blond football player.
Whitney, I think.
So I’d blame the change in her voice and the way she unconsciously licked her lips on hormones rather than attraction.
Still, this body really did look like it belonged on a magazine cover.
And girls this age were starting to become interested in the opposite sex.
For some of them, that interest even temporarily shut off their brains.
Should I take advantage of that?
I gave Lana an equally appreciative look.
Pretty girl.
But I wasn’t going to rush anything.
There was no need.
I had my whole life ahead of me.
Youth and adolescence had a tendency to rush into things, act without thinking about the consequences, and make mistakes because of it.
There were plenty of opportunities to make mistakes here.
For example, there was this strange physical reaction I experienced whenever Lana came within two meters of me.
Just a little complication.
And I suspected it wasn’t the only one.
Whitney, for instance.
Rumors spread fast in small towns, and I had absolutely no interest in getting dragged into some teenage turf war.
Not yet, anyway.
“Want me to walk you home?”
I decided not to push things.
“Keep you company?”
“Sure, if you’re such a grown-up now.”
She nudged her horse with her knees and sent it into a gallop.
“Catch me!”
Girl.
Well…
Why not?
With enough training, a human could catch and even outrun a horse.
Of course, you’d need to be a highly trained track athlete to do it over any meaningful distance.
For a short stretch, though, even an ordinary person could probably keep pace for a hundred meters or so.
So why not have a little fun?
I wasn’t old anymore.
I was a kid again.
Besides, after spending hours in the sun “meditating,” my body practically demanded movement.
Why not run?