Impossible Relationship

Chapter 14

Astrix’s P.O.V

Cold. So cold.

Need to keep running. Don’t stop. Don’t stop! A voice yells at me inside of my head. They follow!

I don’t turn to see who. I can only run. Putting one foot in front of another again and again. I can’t let them get me. I can’t remember why but I feel deep down in my gut that if they catch me I will not survive. I know they want to kill me, but why? What had I done?

Trees rush past me in a blur as I run as fast as my legs can carry me. I feel my muscles begin to hurt and weaken from exhaustion. How long had I been running now? It felt like forever. I couldn’t stop though. I know that they won’t stop trying to get me.

I don’t see a branch sticking up out of the ground and stumble into a tree. My head collides with the trunk and I feel hot sticky wetness running down from my scalp. I run my hand over my head a wince as I touch the cut. It’s a deep cut and it keeps bleeding.

I shakily stand up and start running again, ignoring the pain coming from my limbs and my head. I need to get safe. I need to get away.

I hear a shot fire off in the distance and the bark of a nearby tree explodes away from the truck. They were getting closer. My stumble must have allowed them to gain some distance towards me.

I feel the cold air encircling my body like a glove freezing me to my core. I know I won’t be able to run much further. I hear another shot fire and pain suddenly flared in my leg. I let out a shriek of pain and fall to the floor. I had been shot. They had shot me. I’m going to die.

I hear them walk closer to me and stop a wide distance off. They circle me. Ten of them. Looking up I look at the faces of the people hunting me. Four women and six men all look at me with disgust and hatred on their faces. One of them steps closer to me out of the shadows and I let out a shocked breath.

Dalton stood there with his rifle in his hands pointed towards me. Hatred plain on his face. I let out a cry. What had I done to make him hate me?

He points the gun at my head and says one word. ‘Monstrosity’ before pulling the trigger.

I wake up in bed covered in sweat breathing hard. That dream didn’t feel like the others. It felt more hazy yet real. What was it trying to tell me? I look across at my clock and see that it’s seven in the morning. I had slept through the night yet I still felt so tired. The nightmare had not replenished me at all. If anything it had made me feel worse.

I got up and heading into the bathroom to shower away all traces of the dream. I then went to leave my room before remembering why it was that I had had so much sleep last night. I was hiding from Dalton.

I listened downstairs and found I could clearly hear him humming in the kitchen. I could never do that before. I wonder if that was a werewolf power I pondered to myself. Maybe I should have stayed and talked to my fairy father for a while longer so he could have explained these things to me so I’m not as in the dark.

Ignoring the thought I took in a deep breath to build up my confidence and opened my bedroom door. It squeaked in protest as the old hinges rubbed together. I heard the humming stop from downstairs and a thudding start to pace faster. Did Dalton have the tumble dryer on? I wondered trying to remember where I had heard a noise like that before.

I walked downstairs and wondered if I should just leave out of the front door before I heard Dalton call me into the kitchen. Oh boy, here comes another lecture about how it was wrong and how it can’t happen… I thought to myself as I reluctantly turned into the kitchen.

‘Where were you yesterday?’ was the first thing that came out of Dalton’s mouth when I entered the kitchen. This wasn’t what I had expected to hear so it stopped me for a minute before I answered ‘I got lost in the forest. It took me a while to find my way out’

The lie slipped easily off my tongue without a second thought. The warning from the fairy and the dream from last night clear in my head made me more wary not to tell Dalton the truth.

Dalton just nodded his head at my answer as if that is what he had expected had happened. An uncomfortable silence filled the room before Dalton spoke again. ‘I understand why you ran away Astrix. I know that it is wrong for us to be like that. I’m your guardian and a lot older than you and you’re only a child. I know you have just turned twenty but it is still a lot younger than me…’ he trailed off. I put down my head and looked at the floor nodding without saying a word. I knew that if I did then I would break out crying.

He continued on with a more determined voice. ‘I know that yet I can’t use that as an excuse anymore. I know that it is wrong and that it shouldn’t happen yet every time I look at your face I see the most beautiful face I have ever seen. Whenever I see you near another guy I get so jealous I expect to turn green with it. Whenever you laugh I can’t help but smile as you laugh is so contagious. I know that this confession may ruin things between us but I can’t go on without you knowing that I don’t find you or us disgusting in any way. I love you Astrix’

I stood there will my eyes stinging from the tear that I refused to let fall. Did he really just say that? No I must have miss heard. Yearning to hear what I wanted so desperately to hear I must have just made it up in my head.

‘I love you Astrix’ he said again in a quieter voice that sounded so defeated, as if I had already rejected him. I hadn’t miss heard! He loves me.

Without a second thought to think about the consequences of my actions I ran at him and wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips firmly against his. We soon started a passion filled kiss full of love and acceptance.

After a while we broke apart gasping for air. Just before I pressed my lips against Dalton’s for a second time I whispered to him ‘I love you too’. A breath taking smile spread across his face and we started another heart pounding kiss.