Until Dawn (Hosie)

Chapter 15: I'll Keep You Safe

Josie

Time seemed to be at a stand still. It felt like, even though we were moving. Time wasn't. Not that I cared or anything, but most people don't have to fear for there life just to graduate high school. But with Hope, it was different, that sometimes I would forget about the death game we were in.

"I loved to watch my father paint. Or really, I loved to hear him talk while he painted. I learned a lot about my dad that way. He told me all sorts of things... like how he became a hybrid... and how he became known as the great evil. Then one day he surprised me" Hope smiled as she swung our interlocked hand back and forth. I didn't even think she realized it. She's been doing that a lot lately. Doing things without realizing it. Like it was...natural.

"How so?" I asked trying not to focus to much on the hand holding.

"He told me... to be happy. Find peace, and live a good life. My dad fell in love with my mom. At first they were enemies always at each other throats. But then they fell into love. And they have been happy ever since. He told that... as long as I am happy then he doesn't care if I win or lose the tournament."

"Wise man" I smiled.

"I'm happy right now... with the soulmate thing"

"Is this where we go back and forth. Where you say yes and I say no and you say I hate you and I say I lo—- I like you" I caught myself before I said anything else. Truth was I didn't even know I was capable of saying that 'L' word.

"No of course not. When we first met I was curious as to why I was drawn to you. You're eyes... maybe your smile. All which are beautiful by the way. But the closer I looked at you the more I saw the whole landscape"

"What does that mean" I raised a brow confused as to where this conversation was now going.

"A painting is more than the moon and its parts. A tree by itself is just a tree" Hope smiled pointing at a tall oak tree that was covered with snow. "A meadow by itself is just grass, flowers" I remembered when we were first teleported here. Hope and I had a little fight in the meadow. Where her wolf talked to me and told me about the imprinting. "And the moon peeking through the trees is just a beam of light. But you put them all together... and it can be magic" she picked me up bridal styles jumping high into a tree branch. We were high up looking at the beautiful forest with the lights shining in the sky. I laughed at the unexpected gesture before Hope carried me down.

"So what's your conclusion" I smiled.

"When I'm with you, I don't know... I felt things I never felt before. Things you see in movies. The more I walked by your side, I got more amazed by the view. I began to notice how wonderful the breeze smelled. I couldn't stop breathing it in. Filling my lungs with the sweetest smell I'd ever known. Everything seemed more beautiful. When we got summoned here and I was away from you. Everything was dark, and scary... and not beautiful"

"I felt the same way. Well more worried then scared."

"With you... I could just walk for hours just looking out at the world. It was then that the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts moved from my head to my heart." Hope squeezed my hand a bit.

I thought about what Hope had said. And in a way she was right. There were more to people then what you see. Some were lesser and others like Hope. She was greater. But even though the conversation was comforting, it still didn't help that I was freaking out. A hundred thoughts immediately drowning out everything around me. I bet this chaos is what a first time skydiver feels as they plummeting out of a plane. Not that I will ever know. But the thought of something going horribly wrong at any given moment even if everything was going fine was something I had to keep in mind.