Cupid's Consequence

Part Four: Paintings

My life was a huge tangle of mystery. I didn't know who I was, what I was, or why I was chosen. There were still a few questions I had for Tris. More than a few, actually. Things like; why me, why now? Why, why, why. The word replayed itself in my head repeatedly like a broken record.

The thing is, my childhood had never been all that exciting. This was like a huge unexpected turn, a complete change of direction. Suddenly, I was running out of my house at 5 am in the morning, jumping into speeding cars, living dangerous. I wouldn't say I was turning into some bad ass motorcycle rider with tattoos on my chest and bushy eyebrows -- but it was a change. For once in my life, I was scared of the unknown, but looking forward to it at the same time. It felt good. I actually felt cool for the first time in forever. 

It wasn't exactly what most people would call a thrilling time, but staring off into what seemed like a foggy distance, I could make out the shapes of a few cars speeding along the tar. It was enough to entertain me for the time being. Attempting to form the outlines of the vehicles, my eyes turned into squinted slits. I could go on for hours just trying to make out things through the thick layer of mist.

Where we were going still hadn't escaped from Tris' mouth, and I was beginning to worry that we were lost. Nothing in sight seemed familiar; from the eerie trees lurking over us to the snowy mountains disappearing into the clouds.

It was like a wasteland of forest with a road running through the middle, continuing up the steep hill until I thought we were going to roll all the way back down. Was Tris taking me to his Greek god lair in the sky? It sure seemed like it; we were almost as close to the clouds as the mountains beside us were.

"One day I want to go backpacking. In these mountains, maybe." I said, tracing my finger along the steamy window.

Tris raised his eyebrows, the feeling of surprise washing over his face. "You do?"

"Yeah," Glaring up at the leaves floating above us, I smiled. Nature always found a way to make me feel warm inside. It's so breathtaking sometimes that it's open to question the most beautiful things in life can be right under your nose. "I want to travel the world."

"The world?" Tris tilted his head slightly towards me with interest. Now he was listening.

He seemed completely taken aback by the fact that me, of all people, actually had real enthusiasm. Either that or he was surprised that mortals were actually existing people, with human feelings and genuine passions. Who would've thought? It's not just Greek gods and goddesses who led interesting lives.

"Everywhere. Every country, at least: I want to see the different cultures, experience the different people, learn new languages. You know?" I sighed, furthermore trying to imagine what it would be like if I had all the money in the world. I could jump on a plane now, buy an apartment, build myself a new life where no one knew me at all. I could re-invent myself -- like Hannah Montana, only better.

"Well, how do you feel about exploring an old woman's home?" Tris pulled on the handbrake before glaring up at the gloomy black building.

"Eh. Not my cup of tea, but it'll do." I diverted my eyes into the same direction. If the owner was old, the house must've been ten times that. It was practically ancient, and the bricks looked like they were slowly deteriorating day by day. Plants climbed the grubby walls until they were almost covering a quarter of the residence with a variation of leaves and stems -- and I thought I was the one who loved nature. This woman was clearly far beyond me in that department. So much, so that the house unmistakably blended in with the surrounding trees.

Tris held his hand out towards me. "Ladies first, Muna."

"Yeah, right. I've already got the creeps. We haven't even stepped out of the car yet." I shook my head at him and a smirk tugged at my lips. "How about you take the lead?"