The Academy: Ensnared

24. Brat

A/N//: Hey everyone! Happy update day! Heads up, there's a picture at the end of the chapter for one of the toys used in the chapter. Hope it helps with my terrible toy descriptions.

Idea Man Reacts: 🌸🏃‍♀️😧😵

Amelia

March in Europe was beautiful. They were only three days into the month, but Amelia was positive. It was stunning. Sure, California was gorgeous. The mornings could be a little cloudy. Sometimes they were chilly, but once the day was at its height, the sun came out to grace the world with its rays. It was ideal and perfect. There were wildflowers, big palm trees, and beautiful beaches. It was a paradise for most people.

But nothing compared to Europe. The temperatures were still a little cold. It was below fifty degrees fahrenheit, but she didn't mind all that much. It was better than the snow. She'd take this weather over snow any day. What she couldn't get enough of were the forests. She'd been to Michigan in the fall, but she'd never seen these sorts of forests in early spring. The running trails that snaked through the forests surrounding the Academy were cloaked in deep, emerald green foliage. In the mornings, a heavy mist clung to everything, making it feel like something out of a fairytale. It was just another magical aspect to add to the ambiance of the Academy.

She and Christopher were out on an early morning run. As soon as the weather had started to break, they had picked it back up. Their winter hiatus from exercise had left her in horrible fucking shape. The first few runs had been rough. She had sworn high and low that she'd never run again, but she always got back out there. This morning was a relaxing one at least. Christopher ran beside her at a steady pace. They didn't talk too much. They occasionally noted something or asked a question of one another, but for the most part, she was able to run with her boyfriend in a comfortable silence.

They periodically took breaks as they ran, stopping to catch their breath or drink some water. By the way that Christopher was slowing beside her, she figured that they were stopping again. Amelia knew why they were stopping as soon as they rounded one last bend around the back end of the Academy. It was the cliff.

A broad smile stretched onto Amelia's lips. The early spring weather had brought a lot of rain, and the night before had been no exception. The ground was dry enough for running, but down over the edge of the cliff, the river was rushing. It was likely that it had flooded its banks into the valley beyond. Amelia could hear it from where she stood. She grabbed Christopher's hand - which was a tad on the sweaty side from their run - and dragged him to the cliff's edge.

"Can we sit for a second?" she asked excitedly. "I just want to look out at the valley."

"Is it really that exciting?" he asked her skeptically.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I think it's beautiful," she said. "California wasn't anything like this. At least not where I lived."

"What was it like?"

"Dry a lot of the time. The flowers were beautiful when they were in bloom - well, to everyone except me. The flowers could be damned for all I cared."

"Why?"

"Allergies," she hummed. "It was literal hell."

A small peal of laughter sounded beside her. "I'm sure the flowers would stand no chance against you."

"If I could burn them all I would, but then you risk burning down the entire state... It's honestly too much of a mess to even consider it," she said, grinning.

"C'mon. Let's sit for a minute," Christopher said, taking her hand.

Amelia was led to the edge of the cliff. Standing this close was daunting. But she had someone warm and sturdy beside her to stop her from falling. She knew that Christopher would protect her in an instant should she ever find herself in that predicament.