Something rustles from the other side of the swamp. June threw something. And yes this time it takes the bait and looks away, but doesn't move. "Lie down," I tell her. "What?" she raises her eyebrows. "Lie down on your back. Our heads are visible from above." She does it.
"What about you?" I'll be damned, there was definitely no space for another person beside her. "Well, bear with me," I lie down over her resting on my hands. Our position was utterly inappropriate but given the moment my head wasn't working.
We stayed like that for I don't know how long, holding our breaths and our bodies tense. My hands started to ache. The creature finally starts going the other way. I hope June is alright. Its footsteps slowly receded. Aria takes a shaky breath. My heart was still banging inside my chest. It could've been the adrenaline.
Or it could've been her. I suddenly realised exactly how close we were, face to face, her breath brushing against my neck, our bodies mere centimetres from touching. It was getting harder, actually, a lot of things were. Stop Ian, fucking stop!
She looks up at me, "It's gone?" She asks in a small voice. It had stopped after walking away a few steps. Smartass bastards! "For a while," I say, "But it might come back."
JULY 4th, 2045. 05:50.
- Neyven -
ARIA'S POV:
I swear my heart wasn't beating at the rate of any other normal human being. I couldn't, with this proximity. I couldn't breathe, or think straight, or take my eyes off. Ian was everything and the only thing I could see, feel. His face glinted with beads of sweat, tousled hair half wet falling over his dark grey eyes. The whole body of his tensed.
'This is so obscene! What's wrong with you Ari! It is a life or death situation and this is what you're thinking!' I shut my eyes, only to flick them open when I hear the thuds closing up again. What now? "So, we're dying? Take care of June if you make it out alive." I mumble. His jaw clenches, "Can you just not talk for a while?" Ian looks down at me and his grey eyes burned into mine.
We remained like stone statues breathing, for some five more minutes maybe. The longest five minutes of my life perhaps. Then, unable to trace us anymore the creature retreats back to the dense green. Saved this time.
Ian heaves a sigh as the last of its footsteps fade away. He gets up first. "Here. Get up," he says reaching his hand to me. I take it and pull myself up, but before I can even get up, I sense losing control over my legs and then, darkness.
"Ari! Ari!" "Aria? Can you hear me?" "Ari? Are you feeling better?" I squinted my eyes, "I... I'm alright. What happened?" "Well, you passed out." Ian supports me as I sit up. June pulls me into a hug. "I. I thought." "What you silly?" I smile, hugging her back, "It's alright. We're alive and we'll make it out of this." Ian looks at me as if saying, 'Yeah. Who's speaking!'
"Come on. Let's keep moving." "No Ari. You need some rest. You definitely didn't get any sleep last night." June lectures me, "You know how important sleep is for the body to survive..." "Alright. Alright. I'll keep in mind to take rest from now on, but right now let's be on the move." June narrows her eyes at me, "Fine! Get up." I brush off the dust from myself, "We continue towards the headquarters then?" We all agree to it and resume walking due south.
"This one isn't the ones from before you know," I say, "Those seemed to be adults, this one was younger." "No what were you even thinking?" June looks at me. "What?" "Why did you do that? The whole thing trying to get its attention and all." "I'll guess," Ian intervenes, "She wanted to lure it into the mire. But you should know they are exceptionally smart creatures." "Okay, Mr. Knowitall you're right." I roll my eyes and Ian scoffs.
"These megaceloraps or whatever these are called, they don't seem primal to me." June ignores us. "What did you call it?" Ian asks. "Well, it has a name. See June, finally, something we know that Mr. Knowitall doesn't." I say annoyed. "Oh well, enlighten me!" "Did you just mock me?" Because that tone is nothing but mockery. "You know there's a word called thank you. I just risked my life to save yours," he says without answering me. "That just brings us even, that's it. Not a favour you were doing. And we both could've died." Though I could've used a thank you, right now I was in no mood for it.
"Guys! Just stop it!" June exclaims startling us both. "What are you, kindergarteners? Y'all are grown-ass adults, just resolve this, whatever happened between you two." "June you're..." "No Ari. Please I'm fed up with this. Once Ian gets off by himself and barely misses death, what next? Just get over this conflict between you two. I'm the peacemaker here, ridiculous. I'll pardon you both, you have your privacy, talk it out and call me when you're done, I'm going."
She takes back a few steps and goes towards where we were coming from. "June..." "I can take care of myself for a mere fifteen minutes big sis." She says without giving me a chance to finish and gets out of sight behind a giant tree.
I cross my arms and look at him. Ian sighs, "So. What do we have?" "Don't tell me you have no clue." "Well if this is about the ' observing you ', let me tell you I really was observing you, as a person and nothing else. You took it in all the wrong sense. Okay?" he finishes. Oh well. "I don't know. Not many people have genuine intentions."
"If I was that kind of a person, I'd already have fucked you twice." "Ian!" He looks up at me as if expecting me to say more. "Um, okay, my fault, I'm sorry." "Well, sorry too. For giving you the wrong impression. I guess it works both ways, I shouldn't have left the pod before." "That was purely your fault," I remark. "I thought we were just apologising." he gives me an amused look, and I don't know what ticked in me that I started to laugh.
His eyes crinkle in the corners and his amused look only grows, "You can laugh too?" "What? I'm not a robot!" "So could you frown less and laugh more often?" I didn't realise since when we were standing this close. I could almost feel his breath on my face. He looked me in the eyes with a softer expression and something else in them that I couldn't exactly discern.
His eyes run over my face before stopping at my gaze. "Yeah, y'all done now?" June pops from behind walking towards us. I take a few steps away. "Let's keep going then." I looked at him once, I could like him.
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THE NEYVEN MAYHEM
Adventure" Summer just got, a whole, lot, hotter." ...Year - 2042. A breakthrough in the scientific world. An island - a treasure trove of resources that were otherwise considered non-existent, hidden all these centuries behind a cloak of clouds has been dis...
