Candied Apples

☆ Chapter 5: Adventure Time! ☆

     "N...No. Not really."

     "Alright! So we can go then, right?" Marshall asked innocently while suddenly pulling the female into his arms. 

     "W-Wait! What are you doing?" Fionna spun the question out of her mouth the moment she felt the vampire's arm wrap around her waist.

     "Going on an adventure, duh." Marshall replied sarcastically and chuckled before rising off the floor and out treehouse's window. 

     "Why do you have to be carrying me then?" Fionna squeezed her eyes tight for a moment while an all too familiar warmth began to creep along her face. 

     "We could walk if you really wanted to, but I thought flying there would be easier." He replied blandly. 

    "Flying where?" She opened her eyes and cautiously looked down, only to find the two of them at least fifty feet up in the air. 

     "Anywhere that looks interesting. Like... that forest!"

In a short period of time, Marshall descended downwards and let Fionna back onto her two feet. And just like that, the two friends were off on their adventure. 

     "The Forest of Trees, huh?" Fionna huffed, patting her cheeks a bit in an attempt to get rid of the warmth that had made itself comfortable on her face.

After a few seconds of recomposing herself, Fionna took the lead and began to follow the beaten down, dirt path into the thicket of trees.

     "..."

     "..."

     "..."

     "..."

     "Hey, Marshall?" "Hey, Fionna?"

At once, the two had broken the awkward silence by making it even more awkward. Amazing. 

     "Oh, uh. You go first." Fionna quickly murmured.

     "No no, what was it you wanted to say?"

     "About the other day..." She stopped in her tracks.

Marshall watched the girl intently when she turned around to face him. He could feel the corners of his mouth gradually pull upwards as she fidgeted for a few seconds. 

     "I know what you're going to say, Fionna, so let's just get this over with." Marshall interjected before the girl could finish what she was saying. 

In one fluid motion, Marshall had brought Fionna back into his arms once more. 

     "There's been something I've been meaning to ask you..." He whispered into her ear and tightened his grip around her body.

     "Do yo-"

In a sudden puff of smoke, another individual popped out of the nearby bushes.

     "It is I, the Magic Woman! ZAP!"

An abrupt and loud flash of light filled the dimmed forest, causing both Fionna and Marshall to fall backwards in utter shock. 

     "You biscuits look like you're having fun! So... Enjoy my mystical, magical favor! Just remember that love is always dead! Wazoooooooo!" The booming and lyrical sounding voice of the Magic Woman mixed into the light and smoke before disappearing altogether within a matter of a few seconds. 

Fionna coughed and picked herself up from the dirt, waving her arms around in an attempt to rid of the smoke. 

     "Marshall?" She cried out frantically. 

Fionna looked down at her body and patted herself down, checking for any sort of abnormalities. She never knew what the Magic Woman could have done to her, so it was important that she first made sure if there was anything wrong with her. 

After failure to find anything out of the ordinary, which proved both confusing yet relieving to the girl, she shouted her friend's name once more. 

     "O-Over... here, Fionna." 

She spun around on her heels and peered into the thinning smoke. Spotting a body sprawled onto the ground just a few feet away from her, Fionna lunged towards the figure and fell to her knees.

     "Marshall! Are you okay?!" She picked up the male's upper body and rested it on her lap, nervous eyes flickering back and forth from his pale looking face to the rest of his body. 

     "Urghhh..." He groaned and turned to his side so he was now facing the girl.

     "Marshall!!" Fionna, in the midst of panic and fear, placed her hand on his forehead to see if his temperature had risen. 

Yikes. His skin was burning.

Then she moved her hand down to his neck and checked to see if there was any sign of a pulse. Though it was weak, she could feel one. 

Letting out a shaky sigh of relief, Fionna gripped hold of one of Marshall's hand. Good, he was still alive. 

Wait. 

Alive? 

Pulse??

His skin was emanating heat??!??!!?

Fionna widened her eyes and looked down at the boy in her lap to confirm everything. 

Oh Glob, it was true.

Marshall had turned human.