The Flames That Bind Us (Daughter of Fire #1)

⚠Chapter Six: Taken By Shadows⚠

My eyes widened a bit when I noticed the color of her hair, which further proved her identity.

Her hair cascaded down her back and all the way to her hips, the tips resting over the wet grass. It was the color of sand from the top, but when reaching the middle, it looked as if every shade of blue was dipped into her hair. And when a soft breeze came by, making the locks of her hair dance, I felt as if I was watching the waves of the ocean crashing on a shore.

I was too into staring at her back that I lost focus on where my foot landed, a loud snap interrupting the quietness around us. I heard three things-a gasp, a splash, and my own heart skipping a beat.

Ah, shit!

I mentally cursed myself and the stupid twig that snapped in half when I stepped on it, my plans of not frightening her dissolving along with the water she lost control of. Her shoulders went rigid as she quickly turned her back and looked for the source of that noise, only for her large, round eyes to land on me.

She held her hands to her chest, her eyes alarmingly searching me. I went still for a second, too, noting that her eyes were the exact same color as her hair, only that hers had what seemed to be a permanent sparkle. Then, she hastened herself into a standing position, backing a few steps away into the small pond.

"W-who are you?" she asked. Her voice was meek, even if she tried to sound even. Geez, I must have scared her a lot.

I tried to sound casual. "Uh...sorry about that. I didn't mean to pry on you."

She didn't seem convinced, nor did she stop backing away. I have to think of some way to reassure her. "Err...that was a nice song you were singing," I said, then cracked a smile. Her eyes widened further at that. I tried not to wince at my lame attempt to start a conversation.

She still didn't say anything, and I realized I probably didn't answer her question. "I'm Lydia, by the way. What's your name?"

That should work...right?

Except she was still silent. And to make matters worse, it seemed like my question only ticked her off further. I breathed in, digging into my mind for some way to connect with her without her running off. My eyes landed on something glinting on her skin, like a flash of vibrant colors. It was on her pale, upper right leg, near her thigh. I could see it through the side-split dress she wore.

For a moment, I lingered at her dress and how it matched her soft, curvaceous figure. The dress was bright silver, ornamented with white, glittering jewels. It was long-sleeved and form-fitting, with a single split that exposed half of her leg.

She certainly didn't seem dressed for the woods.

However, what caught my attention was the visible mark on her upper thigh. It was exactly like mine, but hers were the colors of the sea. It matched her hair and eyes, just like mine did. The spectacular shades of blue reminded me of the ocean paintings I used to see in my school's art gallery.

An audible gasp left her lips when she noticed I was staring at her mark, causing her to try to fold her dress over her bare leg. I wish I could show her mine. At least she might not be so frightened of me. But I wasn't keen on lifting up my dress.

Not to mention, that could probably make things worse.

"You don't need to be so scared of me," I held up a soothing hand, but she looked at it as if I was about to shoot fireballs at her at any given moment. "Really, I'm not going to harm you."

"Stay away," she whispered, one leg behind the other.

Why was she so scared? I wasn't going to hurt her.