The Gang Leader's Girl

19. Bonfire. Pt 2.

I followed Axel blindly into the tall trees, slapping branches out from my face from time to time. I could barely see anything with the treetops blocking out most of the moonlight which caused me to stumble on fallen branches.

I now understand why everyone falls in horror movies, they can't freaking see anything.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"We're almost there." He stated, striding effortlessly in the rough terrain.

"That's not exactly the answer I was looking for," I said sarcastically.

Suddenly Axel stops walking and I run right into his back from the untimely stop. Of course, he didn't budge any, he was like a cement wall.

I looked around and saw that he had taken me to another clearing, a little higher than where the bonfire was. My eyes automatically snapped to the ledge that was only a few feet away from us.

My breath thinned looking down slightly, keeping a good distance away from the cliff. My breathing was labored and I think Axel noticed because he told me to sit.

But I was frozen in my own fear, this was way worse than being on that glass walkway in the airport. Axel yanked gently on my hand, sending me to the ground where he sat.

"Look up." He whispered.

But my eyes were only trained to look down.

"Look at the sky Angel," Axel said softly.

I tore my eyes away from the ledge and forced them to look up. I gaped at the sight in front of me, my stomach dropping fear suddenly washed away and was replaced with awe.

There had to be at least a million stars shining above me, the constellations painting the night sky. The view was breathtaking, I've never seen so many stars in my life. Back in New York, it's hard to really star gaze with all city lights but here, in the middle of nowhere, it was like pure magic.

"I read that you use to go outside with your mom and look at the stars, I thought you'd like this place," Axel muttered, staring at me.

"She would have loved it here," I whispered, lost in the balls of exploding gas.

"I'm sorry, for you know, everything." He spoke, looking down at his hands.

"What you did wasn't okay." I started. "But, I forgive you." I looked over at him.

"I still want you to tell me though." I finished.

Axel nodded his head looking up from his hands to look straight passed the ledge.

"Where do I begin?" He thought out loud.

"Usually from the beginning." I joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Axel just gave me a look and sighed deeply.

"My mother died giving birth to me." Axel furrowed his eyebrows, looking straight forward again.

"From what I gather from pictures and from what people have told me before I was born my parents had the picture-perfect life."