Dark Desires

1...The handsome Intruder

Alice pulls down on her sheer skirt, hoping to shield her thin pale legs from the cragged armor of the oak. Her left leg falls gently off into the air and soft, sweet-smelling wind tickles the bottom of her foot. With a sigh she lays back on the branch, noticing the blue-gray sky. The arms of her hideaway intertwine above her, peppered with swaying moss. A soft pink blurs the corner of her vision as the flowers of magnolia trees run together. Several vibrantly colored butterflies pause to enjoy the sweet scent, one mistaking her pink skirt as another flower.

A sudden crunch of leaves brakes Alice's peaceful trance, startling her into a guarded position. As her right arm flies up to protect her and her left reaches back to catch her, a small charm bracelet slips off its slim wrist and to the ground beneath her. A stranger, dressed as if he had escaped a boring dinner at a castle, smiles up at the oddly placed girl. The stranger was much taller than her, with dark brown hair that stopped above his strong jaw.

"Oh, My apologies." He chuckles, his slight smile allowing Alice to relax against her tree. She smiles softly as she silently moves down the oak to retrieve her lost trinket from the beautiful intruder who now held it captive in his soft gentle hands.

"That's quite all right." She opens her hand hoping to be reunited with the bracelet.

"This is lovely," He holds the jewelry up to admire the treasure he has stolen. The fragile chain holds six oval-shaped emeralds "That shade of green has always caught my eye."

"It reminds me of the forest."

He raised an eyebrow still toying with the bracelet. "You hide here often?"

Alice's cheeks light up to reflect the hue of the cherry blossoms behind her. "Is this your land?" She looks to her bare wrist and considers abandoning her poor jewelry.

"It is my uncle's, or I suppose it was. I'm here to inherit his estate."

The girl was ready to run off when her mother's lectures on manners rang in her mind. "I am deeply sorry. I won't bother your home again."

"Wait, I don't mind. The company would be nice."

"I usually come here to escape company."

"I assure you that dropping your guard and forgetting etiquette with a friend is far more beneficial than hiding from the world."

A friend... "I am fond of my, well your, secret world if you wouldn't be troubled."

"Please, call it yours." His hands gestured to the surrounding woods. A small callus interrupted his flawlessly smooth right hand on the inside of his ring finger. "I won't be using the land at all. I prefer working under the light of a bulb to sweating under a damning sun."

Alice tilted her head to the sun, feeling her skin warm under its generous but unforgiving rays. "In moderation, the sun is rather wonderful."

"Perhaps I've been having the wrong experiences then, even more reason for you to stay so that I may adopt your appreciation." Alice laughed softly at his persistent charm.

"Perhaps." She held out her hand. "My name is Alice."

His handshake was firm and oddly comforting. "Isaac dalore."

"A pleasure." She looked at his hands and noticed her bracelet. "May I have my bracelet now?"

An amused smile grew on Isaac's face. "If you come to visit you can retrieve it from me."

"Are you meaning to say you will steal it from me?"

"No, no. It's simply assurance. If I don't see your lovely face again, I will think I dreamed it and surely I'll lose my head. If you come to interrupt my lonely work for a delicious lunch, then I will return the beautiful bracelet to the even more beautiful wrist it belongs to."

An odd mixture of excitement and annoyance swirl in Alice's thoughts. How dare he steal her bracelet! She gives her "friend" Isaac a look that if given in front of her mother would have earned her a strike across her cheek. Turning on her heel, she stomps off, the sound of leaves the only thing to calm her anger. A laugh behind her only fans the flames she feels in her stomach and she runs home.

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This is of course still a work in progress. I would love any advice or critiques you might have. Definitely let me know if you notice any errors! I went through and added the next chapter because I felt like I should give you a little more about Alice. Let me know what you think!

Big thanks to @SimpleEllegance for being my best friend and being supportive! She's really the only reason I have the confidence to keep writing. She's a great writer if you wanna check out her stories!

Thanks for reading!!

XoXo

-Chey-