Lost And Found

Chapter 25: Anchor

Her hands run through my hair, her chin resting on the top of my head. The long locks of her shiny black hair run down her back, my own fingers getting lost in it. The tears slowed, but my breathing was still hitched. To calm myself down I listen to her heart beat, closing my eyes and tuning everything out except the beat of that one organ. Breath in, breath out, repeat. Inhale, exhale, repeat. In. Out. The pattern became easier as I relaxed into Andromeda's touch, my whole body melting into hers.

"Thank you," I whisper quietly, and all I get in return is a kiss on the forehead. But, I wasn't going complaining.

She pulls away, her hands now on my shoulders. She doesn't say anything as she helps me up, bringing me into another hug. I knew that she was probably the only one who could understand where I was coming from, and why I was crying. I had almost broke. Seeing my father had almost caused me to break. At the moment I had no interest in wanting to talk to my father, all I wanted, needed, was Andromeda. MyBeauty.

"Andromeda," I say just above a whisper. She looks up, staring into my eyes, her filled with concern.

"Hmm," she hums, questioningly.

"I'm tired," I tell her and she nods understandingly.

"Then, you should probably go take a nap," she suggests, grasping my hand in hers, squeezing it tight. I nod in agreement, deciding it was best to not talk and just listen to her.

We start to walk, heading toward out tent. Before we were out of sight to my mother, and... my father, I turn my head, giving him a final glance, and then I'm pulled away by Andromeda.

***

"Where exactly are we going?" Andromeda asks.

"Well, somewhere where we don't have to sleep in a tent," I tell her, not giving her much information, just wanting to get to our destination.

"It's only August yet it feels like November," she says, but it was more directed at herself then at me. I don't say anything, mostly because for me I was used to the sudden change to hot then to mildly cold.

The slight changes in the weather didn't bother here, but that was probably because I grew up here, and I wasn't from New York. Even though it did snow there, but in the summer it was hot.

I look over at her, a sudden grin forming on my face as I see her stop, bending down and petting a Squirrel. Sometimes it was odd, the way she would do things. Like the way she would stuff her mouth with food at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It made it seem like she had been stranded on an island her whole life and was now getting the first taste of actual food. Or, the way she do something crazy, not caring what other people thought; she liked to be free, run wild. Her actions were sometimes animal like. It left me to no surprise when I saw her petting the Squirrel, even though it could have rabies, and one single bite could kill her, I wasn't scared.

I call her Beauty because she is one, but there are other reasons for the nickname, like the way she took in every detail at once, her caring nature to the ones around her, even though she doesn't know them. I believed if I called her a princess, that she would hate it, probably because of the fact most princess are saved by the prince, and she, is not a princess, more like a super hero. But, never the less, she would always be a Beauty, or, Wonder Woman in disguise. Other times, though, she reminds me of Snow White, and the way her loving nature doesn't just stop with humans, it goes to animals as well.

Myself, on the other hand, was just Beasty, the guy with a hidden secrets, ones that were to awful to talk about. When I got mad, like reallymad, or pissed off enough, I was crossover between the hulk or Beasty. Sometimes, it was like a curse, to have the preditory skills of a wolf, but also to have a thrill of a hunt, or kill, just like a shark, or even Lion.