Lost

Chapter 12: Ash...

She jumped in my lap and pushed me backwards.I remembered her from my old village. I was in the same training group as her brother, we were best friends. I looked over towards him, his eyes hesitant. His dark brownhair fell in his eyes and he had cuts down his face. I knew why he was worried, I was a perfect. I felt his little sister hug me tightly around my waist before leaning back to look at me."You're so pretty Blakey," She said as her eyes wandered all over my face."Thanks Syd," I said, smiling at her. I slowly got up, resting her on the ground before getting up and walking over towards her brother. When I finally approached him, he looked as if he wanted to take a step back, but seemed to resist the urge."Hey Ash," I said quietly, smiling at him."Wh.. What happened to you?" He asked, his eyes wandering all over my face."It's a long story," I grumbled before smiling, hoping it would calm him down. It didn't. I grabbed his arm to pull him towards the house but he pulled it out of my grasp quickly. I looked at him, pleading him to trust me with my eyes."Please Ash, I'm still me." I said softly, trying to sooth him."You're, you're one of them." He said, shock had taken over his expression, fear in his eyes. I nodded silently, trying to grab his arm once more."Please let me explain." I begged, this time he let me tow him towards the house, his little sister following us towards the large front door.

I lead him towards the living room area, the only room I knew how to get too. I called out for Vera, hoping she would help me, not freak out at our new arrivals. The look on Ash's face hit my heart hard; we were meant to be best friends. I lead Ash over to the couch, his sister running along and sitting on his lap after he sat down. Vera came in, her face going grey at the sight of Ash. Looking over, I saw that Ash's face almost mirrored Vera's. I turned to face Vera,"Um.. Vera, this is Ash," I smiled, making gestures with my hands, "he was my friend back at my village." I finished, turning to face Ash. "Ash, this is Vera she saved my life." I said, glancing over my shoulder at the female, her face had turned a more normal colour. My eyes met hers for a moment before I looked away. I could feel my cheeks going red, breathing in deeply, I tried to keep them a normal colour. I forgot Ash was sitting there, his eyes watching every movement. When I looked up at him, a wave of sadness seemed to pass over his expression. I heard Vera clear her throat, and I quickly walked over to her grabbing her hand and leading back towards the other couch."Hello," Vera said as we reached the couch, she sat down hard, pulling me down with her. We were sitting close again, I tried to squirm away but she wouldn't let me her grip like iron."We can trust them Vera," I mumbled under my breath so that only she could hear me."You could trust them when you were one of them. You are one of us now; you don't know how they will handle it." She said, I could hear an unfamiliar tone come through in her quiet mumble. Why were Ash and Vera acting so weird?"What happened to you?" Ash asked, his eyes once again analysing my new body. I felt Vera stiffen next to me as Ash's eyes traced me up and down. Why was she doing that?"Nothing happened to me." I said, my eyes holding his steady gaze, my body didn't blush like it did with Vera. He gave me a questioning glance,"So you are telling me you have always looked like that?" He said a hint of fear in his voice."Apparently," I nodded, not looking away from his face.I sat there explaining things to Ash for hours. Vera stayed next to me the whole time, sitting as close as she could. I tried to struggle away a few times but she wouldn't let me. I didn't understand her, the way her moods changed so quickly. Eventually Ash just nodded, leaving the room whilst glaring at Vera as if she were the enemy and not my saviour."I'm sorry about Ash," I said, looking over at Vera, trying not to blush at her intense gaze. "I don't know what has gotten into him." I said, shaking my head at the way he had behaved. Ash had glared at Vera the entire time, I didn't know why he was acting that way, it wasn't like the Ash I remembered."He's just upset," Vera said, rubbing the back of my hand with her thumb. I shivered and she looked at me questionably, I just shook my head."I just don't know what he is upset about; he said he was okay with me being a perfect." I said half to myself. I looked down at my hands; they weren't dry anymore, which still shocked me. I still couldn't get used to the way my body was now."He loves you, Blake. You have to give him time," Vera said, and my eyes widened."He does not love me." I said, my voice stern. Ash didn't love me, he was my best friend, or that is what I thought."He doesn't love you, or you don't love him?" She asked, her eyes running over my face."Both." I said before getting up, going in search of Ash.

After looking around the house for fifteen minutes, I finally found him sitting outside where he had found me. I walked over, dropping down next to him."Hey," I said quietly, smiling down at him. His eyes were shut; strands of his dark brown hair brushed his eyelashes. He opened his dark brown eyes, they were large and lined with thick black lashes. He was very attractive, but not as attractive as Vera. That thought almost made my eyes widen but I stopped them, not wanting to alarm Ash. I didn't think Vera was attractive did I? I couldn't she was a female and well I never thought I was that way inclined."Hi," he mumbled, sitting up next to me. He looked towards me, his eyes widened a tad every time he saw my face."Can you please be a bit nicer to Vera? She did save my life." I pleaded, hoping he would accept it."Why do you want me to be nice to your girlriend? Look at what she has turned you into!" My eyes widened my girlriend?I sat there for a moment, unable to say anything. Ash sat there, his eyes trailing up and down my body."She's not my girlfriend and I was born like this." I tried to say calmly but the tension in my voice was clear."Really, because you two seemed pretty close," he sighed, looking down at his lap, fiddling with a piece of grass. I laughed and he looked at me funny."We aren't that close, she is just worried about me being upset." I started picking grass, feeling the wet strands run through my fingers as I ripped them out of the ground. "Vera, she said she thought you loved me." I looked away, waiting for a blush that never came. Why didn't talking to Ash like that affect me the way it did with Vera. I couldn't understand what was happening, I needed to work out what those tingles were and stop them. I heard Ash sigh, seeing him shuffle around to face me out of the corner of my eye."That's because I do." He said, so softly I almost didn't hear."But why?" I asked, not wanting to make eye contact."You were, are, my best friend Blake, you were, are, so beautiful and you don't even see it. We fought together and the whole time I was so terrified of losing you, I almost couldn't fight myself. After the perfects had left, I came back for you. When I saw that pool of blood on the floor, I thought you were dead and it tore me in half. I come here and see you with some beautiful goddess, and you, you are a perfect, one of them. It almost broke me. I thought you loved me until I saw the way you looked at her." He said, taking a deep breath at the end. I must have looked shocked; my mental war that had died down began again. How did I look at Vera?""What do you mean, the way I look at her?" I said, my brain scrambling to make sense of what he had said. Did I love Ash? The more I asked myself, the more I could only see Ash as my friend, yet it broke my heart thinking that. Did I want to love Ash, or was I just tricking myself into feelings that weren't there?"The way your eyes blaze and you blush every time she looks at you. I can see it written all over your face. It hurts me because I thought you loved me." He sighed, looking away from my face."But I don't love her, I barely know her." I said, trying to convince myself more than anything."But you don't love me either." He stated, and I shook my head, ashamed."I'm sorry," I mumbled, staring back towards the house. A breeze had picked up and the trees surrounding the house blew gently."She loves you, you know." Ash said suddenly. I looked at him, bewildered."What?" I said, a shocked and confused look was plastered on my face. "She does not love me.""Yes she does. You just can't see it." I shook my head, getting up and storming away from him. I did not love Vera and she did not love me! I didn't know her, we were merely two people caught up in some screwed up world. She would leave me soon, I knew it. Just her being with me, risked her life and mine, she had made that clear. If the council found out I was alive and that I had met her, we would both be hunted and I would be killed. I stormed into the bedroom, tears pouring down my eyes. I had to tell Vera to leave, to leave me and never come back. I don't know why, but I didn't want him dead either.I couldnt bare the thought of losing her and that confused me more...