Chapter 49
Barely any morning sunlight made it through the thick tree canopy, and the darkness was all consuming.
We were walking through the forest and it looked like the cover of a paranormal thriller novel. The tree trunks stretched upwards and curved down from the top, like it was caging us in. The branches jutted out in all different directions and the spookiness was heightened by the fact that only the top part of the trees were covered in leaves. The rest of the branches were bare and looked like long fingernails. The only beautiful thing about this setting was that dew drops formed bubbles on the leaves, and they looked like crystals. This made a ghost of a smile form on my lips, but the smile wasn't enough to make me feel better.
My feet were sore; as I walked my soles became covered in callouses and blisters. I was barefoot: shoes were the last thing on my mind when the FBI stormed the apartment. Ryan's hand was clutched in my own. He stumbled often, because he didn't have his glasses or his contact lenses.
"I feel like my body's been asleep forever." Holden stretched as he walked.
"I feel like the whole lot of you are slowing me down." It was like Kaden had a sudden recharge of energy, after out little tirade yesterday, and he outpaced all of us. He walked briskly and his feet kicked up dust as they hit the ground.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled as I cast my eyes downwards, finding it easier if I was able to see what was in my path. That way I could avoid stepping on rocks, and chose to step on the decomposing leaves instead.
"Don't apologise to him." Ryan squeezed my hand and then lifted it up to his mouth. After brushing his lips across my knuckles, he continued talking. "I'm the one who should be apologising to you, for being so cold to you last night." He rubbed the back of his neck and then moved his arm, so that it rested on my back. He guided me forward, before realising that it wasn't a good idea to lead me, since he was as blind as a bat.
"It's ok," I told him, trying to ignore the fact that both Holden and Kaden were listening to our conversation.
"No, it's not. I'll make it up to you." His voice was remorseful and affectionate at the same time, making me feel bad for not telling him about the kiss I had shared with Kaden a couple of hours ago.
"Finally!" Holden exclaimed, and I was momentarily shocked that he even cared about where Ryan and I stood with each other; but then I noticed that his eyes were trained on something in the distance. "Civilisation," he said with a grin. Ever since he woke up, he hadn't mentioned his sister again and I wondered if he remembered anything about her rising from the dead.
I looked to where he was pointing. I forgot to pay attention to where I was walking and walked straight into Kaden's back. I took a step back and poked my nose with my index finger. It didn't hurt: the cold had numbed it.
"You okay?" Ryan immediately came to my rescue.
"No." It wasn't a lie. I was not okay. It hurt. Every part of me hurt. The cold had numbed my limbs, but that didn't stop them from hurting. They hurt every second Kaden wasn't touching them. I stomped my feet on the ground when I realised that I couldn't be mad at him, because I was the one that had pushed him away.
Ryan grinned, and his body shook with laughter. His eyelids were closed, encasing the warmth of his golden eyes. I always thought that his eyes were the weirdest colour I had ever seen. They were the colour of the sun, which is something I've never seen before, and it gave him an angelic appearance.
"What?" I shifted uncomfortably while his gaze smouldered me.
"You look like a disgruntled toddler," he replied. "You're so flipping cute."
I blushed and laughed as well, feeling better knowing Kaden wasn't the only one who could make my face fill with colour. "And of course you know the right thing to say to stop a temper tantrum."
Kaden snarled and clenched his fist. His T-shirt was stained with sweat, and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek. His eyes were filled with a passion that he only showed when the two of us were kissing. It felt wrong for him to show such emotions now, when we were in the presence of two other people. He looked angry, but I knew he was only acting that way to disguise the sadness and vulnerability he felt when I was joking with Ryan.
"There." Holden gestured with his hand to something that lay ahead. Either he was oblivious to what had just unfolded around him, or he was trying to make us look elsewhere before things turned ugly. "It looks like a gas station." The building we slowly approached was small in size and was to the side of a dirt road. If I squinted I could see that the dirt road eventually widened and joined with a tar road, a couple of miles down. The gas station was a metal can. The paint was fading and it looked like it was painted various shades of blue, since it was lighter in some places than others. The colour scheme was too sloppy to be intentional and it gave the station a sort of rugged look.
"Stealing a car from a gas station is not the easiest thing." Kaden placed both his hands behind his head and pursed his lips. "Everybody stays in their car while filling gas."
"Not everyone." Holden surveyed the area and fingered one of the holes in his long-sleeved top. "This place is in the middle of nowhere."
"So?" Ryan asked.
"The people who work here must have some sort of transportation."
"We need food as well," Kaden said more to himself than to any of us. "There's a shop there as well..."
"We'll have to steal the food and car at the same time," Holden explained. "You and Sage get the food," he said to Kaden. "We'll get the car." His eyes glazed over Ryan, before he looked back at Kaden. "Meet us around the back."
"Sage and I will get the food," Ryan decided, disregarding Holden's words completely.
"You don't know the first thing about stealing," Holden challenged. He didn't ask me what I wanted to do, and that made me puzzle out his ploy. Holden wanted me and Kaden to be alone together, that's why he suggested we do it this way. I don't know why he thought stealing food together would somehow rekindle our love for each other.
***
"Stop breathing so heavily," Kaden hissed.
I gave one last exasperated breath and tried to keep my eyes off him. It proved most difficult, since we were both kneeling behind the entrance to the small shop. My stomach twisted at the tone he addressed me with, but I didn't show that I cared. "I'm sorry," I started. "I've never stolen anything before."
"Lies," he said as he tapped his fingers impatiently.
"Excuse me?"
"You stole my heart." He made eye contact with me as he said those words, but he quickly looked away again and stared at my toes. They were turning blue and were scuffed around the edges. His mouth was in a perfectly straight line as he peeled his shoes off and placed them at my feet. He stretched his legs out, uncaring that now all he had on his feet were blue striped socks. "Put them on," he said, with no feeling in his voice. His eyes were everywhere except for the small space I occupied.
I shook my head.
"Then leave them here." He narrowed his eyes and stood up, dusting his palms on his blue jeans that were faded above his knees.
I put the sneakers on and my feet were suddenly wrapped in a layer of warmth, causing me to sigh. I was usually very uncomfortable about wearing someone else's shoes, but the warmth was welcoming, even if the shoes were way too big for me.
I thanked him and he held out a hand to help me up. I put my hand in his and immediately regretted it. His hand completely enveloped mine and he held me tightly, as if he was too afraid to let me go. His eyes met mine and he held my gaze as he slowly pulled me up. He didn't stop pulling when I was upright. He kept going, until our chests were flush together and I was shaking from nerves.
"Umm," I stuttered, when he stroked my hair.
He pulled away from our short embrace with an enigmatic smile, and stuck his thumbs though his belt loops. "Wait here." He entered the shop. I hadn't noticed that the little lady behind the counter had left. We were supposed to be looking out for her exit. At least Kaden was paying attention. It had worked in our favour that this place wasn't at all guarded. They probably didn't have a lot of customers here. It seemed like a ghost gas station.
Kaden returned with his hands full, and he began stuffing things in his pockets.
"That was quick," I raised an eyebrow.
"I am efficient in more ways than one," he replied smugly. "Let's go." He used his head to gesture to the left.
I walked over to him and took some of the things off him. He had thought of everything: prepacked sandwiches, water, chocolates, crisps and even plasters.
"For the blisters on your feet," he clarified. I furrowed my brows when I picked up the box of plasters. I had assumed that he had thought to get something to put on the wound on his forehead. But he was thinking of my wounds that needed plasters.
Kaden and I headed off to the back of the building. I wasn't worried that the old lady would come looking for us, since Kaden had done a good job of taking one of each thing. It was unlikely she would notice anything was missing.
While we waited Kaden leaned his back against the wall and sighed deeply. He was standing with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. His serenity matched that of the sky. The clouds overhead moved a fraction every second. The movement was so small that I really had to look to see the way they swirled and curved, forming elaborate patterns that were forever changing.
"Whenyou've finished admiring me, would you please step into your carriage, myprincess?" Kaden bowed deeply and opened the door of the car that had pulled upnext to us. I realised that while I may have been pretending to look at thesky, my eyes had wandered back to Kaden. I flushed at the realisation that Ihad been caught staring. Princess? He had never called me that before,and part of me wanted to remind him that I wasn't his any longer. But Iknew that if I couldn't convince myself, there was no way I would be able toconvince him.