It was truly dark out by the time Renzo had left the woods and was back on the busy street. Cars swerved past him as he walked, going by so fast that the huge gusts of wind they made nearly knocked him over. He didn’t realise that he was walking on the side of the road rather than the pavement, his mind much preoccupied. He was thinking if he dare try and talk to Ash again. And if he did, would her parents hunt him down and kill him? He shuddered at that thought. He may not have liked certain aspects of life right then and often wished that he could make them go away, but he didn’t think him dying would solve any problems.
He was tired of sleeping at hotels and sleeping on the uncomfortable bunks in the tour bus. He was also tired of the endless throngs of screaming fans, fans that would follow him wherever he went, fans that would beg to be his. He really loved being in the band, but sometimes it got to be too much for him to handle. He would never leave the band because of that though, he would bear with it for the sake of his friends. His thoughts turned back to Ash, she was unlike anyone that he had ever met before. And if she was as bad as Nala and Mylo wanted him to believe, then why did he feel so attracted to her. He sighed deeply as he let his feet wonder in no particular direction. All he wanted to do right then was to go home and lie in his comfy bed, all warm and toasty, and forget about everything. Except maybe Ash…
Renzo was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice someone approaching him until there was a sudden bump which sent the other person sprawling.
“Oh! I’m so sorry miss! Here let me help you…” He bent down to help the woman up and came face to face with Ash. He stared at her, dumbstruck, still holding out his hand.
“Hey…I never thought I’d see you again, after what happened in the diner.” Ash said, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips as she took his hand firmly and gave him a firm tag so that he would help pull her up. He obliged, seeming to snap out of his daze.
“Neither did I” He said honestly. “Where are you going at this time of night?” Ash didn’t look like she wanted to tell him, the way she stared at him.
“I have to get away.” She said finally. “Someone is following me and I have to hide.” She looked scared and her eyes darted from side to side. Renzo’s mind was racing, he was warned that his life would be in danger if he was so much as seen with Ash and yet, somehow, he felt as though it wasn’t going to matter - that he was already in danger either way. Making his decision, Renzo looked her in the eyes.
“I want to help you Ash, but I don’t know if I should because I was warned not to be seen with you.” Ash stepped back a little bit, looking hurt.
“What do you mean? Who told you that?”
“Somebody I know, I just can’t tell you who.” Renzo answered while looking around nervously.
“Well if it was one of your pathetic friends then…” Ash started but Renzo cut her off in mid-sentence.
“No it wasn’t one of my ‘pathetic’ friends!” He paused, trying to regain his composure. “Look,” He said finally “I don’t know why, but I want to help you. But you have to promise that you will help me if your parents come after me.” He finished, looking worriedly over his shoulder and behind Ash.
Ash laughed derisively, making Renzo take a worried step back. Ignoring his reaction Ash grabbed his hand and pulled him into a nearby alley, making sure that they would not be seen by passers by.
“It’s not my parents you should be worried about,” She said in a low voice once she was sure that they were sufficiently concealed “it’s the one who’s after me. He’s a lot worse.” Renzo swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and tried to speak.
“And who exactly is after you?” The thought about something worse than evil parents unnerved him.
“The meanest, most foul, Unseelie knight that you’d ever meet. He will kill you slowly if he catches you with me, and he won’t even waste a single drop of your blood as he does it. Do you know what he does with your blood?” Ash’s voice got very low, she was shaking, obviously scared of her own words.
“N-no.” Renzo stuttered.
“He feeds it to the goblins, and saves some for himself afterward. Or at least that’s the popular rumour around the court, because no one knows for sure what really happens.” Ash looked behind her and seeming to relax a little turned back to Renzo. Seeing his stricken expression, she softened.
“I’m guessing then that you know where I’m from…” She cocked her head to the side, studying him.
“You’re the princess of the Unseelie court.” He whispered.
“So then you know about faeries and such…” She continued. Renzo swallowed and nodded slowly. Ash shook her head slowly, considering their predicament.
“Whatever you do now, you’ve already been seen with me and that puts you in danger. I’m pretty sure the knight will come after you no matter what. I don’t want something bad happening to you because of me. But its a little bit late for that particular sentiment.” She chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she leaned against the cool stone of the nearby building.
Renzo leaned against the building opposite, mulling it over. She was right of course, besides he had already decided that he wasn’t safe whether he was with her or not. And if he wasn’t safe then neither were his friends and he couldn’t in all good conscience put them in danger. After all, he was the one who brought Ash to their room, even if it was in ignorance of the danger that she represented. It was undeniable that he was inexplicably drawn to her; even now the hand that was not so long ago gripped by her was tingling. Meanwhile Ash seemed to have come to her own conclusion.
“If you want to stay alive then follow me. I know a place where he’ll won’t be able find us for a while.”
Renzo wanted to protest, but Ash had already turned on her heel and having checked the street left and right set out for the forest at a brisk pace. He groaned as he followed her into the once place where he definitely didn’t want to be. Still, two against one was better than being picked off one by one.
***
When he caught up, Ash grabbed Renzo’s hand once more and broke into a jog pulling him along until they had reached a small mound in the forest floor. It was hard to tell how far into the forest they were, Renzo couldn’t remember the path as they weaved between trees and constantly changed direction. In fact he couldn’t recall much more than the vegetation passing by and the feel of her hand in his. It was getting darker by the minute so it was pretty safe to assume that the day was coming to an end.
Shaking himself out of his errant thoughts, Renzo turned his attention to Ash who was walking around the mound obviously looking for something. Finally stopping on the opposite side, she beckoned him over.
“I found the door” She told him once he had joined her. “Sometimes it likes to move on me.” She chuckled lightly as Renzo gave her a blank look. What kind of door could there be in a small mound? He stared at the mound intently, but still couldn’t see anything.
“What door? All I see is some pine needles, a couple of rocks and a pile of dirt.” Ash smirked at him in the darkness.
“It’s there. I can feel it. Now step back so I can open it.” There was a hint of amusement in her voice and Renzo stepped back obediently.
Satisfied that he was far enough, Ash raised her arms out in front of her and muttered a few words in a beautiful, yet haunting language. Renzo stared slack-jawed as a small opening of light appeared in the mound. In just a few more seconds, what used to be a small light changed into a huge opening big enough for the both of them to walk through. Ash held out her hand to Renzo and he took it, staring with trepidation at the bright doorway.
Once they were all the way through the ‘door’ closed again leaving them in complete darkness. Ash muttered a few more words in that beautiful language and the room filled with soft light, gently illuminating what appeared to be a small home. The room they were standing in was the kitchen, judging by a small table over to the side and what looked like a sink next to it. On the other side of the room was a small fireplace with some potted herbs on the mantle and two doors which must have led to other rooms.
“So what do you think of my hide out?” Ash looked at him curiously. “I usually come here when I’m really mad at something or trying to hide… Haven’t been here for a few years though” She added wistfully. Surely enough there was a thick layer of dust on everything. Renzo looked back at her, trying to form a coherent sentence. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask. “Close your mouth, you look like a fish” she told him gently, realising that intelligent conversation was not forthcoming, and waled over to one of the doors.
Renzo followed through a small hallway and into a bedroom.
“That’s your room” she said and then pointed to the next door along. “And I’ll be in here.” She turned to leave just as Renzo seemed to regain his words.
“Your place is beautiful” He said quietly. “I really like it.” Ash smiled warmly.
“Good night Ray.”
“Good night.” He answered as she closed the door to her room. Walking over to the bed, he lay down and was asleep even before his head hit the pillow.