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Chapter Fifteen: Into The Dark We Go
Anya
“Where are we going?” I asked, following him aimlessly toward an open field where patches of dandelions grew. He didn’t answer, and continued to stride forward through the grassy plain; lost in his own thoughts.
I sighed and thoughtfully leaned down and plucked a dandelion from its place, bringing it to my nose as the seeds caressed my skin like the breeze that ran through my hair.
When I was a kid I used to make wishes on the weed whenever I found one growing nearby, which was rare. It was something that I just did. None of my wishes ever came true, at least not to my knowledge. But that didn’t stop me from making them whenever I saw a lonely dandelion growing on the ground. It gave me hope that one day my wishes would come true, but in the meanwhile, I would blow softly on the weed, letting its seeds fly in the air until they landed on the soft ground; growing into more than just the one that had been there at first.
I twirled the flower between my thumb and index finger pensively as I looked up at the sliver of moon that hung above the treetops. What to wish for, I thought.
I withdrew my gaze down at eye level to see that Liam was several feet ahead of me. I skipped through the field, careful to not step on a patch of dandelions, and caught up to his even and strong gait. We were practically through the pasture, and heading toward the dense forest where the mountains laid.
There was a determined look on his face when I tugged on the hem of his shirt to stop him. I felt the strong set of muscles graze my fingertips, causing me to instantly drop my hand like his skin had burned mine. He paused, raising a strong brow as he looked at me with feigned amusement.
I put my hands to my hips, hoping that he did not see the blood pooling in my cheeks as I demanded, “Are you going to hack me to pieces?” Liam crossed his arms over his chest, and raised both his eyebrows. A sly smirk crept onto his lips that made my heart drum inside my chest. I wanted to just scream at my stupid heart and demand what was wrong with it. I couldn’t very well do that. Not with Liam standing in front of me looking as if I was the most entertaining thing in the world –like a monkey tap dancing and reciting the ABC’s at the same time.
Instead I defiantly said, trying to hide the beating of my pathetic heart, “If so you could have done it at the park. It was pretty isolated there.”
He chucked, darkly (if I may add). “Ah. But you see, Anya.” He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling dangerously with mischief. We were practically standing nose to nose, his breath cool on my skin when he said, “Someone would have heard you scream. No one would hear you scream here.”
I eyed him warily – not letting my eyes waver from his. If I looked away it would be a sign of defeat. He sighed, racking a hand through his dark blond hair, and looking skyward.
Score! Point one for Anya. Check.
“Would I give you my diabolical plan if I planned on killing you?”
I thought for a second. “Well, it wouldn’t matter anyway, because I’d be dead.”
He rolled his eyes, grasping my hand in his. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
I sighed in resignation. His hand was warm against my clammy cold one, sending my heart into another silent frenzy. I was suddenly very self-conscience as he led me towards the dark woods. The sound of twigs snapping beneath our feet made me look around every so often, thinking about all the horror movies I’ve seen where the couple gets slaughtered walking through the woods at night.
I gripped the forgotten dandelion between my fingers, and I grinned – knowing exactly what I would wish for now. Bringing the flower a few inches from my lips, I whispered into the still night air, “I wish that Liam doesn’t kill me tonight.”
He heard me, his mouth twisting into a smirk. I thought it was very clever. It was one wish that would definitely come true, at least, I hoped. I didn’t picture Liam to be a serial killer, but then again I never thought he’d be smoker. I could very well be wrong about his secret homicidal tendencies. I was probably even his first victim.
I softly blew onto the dandelion, smiling at my outrageous thoughts. The small white seeds flitted through the air until they gradually disappeared into the moist ground below.
Liam
We walked into the deeper part of the woods, the glow of the moon our only light in the vast darkness. Anya clutched my hand as she tripped over rocks, and swore under her breath. It might have not been the best idea I’ve had (bringing her out into the forest when she was not properly dressed), but it was the only place I knew where I could forget about the world, and its many problems.
I abruptly stopped, looking over the sea of boulders we would have to cross to get to the other side. Anya collided into my back, stumbling backwards in the process. Instinctively, I put my hands on either side of her arms, steadying her as she mumbled an apology.
“It’s alright. Just be careful.”
She nodded; her eyes wide as she saw the rocks before her. “We’re not going through that, are we?
“We are,” I said.
“No…no…no…that’s like a death trap waiting to happen. I am not going.”
“Fine.” I shrugged. “You can go back to the bike and wait for me.”
I stepped forward and began to cross the boulders one at a time, checking that the rock was steady before I placed my weight onto it. Knowing that Anya wouldn’t go back, I trudged slowly until I heard her call out, “Wait!”
Turning, I saw her climb upon a boulder and begin the journey towards me. I waited patiently; watching the awkward movements of her body as she cautiously stepped from one rock to another. When she finally reached me there was a sheen coat of sweat on her forehead from the exertion.
“That’s not as bad as it looks,” she said huffing.
I smiled. “Just takes practice. Come on – this way.”
She warily followed; her steps slow and agile. For her sake, I slowed down and waited for her whenever the distance grew between us. She was a quick learner, knowing where to place her foot or retract it when a boulder was loose. I watched her as she bit her lip, and flipped her hair back from her face - concentrating on the rocks beneath her like they were the answer to her troubles.
The sliver of moonlight cast her soft locks in dark brown waves that masked her face as she treaded forward. There was something about her determination to get away that piqued my curiosity. What was causing her to run away from her problems? Whatever it was – it was something that she couldn’t fight alone. The Anya I knew would have never run away. She would do one or two things: Accepts it or come face to face with whatever it was, and fix it.
I didn’t have the right to ask her, and even if I did I would have waited until she told me on her own terms.
Coming to the end of the boulders, I jumped down the seven odd foot drop to the ground. I landed gracefully – like a cat on its paws – and wiped my dirty, sweaty hands onto the front of my jeans. When I looked up I saw Anya peering over the ledge, shaking her head in dismay.
“I’ll catch you. It’s not far.”
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Ha-ha. Right.”
“It’s like jumping into a pool. That’s how far it is when you jump into the deep end.”
“There’s only thing wrong with that scenario, Liam. There is no water to jump into.”
Just wait until you see where I’m taking you. There is plenty of water.
Stretching out my arms, I could practically touch the ledge. “Trust me. I’ll catch you.”
She gnawed at the corner of her lip and loudly sighed, no doubt cursing my name. I saw her crouch down and sit over the edge, her arms angling towards mine. Then in one swift motion she pushed off, and I caught her, my hands tightening around her waist.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as I gently set her down. “I thought you would have missed and let me plunge to my death.”
I clutched my heart in mock hurt. “You have so little faith in me, it hurts.”
She punched me, playfully. “Shut up. Stop being a baby.” She pulled her hair to the side and began to braid it into a low ponytail; her face softening as she focused on a point beyond my right shoulder.
All I could do was watch her as I tried to search her eyes for an indication of what she was feeling, but there was nothing I could read. She was a mystery that I wanted – no, needed to solve.
“Are we almost to your secret destination?”
At the sound of her voice I tore my gaze from watching her, and pointed north towards where a mass of trees accumulated just underneath a high ridge. “We follow this trail until we get up there.”
She looked up, and shook her head. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
I chuckled. “I think you’ll be in for a rude awakening. We haven’t even gotten to the main course.”
I knelled down, searching for a thick branch among the brushwood to tear apart any spider webs we came across. “What could be more interesting than those rocks?”
I found a sizeable branch and stood, following the trail that lead to the ridge. “If I told you then it wouldn’t be a secret.”
She crossed her arms and huffed vehemently, gracing pass me as she made her way up the trail. I shook my head, smiling as I followed a few inches behind her. Anya was never one to like surprises, but I knew that she would like this one.
Anya
I stood, transfixed as I gazed down at the beautiful river before me. The crescent moon’s reflection shone brilliantly on the black water’s surface as the breeze caused waves to gently crash on the cliffs below. An owl hooted behind us, and I turned to see it perched high on a tree branch; its yellow eyes glowing unnaturally in the vast darkness. It was a bit creepy to say the least.
“What do you think?”
My gaze flitted to Liam, his thumbs nonchalantly hooked on the edge of his jean’s pockets as he looked over the sight before him.
“It’s beautiful,” I said in awe. I wondered how many times Liam had been up here alone with the tranquility the woods had to offer. What did he think about while he was up here, if anything at all?
From the corner of my eye I saw him begin to take of his shirt. Wait. I turned and saw that that was exactly what he was doing! He tossed his black fitted t-shirt to the side, while he began to unzip his jeans.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked, my voice rising a few octaves in alarm. “What the heck are you doing?”
“You want to forget about your problem? No better way than an adrenaline rush.” He dropped his jeans and tossed them on top of his shirt, along with his shoes and socks.
I covered my eyes at the sight of Liam standing bare-chested and only in his boxer briefs that snugged against him perfectly. My traitorous cheeks gave away how completely and utterly flustered I was. I could just die in absolute mortification.
Liam’s warm hands seized my wrists and pulled my hands away from my face. There was nothing I could do, but gaze into his beautiful slate-blue eyes that could melt a girl into Jello. Oh my goodness. I’m becoming like one of those girls that fall over head over heels for him. There was no doubt in my mind that this was how he got them to fall in love with him. I mean, who could say no to those incredible sculpted set of abs?
I’ll tell you who.
Me.
I shimmied away from him and peered over the cliff. “No way. It’s too high.”
He came up behind me and said, “That’s the point. You forget.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to face him. “I can’t jump fully clothed.”
“Then take your clothes off.”
I stared at him like he was insane. He said it so matter-of-factly that I could punch him.
“No.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender and turned around, walking to the pile of his discarded clothes. He tossed me his black t-shirt, which I caught with my oh-so fast reflexes. “Wear that over your, uh,” he gestured to my body, and turned around; giving me some semblance of privacy.
“You are unbelievable,” I muttered. I heard the faintest trace of laughter as I began to wiggle out of my clothes. I imagined that Liam had this pleasing smirk on his face as he recalled my reaction to see him half naked.
That’s not the reaction I get from most girls.
That’s what he would have said. I was sure of it. And I was glad that I was not put into the “most girls” category. Who wanted to be most when they could be unique?
One by one, my clothes landed in a pile next to Liam’s. I drew the shirt over my head, and got a whiff of his strong musk scent that was a mix of cologne and cigarettes. His shirt was big on my small frame that it was almost like a dress; the hem reaching a few inches above my knee.
I crossed my arms over my chest as the cool breeze nipped at my skin. I shivered, mentally slapping myself to ever have agreed to do this
“Okay,” I said through chattering teeth. “I’m-m read-dy.”
He turned around and walked over to me, his eyes traveling from the top of my head to my head. I hugged myself, feeling my cheeks turn crimson as I looked down at my bare, dirt ridden feet.
Liam’s voice was low and gruff as he said, “I’ll go first. When you jump I’ll make sure you break the surface.”
I snapped my head up, and met his intense gaze. “Alright?”
Closing the gap between us, I stood next to him and peered over the cliff. The water didn’t look so inviting anymore, not when I knew I was about to plunge into its black depths. “No…no…I can’t do this.” I shook my head as fear stirred my erratic, beating chest into a wild frenzy.
“You can,” he said, encouragingly taking my hand. “We can jump together if you’d like.”
I nibbled on my lip, mulling this over.
Fear was only as deep as the mind allows.
It was a Japanese Proverb I had written down on one of my many sticky notes that grazed my bedroom wall. It was one of my favorite quotes as it signified that man was the only one who instilled fear in their own mind. That’s exactly what I was doing. I was afraid because I was allowing myself to be frightened.
I swallowed back my fear, and twined my fingers with his. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
A small smile crept onto his lips and he nodded. “Alright. On the count of three, okay?”
I nodded, readying my body to make the jump.
“One.”
I took a deep breath, letting it out in a big whoosh.
“Two.”
My grip tightened around Liam’s hand, and I felt him give it a little squeeze.
“Three!”
At the same time, we leaped forward as gravity pulled us down towards the deep, dark waters. Wind whipped past me, whistling in my ears. Everything became background noise as we fell. There was only the air biting at my skin, the overwhelming fear of drowning, and my stomach lashing up in my throat. The water loomed before me, crystalline water that went on and on for eternity. The sound of waves crashing upon the base heightened my fear of boulders beneath the surface.
Gravity infringed upon us, pulling the weight of our bodies fast and faster until we plunged the surface. My stomach rose into my throat and I felt like my lungs had collapsed by the impact.
Suddenly, I was no longer falling towards the murky depths of the water, but immersed in it. Liam had let go of my hand when we broke the surface, and was now tugging at my elbow, pulling me up with him. My heart thundered wildly in my ears as I kicked and swam towards the surface, sputtering water once I broke free.
“Hey, hey. You’re okay. I’ve got you,” Liam said, wrapping his arms around my waist.
We lulled there for a moment, me taking deep gasping breaths, while Liam held onto me. Once I got my bearings straight, the realization of my actions began to sink in.
“I did it. I actually did it!” I wrapped my arms around his neck, my body crashing into his. He seemed taken aback as it took him a few seconds to embrace me in return. “Thank you,” I breathed into his ear. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He didn’t say anything, and a moment later he unhooked his arms from my waist, letting me float on my own. His gaze didn’t leave mine, and there was an intense look in his eyes; one that I had never seen before. When I only continued to stare, he leaned forward, until his face was only a few inches from mine.
I closed my eyes, my lips parting slightly as I waited for his lips to touch mine. I didn’t know it until then how much I’ve wanted him to kiss me. But then, I was afraid that I would be bad at it if he did. His breath was cool on my skin, and for one heart-pounding moment I thought he would, but then I didn’t feel his breath on my skin any longer. And when I opened my eyes he had put some distance between us.
There were no words to describe the complete and utter disappointment that crashed and set up camp at the pit of my stomach.
“We should get out before you catch a chill,” he said, swimming towards the small beach.
My mouth dropped open in bewilderment. I couldn’t believe this. I was mortified; more so than I had been up on that cliff. Reluctantly, I swam towards him. All I wanted to do was go home even if it meant facing the wrath of my parents that no doubt awaited me than face Liam after that humiliating display.
I mean, why would he want to kiss him? He probably thought I was a loathsome, disgusting creature; at least, that’s how Karla had so nicely put it. I stood on my feet as I drew closer to the shore, and walked out of the river; water dripping in rivulets from his shirt.
“Wait here,” he said disappearing into the woods. “I’ll be back.”
He was gone before I could utter a word, leaving me shivering in my knickers. Hmph. It didn’t take long for him return with the pile of our clothes in one hand, and pieces of wood in the other. He looked like a lumberjack, except that he was half naked, and didn’t have a fuzzy beard or wear a red plaid shirt with khaki pants and suspenders.
He set our things down and began to pile up the pieces of driftwood he had collected. “I’ll get a fire going. It should warm us up pretty soon.”
I walked over to a log that lay two feet away from where Liam built the fire, and watched as his strong hands handled the wood with such precision that I could only conclude that he had done this before. He flicked on the lighter, the small flame dancing in the breeze, and lighted the wood. The flames roared to life, and the heat was instantaneous.
Liam wiped his hands on the front of his jeans, and came to sit next to me, his thigh touching mine that I felt the now familiar heat pool at my cheeks.
I opened my mouth and said, “Thanks for-” at the same time that he said, “Anya, I-”
I shut my lips as I gestured with my hand for him to go first. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the dancing flames before him. After a long awkward moment he said, “It was nothing. I just wanted to…say that you…did good.”
My brows furrowed into confusion. That was not what I was expecting. I thought that he was going to say that he didn’t mean to pull away, but had to because he was protecting my virtue or something like that. It would have been romantic, and at least, explained to me the reason he pulled away.
All I could say was, “Thanks,” and leave it as that. When I woke up tomorrow morning, I would realize that this had all been a mistake, and that my feelings were only heightened because of the adrenaline rush. My hormones were all out of wack as Gemma would say.
Yeah, that’s what it was.
Awkwardly, I asked, “How did you learn to build a fire?”
It seemed like he had also been searching for a change in topic because he answered nonchalantly, “Boy Scout.”
I laughed at the memory that those words had begun to form in my mind. “I remember. You use to wear that funny looking hat with the raccoon tail hanging loosely to the side.”
He softly laughed, picking at the fire with a branch. “Yeah. You made fun of my hat, but I think you were always jealous that you couldn’t have one.”
“I was not!” I nudged his elbow and he nudged back.
“It’s true. I could just see the green-eyed monster in your eyes. It was scary.”
“I did not!”
“Did too.”
I poked him each time as I emphasized, “Did not. Did not. Did not!”
He seized my hand, capturing it in his strong one. Liam’s eyes lost their teasing light as they turned intense and serious just like before when I thought he was going to kiss me. His lips parted and I saw his adam’s apple rise as he swallowed. His blue eyes flickered from my eyes to my lips in a way that made me think he was ongoing an internal battle.
“We, um, should go. Your dad's going to castrate me."
A laugh escaped from my lips and I nodded in agreement. He still held my wrist, my skin burning beneath his hand. I was unable to tear my gaze away from his. My eyes lingered to where his hand gripped my wrist with such fierce conviction that only left my mind muddled with confusion. He gently let go and stood, running his hand through his hair as he walked towards the pile of discarded clothes, where he began to dress himself.
Once he was done he walked back towards the fire and began to put it out by scuffing dirt onto the flames with his foot. His back was turned to me and I took that time to quickly dress, holding onto his shirt so that it didn’t get dirty.
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright,” he said, walking over to me. Liam took his shirt back and drew it over his head, the fabric cold against his skin that he shuddered.
I bit my lip and turned, walking ahead of him so that he didn’t see the mix of emotions that were clearly written on my face.
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So what did ya think? Leave a comment below to tell me what you think! Oooh and don't forget to vote if you loved the chapter, showing your support for the story :)
I have to say that I couldn't have written this chapter without my friend Ly. She was a tremendous help, and just a great friend as she looked over and crituqed the chapter, while laughing at me (if I may add). She's like Liam's voice sometimes because God knows I have no idea how they think! Lol so yeah....hope you enjoyed it! Oh! And if you would like any recommendations for new stories I would suggest hers :) Look her up under lverlaine! I promise you will not be disappointed :D
With love always,
sss addy
♥