The leaves crunched under my feet as I walked slowly through the forest. Bright shadows of the trees cast over the forest floor creating a puzzle of leaves and large branches. I looked around me and saw a baby deer running to its mother, hopping until it was surrounded by its mothers embrace. I smiled inside, feeling warmer than I ever have before.
I kept walking until I saw a small stream behind the thick blueberrie bushes. The water felt cold as I sat down. The crunch of a twig sounded behind me.
“Who’s there?” I shouted over my shoulder while scanning the bushes.
A dark figure appeared from behind the weeping willow close by. He was gorgeous. He had the darkest and blackest hair I had ever seen, and yet it looked shiny enough to be white. Everything about him was graceful, the way he walked, like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse, slowly making circles around it. He even smiled; bright teeth blinded my vision forcing my eyes away.
“Sorry,“he whispered, almost purring,” I was just walking around. You know, scoping out the view.”
Was he trying to flirt? I had never been flirted with before, an all girls school kept me from many things. Especially guys like him. He had dirty jeans that my mother would die trying to clean, and a wrinkled t-shirt. Even though it was wrong, he made it look normal, and defiantly right.
He started to wring his hands, looking around like something bad was coming, and fast.
“Hey, I’m Jake uh… what’s your name? Er, never mind, come with me. We need to go, now!”
I laughed nervously as he took my hand and pulled me close, so close I could feel his heart beat. I looked into his eyes and saw they were many colors. They were gold with dark green streaks that shone with a rainbow hue.
“Wow," I laughed anxiously," what's going on?”
He looked down at me and smiled before looking back at the bushes. Then his eye twitched and he looked back, it all happened in an instant. But it felt like slow motion. He stared, looking deep into my eyes and smiled.
“Hi?” he said nervously, like he just saw me for the first time.
I smiled back until his arm squeezed my waist tightly, “stand still!” he growled, “I’m sorry this is happening to you, you must think I’m crazy.”
I nodded and he tightened his arm again, it felt so right to be held by him and wrong at the same time. who was this guy? The thought that I was with someone I didn’t even know finally hit me, making a shiver run slowly down my spine. I tried to move out of his grasp but he pulled me closer.
“Please, “I whispered, “let me go, I don’t even know you!”
“You will if we don’t get killed,” he growled back. I swear I could see something dark flash behind his eyes, gone in an instant.
His eyes widened and then darkened in seconds. I tried to find what he was looking at and then I saw them.
There were three men, all in dark robes with gold swirls that created a dying flower. Who are they? I wanted to say but I couldn’t, because they were coming closer. I could feel his heartbeat quicken as they came close, soon they would be in front of us, and I didn’t want to know what would happen when they were.
I clung to his jacket, my hands becoming white, pain shooting up my arm, but I ignored it.
“Please, “Jake begged sadly,” Let us go and you won’t be sorry My Lord.”
The largest man in the middle laughed gently and signaled for the others to stand behind him. His eyes were pitch black, not one white spot was visible. I could feel myself shiver as the warm sun beat down on us.
“Who is this!” the man boomed,” Why is she here in our land?”
Jake looked at me and stared with pleading eyes; you could almost see the longing in them. He was thinking of something dangerous, I could tell. The fear was building up in his eyes; he was so easy to read, easier than my little sister.
“Follow my lead,” he murmured, so softly that it was impossible for anyone but me to hear.
I nodded slightly and turned to look at the men in robes, their frowns were spreading from ear to ear. The supposed leader was tapping his toe impatiently.
“She,” Jake whispered, hesitating slightly,” Is someone I love dearly.”
My head snapped around to protest, I questioned him with my eyes.
He looked down into my eyes and all the confusion disappeared,” yes,” he said,” My long lost wife of sarantano, her name is Marie.”
I went speechless. Sarantano was the city that I happened to dream about every night when I fell asleep.
And my name was Marie. How did he know this? I felt as though I remembered and knew everything he was saying. I listened numbly as he kept on, spinning a fake story to save our lives. Was it fake? Was it real? When he finished he looked deep into my eyes and smiled, he looked at me like I was special.
The men were gone by the time I had remembered that we were in danger; it was almost like they disappeared into thin air. He brushed my hair out of my eyes and spoke softly, “You remember don’t you.” I looked at him and nodded, I did remember Sarantano.
“We Marie…” he started,” we were married in Saranta-“
… But I was already falling…
TO BE CONTINUED...