Part of Chapter One
I fell asleep before I had even
covered myself up, just after my head touched the pillow. The dreams that had
been haunting me so often left me miserable, exhausted, and craving rest.
My legs trembled as I tried to push myself to
go faster. Despite the adrenaline that surged through me and the exertion from
every cell of my being, I felt frozen. I shivered and yet was sweating at the
same time. Waves of terror pulsed through my every limb.
Where was I going? Where could I
go to get away from him? He knows where I am all the time, even though I have
no clue as to my own whereabouts.
I slowed, just briefly, to try to
catch a good long drag of air hoping it would fill up my lungs and give me
strength to continue on. However, instead of the oxygen that I so desperately
needed, I breathed in the rank air of pure evil. It was the same foul scent I
smelled every time he was close. I could taste it on my tongue.
I could feel him closer now than
ever before. Pure horror seeped in and I was running again. To where, I was
still unsure.
Just as I could feel myself actually widening
the distance between us for once, I slid to a stop. I had almost run into a huge wall that blocked my path. It was not
quite brick, but made of reddish gray stones that were symmetrical in every
way. No cracks, no breaks, no holes. A perfect wall. Dark green moss was
growing up the wall in many spots, making it slightly slippery and shiny
looking. I stood there wondering how a wall like this was built, or rather how
it came to be here, right here in front of me, blocking my only escape.
The small amount of moonlight
that had been lighting my path suddenly disappeared leaving absolute blackness
and the faint smell of damp. I turned. I felt for the wall behind me now as the
slimy moss caressed my fingertips. I
heard him walking towards me. As if he realized there was no possible way for
me to escape him now.
Then he stopped.
There was no sight now in this
dreadful black, no taste, the wall was somehow no longer touching me, and if it
weren’t for his atrocious smell, I might be able to think I had just ceased to
exist. But it was the loss of sound that unnerved me the most. The only sound
now was my breathing, the ragged gasping noise that cut through me with every
breath and reminded me why I had been running in the first place.
That’s when it I felt it. I could
feel it first around him, a concentrated evil that spread over the grass and
through the air towards me. Like a match to a stream of gasoline, the feeling
of hate and anger spread like wildfire. I felt it circling me, searing my skin
and burning inside me at the same time. It took away my air. My lungs begged me
for oxygen and my eyes burned as tears started to flood down my face.
When I had almost lost myself to
the pain, something changed. He felt it the same instant I did. And instead of
the hateful, anger-filled, death-like feeling that was surrounding me, I felt
hope. It started right in the center of my chest and expanded out through my
whole torso, like being dipped in a warm bath after being outside in the snow.
It spread down to my toes and up to my head at the same time. A wave of pure
hope, love, or… joy! I felt strong and courageous. No, powerful!
This new feeling of power poured through me and out
through my fingertips, pushing away the dread and hate that had been eating at
me, and straight across to the hateful man standing in front of me. I was
surprised by the intensity. The force. The strength. I knew that he could feel
it too, surging out of me and flowing freely wherever it felt the need to go.
Part of Chapter 15
I stepped
outside into the fresh air. The sky was cloudless, and I could see all the
stars. I walked to the pond and thought about putting my feet inside. It was
summer, but we were high up in the mountains and the wind was chilly; so I
decided against taking my shoes off and dipping my feet in the cold water. I
snuggled my robe closer around me as I felt a small breeze. Being surrounded by
massively tall cliffs, one would rarely feel a breeze out here, but when you
did, boy was it cold. I sat leaning against a tree and looked out over the
pond.
I didn’t
hear him come up behind me, but I could sense him. I turned around as he
greeted me the same as he always did, “Good morning, Allison.”
I
chuckled, “I guess it is morning already.” He offered his hand and helped me
stand. I took it eagerly, and went straight into his arms. He didn’t pull away.
If anything, he held me closer. It
reminded me of the morning when I thought he would kiss me. After that morning
he had distanced himself. But over the last few days he had gotten back to
normal. He had even kissed my head and my cheek on a few occasions. Tonight I
wanted more, though I was a little afraid to risk it. What if he started acting
all weird again?
I
breathed in deeply, allowing his scent to fill my nose and my lungs. He nestled
his head into the crook of my neck and I could feel the scruff from his beard
scratch my cheek as he started to breathe deeply as well. I could feel his
breath tickle my neck and it sent shivers down my spine. It made me pull him closer
still. I could feel his muscles touching mine, and I could feel the heat
emanating from him, warming my skin through my clothes.
My heart
started beating faster, and I felt my face flush with anticipation. He pulled
away, just enough to look me in the eyes. I stared back into his, allowing him
access to my soul, hoping he could see how desperately I needed him. I didn’t
hold back at all.
Before I
could even react his lips were on mine. The heat that I had felt when he kissed
my cheek, was like a lit match compared to the forest fire I felt now. Every
inch of my body was deliciously ignited.
This kiss
started very slow. Tentative. Wary. Unsure.
But as my
lips parted, allowing him full access to me, things changed. He deepened the
kiss. His arms pulled me closer to him, wrapped around my back, and held me
firm.
He tasted
like heaven on earth. My arms were all over the place. On his face, on his
neck, then down to his back. I couldn’t get enough of him. I couldn’t touch him
enough, or smell him enough. Or… taste him enough.
This felt
right. Like the ultimate goodness. My body tried to inch closer, but it
appeared we couldn’t get any closer. His chest was warm and hard against mine,
and fit perfectly, as if we were two pieces to a puzzle.
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