A Fire

So we run away. And for me, again.

The police are searching for Leomord. He thinks that they recognised him from the CCTV footage. And he claims that it was a very dumb thing to do, not blocking the cameras.

We're in the woods now.

There's like a human-made den near a small river, and we're staying there. The forest is very dense and Leomord says that people don't come here at all because of some dark history.

It's not that bad being here. I feel wild.

Leomord arranges many dry wood blocks and leaves, making a fire. I watch him silently sitting near the roots of a banyan tree. We have stocked enough food to eat for a month. Although we don't know what happens after.

“Can you fetch me the spoon, please?” he asks me, indicating a cutlery box beside me.

I nod my head and reach it out to him. Our fingers touch for a nano second, just barely, but it gets me acting up. Those damn hormones.

I can't deny. I'm attracted to him. But apparently it's not the same for him. I bet he just thinks of me as a sister who he's helping in her distress.

Last night was kind of awkward. I felt bed that he had to sleep on the floor while I slept like a goat on the bed. I told him that we could use some partitions and stay in the bed. But he didn't agree, claiming that he has very messy sleeping postures.

Today is my birthday. My first birthday away from home.

“Happy 18th birthday to me,” I murmur, sighing. Mom used to make me a huge cake in my every birthday, the flavors I liked. No cake this year, I guess.

“You said something?” Leomord looks up at me from the kettle, making tea.

“Nah,” I shake my head, giving him a smile.

I can feel my belly increasing. It's not like I have been eating too much. It's because another life is growing inside me.

“You need to eat more,” he hands me a slice of cake in a plastic plate, patting my head.

“You brought cake?” I'm surprised.

“I know that today is your birthday. Happy birthday, Anastasia,” he smiles.

“How do you know that?”

“I know many things,” he gives me a wink and walks towards the den.

I stare at the cake slice for a full minute, thinking what did I do deserve such kindness.

“Thank you, Leomord!” I yell, making sure that he hears me.

“You're welcome! And you're gonna scare the birds!” he yells back. And as if just to prove him right, a flock of pigeons fly by in the sky.

When the night falls, we clear up the front and go inside. I jump in a corner of the bed, pulling up the blanket. It's already so cold.

“Aren't there wild animals? What if they attack here?” I ask, warming up my hands.

“There aren't many, to be honest. If we don't bother them, they won't bother us either,” he sits in another corner, searching something in his suitcase. “We should be careful with the food that's all.”

“Alright.”

He places a curtain near me, “Just so you don't get bored.”

I get excited and open the curtain quickly.

Books!

At least twenty books are there.

“All the classic! Won't hurt to reread,” I grin, wanting to give him a bear hug. But I guess he won't like it.

“Glad you like it. We don't know how long we have to stay here, so…”

“Thank you, Leomord,” I pick up the book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’

“We have to be careful,” he mumbles.

“Do you think the cops are going to find us here?” I question, flipping through the pages.

“They shouldn't,” his jaw tightens. “Cops aren't going to invade this haunted forest. But who knows, maybe after some while, they will.”

“Haunted? What do you mean?” I close the book.

“I don't want to put pressure on you, Anastasia. You need rest. You and your baby,” he smiles tightly. “You can sleep or read the books. The light will be on. Good night.”

He doesn't give me a chance to respond with anything and lies on the floor.

I sigh. Me and the baby.

I may sound cruel, but I wasn't expecting a child. It happened against my will.

Bugs and nocturnal birds continue to sing their songs and I plunge into the book. Just something to keep me busy.

I wonder if anyone misses me though. I didn't have any close friends in school, just some project acquaintances.

“Leomord?” I suddenly call out.

“Yes?” he replies. He's still awake.

I move to the other side of the bed, so I can see him. He lies upright, his green fixed eyes on me.

“Why did you kill Marcus? He didn't do anything to you.”

His jaw tightens. “That's an invalid question, Anastasia. He did something terrible to you, and it was bound that he would get punished for that. Doesn't matter if it wasn't me or not.”

“So you only helped me because you knew my brother?”

“That bastard had video tapes of you, Anastasia,” he grows impatient. “I had to do it. There was no way that he was going to keep living.”

I flinch. “Video tapes?”

“Let's not talk about this.”

Tears well in my eyes, “You saw them?”

“No. I just saw your name in his computer, so I deleted it immediately. Don't cry, Anastasia. Everything is going to be alright,” he taps my hand.

“Can you stay with me tonight?” I whisper. I sound like I'm begging, but I don't care. I badly need someone to hold me.

He gives me a long stare, then shrugs.

“Alright, then.”

I move over so he can lie down.

“Can you turn off the light?” I say.

“You can't scare me though,” he chuckles and turns off the switch beside the bedstand.

I slowly get close to him, wanting him to hug me.

He goes stiff.

“Please,” I whisper. “Hug me.”

He sighs like he surrenders, “Just this once. Sleep now.”

I smile against his chest, while the tears stream down. I inhale deeply, he smells like pine, lavender and tes tosterone.

And I don't know when I enter in the sleep kingdom.