4. Rogue

They walk into the woods. Green leaves are shining under scorching sunlight. Birds are chirping on several branches of trees. The aromas of flowers are blowing with hot air.   

Sun sparkles over their heads at its peak. James paces up. The scorching heat sends ripples of fainting in her. Leaning on a tree by her back, she gasps for air.

"Are you okay?" James turns to her concerned. She puts a hand on her head and opens her mouth full wide to take in air. James comes closer to her and looks through her dark ash brown hair. In her crown area of the head, there's a swollen wound of pinky finger size.

"They hit you?" he asks, blowing cool air on it. "Not in the dungeon, they hit me at home," she says in a meek tone.

"There's a river near," says James, wrapping her one arm over his shoulder. She walks with his support. They hear the sound of water burbling over rocks. She sits around the bank and wets her head with chilled water.

"Wait here," says James and disappears in the woods. She sits leaning her back on an oak tree. A cool wind with the aroma of a Jasmine flower blows over her face. She closes her eyes, reminiscing memories from the woods.

She is applying the herbals on Reza's cut on his shoulder. Suddenly his face comes forward and his warm lips touch hers. Then it squeezes her lower lips. Making it wet moves to the upper lips and squeezes harder.

She jolts back. His lips felt like Arkansas black apple, harder on the surface but moist and soft inside. The residues of the kiss on her lips ignite her senses craving for more.

She moves forward and presses her lips on his. His warm hands ran over her back. Her silky thin white top is not enough to keep his hand's heat at bay. The soothing heat is lukewarm water she wants to spill all over her body but not at once.

That's how he does it. His warm hand moves slowly from her right shoulder blade to the little groove in the middle and then to left. It comes back in the middle and pushes the groove. Her body sways closer to him.

Her mountains in front touch his plains. Not so plain though, raised plateaus on sides cues his muscular built. His blue vest is not capable of containing the heat and it transcends to warm her chest.

Her hands slide up over his hands that pull her harder towards him. Her fingers brush his cut on his shoulder. He loosens his grip over her. "I'm so sorry," she says, pulling herself away from him.

"It's okay," he says in a husky voice.

"No, it's not...this has to heal properly...you need to rest," she stands up slowly. "Let's get out of here," she says, scanning the woods for a way out. 

"We have to get out of here," she says out loud. 

"Alicia...Alicia," echoes a deep voice all around the woods. She gazes at Reza whose mouth is currently closed. Where is the voice coming from? She wonders.

"Alicia,'' the voice echoes again. She looks around and flips back towards Reza but he is not there. Everything darkens to pitch black. She opens her eyes to see James standing in front.

"It'll help with your migraines," he says pointing at the herbals in his hand. She lowers her head and he applies it to the wound. "Were you dreaming?" he asks about what she said out loud moments ago.

"Yes," she says, biting her lips. "Reality once that I can only dream of now," she calls out inside, reasoning how things are now between her and Reza.

She gets up and they continue to walk further sweeping tiny branches of trees in their ways. A raised land appears in their front. James jumps up to get on the upper land.

Alicia stands looking around for an alternative way. But the platform appears to be raised at all places as far as she can see through the trees mongering all around.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this," says James standing up with a lowered head. 

Although she can only see his eyes through his helmet, she knows he's greeting his teeth in anger and desperation. "Don't, you did what you had to," she says in an empathetic tone.

He sits on the upper land and extends his hand down to her. She puts her one hand into his palm.

A chill sensation goes from his palm all the way to his feet. His eyes trail at her face. A pair of hair is swinging right to her head. Bright sunlight has turned those dark ash brown ones that light brown and it brushes her milky white cheeks.

He grips her hand harder as she sprints. He stands pulling her up. She stands in front of him with her face inches away from his. He moves forward his face.

"James," she steps back, pulling her hand out of his palm. 

"What?.. what's wrong?" he asks as his hands slide to the sides. 

"I've never seen you that way," she says, stepping back.

A silence descends upon them. He takes his eyes off her and turns to the right. He puts one step after another getting heavier. She follows him with her light ones.

James's eyes are open wide looking at the way ahead but his vision is filled with memories from the past. 

A young boy of about ten years is hiding under the bed. A thin red bed sheet hung from the bed is touching the ground at times as mist air sways it.

He is flat on the ground with his belly. His head is lying on the floor turned towards the right. Eyes focused on the red bed sheet catching glimpses. A wooden door appears at a bit distance whenever the bedsheet sways in his direction.

A creaking sound hits his ear as the door swings open slowly. A milky white pair of ankles steps in. Walking to the right it disappears. The boy wipes the sweat over his forehead.

"James, where are you?" comes a growling voice from up north. His heart rate increases. He inhales for a longer period and stops his breathing.

The same footsteps come back in his view. "James," growls in the voice again. The ankles turn towards him.

James puts his hand over his mouth.

"Found you," says the voice and the bedsheets sways up in a jerk. 

"Shit," whimpering he gets out from under the bed. 

A younger Alicia about the age of seven stands in his front. Her dark ash brown pair of hairs are lingering around his milky white cheeks and blue ocean eyes.

"How do you do that every time, Alicia?" he says patting his clothes to let out the dirt.

"I can hear your racing heartbeats," she says with big eyes. She scratches the air with her fingers half folded imitating claws.

"I'll catch you one day," he says, straightening his back.

"No you won't," she giggles and runs out the door.

He gets out of the house running to the wide plain land in front of the house. It has oak trees in series on the other end. Small flower plants are between the house and boundaries. The boundaries are made of coconut and palm trees.

He gets behind an oak tree and looks for her. The only things he can see are a series of oak trees and green and yellow leaves at the end of where the woods start.

He walks closer and closer to the leaves which submerge with the ones he is walking towards in reality. 

He turns towards Alicia walking beside her. Her skin tone and eyes are the same as before and she only got beautiful over time.

"One guard had seen you that night so I had to tell them, he says, taking off his helmet to ease the heaviness in his head but it stays the same.

His short brown hair is attached to his light yellowish face. Brown beard is covering all of his chin and his cheeks are shaved clean. A thick line of beards merged with his mustache.

"But you came back to save me," she says with her eyes centered towards the front.

He turns right towards her and stops. "Why not? It's only me who got you into this mess"

She turns to him. "You did it for them even I would've had"

"You love them so much then why got separated?"

"You know why," she turns back to the right and walks.

"You didn't like me then and not even now," he jolts his hands down and paces up behind her.

"I did and do now too, not just the way you want," she replies without looking at him.

"No matter what, I'll always be by your side and protect you," he says and marches with straight feet forward alongside her.

"Then let's get out of this damn woods," a smile turns up at the corner of her mouth.

James gazes at her bright smile. Leaves and flowers become shinier around in his view. He can hear the sound of birds chirping getting clearer and sweeter. 

He smiles ear to ear. "Yeah let's do that," he says and puts his helmet back on.