"I can't believe we travelled all night" Jeff said, noting the delight growing in his stomach and the gladness in his eyes to blink the gold light again. Refreshing breezes were drifting over them, driving wide the horrible odor from the tunnel. The field of green spread through space, as far as the eyes could see, even the canopies of the tall trees sheltered the golden glow of the morning, but the peace and harmony was ever present.
"Thank the creator for the grace of day, I wonder...Jeff, tell me, do you know about the Snake Mountains?" Ema asked
"Off course I do. The Snake Mountains, where the night was perceived as day and the day was perceive as night. Funny, that was the scariest story I heard when I was still a little boy. Myths and Legends, parents are always fond of tales."
"Could be true, I never believe Anadan wasn't a real world until Raz and his friends pointed it out. Those adventure bed time stories could have happened or might be a sign of what's to come. Myths and legend, could all be true, you never can tell"
"A sign? You sound ridiculous. Well, here we are" Jeff chuckled. He knew some of those childish folktales had truths hidden in them. His glowing hands and heightened senses were enough evidence to testify. But he wouldn't admit he was giving it a second thought, not in the presence of Ema, so he joked with it instead. "Myths and legend led us here. Ema and Jeffred, legends of Anadan" he threw his hands in the air like the legendary Indiana Jones and laughed.
Ema scoffed his joke with a sniff. She was going through her stuff searching for something. Despite the gentle morning wind, her black jumpsuit still smelt as if picked from the pool of sweat and humus. The cascade of red hair, which initially was in a ponytail; now dangles swiftly behind her as she straightened and clipped a watch, she had collected from her bag, round her wrist. Jeff's laughter ceased as he gasped and searched his bag too.
"Ema, how in the world did you get that compass, I can't remember giving it to you" Jeff pointed accusingly. The wonder and surprise in his eyes was beyond comparison.
"Relax, I only borrowed it and I promise to return it once we get to the capital of Balom."
"Is borrowing your word for stealing? Remind me to always have my things in check whenever we are together, Mrs. PP" Jeff said and watched Ema burst out with laughter.
"If you call me a pick-pocket for long, then I'm afraid I might christen my name in no distant time. You need to hear yourself say that" Ema mimicked Jeff and laughed again "Anyway, I will take it as a compliment, Jeffy boy." She smiled and started unzipping her jumpsuit.
Jeff's eyes seemed to develop mind of their own as they followed the opening mouth of the zip, which lay underneath her jaw bone. It exposed smooth necks, trailing down to revile perfect tanned skin, clouding the shoulder and showing slightly the clavicle bones underneath. No beauty can compete with Ema's, any that he had seen. Reluctantly, with a great effort, Jeff turned the other way.
"Should've excused yourself." Jeff swallowed, the image of her body still painted in his head.
"Sorry, this is a strange place. And besides, I badly wanted to get the stink off from my skin" Ema smiled, she noted the sweat wiping down the back of his neck. It was not her intension, but somewhere in her mind, she was happy that he probably was considering her beautiful. She couldn't tell for sure, she desired him, more than anything that sometimes thinking of him tries to take her breath away. It would be wise to let time bring him to her, no matter how hard it seemed. She would not let out her feelings like this, not this way. The happiness that was swelling in her earlier on was now turning to guilt. Love and lust, she desired his love, not his lust.
"That didn't explain why excusing yourself was so difficult. Matt really met his match" Jeff murmured and walked away into the forest."
"What did you just say" Ema asked as her wandering thoughts jumped back into her body.
"Nothing" Jeff replied with a slight smile that never reached his eyes, glad that she was mistaking his desires for her as anger.
"Whatever, just be fast you hear, we don't have all day." Jeff heard her say, but he wasn't paying attention. The girl was really out of her mind. Was it growing up in slums with no privacy or was she just trying to show him herself. No, he wouldn't think about that, she was beautiful and could be called an angel. He knew deep down that he felt something for her, but Matt had already declared his interest, it would be a betrayer of friendship if he too start poking his nose in the same shoe and that, he can't do.
Jeff walked deeper and deeper into the forest and later found the bed of a dried brook–under a bamboo tree, between two large stones which were chest high and cupped shape–and decided to change there. He changed into a pink shirt, with white on the collar and a jean. Until his hands felt the hair almost covering his Pinna, did he realize that his coal dark hair was becoming long. Although there were free barbing saloons in the academy, couldn't remember when last he had a good hair cut.
Jeff picked up his bag to leave. He could see a blue bird picking on the rock close by and a rabbit trying to hide under the shadow of a tree trunk. He smiled and tried reaching for the bird which was closer, but that scared the bird and it flew away. Jeff watched it with happy eye, how wonderful it is to be free as a bird. The bird had blue all over its feather, until now Jeff hadn't seen the white fur underneath and the black pair of legs.