I was free to breath in the air once more after two months, and while it would normally be refreshing, my focus was somewhere else.
Half a week ago, I had seen Sharp-eyes fight against Sani and while it was short, I could easily see what I had missed previously.
The reason he and I were at the same level was because he had been taught the same way I had.
We had been trained by the World League.
My eyes darkened at the thought of those days. It was after the massacre that I had caused, that I had decided to join the World League troops. I wasn't going to deliberately fight against my people, in fact, I had escaped a day before graduation. I just wanted to get stronger so that I could at least protect myself.
He could be the same, I thought. Someone who had escaped.
He and I locked eyes.
Suddenly bringing up such a topic, was it logical? Probably not.
They were after all, looking for a spy and I could be looking straight at him.
He ignored me and proceeded to shut the doors to the base the moment the last person crawled through.
This time I was stationed with Sharp-eyes, who didn't move from guarding the entrance. However, the trainees up here seemed to rotate between the different fields. I would move every week alongside my partner.
I glanced over to the red curly mess that stood in awe.
Strangely enough, my partner was Parker.
He seemed to be admiring the small little flower that grew on the ground. His eyes twinkled and a small yet melancholic smile settled on lips. His large hands touched the petals gingerly, as if they would break at the single touch.
"Hi there." He mumbled with a smile.
An eerie feeling came over me.
When was the last time he had been outside?
I began to realize that although most of the them had been sheltered from the carnage the world brought, their freedom was also taken away. They were unable to see the world as they wish and could only dream from under the ground. All they could do is imagine.
He continued to touch various things that surrounded him, from trees to little mushrooms that popped out from the ground.
"Permission to wander?" I turned to Sharp-eyes who simply nodded.
We had been informed that the different sections of the patrol area was marked of by trees covered in moss.
I can't believe I missed that. It's smart.
When I was on my own, despite seeing the moss, I failed to connect the dots. Never had I heard of such a method.
As I walked to the edge of our area, followed by Parker, and sat down. My back nestled against the trunk of a fallen tree and my eyes fluttered.
"May I sit next to you?"
I shrugged expressing my indifference.
I heard him sit next to me, a few small twigs crunching as he did.
Then we were met with the sounds of the wilderness. Birds sung not so far away while the trees whispered quietly to each other.
"It's been awhile since I've heard the birds." His voice was barely a whisper. "When you were on your own, did you see places like this all the time?" He asked, facing towards me.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, beautiful sceneries!"
I wanted to frown. Was this considered beautiful? While I found the house and field of flowers relaxing and comforting, I wasn't sure if it was beautiful. When surviving, there was no urge to look at scenery.
"What-" I hesitated while opening my eyes slightly, "what's considered beautiful?"
Parker pursed his lips. "I think that depends on you."
My eyebrows furrowed.
He laughed. "Ah it's a bit confusing right? For me, beautiful means something that makes my heart stir. Something that would look breathtaking despite being surrounded by so much ugly. Other's might think that they feel pleased when they look at it."
My thoughts wandered to that field of flowers. It certainly was something pleasing to my eyes. I thought about the sunsets that I've seen and how they caused to earth to sparkle. The running waters that trickled down small pebbles. The stars that twinkled against the black background on a rare clear night. The ocean that crashed against the tall rocks.
"So?"
I opened my eyes. "I guess I did."
"Would you tell me about them?" He asked his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
My lips parted in indecision, while I was unsure if I could explain it all his eyes were too much for me to deny.
I finally heaved an internal sigh and nodded.
His face lit up, and he snuggled against the tree until he was comfortable. I watched as he closed his eyes.
"What are you doing?" I asked, perplexed at his actions.
Parker opened his eyes, and smiled. "I figured I would be able to image the places if I closed my eyes." He closed them again. "Start whenever you'd like!"
An awkward feeling began to settle in. "Um. There was a place, with wild flowers everywhere that surrounded a little old and burnt house."
"What color were the flowers?"
"Different colors."
He laughed. "But which ones?"
I thought for a second. Hues of purples, blues, and greens clashed in my memory. "Pink. Blue. Purple."
A gentle smile spread over his lips. "Yeah, that does sound beautiful."
I went on to recount everything I had seen. From the roaring waterfalls to the shimmering lakes. Occasionally he would gently interrupt with a question.
I stared off into the distance. "There was a brick house. It had white flowers and vines crawling up the walls."
A swinging bench sat on the porch and seemed to look out into the world. The windows showed signs of life indoors as lights flickered. It gave me a familiar feeling and a feeling of sense. It was where I could stay close to my loved ones.
While the organ in my chest beat loudly, my hands began to pick on each other. A part of me expected Parker to be his usual nosy self and ask questions but he was silent.
I opened my mouth to continue but he mumbled something.
Glancing over at him, my eyes widened.
Parker had fallen asleep. His red eyelashes rested gently against his cheeks while the shade of the tree hid the freckles on his skin. He continued to mumble in his sleep.
My heart ached again causing my to place a hand over my chest and wince. What's this feeling?!
Suddenly, Parker's head tilted and fell on my shoulder. My body froze. The curls on his head bounced when his head made contact.
Coming to my senses, I quickly turned to push him off but stopped in midair. A small smile decorated his lips, making him look serene. He nestled closer and sighed satisfyingly.
Why can't I push him off? And why won't my heart stop pounding? I can't think straight. What wrong with me?
...
He's warm.
It felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. My eyes lingered on his face.
In a way he is beautiful.
I laid my head back onto the tree, careful not to disturb him. Seriously though, what is wrong with me?
My eyes looked up at the cloudy sky. Random rays of sunshine shone down and touched the earth. However any blue was nowhere to be seen. It was almost as if I had never seen it in the first place.
My body suddenly felt heavy. A wave of tiredness crashed into me and my eyes began to flutter.
[Snow, it's not safe here.]
I know, but I'm sleepy.
[Don't fall asleep!]
It was a command. The commands of which have kept me alive up until this point against my will. No matter how much I wanted to die, his voice would force me to move.
But it was losing its power.
My eyes fluttered shut and I feel into a light sleep.
I wasn't sure how long I was asleep for, but when I woke up, I was absolutely ashamed of myself.
I've done it now.
Parker slept soundly next to me.
I just felt so comfortable. What happened for me to feel this relaxed around him? I haven't slept in front of others in so long.
Rendering him dangerous, I stood up, grabbing his head and slowly placing it on the floor. I flinched when he stirred but nothing happened and he went back into a deep sleep.
Staring at him from above, a heavy sigh escaped my lips.
I must be going crazy.
His face reminded me of them.
Every time I looked at him my heart would sink but at the same time I was filled with relief.
The image of them stretching their hand out to me in that prison was all I could think of. That couple had saved me when I thought I was going to die. When all of my struggle and lost was about to be in vain.
They should have left me there to rot.
It was almost time for us to return.
"Hey." I called out gently but Parker didn't even stir. "Hello?"
He still didn't budge. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if he began to store.
"P-" I hesitated, "Parker?"
Seeing that I had no other choice, I reached over to tap his shoulder gently.
It seemed it was enough for him to wake up, as his eyes opened slowly.
"Garret?"
I glanced at my sides awkwardly.
He blinked a couple of times before suddenly sitting up. I watched as he wiped his mouth furiously.
"I must be out of my mind." He mumbled to himself while smacking his forehead.
While he continued to mumble to himself, I stood up and dusted myself off.
"It's time to go." I told him.
He looked at me and nodded.
A sudden smile crept up on me. I've never seen him with bed hair before.
His curl hair, although a mess before, was even messier now. It was all swept on one side and different curls seemed to intertwine with others amorously.
His cheeks turned red. "My hair's a bit a mess huh? At least it's not as bad as yours!" He pointed at my head with a chuckle.
Unconsciously a hand of mine reached my head. To be honest, I had never really cared about it but now that he had mentioned it it felt weird leaving it as it was.
I patted my hair a bit before giving up. What's the point I'm just gonna mess it up again.
"Let's go?" He asked.
After responding with a nod, we returned back to the entrance.
"Thank you for telling me about what you've seen." He grinned. "I'm sorry I feel asleep at the end though."
"It's nothing."
Sharp-eyes greeted us with a scowl and a deep furrow. "Where were you two?"
"Oh we were just going circles around the perimeter of the area so we could familiarize ourselves." Parker lied smoothly through his teeth.
Sharp-eyes didn't stop narrowing his eyes. He looked over to me for a sort of clue but as always, my face showed the lack of emotion.
He finally gave in. "I'll believe you for today. Anyway get ready to be on the lookout, people are going to start to come in. Snow, count the amount of people. Parker, make sure they're people you know. Let me know if something is wrong."
We both nodded and responded with a short, "Yes sir."
Sure enough everyone did start to set in.
My eyes followed each person as they went down, as I counted meticulously.
They went down by groups, the leader going in last. Until it was just the three of us.
"Snow?" Sharp-eyes glanced at me.
"Everyone is accounted for Sir." I responded.
"Good."
"Same here." Parker chirped.
Sharp-eyes nodded. "Let's head in then."
My heart began to beat but I ignored it.
Parker moved towards the entrance and had placed a foot on the ladder but stopped. "Make sure to put on the blindfold!" He commanded.
I wanted to scowl. It was a stupid piece of cloth that had no use when I could just close my eyes. However Mr. Small had not forgotten to mention to his niece about my situation.
Nevertheless, the moment I set foot into that tunnel, the blindfold came on.
Going up and down the ladder each time was a nightmare. However it wasn't going to let it stop me. I focused on my breathing and thought about that field of flowers.
After counting a total of 50 steps I knew I was coming to the bottom and the crowing chatter confirmed it.
"You're almost there!" I could hear Parker shouting from afar.
I could sense his long arms reaching behind me in case I fell. When my foot touched the floor, the blindfold came off in a flash. Folding it neatly, I placed it into my pocket.
Parker stared at me with a wide smile.
"What?" I grumbled.
"I'm impressed. I thought you would slip at least once but you didn't at all! That's so cool!" He chirped.
My eyes gave him a weird look.
"Next time we go up, will you tell me more about the places you've been?"
A part of me wanted to say no, but the other was looking at his pleading eyes and caving. "Maybe."
He grinned and my heart skipped a beat.
"I can't wait."