Elfrida
I found myself in the woods again, running... I was tired, sweaty and terrified, the same emotions I had lived through, countless times before. It felt as if I had continued where I left off, but this time, the pain I felt before, coursed through my body in twofold.
As always, something hit my back, knocking the breath out of me, and bringing unbalance to my feet, as I ended up chest flat onto the wet ground. My lower back hurt, and just like I had done a thousand times before, I reached to touch it, winced at the pain and felt lightheaded, seeing the dark blood on my fingers.
It hurt everywhere, but this time it was a little different, the side of my head throbbed, and my neck felt a bit stiff.
I shivered, my body no longer warmed by exercise, heart pounding from the desperation. The cold air enveloped me, smelling of wet dirt, mulch, and the rain that had poured from the sky.
That was when I heard it... Angrier than I'd ever heard his voice yell out my name. "Elfrida!"
I jerked awake, a groan escaping my lips at the force in which I had moved. The pounding in my head matched the rushing pulses of blood in my ears. It hurt so much, and when I touched the top of my head, I felt the warm liquid that stained the side of my face.
The smoke coming from the car had me trying to stifle a cough.
With my head pounding, I opened the door of the car weakly, left hand pressing on my head in an attempt to stanch the blood.
It all happened so fast, one minute I was driving, the next I was flying through the air, tumbling deep into Bane woods. Getting down, I looked around to see myself surrounded by endless trees... Hopefully not too far from civilization.
The air was thin and calm here, no sound of birds or crickets. It was just so still, silent, and cold. Something about it didn't feel right.
Gauging the pain in my head, I was pretty sure to have a concussion. But I hated hospitals, and I had no intention of visiting one soon.
The sound of rustling in the bushes nearby, had my neck snapping in that direction, fear pinching at my neck as I pulled out my gun.
You know that feeling you get when you feel like you're not alone? Yes, that feeling was rippling over my skin, hairs rising, my whole body tensing and at full alert.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a dark shape speed by, immediately, I pointed my gun in that direction. The shape disappearing as fast as it came.
With my heart pounding, I moved further into the woods, my gun outstretched in front of me.
Another shadow flew by, diverting my attention again, forcing me to make another turn into a corner... "Hello?!" I yelled into the silence, my voice barely traveling through the stagnant air around me.
I gulped, feeling another shadow flash by me. I jumped, the grip on my gun tightening as I turned sharply again.
Looking around me, I knew I was lost because my car wasn't even behind me anymore... Had I really traveled so far into the woods?
"You shouldn't be out here this late."
My heart almost flew out of my chest as I spun around to the direction of the voice, removing the safety from my gun and aiming it right at the person.
"Whoa whoa, don't shoot." He raised his free hand up in surrender, his other hand occupied with a hunting gun.
The moment my eyes locked with his, a strange tug pulled at my heart as my mind went off on a journey of its own.
I couldn't decipher it... The color of his eyes. It was between a deep blue, dark green, and pure black... I must have really hit my head hard because my eyes couldn't help but be drawn to his, trying my best to figure out which color stood out more.
I should be asking questions, filling the silence with words, but something held me back from speaking...
All I could do was stare, the sudden change of pace in my heart beat, didn't go noticed by me.
Besides his weird eyes, his face carried a strange kind of beauty... He was... He was perfect... And I don't mean this in a way to appraise him or anything... This man in front of me just screamed perfection. That kind of perfection you couldn't explain, but you just knew that this person was perfect, in every way.
But his eyes though, his eyes drew me into a somewhat silent command that had me fishing for words I knew I wouldn't be able to make out.
A confused, yet baffled smile tugged at his lips as he tilted his head a little, watching me like I was some toy that just got handed over to him. "Well," he spoke, voice deep and smooth as he dropped his hand. "What are the odds?"
Immediately, I snapped out of it, my senses slipping back into me. I blinked. "Who are you? What are you doing out here so late?"
The weird smile was still on his perfect face. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
"Well, good thing I'm the one with the uniform and the badge." I snapped, my gun still aimed at him.
"My apologies deputy-"
"Answer the question, why are you out here?"
"Okay..." He drawled. "I'm uh--" he looked around, almost like he was racking his brain for a valid reason. "...hunting? Yes... I'm hunting." He smiled, almost looking proud of his response.
"Why do you sound so unsure about what you ought to have been doing?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
"Forgive me, I can be a bit slow sometimes, but I can assure you, I'm not some criminal or anything like that, so you can put the gun down." He said, the look in his confusing and distracting eyes showing me that he wouldn't hurt me, but I wasn't stupid enough to pull down my guard.
This town may be as great as it looks but there's always a bad guy somewhere.
He took a step closer.
"Stand back!"
He stopped, concern pulling down his brows, the dark part of his iris becoming more dominant than the other colors.
"Did something happen to you? You're bleeding and you look lost, deputy, let me help."
"What's your name?" I found myself asking, ignoring his question.
He placed his hand against his chest. "Kai, Kai Labrosky, I presume you know my brother?"
I paused, the gears in my brain turning. "You're- you're Rhett's brother."
"Yes." He grinned, putting his hand back down. "I'm sure you've heard of me... I'm the good guy who would never even hurt a fly to save his own life, so if you could please lower the gun, and let me help you get out of here, that would be awesome." He said, his eyes moving around us like he was expecting something to pop out any second.
I lowered my gun, letting out a breath. "I'm sorry... I'm just overly cautious."
"Which you should be." He said, the grin morphing into a smile as he came closer. "That looks really bad." He gestured to the wound on my head.
I gulped down, my heart pounding harshly as my body grew so aware of his closeness, and my ears liking the way his voice had gone so deep with concern.
I swallowed.
"I had an accident." I said, finding my voice and composure. "I'm sure my car isn't far from here, and yeah... I'm kinda lost." I managed a small chuckle, all the while, avoiding those eyes.
"Well, I know these woods like the back of my hand, I can help with that. Come on." He stated, already walking ahead of me.
In no time, I saw my car, not all that damaged, but the huge dent on the passangers side, looked as if something huge had rammed into my car, knocking me off course.
"Something hit your car." He noted.
"Yeah, I didn't even see anything coming. But what could have left such a dent?" I asked, as I inspected it again.
He shrugged. "Could be anything." He said. "But there are no wild animals in Westbane so, I'm not really sure what could have caused this." He said, his eyes finding mine.
It was too quick for me to even attempt to look away, and just like earlier, I got lost in his eyes. The comforting swirling warmth that came with just looking at him, was something that came from within, pulling me deeper and deeper into the endless depth of them. They felt safe, calm, and assuring, like I belonged in their ever alluring gaze.
Then he blinked, clearing his throat and looking away. "I can have this fixed before the morning, deputy. I've got a friend who knows the in and out of cars, so you don't have to worry about it. My car is just outside of the woods, so I can drive you home, if you'd like?"
I managed a small smile. "Sure, that would be great."
"Indeed."
I gulped. "I'll just get some of my work files from the trunk."
"Sure." He said, his weird eyes watching me as I moved to get my things.
I followed a few steps behind him, stepping where he stepped, the woods still tense and quiet.
"The Bane woods is kinda off limits, at least according to the Mayor of Westbane." He said out of nowhere.
"Really? Why is that?"
I saw him shrug. "It just is. Besides no one really comes out this far out of town... Its just been like this for years."
I furrowed my brows. "So what were you doing back there?"
He threw me a grin from over his shoulder. "I was trying to help one of my old friends catch some good meat for his business. But then you showed up... You can't tell Rhett you saw me here though, he would freak out." He chuckled.
"I won't... I just don't understand why it's off limits... Like you said, there aren't any wild animals in the woods."
He nodded. "Yes there aren't... But navigating the Bane woods can be a little bit tricky, and it is really easy to get lost in here. The town is a really peaceful one and we don't want to scare people and create unnecessary problems." He said, almost like it was a memorized answer he had repeated to many people over the years.
We were out of the woods in no time. He turned to me, a grin playing on his face. "How does it feel to be back into civilization?"
I managed a small smile, wondering why I felt the sudden urge to jump him.
"Are you sure you're okay? We could go to the hospital to do a checkup and make sure everything's intact-"
"No no, it's fine Kai... Um, I'm fine... It has been a very long day."
"Indeed it has, you need the rest. Come on, I'll take you home." He said, politely opening the door for me.
"Thank you."
The car ride wasn't silent. This guy as odd as it sounds, adored his country music, and sang along, fingers drumming on the steering wheel, and head bobbing to the rhythmic beat of the song.
I found myself stealing glances at him.
The truth was, I couldn't even help it.
I could feel his carefree attitude, his ease, his warmth. I've never really felt this comfortable with a complete stranger... In fact, it somehow felt like I knew this guy even when I didn't, which was really strange.
It was probably the fact that I'd heard quite a bit about him before actually meeting him.
He looked like a really laid back guy, just exactly how Carly spoke of him.
Although just from merely looking at him, Carly's description didn't really do justice.
Kai Labrosky was good looking, in a strange kind of way, a way that was unique, yet the societal standard at the same time. His charms didn't just end in his beautiful eyes adorned with dark and sexy shadows, it radiated all around him. It was like his aura told you he looked good, to the point where he didn't have to smile before you knew his smile was beautiful.
All in all, he intrigued me.
It didn't take long before he pulled up in front of Sasha's home. "And we're here."
I was about to get the door when he stopped me. "I'll get it." He said, quickly getting out of the car and opening the door as I stepped out into the cold starless night.
"Thank you so much, Kai." I thanked, keeping a safe distance between us, since he didn't bother to. He just stared at me, like he had been doing the entire night.
"My pleasure..." he drawled, waiting for me to fill in with my name.
"Elfrida." I answered.
He smiled. "Elfrida." then he outstretched his hand.
The moment my palm connected with his, a tingling sensation seemed to travel round my body, causing a sharp, and hopefully, an unnoticed hitch of breath. My heart rate seemed to have increased.
"Pleasure to meet you, Elfrida." He said, his eyes gazing at me in wonder, and adoration?
No, I'm just imagining things.
I dropped my hand back to my side.
"Welcome to Westbane." He said.
"Thank you."
He nodded. "Make sure you take care of that," be gestured to my head. "If you feel any dizziness or anything, you can phone the hospital, they'll have someone here as soon as they can."
"If I feel dizzy, I'll do that, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
He nodded, looking like he wanted to desperately say something to stall, but there was not much else to talk about.
I took a step back. "Have a nice night, Kai."
He smiled. "You too, Elfrida."
I managed a small smile, before turning and walking over to the porch, unlocking the door, and stepping in without a backward glance.
Heart still thumping hard against my chest, I looked through the window to see him getting back into his truck, firing up the engine and driving away.
I briefly remembered how I seemed to have developed goosebumps when we shook hands. A small smile met my lips, confusion and curiosity setting off in me.
Kai Labrosky.
I blinked, already knowing the thoughts of this man was here to stay for a while.
I made a mental note to ask Sasha about him.