"Lou Im hungry and tired" I groaned for the 100th time. "We'll eat after we found a safe place to make our hiding spot" I tried to keep up but I was in so much pain , my insides felt like they were mealting inside, no this wasnt normal ,something was alive and inside me and it was demanding something of me. And the only person who could help me wasn't here...my mom

I stopped ,cluthing my chest. I felt my chest tightening , I started to sweat uncontrobally and began losing my clear vision "Lou I'm not fine" I was at the edge of tears. In pain then Lou did something unexpected. He picked me up and he started moving.

But then again I was his only form of entertainment so it might not be too suprising that he actually cared and didnt leave me.

"Whats wrong with you?" I strained my voice to tell him I was in pain. He started anaylsing me. Asking for symptoms and other things like if I ate something or touched a plant. I held him tight ,I screamed and started violently shaking. He was about to get up but I stopped him. I didnt want to be left here to pass away alone

"Let me go" I looked at his stern face "Lily" he said my name so coldly that I felt it in my soul. I unwilligly let go of him.

He leaves. It's been a while and I'm at my breaking point. I scream , no more tears left to weep. I was on my knees with my hands on the dirt. Then something peculiar transpired. A green glow started to glow within me.

It felt like daggers going through me. The light shot out through me in all directions and the next thing I know the walls of the cave started to crumble. I was losing my conscious fast and I couldn't do anything except scream

-----------

I slowly and painful opened my eyes not buried underneath rumble but in an open meadow of tall green grass. And in the distance there was Lou.
The pain wasn't has bad as before but I still felt a great discomfort. Worse I was famished. I took my sweet time and went over to him.

He was sitting surrounded by a clutter of things while he was half naked.

"you finally decided to wake up?" he asked not facing me. "here help me with this" I was surprised that he asked for help "what are you delaying for , an invitation ?" I rolled my eyes and got down in front of him. First time being this close to him. It felt weird but a little bit exciting

"eyes up here" I whack him playfully of course. Not even good looks could make up for his stinky personality. I frowned and looked up to him. "what do you want me to do?" I asked. He didn't say anything and just gazed at me as though he was thinking of something else and he went closer and closer. I felt myself blushing radically, my senses alert that I could even taste the nervous energy from within. I was so close to touching him, his pale cold unblemished skin that matched his nature, just a little closer I thought.

Then he disappointedly pulled away and showed me that he was reaching for bandages. I must be isane ,Why would that be disappointing? Have I forgotten that this was Lou but then again he was attractive just wish he wasn't so mean

"take off the bandages" his voice felt rough. The skin on skin contact felt weird in a good . It hit me ,how had I never thought of Lou as a guy only now had it clicked that I was a girl with a guy alone in some foreign place. "did you save me?" I asked while undoing the bandages. He looked at me "you still alive aren't you?" I smiled "thank you" he looked taken back then he did something out of character, he grinned.

"all done" it's as though I woke him up from a trance , he shook his head and gave me a clean set of bandages to wrap around him his torso "where did you get these ?" "I'm resourceful" "you didn't answer my question" "I have my ways. Now how do you feel?" it was clear that he intends to be secretive so I didn't bother to bother him.

"I'm fine, a little hungry and weak but alive" he took out 2 large wooden plates. One had meat the other fruit salad "eat you need your strength" "all that for me?" he rolled his eyes and feed me the first spoon. It was so incredible how flavours explode in my mouth , it was sweet but savory. I took the spoon from him and started devouring the meals.

Then I became embarrassed, he saw me eat like a pig. I hid my face and thanked him. "you want more?" he smiled "no thanks I'm good" "why don't you go take a bath while I clear up here" he gave me directions to an isolated cave. The cave was beautiful and it's waters were so warm, the water was blue and the caves wall had gems in them even pink flowers grew here.

I scrubbed myself with a plant mix on a soft stone. I was standing at the edge splashing myself with water, I dried myself with my ragged shirt then I went into the water .I was singing to myself, it's been a while since I felt so relaxed, that my mind wasn't filled up with chaotic thoughts of my mother and Sammy.

I opened my eyes to a light shining out of me and the light was going in all directions. It made the pink flowers grow bigger and lovelier. I felt a child like amazement. "you know we still have to find your sister right?" I turned my head to find Lou kneeling at the edge. I did a couple of breast strokes ignoring him, I was at to much peace to deal with him and his snarky self

"don't make me come and get you" " are you not amazed at what I can do?" "I'm more concerned about finding someone who can help. This place is completely desserted and that dosen't sit well with me. I've created maps, documented this place and I can confidently say we on our own and that's not good worse I retraced our steps and the tree is gone so we lost" I swam towards him

"relax Lou we'll be fine" I said "you too relaxed for someone in your situation" "I sighed, can I not have a single moment to breath? I'm tired of always worrying and stressing aren't you?" he didn't respond so I moved closer "come in the water is nice" he looked confused "aren't you naked ?" I shrugged "what's a little nudity to you? It's not like you haven't been with every girl in your school" "that's a lie" "sure, you don't have to worry. I don't care whatever you do with your life "I didn't ...you know what never mind" I laughed "come closer" confused he looked at me "come closer, I promise I won't bite" I said with a toothy grin. He lowered himself a bit "a little more" he come closer until our faces were almost touching. "good" then I grabbed him and pulled him down in the water

He was so mad that he swam after me at full speed I forgot that he was an athlete. I was terrified and swam for my life until eventually he caught me. "you got my bandages wet blonde" I apologized but he didn't accept "now you come closer" I didn't want but I was to tired to escape so I did as told "good" he splashed my face with unbelievable amount of water. "my eyes!" I couldn't see "I'm going to sink because of you" then I felt him pull me in and he made my hands rest on his shoulders.

I didn't want to open my eyes if I did I would probably do something stupid. It was only us , alone and this close. The soothing waters swishing and swooshing in a rhythmic motion that made the moment more intimate. We couldn't get any closer than this, what where these moments that we were sharing, was this what having a male friend felt like. How could I answer that, I've never had a male friend or had any other form of a relationship with a male that wasn't family

"you know why I'm not acting like a normal person?" I shook my head "because my mother told me stories about this place, as a child I believed in them all but I grew up and pushed those stories to the back of my mind , thought nothing of them till now. So far it's everything that she said it would be though there are a few things missing like the folk ,fae and fairy" "is that a way of thanking me for bringing you here" he huffed "for having your mother and a monster after us and lost in a strange land. Yeah I might think about that thank you" " is that why you aren't scared of what I can do?" " your magic? No rather I find useful" "is that all you see me? An asset and entertainment" "what else would you like me to see you as" "a friend" those words didn't quite feel right but they they didn't feel wrong either

"I don't do friends , too much emotional baggage , they are easy blind spots and you can even know the day that they will turn their back on you "never saw it that way so is that the way you see me?" "no for now at least" I felt his chin rest on my forehead and we stayed like that for a while.

I could tell that he had a lot on his mind, I felt the invisible weight that he carried but I did not what to prey on his thoughts until we heard a voice of a half ram half man speak "hi there couldn't help but notice that you two could use a friend"

I looked at Lou "I don't think that you looked everywhere" I remarked