I'm really tired today (there was a dead man in a river today when I was there in a city) so I don't feel like looking for mistakes so please tell me when you see them 🙏🥺

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The world glitched and Ashlyn choked a startled scream in her throat, in a moment realizing what's going on. She got up from a ground and looked up. 

The sky was bloody red. 

What meant they were in trouble. 

No, it's impossible. We can't be so unlucky...!

But they were. And it was bevause Mr. Thomas idea to go to a Stavanger Hunt in a woods about 9 pm. And her stupidity that she didn't think about preparing for the possibility of the game being delayed until midnight. Now she was without a weapon in a darkness, not ready for phantoms attack, full of quilt and scared about the others. 

The blood hit to Ashlyn's head, making her heart pound and world go blurry. Her legs protested and gave way under her, she fell back to the ground, trying to catch a breath.

How could she have been so absorbed with talking with Aiden that she didn't realised it's so late? 

Exactly, Aiden. 

He should be somewhere...

"Damn", Ashlyn raised her hands to her ears, trying to protect herself from the phantom noise. 

Shit!

Don't damn swear, idiot. Just think!

A panic flood through her, arriving every part of her body like a venom. The phantom noise repeated and she turned to a back to see a black creature standing over her. 

Ashlyn screamed, trying to back away, and grabbed the first thing she felt from the ground with her hand - luckily it was a broken branch.

The phantom reached for her, but she jumped away, hitting something sharp with her hand. She grimaced with a pain, feeling warm liquid flowing down her hand, but had to quickly get up to not be hurt worse. The phantom attacked again, making a noise that was killing her ears. Ashlyn yelled hoarsely and swung the branch with all her might, she was beating blindly until she hit the void and lost her balance. she fell to the ground and tried to get up, but her vision was blurry and head throbbing. 

The fear shoot her like lightning.  

I'm dead!

"It's dead!"

A familiar smiley voice a sounded somewhere nearby. She tried to focus her thoughts, and realization whose voice it was made her almost cry.

"Get up, Ash." 

Two hands gently pulled her up and she closed her eyes, trying to get rid of black blurs in front of her eyes. 

"Are you fine?" Aiden asked and she blinked. 

"I'm just a little dizzy..." 

"Sure? I just remind you the last time you said so, you fainted." 

Ashlyn didn't reply. She had her eyes opened, but the blurs didn't disappear. She waited a bit longer, but there was no change. 

"Aiden." her voice was weirdly strangled. 

The panic running through her veins sped up and something stuck in her lungs, making it harder to breathe. 

"What's happening?" she heard Aiden's concerned voice next to her ear and his hand landed on her shoulder. 

"I-I can't see!" her own shaking voice scared her. 

She sounded desperate, and sure he heard it. 

"But... don't you see me?" 

"I see a small light and your silhuette but everything is blurry and dark", she whispered. 

"Ash, calm down. do you hear any phantoms?" 

She took a deep breath. 

"Not right now." 

"Actually I have an idea what could happen. Ben once lost his eyesight during an important math test when his optic nerve was damaged due to stress and he saw almost nothing for an hour. I think it's possible that something similar happened to you." 

"Damn." Ashlyn brushed her hair with her hand. "If you're right, I'm screwed." 

"Not that much, I'm here at least" 

"You're right, I'm sorry." 

"Don't be. Okay, we can walk over there- I mean there is a large trunk there and we can sit between the roots, then we will be hardly visible." Aiden thought aloud. "Ash, can I, umm... hold your hand? You know, to help you with walking." 

Ashlyn nodded. It was quite nice about him to ask before doing it. She would say that Aiden usually doesn't ask, he just does what he want. 

Aiden's fingers touched hers and Ashlyn felt tickling in her stomach. 

Her body loved to remind her how much she liked it. And it was still making her embarassed, so she tried to shut it down. 

But he was always so gentle with her, like nobody else, even though he tried to push her boundaries all the time. 

"Okay, let's go", Aiden said. "We'll walk slowly, but yet be careful not to fall." 

He moved and Ashlyn followed him, trying to keep her balance. Aiden barely held her hand and she squeezed his fingers tighter. Her foot hit a branch and she stumbled, Aiden held her carefully but then - what irritated her - he moved back. It wasn't easy walking blindly through the forest, barely holding his hand. 

A thought flashed through her head - Does he not want to touch me? 

She felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

No... he's always the one pushing me. 

So why...?

"Aiden." she spoke up. "Are you helping me or not?" 

He was silent for a moment, probably surprised. 

"Yeah, I guess?" 

"So please hold my hand tighter and hold me up because I dont want to fall over."

Dang, it was rude. 

"I'm sorry, I will." he squeezed her hand and moved on. 

Ashlyn's mind randomly flashed an image of a dozen light lines on his skin, but she quickly pushed it away.

"Wait. I didn't mean to sound rude", she said before she changed her mind. "Are you, hmm... are you fine?" 

"You're not rude, it's just... yeah, I'm fine." 

Ashlyn stopped, forcing him to do the same. She was quite uncomfortable with the fact that she couldn't see his face. 

"What just?" 

"Nothing, Ash. Nevermind." 

Her throat tightened. 

"Is something wrong?" If he could push, she could as well. "If you're not okay with carrying me, just say so. I can stay right here, since I don't hear any phantoms. " 

"What- No!" he let go of her hand and she felt a blast of air on her face, as if he were waving his arms. "It's not like that I'm not okay with helping you, of course not." 

"So why are you acting like this?" her voice shoot against her will.

He probably heard it. 

"I'm sorry" he repeated with a sigh. "I just feel like I'm making you uncomfortable. What is actually stupid, cause I guess I cross your boundaries all the time, and I actually don't know why I care about this right now... maybe its because now I kinda have to cross your boundary and this is making me feel bad." 

Ashlyn felt a heat running to her face. 

She would never to admit in front of herself how relieved she felt. 

"If you prefer, we can stay here", Aiden added, and Ashlyn bit her lip, hesitating. 

How to tell him...? 

"Aiden", she held out her hands and took a deep breath. "give me your hands, please." 

Her heart jumped up as she felt his fingers tentatively touching hers. She pulled him closer to her, moving one hand to his chest and the other intertwining her fingers with his. She swallowed, feeling his breath on her face. 

"Look" she said quietly. "I'm not uncomfortable with you."

She could hear his heart rating - or maybe it was hers.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

"If I wasn't sure I wouldn't say that."

"Right, but... I can't usually see your boundaries clearly and I'm not sure when I cross them and when I don't."

Ashlyn was silent for a moment, wondering how to reply. The fact she was inches away from him was making it hard to think, and her face became warmer as she remembered that she was the one who made them so close to each other.

She forced words to came out of her mouth.

"My boundaries can move."

The silence fall and Ashlyn started to sweat.

I swear to god - please make me see!

"You shouldn't say that." Aiden's voice finally spread through the air.

"W-why?"

"Cause now my brain turns on the 'pusher' mode and tells me I don't have to care about your boundaries that much because they ca move."

Ashlyn snorted with chuckle.

"What are you even talking about? You're always a pusher."

"So, don't you mind?" she heard laugh in his voice as his hand brushed her cheek.

Ashlyn tensed, mechanically raising her hand to push away his, but stopped in a middle of the move.

Wait-

What am I doing?

Why did I hesitate...?

And why do I feel so...

"Aghhh!" she cringed suddenly, covering her ears from the phantom noise. "They're close!"

"Down" he whispered and they fell to a ground.

Ashlyn clenched her teeth as her previously hurt hand hit a cone, but she quickly forgot about it when Aiden embraced her with his arm.

She told herself that it must have been the fact that this kind of touch was completely new to her that was making her heart rate so fast.

She waited listening to the rhythmic sound pulsating inside her head until the phantoms moved away.

"What do we do now?" Aiden asked when silence fell.

Ashlyn was wondering for a moment.

"I think... We're waiting for the others. They should be looking for us, so we better stay here."

"Good point", she heard him getting up. "Come on, it's only ten metres left."

They finally reached a large trunk and sat down in a recess between the roots (or so Aiden said).

"Now waiting what will come first, my sight or our friends." Ashlyn muttered.

"I bet our friends" Aiden chuckled. "Okay, give me your hand now. I'm gonna tend this wound."

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Okayy this chapter was full of Ashlyn's thoughts bUt SoMeTiMeS It'S nEcEsSaRy (btw is it only me or you think Aiden became more mature? It's kinda stupid question cause I write this fanfic but ya know)

Storytime:
I was at a camp a few days ago and there was a disco party. They played Party Walkers and i almost started crying with a nostalgy :')

I feel like I'm an old fan lol EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT'S A DAMN HIATUS ALL THE TIME