Vasiliki stood in the clearing with Alex. He held her in his arms as the sun shone down on her inky black hair, illuminating the vast green depths of her eyes. He brushed his thumb along her cheek, admiring the tanned sleekness of her form. She smiled at him.

He breathed deeply taking in the scent of the large blossoms, which grew from the vines twined about the trees of the clearing. His attention was drawn away from the azure sky above and the feral beauty of the clearing.

Vasiliki was putting her arms around his neck and resting her head against his shoulder. “Alex?”

He felt giddy with her scent so close to him. She was an intoxicating mixture of the outdoor smells and flowers. Something he hadn’t expected her to smell like. After all, she lived in a tribe of women who disdained all notions of lady-like behavior. Thinking about it, he was surprised they even wore dresses instead of some of the skimpy clothing he associated with the Amazons – a tribe that was the closest thing to the Praelia that he could conceive of.

“Alex!” Vasiliki was pressed up against him tightly now, and she was giving him a concerned look.

He gazed at her dazedly a moment. “Yes? What?”

“You had such a distant look in your eyes just now… You worried me.” She whispered tracing his high cheekbones with a delicate, deft finger.

His lips curved into a smile. “I was just thinking.”

She smiled back, a sweet, delicate smile. “About what?”

“About you. About us.” He blushed. “You don’t exactly fit the mold.”

“Mold?” She frowned, looking into his deep, dark eyes.

“Yes. You see, we had legends about a tribe of women who believed very similarly to you. They shunned and hated men and their society was much like yours, if myth is to be believed. Only… Whenever our culture represents them…” He cleared his throat, face flushed. He looked down, not meeting her gaze.

“What?” She coaxed the answer from him.

“Well, they’re hardly wearing anything.” He blurted, face crimson. “And… You don’t really fit that depiction… I mean… You’re not even wearing a man’s clothes. You’re wearing a… A dress…” He stammered.

Vasiliki blushed. “Your culture would dare to show a woman wearing so little?”

He moved away from her then. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he scuffed a bare foot along the jungle’s damp, leaf-strewn floor. “Yeah… Unfortunately. And worse, sometimes.”

“And you would look at these… monstrosities?” Her voice quivered as she asked the question.

“No!” He raised his hands. “No! I avoid the impropriety of my culture…” He stopped, looking down. “It makes me sad to know how depraved Earth’s culture is.”

She nodded, placing a gentle hand on his upper arm. “It is alright, Alex. So long as you do not look at such things, you are not part of that depravity. It is good that you do not allow yourself to be ensnared in such behavior.”

He smiled. “So… Why do you wear dresses? It seems that your tribe is determined to forsake all semblance of womanliness, so why wear such apparel?”

Vasiliki’s eyes widened. “Alex! We are still women! We have not forsaken our identity.”

“Then how is it your tribe treats men as though they are beasts?” He kicked at the leaves beneath his feet keeping his hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders hunched.

“Because they have forgotten that men once were our protectors. They have forgotten what it is like to love a man.” Vasiliki whispered.

“And you? You have not?” He stopped shuffling leaves about and looked up into her eyes.

She shook her head, hands raised. He came closer, taking her by the shoulders and looking deep into her eyes. “Have you?”

“I never knew what it was in the first place.” She murmured, dropping her eyes to her hands, which rested gently against his chest.

“And now?” He pressed.

She nodded, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes. “You have shown me. I will never forget.” She bit her lip, pausing. Then she looked up at him. “But Alex…”

“What is it?” He wrapped her in his long arms, folding her into a warm, gentle embrace.

“The feelings you are causing… The things you have stirred within me… They scare me, and I am not sure if I am pleased with it or not.” Her gaze dropped from his again, cheeks flooding with color.

He stared at her for a moment. He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again, thinking carefully before answering her. Finally, he spoke softly to her, whispering in her ear. “Vasiliki, I will never, ever purposely hurt you! You have to believe that. I will fight to protect you down to my last breath. Never forget that. You are worth every sacrifice to me.”

She looked up. Her smile was painstakingly brilliant, and Alex felt himself falling into it. “And I want you to know… Whatever feelings you have, I’ll accept you however you are no matter what. I won’t ask you for anything you can’t give freely, but you’ll always have my heart.”

He could feel her heart pounding against his chest as she reached up. She pulled his head down, twining her fingers in his hair as she kissed him. He kissed her back, savoring the moment and knowing that they had only a few more moments to stay in this clearing before they needed to go to the library. It wouldn’t be good for either of them if they were missed or discovered out here like this.

He let their kiss linger a moment longer. When he tried to pull away, she didn’t let go. He broke the kiss, letting her embrace continue. “We need to go to the library now and do more research. We can’t risk discovery out here.”

She grinned mischievously. “We won’t be discovered. We could spend all day out here, and no one would find us. This is my secret place. No one else knows about it.”

“You never know.” His gaze drifted around the beautiful clearing, lighting on the small, babbling brook running through it, which, if followed far enough, led back to the mountain in the center of the jungle. “And the stream runs right through here. How can you be sure someone didn’t find this place, being as this stream is one of the few safe sources of fresh water in the jungle.

Again, her smile captivated him. “You worry too much. Just let go for a bit, Alex. We’re alone, and no one is going to interrupt us or find us.”

She kissed him again. He only let it linger another moment, sensing the hunger behind it. He knew he had awakened something in Vasiliki that had been buried for too long, and it was coming out in a torrent now with him. And while he didn’t think it was necessarily a bad thing, he didn’t want her to commit herself until they could be certain they were right for each other.

He pulled away, and this time, he broke the embrace. “We need to go now.” His voice sounded slightly hoarse in his ears.

She nodded. “Alright.” She began walking in lithe, long strides towards the village.

Alex followed her, matching her stride. And not for the first time, he wondered what he had gotten himself into. First I find myself in a strange, unknown world – or dimension, rather. Now I find myself falling for a girl I won’t ever have. Of course, she promised to run into the jungle with me if it came to that, but still… Will she actually abandon her life her, her mother, just to follow me? I don’t think she can do it in the end. And I don’t think I can ask it of her, even if she can. He heaved a inaudible sigh. There isn’t going to be a happy ending to this, is there? Of course not… There never is with these stories, is there?