six

After saying a quick goodbye to Macia we left the shop and began walking down the street, the whole time I kept sneaking glances up at Henrik, hoping that maybe he would start the conversation so that I wouldn't have to.

But like Mama always said, "You can't always get what you want, mon petit amour."

"Henrik," I started, gaining the confidence, "I'm sorry for last night. I wasn't dressed properly and I promise I won't do that again, I never do that. I barely ever see anyone."

"Hey," he smiled down at me, taking away the awkwardness I thought was there and crushing it, "it's alright and honestly it was my mom's fault for taking off your cloak."

I giggled a little, "I guess you're right."

We walked quietly until Henrik stopped at an alley, he nodded for me to follow, "Come this way, there's a bunch of street vendors down this road."

He grabbed my tiny hand with his own, holding it. His hands were big, like Papa's but they were soft, unlike Papa's. Mama's voice was there again, "Ugly hands." I tried to ignore her but still, I chanted over and over, "Don't look at them."

I followed him through the empty alley until it opened up and I could see all the mini booths set up, all the vendors smiling and showing off their items.

It was a weird feeling, being practically stuck to Henrik's side as we passed through the crowd. Who knew it would be completely filled with people so early in the morning? Henrik answered my own question without me even speaking about it, as though he was reading my mind.

"It's usually always like this if you go early, people are trying to get the fresh goods and the best stuff."

"Oh, I can understand that," I said. A new problem popped up in my head, "Uh, Henrik, I don't have any money with me."

"That's okay, I can pay-" he patted the side pocket on his pants, "-think of it as a welcoming present. You pick something out and I'll buy it."

"That's very nice of you," I told him, "but I don't think I'll be able to choose."

I observed the vendors, they were all looking bright and speaking loud. Many of them were just yelling out what their products were. I didn't know what I wanted more. One stand was selling jewellery, I saw a necklace that I liked. Another stand was selling bread, I wanted to try a cinnamon loaf so bad. But it was the last stand I looked at that really got my attention, I knew I wanted something from it immediately, a comb.

"Look, Henrik! I want that," I declared, my mind made up. I let go of Henrik's hand and ran up to the stand, continuing to 'ooh and aah' at the pretty silver comb.

Henrik paid for my comb without question, smiling at me as I held the comb to my face. It was so beautiful, Mama would have loved it.

"Are you a fan of combs?" Henrik asked, leading me away from the crowd and taking me back home.

I blushed slightly when his hand wrapped around my own for the second time.

"I guess so. My mama loved them, she always wanted new ones and sometimes she would tell Papa that I wanted one even though it was her who really wanted another one. She does my hair every morning for me," I answered.

"You must miss her, huh?" Henrik asked as we walked back up the same street we came down.

"Of course. I miss my mama and my papa very much," I told him as I stared down at the comb in my hand.

We were back at the shop in no time.

Henrik opened the door for me, he followed closely behind as I entered the shop. Surprised, I felt his breath fan my cheek, "I'll take you out again tomorrow," he promised.

Flynn was there, he was sitting on a chair as Macia talked and talked. Flynn's eyes lit up once he saw me, he got up from the seat and pulled his hat off his head, nodding to me with a grin. "Hello, Amoret! How are you?"

"I'm great, Flynn, and you?" I asked him as I walked closer.

"Doing well! I just came to pick up the dresses but Macia said Henrik didn't get a chance to pack them up. I'm just waiting here for a little longer now," Flynn grinned.

"That means you can stay with me," I beamed. Part of me always missed Flynn when he wasn't around which was odd because we were practically strangers in a sense.

"Of course! Where we going?" He asked then snapped his fingers frantically, "I got the perfect spot!"

"Okay!" I said, "Just let me put away my new comb." I held it up to his face.

"That's a nice looking silver," he said awkwardly and leaned away from it, "I'm sure it'll work great."

"Do you like it?" I asked, his response wasn't what I hoped it would be.

"Yeah, it's pretty. I'm not really into that stuff-" Flynn ran a hand through his curls, showing the tangles in them, "-as you can tell."

"Right!" I giggled, "I'll be right back."

I smiled at Henrik as I watched him begin packing up all the dresses Macia had ready for Flynn to take, he gave me a small smile back, a smirk really.

The last think I heard was Macia saying something to Flynn in a hushed tone but I couldn't quite catch it, all I could make out was, 'dangerous'.

•

After putting my comb somewhere safe I left with Flynn. It was a long walk, he took me around town and currently we were walking through the forest.

"Isn't this nice?" Flynn asked, grinning up at the sky.

"It is," I agreed, completely in awe. I put my hand out to touch trees, feeling the rough bark underneath my fingertips.

"There's a pond just up here," Flynn informed me, "great for swimming."

"You must come here often," I stated, already knowing the answer.

"I know my way around a good forest, yeah," he smiled. "What about you, Amoret?"

"I never went outside often, never to be more specific, I was never allowed to," I confessed and took a breath of fresh air, "I like it better in the forest, I think."

"I like the woods too, it makes me feel free," Flynn told me. He grabbed a flower out of the ground in a single movement, handing it over to me, "For you."

"Thank you, Flynn," I smiled and lifted the small, purple flower up to my nose, "it's beautiful."

"See, now whenever you see those flowers you'll think of me," I laughed at him.

"You're right," I agreed.

I heard a snap behind me, I turned to look over my shoulder to see where it came from but there was nothing. I looked back to Flynn, "Did you hear that?"

He lifted his head in the air, in a way that made him look like he was sniffing like a dog. "Flynn?" I spoke.

"Amoret," he said lowly, "I need you to run, there's a trail just up there, you can't miss it."

"Flynn, what is happening?" I asked, fear setting in.

"Run, Amoret, please," he begged me, "I'll be right behind you, I promise."

"Okay," I whispered, "right behind me."

"Don't look back, Amoret." I set off running, trying my best not to trip on roots or getting hit by branches. As I continued to run I could feel the bottom of my dress getting tears from the bushes I had to go through.

"Faster!" I heard Flynn yell behind me. I pushed my legs forward, as fast as I could. I don't know if it was the urgency in his voice that made me run faster or if it was the fear that I couldn't shake off. I was like hearing Papa's voice all over again.

I could hear the pounding of my heart against my rib cage, my footsteps hitting the ground but those weren't the only things I could hear.

There was something I never heard before, something I've never dreamed of hearing.

It was snapping, it wasn't twigs, I knew that much. I could hear a yelp of pain come from Flynn, I knew it was him. It followed with growls, vicious and demanding.

I couldn't look back.

W O R D C O U N T : 1472

I wasn't going to put the last part in this one but I decided to last minute.

I really like how this is going.

T R A N S L A T I O N S

Mon petit amour - My little love