Chapter Eleven

   Dawn approached as the dim light it was. It melted into the darkness of the night. The clouds grew lighter and seemed thinner than yesterday though they still covered most of the sky. Dew covered the few leaves above and the ground beneath. The sun’s glowing disc rose over the far horizon and claimed the clouds and earth with its brilliant glow. The birds began their singing from among the branches and squirrels scampered over the bark, jumping the gaps between trees. The river continued undisturbed, murky and steady.

   Apart from the chirping and scampering above, the only other sound this early in the morning was that of footsteps. Each one created a crunch as it trod on the crispy leaves that lay over the ground in a brown carpet.

   ‘You’ll have to get used to staying up late or all night,’ Mike said as I yawned widely. We were headed back to mine after some slight disagreement we had now solved.

   ‘If we’re on the run,’ he had said as we paced through the wood, not caring which way we headed in. ‘You’ll need more than those clothes.’ He pointed down my body gesturing at my clothes that I had worn since yesterday.

   I moaned and sighed, annoyed; knowing that meant breaking into mine (in a way it would be breaking in), rush upstairs, shove anything into my biggest ‘suitcase’ and run again. Run away to wherever my mind carried me. Run to the most desolate place I could find before my legs would no longer work. Though it was obvious, I knew that the probability of completing it may be slim. I was heading back to the place where I knew some would wait. Not knowing where (whether they’d be openly present or hiding from my senses) but I knew I would be able to smell them, and they me.

   ‘Mike, will you help me?’ I asked in slight uncertainty and almost whispered the words. Before he answered, he placed his arm around my back and his hand on my waist. Looking sideways, I noticed his head was bowed (eyes watching his feet), his shoulders were hunched and his other hand was jammed as a fist in his pocket.

   ‘Mike... what’s wrong?’ His face was expressionless. ‘Mike, you can tell me.’

   ‘I know,’ he sighed. I wrapped my arm around him, as he had to me. I still watched his face; his eyes closed and he turned his head away. I thought to let him think without my probing, worried voice invading his mind.

   ‘How can you still trust me?’ he asked, head still turned away. I didn’t reply. ‘After what I did,’ he added after realising I wasn’t going to answer. ‘I know I didn’t mean to kill you but...’

   ‘Wait!’ I shouted, interrupting him, then quickly added, ‘Yes, you didn’t mean it, but you weren’t going to kill me. I know you too well to know you would have stopped yourself.’

   ‘Hmm, that might not be so true. Knowing myself, I wouldn’t have stopped. I never stop until...’ He hesitated and stopped abruptly, which left me to walk on an extra half-step. I turned around and faced him. His head was now bowed against his chest.

   ‘Don’t say anything if you don’t want to. Please, forget it. Smile, I don’t like it when you’re unhappy.’ My voice changed from sympathetic to almost cheery-comforting.

   ‘You know why I can’t smile.’ He spoke more normally but there was still a hint of wilderness in his words.

   I rolled my eyes and grinned. ‘Yeh, but I know you have fangs so to me you can smile.’ Oddly, he pressed his lips together in a thin-lined smile. Raising an eyebrow, I looked at him bemused. ‘What?’ He held up a hand and began breathing deeply for a few seconds. ‘I’m not the only one here with that problem anymore,’ he said pointedly at our shared predicament.

   My eyes widened as I realised that... Tracing my teeth with my tongue, I discovered an unnoticed difference about two of them. Accidentally pricking my tongue on a knifed edge, I spoke again with subtle disgust. ‘Oh, no! Please, no! Why now?’ Sighing heavily, I looked back up at his face. He was grinning and, on seeing that I was watching him again, licked his teeth left to right. He teasingly placed a menacing look in his eyes as he did so.

   ‘Carnivore...’ I mildly stated then begun walking again.

   ‘If I’m a carnivore, then what does that make you?’

   ‘Evil,’ I replied with a hidden smirk.

   ‘No it doesn’t. Not right now anyway.’ Looking over my shoulder, I saw he was stalking me. ‘At the moment you’re my prey.’

   ‘Oh, do I smell nice then?’ I raised my hand to my nose and sniffed, not smelling anything.

   ‘Aww, you ruined my moment.’ Not knowing what he meant, I furrowed my eyebrows. Thinking quickly, I figured out he was doing a little role-playing.

   ‘Oh, oops. Sorry.’ I smiled innocently then pouted my lips in slight frustration.

   ‘Uh, come on. I’ll take you home and then kidnap you.’ This time I could laugh because my mind was tuned to his funny side again.

   Well, it didn’t go quite as I was expecting. No one was there at all; at home. No one; we couldn’t smell, hear or see them (whether they were there or not). So I had been able to pack quite a lot of stuff over the time I had on entering the front door; much to Mike’s dismay.

   ‘Blimey, how big is your wardrobe?’ he had asked stunned on seeing my suitcase and hold-all.

   ‘To me it’s not big.’

   ‘Need some help?’

   I passed him the suitcase. We walked out, I left the door unlocked (no point in locking it) and we headed to the nearest bus stop.

   Stood under the shelter, we waited.

   ‘That was weird...’

   ‘What was weird?’ I asked. He was leant against the plastic glass panel and I was sat on the metal bench inside.

   ‘Oh, nothing. Ignore me; I’m letting my mind wonder.’

   ‘No, no. Come on; what’s weird? Tell me, please...’

   ‘Oh, alright. Just that we had our first night together, alone...’

   My eyes wandered and I turned my head, innocently blushing. ‘Bus.’ I stood up and reached down to pick up my hold-all but it was quickly pulled out of my reach. ‘Hey, I’m not an invalid.’

   ‘Just get on,’ he said, half-shoving me on with the bags.