Upon entering the cabin one morning, Jess opened the windows, feeling the breeze clear out the stuffy air as she made her way to the back door. After leaving the basket on the counter, she took her book and sat on the front stoop to read while she waited for Marty.

Since school had let out a month ago, it seemed her days started and ended with Marty, especially the ones when Annie had the day off. Just like the previous summer, she'd wake up to an empty house, eat breakfast alone before going to the cabin and waiting for him. When she'd return to the empty house in the afternoon, she'd heat up dinner to have it ready in time for Doug and Uncle Jonathon's arrival.

At least Doug made an attempt to talk to her now during meals, but since there was so little she could say about what she'd done all day, and what he'd been busy with involved the mine, their conversations were short. He and his dad usually talked while Jess's mind drifted, either reliving what she'd done with Marty that day, or thinking about whatever story she was reading.

"Hey, Jess," she heard, and lifted her head. Marty was striding across the clearing with a paper sack in either hand.

"Hi, Marty!" Jess called out excitedly, jumping up from the stoop so she could go to him. "It's nice today. Not too hot."

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad makin' deliveries."

"Watcha got in the other bag?" she asked as she joined him to walk back to the cabin.

"You'll see," he said, grinning down at her with his brown eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I want to see now!"

"I'll show you when we eat."

"You're such a tease, Marty!" she huffed, angry he was enjoying making her wait, and he laughed.

"You just make it too easy," he said, shaking his head.

As soon as he'd changed into his bathing suit, the two of them set out for the pond, her carrying a blanket and towels, and him with the fishing pole. While she walked behind him, she looked up at the tops of the trees swaying in the breeze. The leaves made a loud rustling noise and she caught glimpses of large puffy clouds crossing patches of deep blue sky. Letting out a sigh, she focused her attention back on Marty. Normally she loved days like this, but she felt restless instead of peaceful.

As soon as they reached the pond, Jess shed her sandals and sundress. Splashing into the water, she was followed by Marty who immediately began to chase after her. Later, when they were sitting on the blanket under the willow tree, Marty opened the smaller of the two paper sacks and held a wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich out to her. She took it and handed over the sliced pork sandwich she'd made for him.

When he unwrapped it and took a big bite, she knew he was dragging out showing her what was in the second sack on purpose, but she was determined not to say anything. Unwrapping her own sandwich, she bit into it and chewed while she watched the water ripple through the swaying willow branches. After another bite out of his sandwich, he set it aside and finally opened the other bag. When she turned her head at the rustling, he was grinning at her and she moved her attention back to the water, pretending not to care.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked, pulling out a bottle of Coca Cola.

"I suppose," she said as nonchalantly as she could, while he reached inside the bag for a bottle opener. He grinned while popping the cap off and handed it to her. It was still cold and she took a long drink, feeling the carbonation burn her throat.

"It's good! Thanks!" she said with a smile.

"Don't mention it," he replied dryly, opening his own bottle, but his eyes still had that mischievous look.

He reached out to select one of Annie's bread and butter pickles, and Jess watched him noticing how his skin was darker from all the time spent outdoors. It contrasted nicely with his golden brown hair flopped over his forehead. Choosing the largest pickle, he bit into it and then looked up, meeting her eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing," Jess said, peering out at the water again, but she could feel her face flush. She gave a quick glance in his direction to see if he'd noticed, but his attention was back on his food.

There was something about Marty lately, some kind of appeal that Jess had found difficult to ignore. She'd been studying him for a while, trying to figure out just what it was. He didn't have the kind of looks that made girls swoon when he walked by. He wasn't classically handsome like Doug. His face was thinner, his chin more pointed, and his nose was a little big and turned up at the end, but she still thought he was every bit as handsome.

When he let his more serious side show, there was a sweetness to his personality, a kindness, and he'd look at her with his warm brown eyes showing how much he cared. She'd decided his eyes were his best feature. They would draw her in, making her forget she was staring at him, much to her embarrassment when he'd caught her, like now.

She supposed her fascination with his looks was because she was spending so much time with him, and she had nothing else to do. In fact the restlessness she was feeling that day had been with her for weeks, slowly building the longer she'd been out of school. In the month since classes had ended, she hadn't been off the property once. She missed going to school and seeing all her friends terribly. She even missed boring lectures, homework, writing papers, and the nervousness that came with taking tests.

Her time with Marty had become monotonous too, with them always doing the same things. A few times she'd asked him to take her exploring in the woods, but it was just endless forest, all looking exactly the same. The only interesting things were the pond and the cabin. She was bored with her life and the isolation was making her edgy.

Marty laid on his back, using one of his arms as a pillow, settling down for his usual nap, and Jess drew up her knees, wrapping her arms around them and looking out at the water. Marty was tired after getting up early to make deliveries, but she wasn't. With another sigh, she wished she had a job where she could go into town, riding a bike through the neighborhoods and meeting different people.

"Marty?"

"Hmm," he said, with his eyes closed.

"Can you show me where you climb the fence?" He opened his eyes and turned towards her with a frown.

"Why would you want to see that?"

"I just want to see it," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't seen it yet."

"It's not a good idea," he said sitting up.

"Come on, Marty!" she complained. "I'm bored."

"We could be seen." He looked troubled when he said it, but she didn't blame him. She knew what the stakes were.

"We'll be really careful," she insisted. When he still seemed unconvinced, she added, "I don't want us to get caught either, but we can at least look."

"Alright," he agreed, but she could tell he was reluctant. He stood and went to retrieve his shoes while she quickly slipped on her dress and sandals.

Instead of taking the path back to the cabin, Marty headed in a different direction through the field of tall grass. Jess walked beside him, running her hands across the green seed heads and feeling her dress trail behind her. She already felt lighter, freer. Perhaps when she saw where he climbed over, it would be obvious how he managed to do it. Maybe it wasn't that difficult at all.

When he pushed through the bushes growing at the edge of the woods, he held the branches aside so she could pass through. The way was littered with fallen logs and large rocks, and he slowed his pace, stopping to hold her hand when she climbed over the debris. It was the first time in a while that he'd held her hand and she tried hard not to smile, feeling his warm soft skin and his firm but gentle grip.

They walked for a while, long enough that Jess was starting to sweat in spite of the breeze, but then Marty stopped suddenly, and Jess almost walked into him.

"It's not far, just beyond those bushes," he said soberly, looking down at her with troubled eyes.

"Oh, uh, okay."

"We could be seen as soon as we step through, so I need you to wait until I say its okay."

"Alright."

Marty went close to the bushes and stopped. She could tell he was listening, and she listened too, but all she heard was the wind in the trees and birds singing. Slowly pushing aside the leafy branches, he looked around, and then carefully stepped through. Jess came forward, almost following behind him, and then realized he hadn't said she could.

She listened to the forest sounds, anxiously waiting for him to give her the signal. Just when she wondered why he was taking so long, he pushed through and waved her forward. Holding the branches for her, she stepped out into an open area. In front of her was the wrought iron fence, the iron spikes at the top twice as high as she was. Through the bars was the two lane highway and across that, a dirt road surrounded by large trees. Marty was right about them having to be careful. If anyone drove past, they'd easily see them since the open space ran the length of the fence. Except for one lone, large tree, there were no other bushes or trees on either side near the fence. It looked just as impossible to climb as she'd thought.

"So – this is where you climb it?" Jess asked as he looked back and forth.

"Yeah, over by that tree," he said, pointing while keeping his eyes scanning up and down the highway. She looked up at it. One of its branches hung over the fence.

"Are the spikes sharp? Can they cut you?"

"Naw, they're rounded off, but I reckon it wouldn't feel good if you laid on 'em," he said looking up at them. "I use the branch to help me get over them."

"Will you show me?" He looked down at her sharply.

"Jess, this ain't a good idea," he said with concern.

"Please, Marty!"

"We shouldn't even be standing here!"

"You climbed the fence just a few hours ago! You've done it lots of times and never got seen."

"Alright!" he said with exasperation. "But you stand in the bushes to watch. There's no point in both of us being out in the open."

"Okay," she agreed eagerly.

She walked back into the brush, and then pulled aside a branch so she could see. Marty walked up to the fence and pressed his face against the bars, looking in both directions, then he looked up and adjusted his position. Grabbing onto the bars, he pulled himself up, and then gripped the bars with the bottoms of his rubber soled shoes. Reaching up with each hand in turn, he grasped the bars and then pulled himself up higher.

Seeing the muscles in his bare back, arms, and legs straining as he made his way up to the top, Jess's mouth dropped open in awe. He looked so strong, climbing up the iron bars as if it was nothing, and it made her heart speed up just watching him. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen.

When he reached the top of the fence, he grasped onto the branch with one arm, and placing one foot on the gap between two spikes, he effortlessly lifted his body up and over. Once on the other side, he let go of the tree and quickly made his way down to the ground.

"That's amazing, Marty!" she exclaimed from behind the bush while he looked up and down the highway.

Without responding, he grabbed onto the bars and began hoisting himself back up, while Jess watched, studying how he was doing it. As soon as he reached the ground, he headed into the brush to join her. Wiping sweat off his brow, he smiled down at her, breathing heavily, and she grinned at him feeling giddy.

"Satisfied?" he said, his eyes twinkling with humor once again.

"I want to try." His smile disappeared and his mouth dropped open a little before he closed it.

"What?" he asked with astonishment.

"I want to try to climb it."

"No, Jess!"

"Yes!"

"This is a terrible idea."

"Marty, I need to try!" she said desperately. He let out a breath and his shoulders slumped, but he didn't say anything. "I just want to see if I can do it! If I can, we can go places. Places where we won't be seen," she added quickly when she saw the look on his face.

"Someone could see you."

"But I live here! The worst that would happen is my uncle would tell me not to climb the fence."

"Alright," he sighed with defeat. "Just be careful. I don't want you to fall and break your neck."

"I will," she said, grinning broadly, and turned to head for the fence.

Standing next to the fence, she looked up at the tree branch, adjusting her position. It seemed impossibly high, and she felt a tremor of nervousness. She looked back at Marty who was watching her from behind the bush. He looked just as nervous, and she turned around, pushing the nerves away with determination. If he could do this, she could too, and she wasn't about to let fear stop her.

"Take off your sandals. You can grip the bars better with your feet," Marty said.

She slipped them off, then rubbed her hands on her dress to make sure they wouldn't be slippery. She grasped onto the bars as high as she could reach, the metal surprisingly cool in spite of the heat of the day, and pulled. She lifted off the ground a few inches and she gripped the bars with her feet and legs, trying to use them for leverage, but they just slid down the smooth metal. Struggling to keep them tight enough to hold her, she let go with one hand and managed to grab onto the bar a few inches higher, but her legs continued to slide down.

Without enough strength to pull herself up any higher, she wasn't making any progress. Then she felt Marty's hands grab onto one of her feet. With him lifting her, she moved her hands up the bars, pulling with all her strength. When she managed to get her foot as high as his waist, he stopped, but she still had a few feet to go before she could reach the tree branch.

"Can you get me higher?"

With a grunt, he heaved her up a little more and she was able to grasp onto the bar that ran across the top of the fence.

"Now grab the tree branch," he called out. "Use that to lift yourself over the spikes."

By now her muscles were shaky from being used more than she ever had, and she was drenched in sweat. With one final push, he got her up a few more inches, and she reached up and grabbed onto the branch with one hand, grateful that her sweaty palm could grip the rough bark without slipping off. Getting her other hand on it, she pulled with all her strength, feeling the burn in her arms. She moved a few inches, and then Marty let go.

"Marty!" she screamed, suddenly terrified she was going to fall, and he grabbed onto her feet again.

Breathing heavily, she looked down at the ground on the other side of the fence. It looked so far. If she did manage to get over to the other side, how on earth was she going to get down without falling? And even if she did make it, she barely had any strength left. How was she going to get back?

"You have to pull, Jess!" Marty encouraged. "I can't lift you any higher."

"I'm coming down," she said, letting go of the branch.

Her hands were now so slick with sweat, Marty holding onto her was the only thing keeping her from falling straight to the ground. As soon as her feet touched the grass, he grabbed her hand and dragged her into the brush so quickly the branches scratched her arms and bare legs. When they were inside the trees, he let go and she stood beside him, her entire body shaking as a car went past on the highway.

"I don't think they saw us," Marty said, looking in the direction of the highway, then he turned to her, his face filled with worry. "You don't want to try again, do you?"

Feeling a lump form in her throat as deep disappointment overwhelmed her, she could only shake her head.

"Okay," he said, slumping with relief. "Let's go back to the pond."

"My sandals," she mumbled.

"Oh, right," he said. "I'll go get them."

He hesitated at the bush, listening for cars, then disappeared from sight. Jess let out a deep breath and rubbed her still aching arms. She wished her body would stop shaking. Then Marty pushed through and handed her sandals over. She slipped them on, and then followed behind him as he set off through the trees.

The deeper they went into the woods, she felt like she was suffocating. Taking gulps of air, trying to get more oxygen in her lungs, she knew the tears were coming and she fought to stay in control. Marty reached a fallen log, and then turned, offering his hand to her.

"Hey," he said with concern, seeing the look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she said quickly, and then had to wipe her eye when a tear betrayed her.

"Jess," he said gently, taking her hand and she turned her head away, angry and embarrassed.

"He doesn't let you leave, does he?" he asked quietly, and a terrible pain pierced her chest.

She couldn't look at him. She didn't want him to see the tears she now couldn't stop from coming. She wiped her face, trying to pull it together. Then he pulled her hand, drawing her close enough he could put his arms around her. She circled her arms around him, his chest warm and smooth against her cheek, and then wet with her tears.

"Don't cry, Jess. I hate seeing you hurt," he said, rubbing her back, his voice muffled in her hair.

She held him tighter, concentrating on how comforting it felt to be in his arms, to know he cared about her, so she could escape the pain. He continued to rub her back in small circles and she sighed as the peace she'd always associated with him, finally returned.

"Okay now?" Marty asked gently.

"Yeah," Jess replied, pulling away from him and wiping the last of her tears away.

"Good," he said, looking down at her with a sad smile and took her hand. "Let's go."

He helped her over the log, but he didn't let go when she'd safely climbed over it. Walking beside him, with him still holding her hand, she continued to feel better, but she knew when she left him, the feeling wouldn't last. If there was only some other way to get off the property, but she knew it was impossible.

Later that evening, she set a tureen of stew on the table, then sat in her seat, joining Doug and Uncle Jonathon. Watching him ladle stew in Doug's bowl, she couldn't stop thinking about her failed attempt to climb the fence, and how awful she'd been feeling over the last several weeks.

"Uncle Jonathon?" she asked, handing her bowl to him.

"Yes, Jessica."

"I was wondering if I could go into town tomorrow." She tried to sound confident, but her voice wobbled, when he looked up at the word 'town'.

"What are you planning on doing?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers as if he was trying guess her true intentions.

"Well, I was thinking I could walk around a little." Her heart sank as his expression changed.

"I will not have you idling about town like a vagrant!" he replied angrily. "You're a Blackwell, Jessica! Think of what kind of example you'd be setting for the young people of the town!"

She opened her mouth to answer him, but he interrupted her.

"What is James supposed to do while you're – walking around?" he added with a sneer, waving the soup ladle in his hand. "He has better things to do than sit in town waiting for you! The answer is no. There's plenty of room to walk around here."

With the matter finished, he began filling her bowl and she slumped in her seat.

"And besides, Doug goes out most nights. Why don't you go with him?" Uncle Jonathon asked, putting one last spoonful in her bowl.

The startled look in Doug's eyes matched her own, letting her know he hated the idea as much as she did. After their one disastrous night out, she knew what he was probably doing when he went out after dinner. She didn't have any desire to spend the evening hanging out with older teen boys, or worse, be the third wheel on a date with Donna.

"But I'd rather see my friends," Jess said, while he handed her back the bowl, and he eyed her appraisingly.

"Very well," he said after a moment. "If you wish to visit Mr. White's daughter – or Mayor Melville's daughter – then you have my permission."

Jess smiled as she realized she'd just been given her freedom. This was going to work. She was going to be able to go to town and see Marty.

"James will drive you to their homes and you will call him to pick you up when you're done with your visit."

Jess struggled to keep the smile going as she her heart sank. There was no way she'd be able to fake a visit to Patty or Janet's homes, not with James there.

"But I do not want you wandering around town with them," Uncle Jonathon added with a glare. "That is not how a Blackwell behaves. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," she said, dropping her head as she picked up her spoon, her hopes of freedom dashed.

While her uncle and Doug began discussing what had happened at work that day, she took a spoonful of stew and chewed it slowly, struggling not to let the terrible disappointment overwhelm her again. There were seven more weeks until school started, and it seemed like forever.

****

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!  Jess is struggling with her feelings of being trapped, especially since she had more freedom during the school year.  Unfortunately, it's caused her to be reckless, but I love how Marty finally understands what's going on and comforts her.  They've become quite close. 

Thank you for reading!  Let me know what you think, and if you enjoyed this chapter, please consider giving a vote!