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Confidence is key.

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I FELT THE bones and the joints in my body freeze for a second as I came into eye contact with Harvest.

He stood there, amused eyes narrowed on me, whilst for some reason my heart was thundering inside me like a drum.

I figured it was because I was dreading seeing him again after we left things off, and with everything my mother had planted into my mind, I simply did not know what to think anymore.

Him, standing before me now made me realize I would have to act in some way, someway I hadn't given much thought about just yet as all I wanted to do now was get something to eat and then drown under my covers, and wait for the new week and its challenges...but I guess this would have to be done tonight.

"Well?' he asked, taking a step closer, startling me from my thoughts and I involuntarily took a step back, as if it was some sort of defense mechanism so that we would never have to be as close as we were that night.

His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, seemingly still amused but this time with a hint of confusion taking another step forward, hands in his coat pocket whilst I cautiously stepped back.

"Stop doing that," he grunted, eyes trailing up to mine.

I wouldn't say he sounded angry or even frustrated when he said that, but it had some kind of warning to it.

My eyebrows furrowed at this as he looked up at me, raising an eyebrow warningly, then suddenly walking toward me so unexpectedly I couldn't react in time, his hand reaching out to pull me back before I could move until we were close again.

His blue eyes trapped mine in place like I feared they would, as he stared directly down at me, a smirk playing against his lips.

"I asked you to walk away and you chose to stay, Talanda. So that ship has sailed," he breathed lowly, eyes searching mine.

I didn't know how to react when he was this close, or when I could feel my skin sizzle at the feel of his warmth.

An image of our interlocked hands raced through my mind. his frame blocking the gentle breeze around us, as he stared down at me.

"So were you?" he asked, folding his arms and standing straighter which gave me a little bit of breathing space, somehow feeling attacked.

My breathing was low as I tried to focus on his question and nothing else, and yet even when he had given me some space, I still found it hard to breathe.

Was I what?

Avoiding him?

I had been with Mom the whole day, but even so, somewhere deep within me, I hoped I wouldn't see him today.

"Where's your little book?" he suddenly asked causing me to snap up to look at him.

His eyebrows were furrowed as he glanced down at my empty hands and I did the same, eventually recapturing my gaze, to which I found myself dumbfounded.

My mouth slightly opened in trickery as if I had planned to say something when there was no way I could have.

"Tell me," he huffed, "how are we supposed to communicate now?"

He sounded annoyed, yet his tone was not too harsh.

His shoulders fell as he waited for an answer from my pursed lips. An answer that evidently would not have been coming out.

He sighed, pressing his left breast pocket as if checking for something as he talked, "You should know there is no proper way to avoid talking to me, Talanda."

He smirked, "but I don't mind you trying."

He pulled out a fountain pen from his left breast pocket. "I knew this would come in handy."

He handed the pen over to me with a smug look whilst I tried to steady myself.

A technique that was not working.

I breathed out lowly, hating that I was feeling this nervous around him. He was winning this little game of ours, messing with my head, putting thoughts and suggestions that didn't belong there.

'What ifs,' that only deterred me from leveling the ground and finding out what he was.

Those stupid what-ifs.

I would have done anything to not be alone with him at this moment again. I felt vulnerable as I took the pen, a feeling that I knew Mom would never want to see in me.

My mom's words fluttered in my mind.

No is no, yes is yes. Confidence.

Confidence is key.

All I had to do was level with him, let him know that I was not amused by his actions, and tell him how I truly felt.

It wasn't as if this was the first time I was trying to get something through to him, but I guess I lacked one thing before, confidence.

I glanced up at him and he stared right at me as if he was trying to read my mind, a feeling that left a soft chill down my spine before I opened my palm, scribbling down on it.

Writing what I wished to say came out surprisingly easy but I ran out of room to say it on my short stubby fingers.

I paused staring at my scribbled unfinished hand scolding myself.

How was this supposed to exude confidence?

I looked up at him and he held an amused look, scoffing a little then he took his hand out, offering it to me as a writing pad.

I timidly took it, hating that I was describing that action as 'timid' when the main goal here was to exude confidence as well as finality.

I moved closer trying to write on his hand and keep focus on it, but with his gentle warm breath fanning my neck, as I wrote down on his rather large hand was enough to leave me uncomfortable, stepping away when I was done.

His eyes lingered on me for a few seconds before his gaze trailed to his hand, reading what I had written.

Those ocean eyes of his traveled down the length of the short sentence that I had written on his hand.

I watched as he read it out loud, 'You said, I should only find you when I could move a tree-" he paused for a second, jaw clenching before he continued, "forty yards out," he finished.

His eyes traveled to mine, holding my gaze whilst I tried my very best to not let it show how much he intimidated me, the word 'confidence' echoing at the back of my mind in a desperate attempt to keep me afloat.

"Fair enough," he finally huffed, with a nod to not anyone in particular but to himself I presumed, as he moved past me, seeming to circle me like an eagle as he talked.

His dark coat trailed after him like a sheet of night, his overgrown locks of hair like dark tumbleweeds in the light breeze.

"However, I've changed my mind," he began casually as if it was no big deal, his fingers rubbing the palm of his hands, whilst I discretely tried to keep sight of him.

My body was well aware he was standing right behind me, his hot breath just inches above me.

I kept repeating to myself that these were his tactics.

In this so-called game of his, as much as I would have liked it to be different, I was the prey and he was the hunter.

A part he played quite well.

I had watched my fair share of NatGeo Wild.

Everything about the animal kingdom, about prey and hunters. Him, circling me was to make me feel vulnerable, weak, and alone- something that would be weak enough to be attacked or to be broken, easy enough to defeat.

I took a low breath in.

Confidence.

I NEEDED to remember that-

My heart skipped a beat when his voice rumbled inches away from my ear, leaving goosebumps across my skin.

"I was angry..." he began his voice quiet.

He trailed off momentarily, "but I'm in far a better mood now," he suddenly confessed causing my eyebrows to arch, turning to look at him, spotting him trying to rub the sentence off his hand before giving up,

"Keep leaving your marks on me," he muttered under his breath, something I didn't think he expected me to catch before his eyes met mine with a soft huff-

-"Having said so," he continued, "I started this, and so I must guide you to the end. If you were freaked out by simple things like moving a stone I can only imagine what would happen if you lifted a ball off the ground," he grunted in amusement, his accent firmly around each word, continuing his pacing around me, "and there's the small matter of the team. The sooner you learn to use your dilect, the better-" he paused, whilst I thought it over.

Everything that involved Harvest left complications in my life.

I had tousled with the thoughts of what he did and didn't do ever since 'it' happened.

I know I wanted his help earlier, but if I was going to survive god knows how long here with him on this island, tagging my every move, then he HAD to learn that his actions had consequences.

Just because he suddenly changed his mind, didn't mean that I somehow magically forgot how my concerns were taken as basically nothing just because he happened to be upset about god KNOWS WHAT.

Standing up for myself was part of the confidence Mom talked about.

And if I was to pull it off, I had to do it now.

"What are you thinking?" he asked once again catching me off guard, attentive eyes on me, looking at me suspiciously, but I quickly covered it up, raising the pen for him.

He in turn raised an eyebrow, "Really? Again?" he asked amusement in his eyes, nevertheless, taking his hand out.

I looked at the hand that had been covered by the markings I had made earlier.

I glanced up at him and he sighed, untucking his other hand from his pocket, offering it up.

I graciously tattooed my answer on his hand, trying to steady my fingers despite their slight shake.

I spotted a red burn on his wrists, for a moment, though I couldn't take it in properly as It didn't take more than 2 seconds to finish.

He glanced down, raising an eyebrow at me, his gaze narrowing down on me.

"No?' he echoed, swallowing softly when his gaze turned harder.

No, no, and I simply did not want his help.

He had helped me activate my mysterious dilect, but I had red color class now, I could probably learn and develop my dilect there without his help.

Sure, it would be probably more difficult, and I knew I could do with some help from an original such as himself who was well aware of my current situation but the fact remained.

I COULD do without him.

He breathed out shortly, licking his lips as he looked over at something in the far-off distance before his gaze recaptured mine.

"Do I need to convince you how badly you need my help once more?" he huffed.

I tapped his hand for the answer.

NO.

This seemed to annoy him, which made me falter for a moment but still managed to keep a straight firm face even when he took a step closer, towering over me, holding the silence that added to how uncomfortable I was becoming with each passing second.

My eyes trailed to the ground for a weak second.

"You're angry with me," he suddenly stated, his tone heavy and breathy.

I looked back up at him at these words, holding his gaze, my chest rising and falling with my quick breaths.

Well of course I was angry with him. It wasn't exactly rocket science, man, I believe I had been for a while now.

He looked down at his hand, probably noticing that I hadn't tapped it, which meant the answer was YES.

I was in all my legal right mad at him.

He breathed out slowly and when he looked back up at me, I was surprised to see those stormy seas clear a relieved look echoing through him, as he stared me dead in the eyes.

"Good. At least you feel something for me."

I run out of breath at those words.

I knew I was smart but did tend to be dense about these matters.

But in this instance with his dark blue orbs looking down at me openly all those little caring moments echoed around me, and the thought- the stupid thought of 'WHAT IF,' echoed through my mind.

In an attempt to sort it out, it tapped his hand.

No.

He didn't seem to be fazed by this, a lost look in his eyes that frightened me when he moved closer.

"You're angry about last night," he hinted, shining eyes on me.

I tapped his hand again but that just brought around an amused grin, pulling me back before I could step away, his hands slipped into his coat pocket, but that stupid half-smile still on his face,

"What?" he asked slowly,  a cheeky smile growing, "are you mad at me for what I did?" he asked slowly as the rate of my heartbeat increased, "or for what I didn't do?"

I shook my head, my throat dry, not liking this line of questioning that was increasing the rate of my heartbeat.

But that only seemed to amuse him more, as he chuckled momentarily, eyes still entranced in mine before it slowly disappeared, the silence around us,

"If I kissed you then, would you have kissed me back?" he suddenly asked, "or are you still too scared of me to see anything else?" he asked, his words were gentle and sounded earnest...

God, Harvest sounded earnest.

A feeling that should have made me comfortable but coming from Harvest made me feel uneasy, as well as unsure.

It was as if he was asking me what if.

And yet I was certain I knew the boy before me, and what he was capable of. He could not care for anything else but himself, could he?

He was the definition of arrogance.

And yet here he was.

I tried to ease my racing heart.

First things first.

I was not scared of Harvest.

Maybe I had been before, even if what I was really scared of was what would happen if someone like him were to uncover my secret and how that would jeopardize my mom or my dad.

Despite that, if anything, I figured it was because it just seemed like he was someone I would prefer to not have around me all the time.

His presence alone was just much too suffocating every time he was around.

It was as if he demanded all the attention in the world, whether he was merely walking down the school halls or in the water with sirens, and nothing else was allowed to exist in my mind other than his words, his eyes, the feeling of his breath on my skin, his fingertips against my skin, his scent, his image.

Simply put, he was too intimidating for me. He could break my walls in an instant and walk through the rubble as if it were merely sand.

So no, I was not scared of him, scared was not the right word, and I let him know this by tapping his hand.

He seemed to freeze at this, searching my eyes for a second.

"No?" he asked softly, his tone low and defeated for a reason beyond me, it cracked when he said my name, "Talanda-"

I shook my head. The answer was no. No, I was not scared of him.

His fingers rubbed the inside of his palm, breathing lowly, before tucking his hands back in his coat pocket with a low grunt.

"You should go," he stated, his tone plain and emotionless.

My eyebrows arched at the sudden change in his behavior. It was like even the winds had changed direction, a chill traveling down my spine.

There he was again, switching into his bipolar self.

I rubbed my wrist, suddenly having the feeling of being locked out for some reason.

I shook my head, staring out into the darkness.

He would always be like this, and I was glad I was finally able to be firm, even if he had left me hanging yet again.

I gritted my teeth turning and walking away, feeling angry once again, or was it frustrated?

All I knew was that I felt like he was winning again like he had the right to say when I mattered to him and when I didn't.

Yes, I didn't want him to help me, but I expected there to be more of a resistance than that.

There he was again, acting as if he cared for a moment, cornering me in this dang dark walkway, only to throw it off like nothing.

Confusing me. Winning again, whilst I was losing.

I stopped in my tracks, moms words echoing through my mind,

I needed attitude. He was only winning because I was not confident enough to take the lead.

It was his turn to ask questions and wonder.

I turned back, still able to see his figure still standing where I had left him, staring numbly at the palm of his hand.

I breathed out, sucking in the last shred of confidence I had, looking at the stars for help before marching back. His gaze met mine, eyebrows drawing in-in confusion.

I pushed his hand down, using it to propel me to my tiptoes, my other hand tugging his coat down so he could be at my level.

His ocean eyes met mine, surprised and unsure holding it for a second, searching as if he was trying to read my mind and I smirked, pulling his head down, my lips lingering on his forehead, feeling his heartbeat slow as did mine.

Unable to resist, I ruffled his hair when I pulled away, turning and marching off, my heart pounding harshly within me, yet a warm powerful glow within me with the feel of his hot gaze on me.

Oh yes.

Crown me Queen.

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Y'all gonna grow old waiting for that kiss...😶

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