Secret Obsessions

Chapter 5: Broken

Andie had never traveled this far before. Her feet ached, and her head pounded in time with the rhythm of breaths. Her lungs felt swollen, and breathing was difficult, but she was determined to keep going. Her anxiety kept spiking up, but Ryker noticed and started conversations to keep her thoughts occupied. She was so glad he had chosen to come with her. 

Her thoughts shifted, and she thought about everything she liked about her new friend. She loved how compassionate he was, and how protective he had been towards her. She loved that he hadn't lied to her, or made her feel like she wasn't smart enough to know facts about the things they had seen. She loved his beautiful smile, and the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her....

¨Andie?¨ Ryker's voice shook her out of her reverie. ¨Are you paying attention?¨

Andie blushed. ¨No, I'm sorry, I was just thinking. What did you say?¨ She looked at Ryker, hating the way her heart raced when she looked in his eyes. She looked at the ground as he started speaking. 

¨I was just asking when you wanted to stop for the night. It's getting dark, and you are exhausted.¨ Ryker said, with a concerned look in his eyes. ¨We both could use a warm meal, and some rest...¨

Andie sighed. She didn't want to stop, but her feet screamed for comfort. ¨We can stop whenever you would like to,¨ she said quietly. 

Ryker stopped to look at her. ¨How about now?¨ he asked lightly. Andie nodded, and they walked to the left into the woods, where they would not be seen from the road. Pulling a blanket from his bag, he gestured for Andie to do the same. Grabbing her blanket from her bag, she laid it on the ground in front of her, just as she had watched Ryker do. After situating her blanket properly, she straightened up and walked towards Ryker to see what she could do to help. 

¨Nothing, you sit down. I'll go get some firewood, and then we can make a fire and eat.¨ He lifted her bag from her hands, and gently led her back to her blanket, staying until she was sitting comfortably. He looked at her for a moment. ¨I won't be far. I'll stay close enough to be able to hear you if you call. Is that alright?¨ When Andie nodded, he stood, and walked into the woods. 

Andie sighed. She should try to be helpful. Groaning, she stood, reaching for her bag in the process. Exhausted, her legs buckled underneath her, and she fell back to her blanket, her bag falling and it's contents clattering loudly as it all fell into a heap beside her. A crow shrieked as it flew towards her head, startled by the noise. She screamed and ducked down, shielding her head with her shaky hands. He heart started racing, and her breath sped up. ¨no, no, no please not now, this can't be happening now¨ she thought as her whole body began vibrating and shaking. Sobbing, she rocked her body back and forth, trying to shake off the panic that was clouding her whole brain. 

¨Ryker...¨ she whimpered, knowing he wouldn't hear her. Her body got cold, and her chest heaved as she struggled to catch another breath. Her mind went fuzzy, and she forgot who she was calling to. Her body felt heavy, and her movements got slow as she dropped onto her side. Her heart pounded as she gave up fighting for breaths. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but before she could do anything, her eyes fell shut and everything turned black.

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Ryker groaned, lifting the heavy wood up on his shoulder before turning to walk back to camp. His thoughts drifted to Andie, and he smiled to himself. He couldn't deny his feelings  for the beautiful girl anymore, and the thought of seeing her perfect smile made him want to run back. He picked up his pace, turning towards the clearing Andie was. Suddenly, his thoughts were broken into by a shattering scream. 

His heart stopped. ¨Andie? No, no, no, nonono ANDIE!!¨ He threw the wood to the ground and sprinted towards the sound. Running through the trees, he rushed to protect her. ¨ANDIE!!¨ he yelled her name again, but his call went unanswered. Pushing himself as fast as he could, he barged into the clearing, where she was laying on her side on her blanket, not moving. 

¨Andie?? Can you hear me? Wake up, Andie, please wake up!¨ Ryker ran to her, dropping to the ground beside her. He cradled her head in his hands, his hands shaking and his heart pounding. He couldn't lose her. Not her too. He needed to calm down and think logically. 

Without raising from his crouched position, he gently rolled her onto her back, and checked if she was breathing. After finding her pulse, his heartbeat slowly returned to normal and his mind calmed down. gently running his fingers over her cheek and to her jaw, he tried calling her again. 

¨Andie? It's me, come on, wake up for me ok? Your'e gonna be ok, lets just wake up. Come on, Andie, please wake up.¨ He kept speaking softly to her, raising his voice slightly in between every sentence. 

After a few minutes, she groaned quietly, and her mouth opened as she took a long, shuddery breath. Ryker watched, transfixed as her eyes slowly opened, glowing the same brilliant purple they had early that day. His hand, still tangled in her hair, froze against the side of her head as he stared into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her so badly. He lost his resolve, and leaned his face closer to hers.

 Suddenly, she blinked, and her eyes cleared. Ryker jerked himself backwards, away from her beautifully tempting lips. His face felt hot as he realized what he had almost done. He needed to avoid situations like this in the future. 

He cleared his throat. ¨Hey, Raven. You ok?¨