The Ember In The Storm

Part II

  Light peeped through the timber walls at dawn.

Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open at the sound of birds singing. She sat upright with a yawn, stretching her arms over her head.

Next to her, sleeping as still and quiet as a corpse lay Jackson. He rested on his right side, body facing Elizabeth with a hand below his head and another still wrapped around her waist.

That was the position she had last seen him in before they went to bed. His brown hair flowed over his pillow in waves as soft as silk.

Supposedly still dreaming, Jackson's eyes flickered around in his sockets, face stern and mouth slightly ajar. His chiseled chest heaved up and down as he breathed with a steady pace.

Elizabeth found herself deranged staring at a man for so long. She ogled him like a child would at cake.

"But how am I not to?" She whispered to herself, "When he looks at me like that, when he talks to me like that, when he treats me like that."

She lay on her side, looking at him with perplexity. What gave him the right to make her feel that way?

"And when he looks like that," she breathed, fighting the urge to not touch his face. "Indeed, I am a mad woman."

Elizabeth stilled once Jackson shifted in bed, eyes still closed as he lay upright. He moved his hands away from her, resting them on his side.

From her view, she was only subjected to his right face. It was either the sun or something else but then Elizabeth finally noticed how pale he had become.

Goodness, he slept like a corpse and looked like one.

Abruptly, she stepped out of bed as quietly as she could, picking her clothes from the ground before slipping them on.

She made it to the outside with a basket in hand. Roman and Ryan stood at the corner of Jackson's cabin, as they usually did.

Kiki cleared out the remains of the previous days fire wood, making way for a new one.

Besides those three, no one else was  in sight.

Elizabeth gave a courtesy of greeting to the two men, which they returned with a bow—Ryan only, actually.

With a plan in mind, Elizabeth walked towards the forest, passing a greeting to Kiki on her way.

"Elizabeth," a strong voice called out to her. A voice she had heard all too much.

With no need to turn back around, Roman now stood next to Elizabeth with only three strides. He blocked the sunlight from her face, which she internally appreciated him for.

"Good morning, sir," she did another courtesy.

"Yes, good morning. I see you are busy," he said, although it sounded more like a question.

"Oh, a little. Looking for a branch I spotted in here a few days ago," she walked down further into the trees, Roman following behind.

She wondered why he followed. Her first guess was he trying to get rid of her, kill her in there and blame it on a wild animal or something. Ryan and Kiki would definitely shut up about seeing Roman go in with her.

Gulp.

"You know a lot about tree properties, I've noticed. You remind me of my wife," he smiled with memory. "She bandaged me up," he gestured to his right thigh.

"Yes, of course," she nodded her head. "Although I do not know how to heal wounds, the herbs I know only work for strength."

"And I'm guessing the person you're trying to strengthen is Jackson," Roman looked at her basket, tone less welcoming than five seconds before.