•DESTINED•

•Chapter Four•

Aunt Portia left for the gallery not too long after breakfast, leaving me alone in the Manor.

She gave me permission to wander off but told me to be aware of my surroundings and carry a tin of pepper spray with me.

The problem was that I felt tired. As if the excitement yesterday exhausted me to such a point that not even the peaceful sleep I'd had last night was enough.

I settled to watch TV but nothing seemed to interest me. I tried taking a nap but sleep wouldn't try to take me.

I even attempted sketching something in my temporary bedroom.

Nothing seemed to please me.

So, peeling out of my pyjamas and into three-quarter shorts and an oversized T-shirt, I made my way out the Manor and towards the field where the cows were grazing.

It wasn't too far away from the barn so I let my pepper spray dwell in my pocket with my fingers wrapping around the tiny can.

The herdsman was lounging on a rock watching the cows find fresh patches of grass.

At the sight of me, the herdsman inclined his head in greeting.

I smiled and wandered further, not wanting to feel watched by a man she did not know.

There were many spaces, empty spaces. The only thing seperating the spaces were wooden fences. Some fences were shaped into circles- obviously designed that way for the show horses to train- and some were shaped into squares.

There were a few horses but none seemed particularly interested in my presence even though I stood there, my arms resting on one of the fences- watching them.

Soon I got bored and continued down the dirt path.

I came across something dazzling. Something that caught my attention almost instantly.

In the distance was a glimmering dam, surrounded by the greenest plants and prettiest flowers, hanging low to caress the water top.

I began sprinting, drawn to the beauty of nature.

As I neared, the dam was deeper and larger than what I thought I'd seen from the distance. The water was dark, dark blue... Almost black.

Like a pool of liquid obsidian.

It was gorgeous, captivating.

Then, the colourful flowers on the rims of the dam caught my attention. I took slow, easy steps, as to not be swallowed by the dark water beside my feet and neared the gorgeous flowers.

The one set that really caught my attention was the tiny white flowers that hung from the long stems which poked out from the dark water of the dam.

I reached for it, attempting to smell it.

Then...

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a dark, arrogant voice from behind me.

I turn abrubtly, my fingers reaching for my pepper spray. Then I pause.

A boy, not much older than me, stands quite a distance from me, his dark brown hair falling in gentle curls over his emerald green eyes.

His face holds unique features, the strong jawline, the heart shaped lips, the delicate nose and the row of dark, long eyelashes than line his emerald gaze.

His face is something I'd draw over and over again.

"How come?" I ask curiously.

"That's water hemlock, one sniff of that and it will attack your nervous system," he says, "I wouldn't want to dive into the dam to save a girl I don't know, especially if I could have done something to prevent her from smelling that flower."

I step away from the plant and purse my lips together, "Thanks, I guess."

"Your welcome," he says before continuing his walk to wherever he was walking to.

I stand there, not sure of what to do.

I don't want to run after him because that's weird, but I don't want to not see him again.

Oh well. I walk back towards the barn which looks like a tiny little ornament from where I stand.

I decide that before I go, I'll sit here for a while, beneath the large willow tree's hair like branches.

•••

I picked a few flowers with nice smells, avoiding the water hemlock species.

I was excited to get back to the Manor to finally shove them all into seperate net bags and shoving them in between the pages of my heaviest books.

Before I finally return, I make a detour and head for the stables where a few horses are located.

They also need love from time to time.

I reach for an apple in a bag on the floor and place it in the palm of my hand like aunt Portia had showed me yesterday.

The Chestnut horse gladly took the apple from my palm and chewed for a few minutes before the apple, that would take me ten minutes to eat, only took him three minutes.

Core and all.

I ran my hand over the bridge of his head and twirl his fringe around my finger.

As I move away, a strand of the horses' hair hooked under my fingernail.

The horse sounded as though it screeched as it settled itself on it's back legs.

I fall back.

Arms wrap around my waist.

Then a figure goes in front of the stall the scared horse was placed, hands in the air and saying soothing words.

It's the herdsman from earlier. The man who looked after the cows.

He turns to me, "You gotta be careful around here, miss," he says through gritted teeth, "one kick from those hooves and you're dead."

I gulp down on nothing and nod frantically, "Sorry."

"Please make sure someone is with you next time," he says, walking out in the same breath.

•••

At the Manor, where aunt Portia was making some ham and cucumber sandwiches for lunch, I decided to go to my room and sketch the boy I'd met by the dam before I forgot his face.

He was tall, broad shoulders and chest that was probably so strong because his T-shirt was stretched over that broad section.

Nothing like the boys from the city. I could tell by his posture and the veins running from his hands and up his arms that he was a hard worker.

He didn't even need any exercise tools to make those veins appear.

Once I was done with the drawing of him, I shoved the page underneath my other drawing after writing the date in the top corner.

Then I joined aunt Portia for lunch.