Painful Reminders

Chapter Ten: Escape

I was surrounded by trees and darkness. Moonlight trickled through the small holes in the canopy of leaves overhead, and somewhere in the distance, an owl could be heard. Crossing my arms, I rubbed my upper arms in an effort to create a little bit of warmth against the slight chill and looked around. It was so quiet...peaceful even. Without much thought, I found myself leaning back against the trunk behind me, closing my eyes, and inhaling deeply.

The sound of snapping twigs and mirthful laughter caught me off guard and I opened my eyes, turning toward the sound. A woman ran past me, one hand covering her mouth to muffle her laughter. She wore ancient-looking clothing; a tunic covered in even more cloth with her feet covered in sandals. She looked back over her shoulder, strands of her hair catching on her lips. The woman barely made it ten more steps before a figure flew out from the shadows, surprising us both.

She let out a delighted cry as they went down. The shadow, a man, wrapped her in his arms and rolled so that he hit the ground first before rolling on top of her. She smiled up at him, her eyes catching some of the moonlight. "Lucius." Reaching her hand up, she cupped his cheek.

"Aurelia." He lowered his head, closing the distance as their mouths met. Her hand moved from his cheek to his shoulder, fingers curling into the cloth as she tugged him closer. Lucius continued to hold himself above her with one arm while the other waged a war on her clothing, reaching down, tugging the fabric up as he fought to get underneath.

My face growing heated, I looked toward the sky, shifting uncomfortably. This wasn't something that was meant to have an audience. Glancing back down at them, I swallowed hard. He had taken a temporary break from pulling her clothing up and decided to pull it down. She had one breast exposed, his mouth devouring it as she moaned and arched beneath him. Had I said there was a chill? It was boiling.

Off in the distance, another snapping twig and the rustling of leaves. The man pulled away, leaving her breast bare and exposed to the wind. She sucked in a sharp breath, pushing up to her elbows as she tried to come out of the delirium of desire. Lucius was already on his feet, studying their surroundings, waiting for another sound. They both seemed to look through me.

"What is it?" she asked, carefully covering herself back up and pushing to her feet. Standing behind him, she attempted to peer around him as she idly brushed the leaves and twigs from her hair. "Did you hear something?"

He was silent for a bit longer, staring into the darkness as if willing something to step out of it, into the moonlight. After a few more minutes, the tension eased from his shoulders and he turned back toward Aurelia, reaching out to hold her. "It's nothing."

"Floriana has been growing more and more suspicious of us, Lucius," Aurelia warned him, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his chest. "She has had eyes for only you for a long time now. She won't take well to someone stealing your attention."

"Floriana can go to Pluto," Lucius replied dismissively. "She has never held my affection. It has always been you."

"You're different from what I imagined." It was the woman again, but she looked directly at me this time, and the man was gone. Instead of the forest, we stood in a white room. Her hair fell halfway to her back, a light wave to the raven-haired locks, and her eyes were a charming mix of green with brown flecks. She smiled at me as if she was expecting me.

"Sorry to disappoint," I replied, shifting uncomfortably as I took in this room of nothing.

She laughed, a soft laugh, a friendly one. "Don't misunderstand, please. I'm so happy to meet you. Finally."