Somewhere In The Forest

Warmth

It felt stuffy, the air was thick and heavy, I could feel the sweat sitting on the top of my hairline as I shifted to the side, feeling the numb pain in my ankle flare up. I grunted angrily, throwing the blanket off me to take a deep breath and rub my face.

"Good morning," a familiar voice at the foot of the couch said. I propped myself up on the arm, looking at the hulking mass of a man,

"Morning" I nearly groaned, shifting uncomfortably, he chucked.

"Not as sweet as you were yesterday," he noticed, walking over to the fire to put some more wood in. His casual remark made my cheeks burn up more, with frustration or embarrassment I couldn't tell, probably both. The heat and numbness in my body was making me act this way, not to mention my shock had now worn and I was now coming to my senses more, everything feeling more sensitive.

The layers I had on probably weren't helping, so I began to take off my fleece sweater, trying to keep my injured leg as still as possible while I pulled it over my head. Once it was off Ames locked eyes with me, obviously watching me closely while I had taken off the clothing. I looked away quickly, setting the sweater beside me on the sofa.

"How about I make us some breakfast and then I'll get a bath ready for you," Ames suggested, though it didn't sound like it was up for debate as he went into the kitchen to start cooking.

"It's okay, I need to start getting ready to go back home," I respond, my voice much more nervous than I thought it would be. I heard his movements stop behind me as I moved to gently place my feet on the ground. The pressure made me once again nearly groan out in pain, but I bit my tongue, putting my weight on only the left leg as I stood up.

"You really are going to try and leave in this weather? I thought we came to a conclusion last night" he replied lowly, walking over to stand a few feet away from me by the couch. I looked over my shoulder out the window, seeing only a wall of white as flakes rushed to the ground one after another.

"You came to a conclusion," I narrowed my eyes at him,

"Assuming I would die if I tried to go back home."

"Will die" he corrected, his head tilting towards me slightly, I clenched my jaw,

"Are you going to stop me from leaving?" I threatened, lifting my chin up at him,

"I told you yesterday I wouldn't stop you. You are more than welcome to walk out that door, but I am only warning you, you will not make it back to your sister if you leave in this storm." He replied calmly, not an ounce of anger in his tone, I was back to where we had been yesterday, feeling stupid as I argued with him while knowing it was a stupid idea to leave.

He didn't say anything else, instead returning to the kitchen to keep making breakfast, probably just for him after I had just started an argument with him once again. I was angry, I wanted to go home, to tell Miriam I didn't find Dad but at least her sister wasn't dead as well. A part of me wanted to hold on to the hope our father was still wandering around somewhere. On the other hand, knowing that Ames was here took away most of my hope, realizing it was probably just him Joseph had seen. Although it was obvious up close he wasn't my dad, I'm sure from a distance anyone could think there was a chance, as they both were big men that wore black, furry cloaks.

"I know you're busy pouting, but if you could do it sitting down that would be great. I would like your ankle to heal in a reasonable amount of time," Ames commented, I could hear the smirk on his face as he continued cooking while speaking.

I spun my head around, sending him a glare even though he wasn't even looking in my direction,

"I'm not pouting," I retorted, using the couch to shuffle over to the dining room table and sit down at one of the three chairs.