Decay of Desire

Section 2

   Just like that, I walked away from what was once my life. I aimlessly meandered through the sparse forest around me, not even hearing the rustling of leaves as the cool night breeze dawned upon the land. I became oblivious to my surroundings, unable to clear my guilty conscience. I couldn't rid myself of the knowledge that I had actually done it. It was so detestable I refused to say what I had committed, even to myself. Lost deep in thoughts of remorse and grief, I didn't pay mind to the footfalls growing closer to me. Seemingly out of nowhere, a large bundle crashed into me from behind and sent me tumbling to the ground. Before I could even register that I was being attacked, they were already on top of me. I turned over, and found myself looking into a mask, a dull gray with intricate black swirls decorating it. My assailant raised their hands above their hand, and I braced myself for the searing pain that would drain my life away. Yet it didn't happen. Rather, the mask dislodged itself from whoever was on me, and landed squarely in my face. My hands were underneath me, so I twisted until the mask slid off of me, and I could see who had ambushed me. All I could think was, "She was beautiful."

A younger woman sat inches away from me, her perfectly shaped face crowding my field of view. I couldn't look away from her. Even in the dying light of the sunset through the trees, I could make out her distinct jaw line, flowing seamlessly into her high, rounded cheekbones. She had dazzling eyes, a light blue that glimmered and seemed to produce their own luminescence. Her wavy brown hair rippled gently down her shoulders, perfectly sleek and silky. "You're quite a looker, aren't you?" She broke my thoughts with a question. "Who are you-"I managed to get out before my voice faltered. I tried to get up, and realizing my plight, she stood aside as I pulled myself out of the dirt. She waited until I had shaken loose all of the grit clinging to me before she answered, which gave me time to admire her longer. "I'm Aina Hutson. Sorry for sneaking up on you like that. I didn't know if you were friendly or not." "Well," I began, "How do you know I'm not gonna try and kill you?" She laughed, a rich, elegant sound that filled everything. "How do I know," she flashed me a grin, "Just look at the way you're staring at me. You look like you've seen an angel descend from above." Damn, was I that easy to read? I needed to learn how to hide my emotions better. "Oh, stop frowning," She interrupted my brooding again, "Come with me. I want to show you something." She held her hand out to me, and I reluctantly took ahold of it. We walked hand in hand for a few minutes through the brush; all the while I was lost in thought again. I didn't know what had got inside of me, but I just felt happy near Aina. I had been blitzed by a girl in the woods, and here I was following her to God knows where. I pushed my doubts away, trusting in the person I had known for all of fifteen minutes.

Not long after, the bushes and fallen leaves faded away, to be replaced by a small clearing. Against a tree lay two small backpacks, the wear apparent on their leather straps. Aina walked past the tree perimeter, out of my sight, and returned moments later with a small armload of sticks. "Wanna rummage around in one of those bags over there for my flint?" She asked as she arranged the kindling. I didn't answer, instead going to the satchels and pulling out items until at last, I found the flint. Turning, I called, "Here" as I tossed it to her. She snagged it, and in one fluid motion, she sparked the rock and had a small fire burning.