The Hanging Tree

Chapter 11

(Hi everyone! So I would like to apologise about not posting as much chapters as I should. I'm not going to make up any excuses, but I am really sorry. Anyway, to compensate I've made sure that these chapter is longer than usual. Plus !SPOILER ALERT! There is a very sweet Jason moment coming up (get it? James and Alison= Jason, though you can choose to call them Alimes (?) ) Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you so much for reading! I nearly have 60 views! Thank you so much! Enjoy chapter 11 and please vote and comment)

"Is it near now?" I whined a little to James.

"Yes, it is. Come on."

It had been a long morning. We'd set off at 9am, deciding to catch the bus to the nearest town to the mansion. I should probably say buses, as we had to catch four different buses. However, even the nearest town was an hour away, by foot. I estimated that we had been walking for 50 minutes.

Thank goodness I was getting better at lying. I had to tell my mum that I was going over to a friend's house for the day, not specifying who that friend was. I had barely just stopped her from trying to find out a name to phone their parents. Seriously.

"Look!" James said, pointing at something. I looked up and saw the top of a building in the distance. For some reason, my heart seemed to skip a beat.

I couldn't contain my excitement anymore and so I began running. My hair flew out behind me even though it was in a ponytail. My eyes became wide, my cheeks filled with colour. The air hugged me as I ran.

I stopped at the top of the hill, looking down at the house. It was made of beautiful, soft coloured bricks, with sparkling windows. It had a couple of small balconies and a large balcony running through the top. It was surrounded by trees and plants of various colours, with some plants even climbing the structure. The house only seemed to have three floors at best, yet it was still massive. Even though it had been used in Victorian times, it seemed to be much older than that. A house paused in time. Basically, it looked fit for royalty.

Yet, behind all the excitement I was feeling, a much darker feeling was lurking around.

"Welcome home," a deep voice said as I entered the house.

"Isn't it great to be back, darling?" a quiet voice asked next to me.

I nodded and faked a smile, but this was no home of mine. To me , this was a prison.

Suddenly, reproach and fear overwhelmed me.

"Ali, you do run fast," James said, coming to my side. He looked down at the house and let out a sound of surprise and awe.

"Wow, it sure is beautiful," he said.

"James," I said, my voice low and frightened.

He looked at me and seemed to finally notice my expression.

"What's wrong, Ali?"

"I had a vision of someone, probably Pearl, entering the house. She said this isn't her home."

"What? This isn't where she lived?"

"No, she did live here, but it wasn't a home to her in the sense that she felt like a prisoner here."

"Oh, I think I understand what you mean."

"James, she felt pure fear of this place."

James looked concerned. "If you feel uncomfortable here, then don't go in. Don't stress yourself, please. It will only cause you pain."

I took a deep breath. "I do feel the same towards the house as Pearl did, but she was brave and faced it. I will face my fear too."

James smiled sadly, then surprised me by hugging me.

"Ali," he whispered into my hair, "you are one of the most brave and determined people I've ever met. This might sound a bit strange, but I'm very proud of you."

God, he was so warm. I could feel his steady heart beat through his chest. I just wanted to stay like this for the rest of eternity, feeling warm and protected. Maybe even feeling loved by him.

"Thank you James. That really means a lot to me."

He looked down at me and smiled. He then seemed to lean in a bit more.

My heart seemed to stop for a second and suddenly it was beating furiously.

Was he going to kiss me? Oh my God! This would be my first ever kiss. To get it from James, my crush, made happy and nervous at the same time.

What should I do? Should I lean in too? Should I close my eyes? Should I just stay there?

I ended up doing the last one. I looked up at James with wide eyes. He brought his had up to my face and stroked my burning cheeks.

"Ali," he whispered.

I found my eyes beginning to close. Suddenly, a bird came out of nowhere, startling us as it flied close to us. I gasped, as the bird was a finch!

"Are you ok?" James asked, well more like demanded.

I  nodded shakily.

"Come on, let's go inside," James said, taking my hand and leading me down the hill.

I looked closely at him. He was slightly blushing. Was he blushing because he was embarrassed at what had very nearly happened? My heart was slowly beginning to crack, for I was taking this as a rejection.

However, there was still hope. As I was thinking of this as a rejection, James squeezed my hand lightly. I gave him a side glance and was shocked to find out that he had a small smile on his face.

Yes, there was still hope. My fear of the house evaporated as we neared it. I knew that as long as James was by my side, I would have all the courage I needed.

Because there was still hope.