How Do You Like Me Now?

Chapter Five~Soon

'Indeed, it is beautiful, isn't it?' Vincent continues to lead ahead. I jog up to him, not wanting to be left behind. I look around, taking in the gorgeous forest. The dark leaves glisten in the moon light. The superb sound of twigs snapping under my feet brings back a grin to my face. I gaze upon the stars, slowing my walk to a stroll. 'Hurry up Lainee, it'll be morning soon.' I catch up to Vincent, slightly flustered.  

'Sorry, it's just so magnificent out here.'

'Understandable, but don't worry, you'll be spending a lot of time here.' I pause, confused by what he just said.

'What do you mean,' I panic, is he going to murder me and ditch the body here? No, if he were to do that, he would have before...right? 

'Where do you think the training camp is,' Vincent moans sarcastically, clearly annoyed by my questions. I sigh. So he's not going to kill me, good.  'You seem relieved.' He grins mischievously. I start to sweat, I can feel my face turning red.

'N-nothing,' I choke out. He chuckles at me. I burrow my eyebrows, is he making fun of me?  I huff out a growl.

'Did you just...' Vincent pauses and turns to face me.  I blush. I just growled at Vincent. I sulk my head.

'No,' I deny, looking very offended.

'Must be wolves then,' he chuckles, 'they're pretty common around here.' I freeze, dead in my tracks. 'Wolves,' I mutter.

'Is that a problem,' Vincent questions.

'No! Of course not,' I lie, smiling up at Vincent. It is  problem though. I've always had an irrational fear of wolves. Dogs, I've been fine with, but wolves are a whole new chapter for me. I shiver.

'Everything all right, are you cold?' I look back up at Vincent. Cold? I realise I've been freezing.

'C-cold.' Vincent sighs and lends me his purple jacket.

'Thanks.'

'Now keep walking, we have another hour left of walking and it's,' he pauses to check his watch, 'already three o'clock.' I sigh and quicken my pace behind Vincent, clutching the purple coat.

I walk along in silence, counting the trees as we walk along. 'Twenty-five so far,' I whisper to myself. I look over at Vincent. He has a calm and serious expression that doesn't alter at all as we walk along. It doesn't seem to match his strange appearance. I still can't get over his bright orange hair and clown like appearance, along with his short figure.

'Why are you here,' I mutter.

'What's that?' Vincent continues to walk in-front, his face still calm.

'Why are you here, what brought you here?' 

'That's not a story for you right now Lainee.' I roll my eyes. Again with the secretivety and massive ego. I continue to walk, breathing deeply, calming myself. I can't afford to loose control again and run or away or hurt someone again.

'Fine,' I mutter. I was hoping to learn more, but I guess he doesn't trust me enough.

                                                                                   *

After what feels like forever of peaceful silence, boredom finally catches up to me. I love the woods, but it feels like we've been passing the same trees over and over. The light shinning on the ground brightens, I look up to see the sun setting in the sky. Pink and blue colours melt into the darkness. I sigh. What a shame? I wanted the night to last forever.

'Shouldn't it be about four by now?' Vincent slows his pace, seeming to be in a much better mood than before. He checks his watch.

'Five minutes past actually.' I begin to sweat.

'You said it would take an hour! I can't see any man made objects or signs of civilisation for miles. What's going on?' I break in my tracks, expecting Vincent to stop too.

'Five more minutes,' he smiles, continuing to walk. My skin warms as I feel my blood boiling. There's something not right here.

'What's going on Vincent,' I question, walking up to his side. His expression remains calm as he ignores me.

'What's going on Vincent,' I question again, in my sternest voice. He can't help but to notice a slight grin, but he turns his face and returns with the same, expressionless face. I can almost feel the steam coming from my ears. I grab at his arm, realising I'm almost taller than him. He turns his head in my direction.

'What are you doing?'

'What are you doing,' I scream, 'You've been so secretive, and you're ignoring me! You said we'd be here in five minutes, but I don't see anything here but trees! It's a training camp, I should have been able to see civilisation and man-made objects ages ago! There's something up, and you better tell me what it is right, now!' Vincent rips his arm out of my grip and looks me in the eye. He's stronger than he looks. I take a few steps back as he intimidatingly steps closer.

'I told you to be patient, didn't you get the hint not to ask questions?'

'W-well yeah but...just tell me what's going on!' I can feel every bone in my body tremble as he steps even closer. I back away, digging my sneakers into the soil to avoid tripping. His eyes stare deep into my soul, his expression calm and stern. I scream and run, tripping over my feet. I fall onto my face, my knees and arms stinging with grazes. I roll over, onto my back, looking up at that evil little dwarf. 'What do you want from me,' I shriek. He bends down, leaning on his knee. He grins.

'Calm down Lainee,' He giggles maniacally. I roll around on the dirt helplessly. He grabs my face with his grubby hands, and muffles my screams with the other. 'It'll be quick.'