Lost

Chapter 5---Newcomer

"Who are y-you?" I stutter. He approaches cautiously; almost animal like. Somehow it reminds me of Tarzan.

"I'm Ben, you?" He says. His voice is hoarse as if he hasn't talked for many days. I guess that he's about 20. His face is covered in a layer of dirt and grime but behind it I notice his unmistakably handsome features. His bright blue eyes and dark, chestnut hair make my heart uncontrollably, skip a beat and make my palms sweat. He's tall and I can see his biceps against his torn, grey t-shirt. I almost melt to the ground just looking at him. Than I snap back to reality.

"Uh... Lia" I reply. "Thank you" There's even more I want to say considering this man has just saved my life but for some reason nothing more comes out of my mouth.

"This is Eden" I say pointing towards my sister who's clinging to my arm

"Nice to meet you" His voice isn't as shaky now and instead its deep and confident. Again, I almost melt to the ground. Self-consciously, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear and look down. That's when I notice how dirty I am, how disgusting I must look.

"You guys look a bit lost." He says

"Yeah..."

"Come with me." I don't hesitate at all. Usually I would never be this interested in a guy, but this man, this man is different. I follow him through the undergrowth until he stops dead in his tracks in front of a huge redwood tree. Confused, I look around. There's nothing surrounding us except plantation until I watch him kick a patch of leaves and notice a trap door built out of twigs lying on the ground. Ben motions towards it.

"This way I'm protected from predators"

"So you live in a whole?" I ask with a giggle.

"More like a cave. I've been living in this forest for a while and I've learned what to do and what not to do."

When we enter the trap door I notice that in fact, he's right. A ladder suspends a few feet down, and below that, a floor of stone stretches about five meters each way. The walls are also made out of stone, which curves into the ceiling giving it a dome shape. I look around and notice furniture made out of sticks and moss. A couch sits against the west wall made out of two large rocks with a bed of moss covering them. A table and two chairs made out of sticks and vines are positioned in the middle of the cave. I can see a small extension of the cave where a vine curtain divides a moss bed and the rest of the cavern. A series of four wooden plank shelves holds herbs, berries, and other food items. I also see a row of knives and weapons hanging on homemade hooks pounded into the wall. I take a few steps forward admiring the hard craftsmanship put into the home.

"This is amazing" I here Eden say.

"I've spent some time on it... Here take a seat." Eden and I sit on the two chairs and look at him waiting for him to speak.

"Four years ago I got banished to this forest forever. I was accused of murder, even though I would never do such a thing. I came here hating everyone for accusing me of a false crime, but I decided to make the best of it. Ever since, everyday I wake up, and either continue or start a new project. I work hard, and it has paid off. You're the first human I've seen in four years. So now tell me, why are you here?"

I hesitate at first. Taking a deep breath in, I start speaking. I tell him how our parents died, how we had to escape the borders of Hythe to survive, how we got caught, and how we were sent into the wilderness as a punishment. I tell him everything. When I finally finish I feel as if a weight has been lifted off of my chest. When I look up, he looks at me as if he's studying every feature of my face.

"Well we better get you home then." He finally says.