Atlas

ii.

Le Solei offered it's warmth to the Earth.

Olivia was in the woods early. She's always there though. It's the place where she feels protected, even though no one was around. It's the place where she feels at home, she gets a breath of fresh air. She liked the sight of trees, the sound of the lake's water splashing. She loved the place.

The woods wasn't like the others. It was filled with light — allowing the sun's rays to wander around the woods. The trees looked much more prettier in the daylight. The leaves having their own different shades of green, attracting Olivia's eyes.

Like what she does everyday, she roams around woods deciding where to go this time around.

She walks, now aiming for the sight of the blue water. As she walks, she caresses on the thick dark wood. The rough material, dry from the hot summer's day. All sounds were natural — birds chirping, water splashing, leaves falling and crunching.

Until a new sound comes in.

She hears a branch break and she swiftly looks behind her, following where the sound came from. She saw a hint of the same light brown hair the other night. She quickly ran back to her past tracks, and hid behind a tree. Silently, she went closer to the male whilst avoiding him to spot her. She get's a better glimpse of his face — sharp toned nose, plump lips, and a small scar that goes through the edge of his eyebrows. 

He took a breath and faced the direction on where she used to be. He begins to walk silently, scanning the area if it was free of her.

"Why are you following me?" She asks him, seeking for an answer. He faces her, his eyes filled with confusion, shock, and disappointment for getting caught.

The boy stays still and silent. Olivia slowly moves forward towards the boy. When she was in front of him, she heard the boy's voice hitch, and she repeats, "Why are you following me?" She looks at his grey eyes, looking so much lighter compared from afar. 

He drops his contact from her eyes, and looks at the ground. "I don't know." He says in a blank tone. 

"What?" She asks in utter confusion. "You don't know why you're following me?" She continues, avoiding anger to creep in her tone.

"Not really, I just.." he stops, trying to fathom his thoughts. "You just caught my attention and I can't resist it so I followed you." He says as he looks her in the eyes, breaking his nervousness.

Olivia breaks her eye contact with him, "Oh." Were the only words that managed to escape her mouth. She continues her direction the the lake. 

"Where are you going?" He asks, trailing behind her. He catches up with her, his eyes glued to her, not minding his way. 

"Forward." She replies as she starts running. "Wait, where are you going?" He asks, still following her. She didn't want to tell him, she thought it was better if she shows him.

They reached the lake. The sun, making the water sparkle and clear. Olivia stops running, and she catches her breath. A smile appears on her face as she faces the lake. Just in time, he arrives and stands beside her. 

"Oh." He says, looking fascinated. "I didn't have to guess."

 They both sat on the land, beside each other, silent for a couple of minutes. They were both watching the beauty of nature. How everything reflected, and glowed.

The boy swallows before speaking, "What's your name?" He asks, breaking the silence, still facing the view.

She rubs her hands together, trying to cool herself off. She didn't want to be rude, mean, and cold-hearted.

"Olivia."  She ignored the negatives and told him anyway.

By the side of her eye, she can see him instantly facing her. "You've got a beautiful name."

She felt a tight twist inside of her. She struggled trying to speak, "What's yours?" Were the only words that left her mouth.

"Augustus." He says, giving her a smile that makes her look at him longer, even though she has the urge to turn away.

"Augustus? Like the —"

"Past emperor of Rome? Yes." He says, finishing her sentence. He turns his head away, facing the ground and smiling, showing off his deep dimples.

 "I have to go." He stands up and offers her a hand. "Nice meeting you." He keeps the wide grin on his face. She took it, as he pulled her up.

She didn't want to admit it, she liked everything, even though the only thing she knew was his name.