Chrysanthemum's Walls | I.P.

Chapter 1: Sweater Weather

Chapter 1: Sweater Weather

"I hate the beach,

But I stand,

In California with my toes in the sand."

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A breeze blows through the trees and across the water, tiny waves reach up against the sandy shore, tickling my toes. My hair blows behind me as I shrug my shoulders. This world is all mine, I share it with no one else. I built my walls high, too strong to break, and too high to climb. Now, all by myself, I stand in my little circle of peace.

A red glow as vibrant as raspberries shines on my face. The sun sinks lower and lower over the sparkling water. I have not aged, but everyone around me has grown old and passed on. This is my curse, to lose everyone I've ever loved. The solution I have come up with is to never to love. This is why I hide. If anyone sees me, they can't help but love me. And if I return those feelings, then they die. It's another detail to my curse.

My hair is as dark as the soil of the forest and my eyes are as green as seaweed. I was made to look this way to spike people's interest in me. I have an aura around me that draws people in. It makes them want to love me. If I love someone, they break to pieces. I have too much strength. No one can withstand it because there is no one like me. I have learned my lesson from the last time, so I must never love again.

I wasn't born like everyone else, I was created, forced to be an outsider. They tell me I have a purpose, They tell me one day I can leave this place. But that was over 200 years ago. No one is more isolated than I am. Even animals run from me. Even though I offer to keep them safe and provide food for them. They are not tricked by my enticing aura, the animals know to run from me before I become the death of them. The animals would rather starve than walk near me.

I turn my back away from the open sea. My thin sweater is barely held together by threads, it is the only thing that keeps me warm. Before I could stare at the waters glistening edge for hours, but now it burns my insides with anger to see its glorious shine.

(Sweater pictures above, except gray)

I walk towards the woods the sand warm between my toes. I head down a path only I can see. The deer up ahead dart away and jump across the ravine. That is the only way in and out. The only place my walls refuse to build.

I finally reach the place where I live. I am too tired to climb, so I levitate myself. I slowly float up to the opening as if I'm standing in a bubble. Once I step inside, my little hole lights up. Blue and yellow luminous mushrooms line the walls.

I hang my head. This place is not my home, I have no home. This hole in a tree is just a reminder of all the time I have spent here because They won't let me go. It's a reminder of when they tortured me trying to make an "advanced" species.

I pull off my sweater and begin to change into my only other pair of clothes. softer material but less durable. I start to shiver with barely anything on. A cold autumn breeze blows through the open door. That is when I hear a sound of another creature, a thing breathing that isn't me. No one else comes into my house. They would see me and die because of it.

My eyes quickly scan the room but when they reach the bed I freeze. I swear my heart drops to my stomach. A figure in a dark coat is on my bed. His head is leaning against the wall and when I look closer I realized he is asleep. I quickly dress back into my outdoor clothes.

I tiptoed closer to him. How did get in here? He has tan skin as if he is always outside. His hair is dark brown with tips bleached by the sun. He was dressed in some type of blue rough material for pants and a dark brown leather jacket. There is something familiar about him but I am not sure what.

I reached to my right and grabbed my dagger. I breathed deeply to calm myself. But a trickle of fear still made its way into my mind. I poked the man in the shoulder.

He doesn't move. This time I poke his cheek, he just turns away. "How hard is it for someone to wake up?!" I don't have much patience, and my temper is boiling over. So I punch him in the face.

He yells and grabs his nose. I see a few drops of blood on his hands and his nose before he looks up at me. "And you wonder why no one ever visits you! You could ha-". I cut him off and stick the knife in front of his face.

"What are you doing here?" he laughs and looks at me. His eyes are dark blue and dull. I remember his eyes but I know I've never met him. I decide it's a coincidence and push more questions on him. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" He pushes the knife away from his face and stands up.

He is taller than me by at least a couple of inches but I don't back down. "How did you get in? Why are you here?" The man walks under the arch and jumps onto the couch.

"It actually wasn't that hard, I just ran and jumped across the ravine. And your house was pretty easy to find too. I mean it has glowing mushrooms!" He said "house" as if this was a pathetic little room.

"I have walls built to keep people out and to keep me hidden. No one knows about me everyone who did is dead." I said this with confidence but what he said next washed it all away.

"You really believe huge walls keep you hidden from everyone? It's like putting up a big sign that says here's the enchanted girl everyone wonders about, she lives here come and see! And it doesn't help that everyone talks about you every day, wondering what the heck you are, and if you're even still alive. Some even say they have seen a wild girl running around the forest!" He laughs at the last part.

"I don't run wild! I actually have good hygiene and my house is always clean!" This man just walks into my house, touches my things, and then mocks me! No way! Not here, not ever! "Get out! Leave right now!" I hold the dagger in front of me.

"I'll leave when I want to." He says. He is so ignorant!

"Your choice." I move fast, next thing he knows his cheek is dripping with blood. "Get out!" I yell.

"What the hell! You didn't have to cut my face!" He was cursing and holding his cheek. My conscience gnawed at the back of my head so I grabbed a towel and it to him for him to hold to his face. I could already see the blood coming through it. He went into the kitchen. Blocking my view of him.

"Hey get out of there. Come back out!" I slowly inched over to the kitchen. I peeked in. No one was there, I hear someone come up behind me. I can feel them breathing on my neck. It sends shivers down my spine. I swing around. He's right in front of me, he looks me right in the eye. His height is very apparent now, he's so tall I have to almost look straight up. His cheek has stopped bleeding and was a nice clean cut, a smile threatens my lips as I congratulate myself on the clean cut. Suddenly I notice his lips, how soft they look. I get an instinct to kiss him. I've never been kissed before and it gets pretty lonely being by yourself for 200 years.

I wonder what it would feel like. He notices me looking at his mouth and my cheeks burn up and I look at my feet. What was I doing? Just because he's cute doesn't mean you can kiss him, and not kick him out of here. I need answers to why he is here!

He lifts my chin up with his hand. My skin tingles where his hand was. His hand is rough like he works hard. I don't know what I was feeling, but I haven't felt this way in a very long time. He looked at my lips and then back up to my eyes. I had just met him, I didn't even know his name, but I wanted him to kiss me so bad.

While I'm inside my walls I don't age. I've been alive for 218 years. I am physically only 18, but I've lived for 218 years. He looks about 20 or 21. But if you were me and you hadn't seen a guy in 200 years, any guy would be good enough for you. The man leans closer, his breath warmed my lips. Our mouths were centimeters apart. I didn't dare move or speak. He lifted his hand, a dagger was in it. I started to step back but this time he was too fast. He brought the handle of the knife to my head and all I saw was darkness.

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Hope you liked the first chapter. if you did please vote! Anyway, the grey sweater to the right is what hers looked like.  But just a bit more worn.