Compulsion Woven Lies

Chapter 1

-EIGHT YEARS LATER-

Both thighs burn with fire as I run faster. Lungs heaving, breaths ragged while my coughs are raspy. I think I'm close to a heart attack! "Hurry up, lazy" Blake calls, as he busily climbs further up. His brown hair, swaying messily in the light summer breeze. The falling of leaves fluttering around his muscular body. He glids up the tree effortlessly reaching almost half way up the tree. His ability to climb trees faster and faster never tended to surprise me more than before.

I roll my eyes. Doubtful I'd manage a comprehensible sentence with the acceleration of my beating heart thumping uncontrollably. "I'm coming" I grimace as I reach the bottom of Blake's favourite tree. It was taller than any other, rich with beautiful bark and glistening moss and plentiful of leaves.

It was red day - the day of exercising -. Being indoors was something I could handle. With a gym and series of equipment; usually consisting of a: thick rope dangling from the roof, 500 metre running track, white plastic hurdles, sand pit for long jump and a deep blue, fully foamed mat with two metal stands and a black and orange striped bar for high jump.

When Blake and I are outside - which is a rare scenario in itself. We get into this follow the leader situation. Not like I actually enjoy it.

I wouldn't be too surprised if Blake did this just to show me, my subconscious was superior. I stand by the thought I made a few years ago. My mind is a sexist jerk, - what was I thinking.

Blake turns his head, the wind picking up. He looks down at me, sitting comfortably on a branch half way up. "Take your own sweet time princess" the smirk on his face prominent in his sweet pink lips. He turns again, continuing his climb. "By the time you get here, Christmas would've passed."

I poke my tongue out, though I know he couldn't see me. Shaking my head slowly, I jumped, struggling to grab hold of the first branch hanging a metre above my head. It holds delicate green leaves sprinkling down in my ponytail. Little milky coloured buds scattering precisely by where leaves were.

"Blake" I swing, leaning my weight against the trunk. To be frank, I'm quite the disappointment to a ballerina. I don't have a graceful bone in my body.

"Lilly" Blake shouts back, mimicking my high pitched voice. His; the sound of dry wood ungraciously cut by plaid wearing lumberjacks. His sound sinking into my ears with a mild flutter. The wind whistles with the noise of birds tweeting in the background, making his voice abnormally quieter.

The numerous amount of branches crisscrossing its way up, caused a problem for my line of vision. "Can you help?" Blake cradles a smirk. The glow of his baby blue eyes holding their own amusement.

He sat on his own branch, snapping twigs in half, throwing them over his shoulder in an easy release of energy. "Give me a reason why art shall help thou." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands and his elbows on the branch.

I put a hand on my hip, keeping the other on the branch above. My eyes watching intensely in his two blazing blues. "Because you love me".

Blake laughed. Not the the sort you laugh lightly. It was a laugh that shook a few neighbouring branches as well as his. "Yeah right. Only in your dreams, princess."

"Aren't we already in a dream?" I quip, taking my hand off my hip to gesture around. I know it felt cliche but it seemed like the right moment to act like a cheesy girl you'd see in a silly chick flick. "Otherwise we wouldn't be communicating in such a semi normal way".

I hear the snap of the branch crack underneath, spotting lines several inches from my hands. "Hey," Blake calls. "You should find another branch."

I didn't look at him. "Whatever you say-" the branch snaps from the trunk. "Blake!" I scream wildly. My arms tucked firmly against my chest.