Wanderers (1st Draft)

Candle Light

Alice

Alice is startled awake by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She quickly sits up in bed and looks around the room. After taking a few seconds to blink the sleep out of her eyes she stands up and groggily walks to the door. She opens it to find the hallway outside empty. She looks around, but no one is in sight. Just before she closes the door, she spots a piece of paper lying on the floor. She bends down to pick it up. Written on it is a map, starting at her room and ending somewhere in the forest. She stares at it for a few minutes, trying to decide whether or not to go. The last time she got a map it let her to...

Quickly she runs back into her room and pulls on her boots and coat. She creeps downstairs, trying to be as quiet as she can. Once she gets outside she takes a deep breath of the cold, fresh air. A smile spreads over her lips. She looks down at the map, a red dotted line weaves through the garden and ends at a red x in the forest.

The farther away Alice gets from the house the darker it gets. When it's about to get too dark to see small candles start to show up. They line a path that leads into the forest. Alice follows them until she sees Rixton standing next to the last one.

"Why is it that every time I get a map it leads to you?" Alice asks walking up to him.

"I think the map maker has a crush on me." Rixton says with a very cocky smile.

Alice crosses her arms and glares up at him. "You are as self-centered as ever."

What Rixton does next surprises Alice. He leans down and kisses her. It's a quick, but gentle kiss. One second his lips are on hers and the next they're gone.

"What was that for?" Alice asks when Rixton steps back.

Rixton shrugs his shoulders. "I could. Besides, you look really cute when you're glaring at me."

His comment only makes Alice glare at him more. "So did you have a reason for bringing me out here? Or did you just feel like making me walk around in the cold in my pj's? Cause if that's the case I'm going to go back to bed." Alice says.

"No I had a reason." Rixton says with a smile. He steps to the side and pulls back a curtain of branches.

Alice gasps when she sees what's behind it. Candles illuminate stepping stones that lead to a gazebo in the center of a small pond. Strings of lights hang on the railings of the gazebo. Big willow trees surround the area, their branches creating a dome of leaves. All together the scene looks like it was taken straight out of a fairy tale.

Alice spins around to look at Rixton. "Did you do all of this?" She asks.

Rixton moves to stand on the first stepping stone. "I might have. But if you tell anyone I will deny it." He offers his hand to Alice. She takes it and he leads her to the gazebo.

Alice spins around to look at all the lights. "I didn't think you could be--"