Chrysanthemum's Walls | I.P.

Chapter 4: Hands

(Picture of Chrysanthemum above, it's one of the ways I imagine she looks, besides Chloë Grace Moretz. Although she has green eyes)

Chapter 4: Hands

"Touch my neck,

and I'll touch yours.

You in those little high-waisted shorts."

****

Fear coursed through me, my body filling with adrenaline. "No! No! No!" I yelled. I reached out for anything, anything at all. I closed my eyes as tight as I could and tried to stop myself from falling. I jerked forward, and my body slammed into the rocky wall.

I slowly opened my eyes and breathed out. I smiled, thankful that I stopped falling. I looked up, I had fallen a good 30ft down the side of the cliff. The rope around my wrists had caught on the jagged rocks as I was falling and snagged, loosening itself in the process. My hands were starting to slip from the rope, the only thing keeping me from falling again, I had to move fast.

I moved my legs around to see if there was a rock sticking out I could stand in. My left toes grazed one, and my hopes soared. I stretched so I was standing on the very tips of my toes, but it was enough. My wrists were relieved to not be holding the weight of my body anymore.

I grabbed the rock with one hand and tried to climb up. I couldn't reach for anything with this stupid Lithos rope connecting my wrists to each other. The rope was loose enough to where I could hang on with one hand, and make a sawing motion with the other, cutting the rope against the jagged cliff wall.

The sores around my wrists screamed at me to stop, but I had to get up this cliff. The rope got thinner and thinner as more strings snapped. My shoulders began to ache and I needed a break, but I still had more than half the rope to get through.

I lightly held on the rock and took deep breaths. Almost dying by falling off a cliff was starting to get to me. I could feel my eyes get moist and my emotions boiling up. From being attacked at my house, kidnapped, being tied up with Lithos rope, then finding out it's slowly killing me, and then almost falling to my death off a cliff. It was all just too much. My sight got blurry as I tried to hold in the tears. I already looked weak from not making it across, there's no way I'm gonna look pathetic on top of that.

I rubbed the rope against the rock over and over. It was cutting deeper into my wrists as I did this, but I had to get it off. When the last string of the rope snapped, relief swelled through me.

I dropped the rope so it fell, fell, and fell. There was no way I was getting tied up again. Unconsciously I let go to rub my wrists, but then I remembered the skin was too raw. Then I realized without hanging onto the rock I was leaning backward. I quickly grasped the hard jagged surface of the rock. Pain flashed through my hand, then I saw a trickle of blood dripping from my wrists. There was no time to worry about cuts, I had to get myself out of this predicament.

I tried to climb up but there wasn't any place to put my feet. I carefully tried again. "Here this might help." The Man threw down one end of a rope, while he held the other.

"No way! It probably has Lithos in it!"

I ducked when it swung my way. My grip tightened on the rock.

"It doesn't have Lithos in it." I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn't. "If it did, my hands would be bur-" he quickly stopped. "You wouldn't be able to climb up with it. Go ahead and touch it, it's just normal rope." The rope was only slightly swaying in the breeze. I hesitantly reached for it. My palm came in contact with the hard bristles of it, but there was no burning sensation.

I firmly gripped the rope in my hand. Then I let go, I looked at my palm and fingers expecting to see my skin sizzling. But it looked exactly the same. "Okay, I believe you. So how are we gonna do this?" No one answered. I looked up expecting to see The Man looking down, but all I saw was the tips of long grass swaying in the breeze.

I rested my head against the hard surface of the cliff. "I had to tie the rope around a tree. You okay?" I shook my head yes as I looped the rope around me. I pulled the rope to make sure the knot would stay.

"Okay, I'm ready." I looked up at him. Even though he was the one that got us in this situation, I couldn't help but notice how his hair blew in the breeze. If I had met him differently, maybe something would have happened. But since he kidnapped me, that kind of ruled out all the odds.

I felt the rope tug as he started pulling me up. I pushed my feet against the side of the cliff and started climbing up. I held tightly to the rope so I wouldn't fall. Knowing if I did that I wouldn't be able to catch myself, I realized how scared I was of being up high.

I got closer and closer to the top. Each step I felt a little bit more relieved. With one last tug, I grasped the overhang and true to pull myself up. I felt warm hands grab my waist and pull me up the rest of the way. I tried to stand but exhaustion weakened my knees. I fell forward against the warmth of who I could only guess was Him. His arms quickly wrapped around me, holding me securely.

A warm feeling of being safe washed over me. After everything that had happened, it was nice to feel that. Instinctively wrapped my arms around him. My face rested against his chest and I felt so calm. His arms barely tightened around me, breaking my trance.

Ugh, I couldn't believe I was hugging him by choice! I tried to push away, but he held me close. I looked up at him, a cool summer breeze blew his hair out of his eyes. Those dark blue eyes... That feeling passed through me again, I recognized those eyes. I know I have seen them before, but the memory of when evaded me.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I know it took a while for this update. I wrote and rewrote this chapter trying to get it right. I know the chapter before ended in a cliffhanger so I kinda made this one not so much if one. (btw I LOVE cliffhangers 99% of the time) Hope you enjoyed it. Please vote and comment!