Trapped

Chapter 4

                                  Chapter 4

“I like your eyes.” He tells me as he moves the hair from in front of my eye to behind my ear. My heart races from his touch. His hands are rough but they calm me. I lay back and stare up at the sky. When I was younger, I would think about how the stars lived up there. Now I think about how dad lives up there. I want more than anything to talk about him; to remember him out loud. The people that didn’t know him will never know how great he was. That’s not right. It’s not fair.

“If you want, after lunch we could come back here.” Frey offers as he stands up, hinting that it is time to leave. I smile up at him.

“I like your eyes too.”

He laughs and helps me up.

“You should have told me to bring my bathing suit.” I scold him, realizing that my entire outfit is drenched with ice cold water.

“I’ll take you home to change.”

“Don’t talk to my mother again.”

“You’re home…what happened?”

“We went to a waterfall! A real one! I’m here to change.” Overflowing with excitement, I quickly change into a casual t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I make sure to slip my bikini on before I leave.

I wonder how some people, a lot of people, say they need more time to know. How could it take 2 weeks? I know without a doubt that I want Frey. It’s just obvious. And, as I’m walking back to him, I have a hunger to be in his arms. I want to feel his hand wrapped around mine. I hurry and get back in his car.

“So, what interests you about English?”

He asks me as we drive off, searching for a place to eat.

“Well, I love stories. You study stories in English so, I want to teach English.”

“Why not just become a writer?”

“I don’t like writing stories. I just like listening to them. They distract me.”

“From what?”

“My dad. The fact that I’m always being watched. Just stuff that I can’t control.”

He stays silent, giving me an opportunity to think. Sometimes I feel like I was born at the wrong time. I know, no one is sure if people used to have freedom, but it had to be different. People couldn’t have always been this naïve. He being here, next to me, helps though. His presence is comforting.

We end up going through the McDonald’s drive-through. I have no complaints. The faster we get our food and eat, the faster we can go back.

I think back to how I’ve always wanted to see a waterfall and then the questions arise. Has it always been there? Who knows about it? Are there more, close by? I decide to go down the list.

“Has the waterfall always been there?”

With every second that passes, I get more and more curious.

“I’m sure not always. Nature has to take its course. But, I’ve known about it since I was 7.”

“Are there more around here?”

He gives his answer some thought.

“Probably. I’ve never felt the need to look.”

I want to see more. I want to see if they all look the same.

“Will you look with me?”

A grin comes across his face. “Maybe.”

That will be thrilling; looking for more. I can’t wait to start.

“Who knows about it?”

That was the only question I didn’t get an answer to. I decide not to think much of it.

The remainder of the date was spent at the waterfall. It’s so magical. If I could stay forever, I would. There’s so much that I’ve never been able to experience before. Fish swimming in a real river; flowers growing naturally. Everything here is perfect.

I didn’t get a kiss goodnight, which I spent an hour after the date being disappointed about, but I’ve never smiled this much in one day.

“Julianne!”

Mother calls out to me. There isn’t a sense of urgency in her voice so I take my time reaching her.

“I got an email saying that tomorrow at 10:00 A.M. all minors will need to report to City Hall for an announcement.”

They’re probably going to announce new school curriculum. They do this at the end of every summer break.

As I try to drift to sleep, the sounds of the waterfall fill my head. I want to be there right now.