human ↠ mabill

chapter 15

Remember to comment and vote! Enjoy :)

❀ ~ |||||| ~ ❀

After sending Jacob off on his date with Amelia, Bill and I left the town and resumed our trek through the woods. I wasn't completely sure where we were going, since I figured Bill would just transport us back to the dreamscape, but I was enjoying the fresh air and quiet so I decided not to ask.

There's something therapeutic about nature walks, I discovered. I tuned into the sounds of the birds singing above me, the calm breeze whistling through the trees and the snaps of twigs and rustling of orange leaves as we navigated our way towards our unknown destination.

I breathed in the scent of fresh pine trees and grass and exhaled slowly, head hanging back as I gazed up at the sky. I could see the clear blue above me, sunlight glowing onto me like a spot light through the cracks in the blanket of leaves.

"What on earth are you doing?" A teasing voice pulled me out of my thoughts in time for me catch myself as I almost tripped over a large tree root. My eyes locked with Bill's, who had stopped walking to watch as I regained my balance.

I shrugged, "Just appreciating mother nature." My eyes wandered back down to the ground as I continued to walk, watching as twigs snapped beneath my feet.

Bill hummed thoughtfully, and I looked up to see him following my lead as he stared up at the sky, hands absentmindedly reaching out for branches to guide his way as he walked. His pace slowed significantly as he took in the world around him and, for some reason, I couldn't tear my eyes away. His features had softened, and where his usual smirk lay, a peaceful expression replaced it.

It was mesmerising.

I decided I preferred this side of Bill. It was rare, but sometimes Bill forgot to wear his usual 'mask' and keep up his heartless facade that protected him. Sometimes, the mask would slide off his face without his awareness, and I could see the person underneath. The person who had feelings no matter how much he despised them, and who had one wish that he would never admit to himself: He wanted to be human.

"Don't you want to know where we're going?" Bill asked softly, his eyes still fixed on the sky. He looked so young and peaceful still, and I knew that, in that moment, his mask had been entirely forgotten.

I considered his question; Did I want to know? I felt so relaxed in that moment that the thought of anything breaking the calm atmosphere we had created didn't seem worth it.

"Not really," I breathed.

A light gust of wind blew through the trees and we were surrounded by the sound of leaves all dancing at once. The trees began to sway and I could hear birds flapping their wings and I felt so in tune with the tranquility of the forest that I almost didn't hear the soft 'okay' that escaped Bill's lips.

❀ ~ |||||| ~ ❀

"We're stopping here."  Bill's voice broke the comfortable silence we travelled in.

I stopped and scanned our surroundings. We had arrived in a small clearing in the wood, but besides that, all seemed to be the same as before. The sun was beginning to set now, leaving hues of orange and pink in the evening sky, and the wind had picked up a little. There was no longer any sunlight shining through the cracks in the leaves and the temperature had definitely dropped, making me shiver slightly. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms in attempts to get rid of the goose bumps appearing and breathed in the fresh evening scent.