Hidden Secrets

8

I don't risk flying to the rock just in case Jess is there, so I run as fast as I can hoping she'll still be there. I could really use her face now and I hope missing one night won't stop her from coming here. 

I can see the moonbeams slicing through the trees. I start to run faster dying to see her again. 

I push through the trees to reveal the rock in all its glory, the smile that I hadn't noticed till now fades away quickly as I realize she's not here. 

I refuse to be negative so I sit on the rock to stargaze. Even if she doesn't show up at least I can clear my head, right? 

My mind feels numb as I try not to think about how my best friend is going to die.

I try to focus on the sky above me, the strip of stars that my mom used to talk about. She would always tell stories about how the stars were just friends and lovers coming together and having a night party. 

I laugh to myself. They were only just stories, I found books in the castle exactly 2 years after my mother died and it told me about this place called space. 

From there I learned all I could about this planet we live on. I even discovered things that were never taught in the early days of kiddie class. 

Suddenly something feels off, I look around the trees for anything and then almost out of thin air the answer comes clear to me. 

"Hello, Jess." No answer, I didn't expect one either.

"Beautiful night isn't it?" I know she's there, there's no doubt about it.

I don't know where this new feeling has come from, it's a strange feeling where I can sense where she is when she's near me I guess. 

Then I hear the slightest sound, a single leaf being pushed, behind me. 

"Are you going to keep staring at me from behind or are you going to come out and talk to me?" I ask a little more annoyed then I meant to. 

"Where were you last night?" She asks with hesitation. I can tell she's slowly creeping out of the bushes. 

I lower my head slightly at the unintentional jab, "something came up. I'm glad you're here tonight though." 

The soft forest crunch grows louder as she steps closer to me, she stops right behind me and then speaks in a whisper. "Who are you?"

She asks it with a wavering mix of sadness and rage. I choke back tears, "I think you already know." A single tear falls down my face afraid I'll lose someone else. 

"Well, Princess Scarlet, when were you planning on stopping your father from murdering innocent people who had families, people they cared about." I don't know if she's scarier yelling or whispering like she is now. 

I stay silent ashamed I didn't know better.

Her voice rises. "Well? Your father killed both of my parents and you, only you had the power to stop it! You're as terrible as your father!"

I force myself to swallow my tears so she doesn't see how weak I really am. 

"Answer for yourself!" She's crying now and hard. 

I can't bear the thought of this beautiful girl having her parents killed by my father. I can't bear the fact that I wasn't aware that I could have stopped this earlier, maybe all the heros wouldn't have died. Maybe Hope wouldn't be where she is right now. 

"I didn't know," I state bluntly.

"You didn't know?" She's trying so hard to trust me, I don't know how I can tell but I just can. 

I spin my body around to face her. "I wasn't aware of the law and even if I was it would still be hard to rebel my father. He's the man that killed the most caring person I know. Everyone that was brave enough to make this place better. I have to kill my best friend tomorrow, and if I have stopped him sooner so many people would be alive." Tears start pouring down my face. "You're right, it's all my fault." 

Jess stares at me debating if she should trust me or not. "Okay, shut up. I don't want anyone to find us out here." She sits next to me and lets me cuddle into her chest. 

Her words finally reach me, "why do we need to be alone?" I lift my head and look into her beautiful eyes. 

Her eyes flicker between my eyes and lips, "because I wouldn't be able to do this."

She gently tilts my chin up with her hand and my breath catches, she leans in gently places her lips on mine. She starts slowly then pushes me down on the rock, my hair falling around me like a blanket as she kisses me harder. I get lost in her kisses unaware that I'm kissing as hungrily as her. The world fades away and it's just me and her.