Fire Scarred *Un-Edited Version*

Chapter Thirteen

An hour. That was as long as I could handle laying in bed wide awake. I decided I had to tell Leo about Ciris. If anything, it was for his own safety. Leo himself told me Ciris had the Crave. I had to tell him. It was the right thing to do.  

I stomped through the trees, my feet making thumping noises as they hit the ground. <i>Thump. Thump. Thump</i>. My breath came in and out in puffs of white clouds. The chilling air clawed at my skin, and I rubbed my arms to keep warm. In my haste to leave the cabin I'd forgotten to grab a jacket and socks. <i>Stupid</i>. I repeated the mantra in my head. <i>I'm so stupid</i>.  

The trees and brush tugged at my arms where they left a trail of scratches. I was beginning to think the whole thing was stupid. Leo could take care of himself. He was a big boy. And Ciris said he wouldn't hurt him anyway. I had no reason to worry. But worry I did. To contemplate my predicament, I paused in the trees. My decision was made when the plants around me pulled back and made a way to the clearing. I could see Leo in the moonlight laying on his back, a finger pointed in my direction.  

"What do you want?" his voice was harsh, yet currious in the dark of the night. 

My feet trodded along the earth worn path. My shoulders grew heavier with each step. I felt more than instructed myself to shrug. 

"I know you didn't come out here so we could have a nice friendly chat, so, what is it?" 

"Where were you tonight, approxamently an hour and a half ago? I thought stalking me was your job. Did you know Ciris was at my cabin? Did you? 'Cause I certainly don't like walking out of the shower to find a strange man <em>in my room-</em>" 

"Wait." He shot up into a sitting possition. "Ciris came to you?" 

"Yeah. He said he'd missed out on so much and all that kinda stuff and wanted to be around or something like that." 

"What exactly did he say?" 

My brow furrowed in concentration. " 'I've missed out on so much. I wanted to see how you were getting along with your powers and your coming into being a nature spirit. I wanted to be a part of this new life.' " I was shocked at how I had remembered his every word. 

Leo nodded like he expected something like that. "Did he leave?" 

I blew out a sigh. "Yeah. But he said he'd visit again." 

"I guess it's good that he's trying to get to know you." 

"I guess so." 

Silence fell over us. Not even the wind or the trees or any of the forest animals made a sound. The silence was dead. Cold. Calming. It was the breath of a sigh escaping the night as its lungs contracted for the last time giving way into morning. It was the birth of a new dawn. In all the awe of the day, the land quieted to reflect on the passed night.  

As the stars glittered across the night sky I whispered two words. "I'm sorry." I wasn't sure what exactly I was appologizing for. Maybe it was for everything that had been going on. I didn't know.  

When I turned away he caught my wrist. "Me, too. I'm sorry." 

I walked back to the cabin with a burning in my chest, a stinging on my wrist, an ache in my feet, and a jumble of feelings and words fighting in my heart. I glanced back over my shoulder to where Leo was still sitting in the clearing. His eyes met mine and he offered me a small smile, which I hesitantly returned.

"No. Nope. Not possible. No way. Uh-uh." I shook my head furriously. "I refuse to even consider it. I mean, why would he anyway?"

"I don't have a clue, but he was here, and he's the only spirit I know of that'd come to Woodland Creek," Leo retorted.