GOLDEN REBEL HEART

Chapter 3

The following days, Karlie takes her to a secluded mountain to explain her the basis of an assault rifle and of a gun. How to hold them, how to aim, how and when to pull the trigger and how to not let the recoil get the best of you. Taylor turns out to be a really great student, learning quickly everything at an alarming pace. She was really serious when she had said that she was full of surprises.

"Please, can we stop now? I'm tired," Taylor pleads, sitting down against the grass, exhausted. Karlie gives in to her request and sits down beside the American, who looks ahead of her, admiring the clear blue sky.

"I will give you a break just because you're really great," Karlie affirms. The shorter blonde smirks and places her weight on her propped up elbows. The leader mimics her position and they lay silently, the soft winter wind cold enough to cause goosebumps on their exposed calves.

"Do you want to play a game?" the American suddenly asks, turning and facing the other woman, who lifts her eyebrow skeptically. "It's called 21 questions. I don't know if you have it here in India, but basically I ask you a question, you answer, and then you'll ask me another question and then—"

"Of course we have it here in India," Karlie interrupts her. "It's called conversation,"

Taylor huffs and sits up, crossing her legs. She feigns annoyance, but an invisible smile betrays her. "Fine. Do you want to play with me or not?"

Karlie chuckles and copies her, sitting cross legged beside her. She shrugs. "Sure. You begin,"

"Okay," Taylor nods. She averts her eyes, pondering over what to say. The leader expectantly stares at her, the smile on her face gradually widening the more she gazes at the focused look on the American's face. "What's your favorite color?"

A laugh bubbles out of her thin lips, not expecting such a simple question. "I think...I have two favorite colors. I love these—" she points to her Golden Path uniform. "They remind me of hope and strength. So, my answer is light blue and yellow. What about you?"

Taylor quietly laughs. "It's incredibly corny, but I love red. It's—" she embarrassedly covers her face with her hands. "I'm a romantic person and red reminds me of love," she blushes.

"That's okay," the leader shrugs with a soft grin. "I think there should be more love in the world."

Taylor tries to contain the huge smile that is threating to overcome her features but fails adorably. Nobody has ever found her passion for love okay. Everyone, especially back at school, had laughed at her for having such a creative mind. Love doesn't exist, they said. But Taylor has always thought that, like the light exists to compensate the darkness, love does the same with hate. Love does exist. Is it rare? Possibly. But is it impossible to find? Taylor likes to think that everyone, sooner or later, finds love. Whether it's real, short lived or infinite, everyone will find someone to love who will love them back.

"Have you ever loved someone before?" Taylor asks, looking up at Karlie with bright and sincere blue eyes. The leader visibly stiffens, averting her gaze as soon as she finished the question. She exhales shakily and the blonde knows from her reaction that she's hit a sensitive nerve for the other woman.

"Yes," she confirms, her eyes becoming unreadable and hard. She seems to ponder over something. Taylor stays silent and waits for her to continue the game. "You?"

"I've—I've loved before but..." she replies. "It never lasted,"

Karlie bites her bottom lip and looks down at her fingers playing with the grass. "I'm sorry,"