Blood Red

Chapter Three

 "I don't want to walk anymore." Red said, her lips turned downward in an apparent frown. Aaron ignored her, his hand keeping a steady grasp around her wrist as they continued to move. They didn't have the time to argue right now, not with the Wolf behind. "I don't even know who you really are anymore. Where are you taking me?" she asked.

Aaron puffed out a soft sigh, adjusting the cloak that Red had given him. Although he could have taken it off, he didn't necessarily want to, for reasons unknown to him. "Like I said, I'm a woodsman. I chop lumber. Cut up trees. I don't know how to put it any simpler than that." he said, sarcasm dripping into his tone. As the pair continued marching through the terrain, Aaron came to an abrupt stop.

"We're staying here until I can make a better plan." he said in a flat tone, staring at a small wooden shack. The place looked run-down and tight fit, but it didn't seem like Aaron was in the mood to argue with her, which he wasn't. 

"Now, hold on!" Red said, pulling her wrist out of Aaron's grasp. Her green eyes were narrowed, and she gave a soft huff of annoyance under her breath. Aaron stood patiently, looking at her with a raised brow. "I'm  not staying in some creepy little shack with you, especially not overnight." 

Aaron's eyes widened, about to make a snarky comeback, but pink warmed his cheeks. Great. Now he was considered a liar, traitor, and a pervert. Before he could come up with something intelligent to say, Red had already started rambling again.

"The Wolf was talking...talking like he knew you or something, Aaron. He said you were turning me in. Waiting until I was older so I understood. The Wolf killed my Grandmother...and my real parents...and...you must have known he was killing people. If you knew the Wolf, you must have known." she whispered softly, mainly staying quiet so she could keep her voice steady. Red straightened her chin, glancing at Aaron with a new pair of eyes, like he was a stranger to her. With all of these secrets, (and who knew how many more?) he had been hiding, then he really was a stranger to her. "Well. I hope you're happy. Because I do understand, now that I am older. And I understand that I'm better off doing this on my own. Thank you for your help, but I'm leaving now.."

"You can't go..." his voice came out low, even though there was a slight twinge of panic. Aaron had been staring at the ground, but he finally looked up and met Red's eyes. Her face contorted slightly, as if she was hesitating about storming off like this. "Besides..I still have your cloak.."

Red's shoulders sagged a bit, the bravado leaving her just as quickly as it had came upon. Lips angled in a frown, she did her best to glare at him.

"Give me the cloak back." she muttered weakly, holding out her hand for him to put it.

A mischievous grin twitched on Aaron's face, and he took a step backward, toward the shack. Shaking his head back and forth, he raised his eyebrows up at her. Taunting her. Red's face turned red, from flattery or annoyance, Aaron couldn't tell. 

"You'll have to take it back...if you want it..."

"Aaron, don't you dare!" she said sharply, and with one more step, Aaron erupted with laughter and broke into a sprint toward the shack. His feet practically tore up the grass beneath him. Still feeling peeved about the lies and mystery, Red gave a long, hard sigh. "I can't believe..." she muttered. Still sulking, Red followed behind him in a slow walk.

The door to the shack creaked as Aaron opened it, and he was still glancing over his shoulder to make sure Red was close behind. Outside around the place, everything seemed lifeless, and the inside was even more depressing. A torn up red couch sat in one corner, next to a makeshift table and a few candles. 

"Did you steal this from a homeless man?" Red said under her breath as she followed him inside, and Aaron didn't respond, if he even heard her. Aaron picked up a box of matches, striking it, and began illuminating each candle one by one. "I'm still upset with you, you know. Don't you dare think that trying to act cute like that is going to make me change my mind about this." she remarked, in a voice loud enough for him to hear this time, and gave a huff.