Country Life

Chapter 1: Another Fine Mess: Part 5

Reese took the first shift, but not even an hour had passed until he was about to drift off. Luckily Denny woke up and took over for him. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that Jordon took his turn, and Denny was grateful. He was more stressed out than anything else. Jordon on the other hand seemed delighted to be in this time, and he was as equally excited about all the other places they had been to. He was utterly and completely a history nerd, either that or he was born a closet adventurer.

He sat out on the stoop that was just outside the barn. It was still dark out, and he was enjoying a silent calm that the early morning air brought, but he wasn't alone for long. He heard a noise coming from inside the barn behind the door. He looked back and expected it to see either Denny or Reese, but to his surprise a dark-haired beauty appeared before him. He smiled at her presence, and even though her hair was a mess and she had on no makeup, Millie Cooper was even prettier than the day he first met her.

She sat down next to him and took a long breath. "You should be resting," Jordon said and looked over at Millie. By the look on her face she was stressed, and he could only guess why. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"I couldn't sleep," she said and looked down at the ground. She was barefoot and slowly dragged her big toe in the dirt making small circles.

"Is that your next masterpiece?" he said teasingly, but Millie just ignored him and continued drawing circles in the dirt. "Millie," he quietly called out. Then he lightly nudged her arm.

"What?" she said and shot her head up. She stopped drawing with her toe and pushed her legs up and held them in place with her palms.

"You kind of spaced out there," he said and took her hand. "So, tell me, or do I have to guess."

"Okay, you win," she said with a half but forced smile. "I had another nightmare."

"Is it about what happened on the ship?" he asked.

"What else," she said and a tear escaped her eye. "I just can't stop thinking about it."

"Millie, it wasn't your fault," Jordon said and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Jordon, I killed a man," she said as she tried to free herself from his grasp. She wasn't trying very hard, but she didn't want to be comforted and he knew it.

"You didn't have a choice," he said as he looked into her eyes. "He would have killed us all with that water dragon if you hadn't stopped him."

She sat there in silence for a moment and then stood up. "Maybe, but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty." She had her back to him and suddenly felt his hands on her shoulders.

"Well, just look at it this way," he said softly into her ear. "You saved everyone on that ship, so in my mind you were the hero that day."

She turned around to see a smile on his face, and his dusty brown eyes bored into hers. She couldn't say anything at that moment and just let him comfort her like all the times she had done for him. They may have been trapped in a world that they had no place in and may face dangers, but they did take comfort in each other. Together they made each other feel safe.

There's more coming in Chapter Two. Please vote and comment if you like. I will be continuing this. Suggestions are always welcome.