Lucent Shadows

Chapter Four: Figment of Your Imagination cont...

****Zandra's POV****

I stared intently at Devlin's back, making sure to keep up with his pace. Getting left behind in this creepy forest is the last thing I want. The sun came to an end and the darkness brought the forest to life. Owls hooted and every once in a while, I would hear scurrying, probably from squirrels or raccoons.. I attempted to picture the squirrels with their cute furry tails to get my mind off of how scared I was. I looked at Devlin but he didn't seem tense at all, in fact he looked relaxed.

I jumped and ran to grab onto him as I heard a twig snap nearby.

"Did you hear that?!" I squeaked in terror.

After quickly recovering from my nearly tackling him, he glanced at me then looked around. He stared and squinted into the darkness silently. I looked down and was suddenly hyperaware of how close I was to him. I was gripping onto his shirt and felt his muscular build beneath the thin fabric. I spread my fingers out , loosening my grip and felt the heat radiating from his body. His arms were sculpted to perfection and I could feel his defined abs where one of my hands rested. I felt my face grow hot as these thoughts crossed my mind. His arm wrapped around my waist and I nearly fainted of embarassment and confusion.

"Devlin?!" I squeaked at his touch.

"Come on." He said forcefully and held me close.

I glanced up at him and he wore a stern look as he guided me through the forest at a faster pace than before. Did he see something? 

I tensed at the thought and Devlin suddenly looked down at me, easing his grip.

"Wh-What're you doing?" I asked shakily.

He stared blankly for a few seconds and smiled, "You're really slow. It would've taken us forever getting out of here at the pace you had us going."

After a few minutes, we came to the steep hill we climbed when we first entered the woods. I stared at the rope and loose dirt beneath my feet uneasily.

"Geez, you're such a wimp. What am I gonna do with you?" I flinched at the sudden sound of Devlin's voice and he snickered.

I watched as he expertly climbed back down into the ditch. I was definitely not going to be that graceful.

"Oh, come on already. I'm here to catch you if you fall." Devlin paced with impatience. 

I huffed at him and carefully began my climb down. Midway through, my hands began to grow raw. 

"Devlinn." I called, worried he had left.

"Are your hands raw already? Just let go, I'll catch you. It'll be a whole lot faster."

"No!" I gripped the rope tight with fear.

"Suck it up then."

I heard him kick dirt and scowled at the entertained expression he was probably wearing. I mumbled to myself and slowly inched down before losing my grip. I screamed as I fell and shut my eyes tight.

Devlin grunted in surprise as I collided with him.

I slowly opened my eyes to find his face centimeters from mine. I yelped and jumped out of his lap. He grinned at my reaction and climbed out of the ditch, offering me a hand up. Once I was out, I raised my fists in success.

"Yes, finally back! I can't believe you were scared!" I teased and began walking past the school and into town.

Happy New Years Eve everyone! I know this isn't that amazing of an update but I promise the next chapter will be much more eventful! I hope you all have an amazing New Years! 2015 is finally upon us, make your new years resolutions and be safe out there!! :)