Hidden Identity (Book Two)-Complete

Year Five, Day Twenty-Five

Cress POV

After we left Costa del Sol, we began a long hike over Mt. Corel to reach the town of North Corel. I'm not sure why we're going there. I think Cloud is just following his instincts, which there's nothing wrong with that. He's our leader, so we follow him.

The rocky terrain is quite difficult to traverse. There isn't really a clear path to take at all. We just do our best to keep heading west up and along the mountainside. 

I trail slightly behind the others, my mind on other things. I've learned a lot about Sam from Aerith. I'm still not quite sure if she's me or not. I want to be her. She sounds like a very nice person to be.

Not paying very close attention to where I'm stepping, my foot lands on a loose rock near the edge of the cliff we're traveling along. My ankle twists painfully, and I stumble and fall to the ground, scraping my hands. What's wrong with me? I'm usually very careful and observant of my footing. I need to keep my head out of the clouds and focus on my surroundings.

"You alright?" Aerith asks, helping me to my feet.

My ankle twinges painfully when I try to put my weight on it. "Just twisted my ankle. It'll heal on its own soon."

"Okay."

Suddenly, Barret comes over and scoops me up into his big arms. "We won't let you fall behind."

"Uh, thanks?" I say, startled. I didn't think he liked me very much. It's kind of nice to have people looking out for me. I have a feeling that I've been carried like this before by someone else. 

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Cloud POV

I frown when Barret starts carrying Cress. I don't know why, but the sight makes me mad. I should be the one carrying her.

"Let's keep moving," I grunt to the others, turning away sharply. Am I...jealous? Of Barret? No, I'm not. He can carry her for all I care. I don't care at all. I have absolutely no reason to be mad about him carrying her.

As we continue along the side of the mountain, I find myself glancing back at them. What's wrong with me? Why do I even care? I don't care, so why do I keep looking at them?

Finally, the sun begins to set behind the mountains, and we find a large ledge to set up camp on. There isn't any wood to make a fire, so we put up the two tents and sit in a circle on the rocks, eating the rations we bought in Costa del Sol. Everyone's so quiet due to exhaustion.

When everyone goes to bed, I sit at the edge of the cliff with my legs dangling into the chasm below. Why was I so bothered by Barret carrying Cress earlier? It makes no sense. Why are feelings so confusing?

"Trouble sleeping?" a voice asks. Cress seated herself next to him. "I can't sleep, either. Too many thoughts all conflicting and swirling in my head. I can't tell what's real and what's imaginary anymore in my memories."

"My memories aren't exactly in top shape either. A lot of what happened in the last five years since the incident in Nibelheim is too blurry to make out. I'm not entirely confident in my memories of before that time, too," I tell her. Her silver hair looks really pretty in the pale moonlight. It's a little frizzy, making it seem like a cloud around her dark-skinned face.

"Kind of funny, isn't it? That both our lives changed for the worst around the same time? I wonder if it isn't just a coincidence. That maybe we're connected by the ties of fate in more ways than we think," she whispered. She glanced at him, then blushed darkly. "That sounded weird, I know. Forget I said anything.

"It wasn't that weird. I kind of like the idea of us being connected by the ties of fate...okay, that sounded better in my head."

We both sit there, blushing like idiots. Why did I say that? That sounded so awkward...but...it's true...

Suddenly, she leans over and kisses my cheek. "You're sweet, Cloud. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep now. You should, too."

"Yeah..." I mumble, watching her slip back into the girls' tent. The spot where her lips touched me feels very hot. A warm bubbly feeling swells up in my chest. She kissed me. She KISSED me. What do I do? Should I have kissed her back? What is this feeling? Agh, I feel even more confused than before!

Sighing, I stand up and enter the guys' tent. Plopping down on the ground beside Red, I do my best to sleep despite Barret's outrageously loud snoring. I gently touch my cheek where Cress kissed me, and a smile spreads across my face. With her on my mind, I drift into a deep, dream-filled sleep.

Another short chapter, sorry! But, hey! I bet you all have finally figured out the ship for this book! Yep, Cloud and Cress. This is only the beginning of their relationship, my readers!