Shapes in My Palm

Chapter 18

They had packed up and checked out of their rooms. Kai was started to hate the hicking part of their expedition, and would much rather spend the days in the town or room with Lillian. They walked through the small town once more, it was nice to see other people. Even though Lillian was an amazing hiking companion, Kai needed to see others and maybe even react with them. The town was buzzing with the sound of kids and families. The small pitter-patter of shoes on the gravel and kids yelling filled the air and gave the whole street a warm, welcoming vibe. The sun was high in the sky and there was a small amount of wind that blew through. It seemed like the perfect day.

They wouldn't be hicking for that long but it still wasn't helping Kai's growing hatred for the walking. She loved the exercise and the nature of hiking. The dopamine and the feeling it gave Kai was a high she loved and the thought of her toned body made it worth it. Kai had also always been one for nature, she loved the trees and animals. It was one of the only things she missed from school, the biology class. However, there was only so much she could take before she needed to be in civilization again before going crazy.

They left the Inn and continued down the street, they were headed to the edge of the town and into the woods. And upon Kai's request, they walked through town once more before leaving. The smells of baked goods and fresh flowers were filling Kai with excitement and she knew Lillian was going to have to physically pull her out of the town. They walked past the few shops they had spent exploring a few days prior.

"I have to stop somewhere super quickly," Lillian said promptly and before Kai could respond she had walked out of sight.

What was she doing? Did Kai do something wrong? It didn't matter, she needed to just focus on walking. Kai decided to stop and lean against a stone wall. To pass the time and keep her mind busy, she took to watching the families and children playing in the street. There were a few groups of small children running around and playing in groups throughout the dirt road. The other families were talking or doing their shopping.

The sight of the families caused Kai to miss her mother and sister. She wanted to write to them severely, but she didn't want them to get in trouble with the armed forces back home. Ivory was probably busy with the end of the school year and her mother was most definitely getting ready for the bust summer. Most of her best memories were from the summer and it was the family's favorite season. There was a small lake near their house, where Kai would take Ivory swimming every week. Maybe she could bring Lillian this year, Kai thought. Kai knew she would be back home soon, she even thought about how much her mother and sister would love Lillian.

Kai looked away from the children when she heard rustling coming from her left. She looked towards the sound and saw Lillian walking towards Kai with a large smile spread across her face. She wasn't holding anything, which Kai thought was weird due to her sudden disappearance, but chose to ignore it. It wasn't any of her business and boundaries were a touchy subject that they needed to work on.

"Thank you for waiting," Lillian began, "Ready to go?" She continued to smile.

"Yep," Kai responded. She lifted herself from the wall and walked with Lillian towards the woods on the outskirts of the town.

They reached the edge of the town and Kai looked back once more, taking a deep breath, before following Lillian into the deep green trees. They started into the woods and once they were alone, the only things watching them being the deep green leaves and the animals inhabiting the forest, Lillian grabbed Kai's hand and her stomach exploded once again.

* * *

The hike wasn't amazing, Kai missed the feel and comfort of being in a town. She missed the hustle and bustle that reminded her of home, not the quiet and coldness brought on by the woods. However, there was one thing that made it bearable, Lillian. There were many small moments that helped the time pass and the journey seem slightly better.

There small hand brushes when they weren't holding hands. Like when they were walking down the dirt path and their hand brushed a few times before Kai finally grabbed it and both of them combusted into fits of laughter.

There were stumbles and falls. Specifically, one that stuck in Kai's mind, in which they were climbing up a small boulder hill. Kai had already climbed up and Lillian was on her way up. Near the end Lillian reached out her hand for an extra boost, Kai grabbed her hand and gave her a big tug. The pull was stronger than she had planned because Lillian and Kai were thrown to the ground and Lillian had ended up on top of Kai. They both turned a deep shade of red and Lillian quickly pulled herself up from Kai and extended her arm. They continued walking and a weird vibe filled the air. But soon after it dissolved and their smiles slowly returned.

Lillian and Kai also spend time discussing their favorite books and activities. She learned that Lillian enjoyed gardening and playing the piano at her castle and that she once tried to compose her own song. Lillian laughed it off and Kai followed, though she wanted to hear it. Kai told her about her summers with her family. The picnics in the flower fields, the swimming for hours in the lake, and the summer chores outside. With every story, she told Lillian seemed to get more excited and interested, and asked more and more questions. Kai also told her more about her love for reading and how she was trying to cook. Her mother was teaching her in between her training and the mission.

And Kai's favorite, there were lots of kisses. They varied in length and passion. Sometimes they would be small pecks when they had paused for a moment. And other times, they would belong loving kisses. But Kai didn't care, every kiss was another piece of her being put into place and another reminder of how amazing the blonde girl with green eyes was.

* * *

If it weren't for Lillian, Kai might have lost her mind in those woods. She was so lucky to have Lillian with her. She knew she couldn't live without her, which is why Kai needed to work on their plan to escape. In their brief moments of silence, Kai's mind would race to the plan. She had a very skinny skeleton idea of what they needed to do and where they needed to head.

When they had taken a break for lunch Kai took it as an opportunity to work on her escape plan even more. She took out an old sheet of parchment and began to scribble her ideas down. They needed to figure out a place where they could hide until the whole thing blew over. They also needed a way to contact Kai's mother and Ivory to make sure they stayed safe throughout the hiding. Lillian might also want to tell her family, although they might rat them out and ruin the plan. Maybe they should fake their deaths, that would give them a little more freedom. Kai wrote all of her thoughts down and added a few more, she needed to have a plan by the time they reached the castle.

Kai started to put away her things when she felt two hands wrap around her torso.

"Hi," Kai smiled. She felt Lillian rest her head on Kai's shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Lillian asked, her voice was quiet, Kai could tell she was tired.

"Yep," Kai responded, she stood and gave Lillian a quick kiss before grabbing her hand, "Come on sleepy head."

Lillian gave a tired laugh, "You know me so well," she sighed. Kai gave her hand a little squeeze and Lillian rested her head on Kai's shoulder.