Awoken (Ilea, Book I) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 40

A week went past and nothing happened, there were no search parties, no pointed questions to me by the baker, no visits to his grandmother and no conclusions drawn on what I was going to have to do with him.

Another three days went past and on my way into the village on the fourth day I felt the earth fall from beneath my feet yet again. I was on the path when I came across two men talking in the trees. “We’ll give him another three days, but if he doesn’t turn up then we’ll have to go looking for him.”

My heart skipped a beat, I still did not know what I was going to do and my time had run out. I went into the village, got the bread and then ran home, arriving back in a less than a third of the time it had taken me to get there. I paused in the grass area and felt my cheeks warm as I saw Beau standing by the edge of the pool with his trousers soaking wet and his shirt in his hand, the water still dripping off his chest.

I turned and flew up the tree quickly and grabbed some fruit, glad that his shirt was back on by the time I got back down.

I went to sleep in the tree and the man’s screaming face still found me and haunted my visions like he did every night, his screams turning into my own as I woke out of my sub consciousness. I managed to slip back into a disturbed slumber as the sun rose. 

I woke the next morning to the sound of running water, confused I climbed down to the lowest branch of the tree and saw Beau in the pool, swimming up and down. I grabbed a couple of pieces of fruit and hung my legs down off the branch, just watching him swim, he was so powerful and efficient it surprise me slightly.

By the time he got out of the water I was already half way through the Tingure, I wove through the fifteenth stance and was about to go into the sixteenth, “Ilea?” I froze in mid flow and glared at him.

“What?” he looked at me and burst out laughing.

“Nothing, I just wanted to see what you’d look like if I stopped you in mid stance.” I glared at him again and carried on from the fifteenth stance.

“Ilea?” I did not stop.

“What?” I said through gritted teeth, trying to flow through the stances.

“Ilea?”

“What?”

“Ilea?”

“What!?” I shouted stopping and glaring at him.

“I don’t think that was a good idea.”

“You do not think what was a good idea?” I said unable to control the anger in my voice.

“I don’t think it was a good idea to stop you in mid stance.”

“Is that it!?” I shouted.

“Yes pretty much.” He smiled at me, and I had enough; I ran at him and tackled him to the floor, pinning him on the grass underneath me. I suddenly noticed that he still had no shirt on and felt myself turn hot. I got up off him quickly and turned away. “What was that?” he asked me, I could hear the smile in his voice.

“What was what?” I said trying to keep my voice even.

“That, you tackled me and then a faint blush came across your cheeks.” He said mockingly.

“No it did not.”

“Yes it did, the same thing happened yesterday.”

“I did not tackle you yesterday.”

“No, but your cheeks flushed when you arrived back and saw me without a top on.”

“They did no such thing.” I lied, pretending to try and sort out the buckle on my belt. I did not notice him dodge round me and looked up in surprise when he appeared in front of me, he caught my eye and I quickly looked away from him, walking around him and to the tree. I could not understand this.

I thought of why he might be trying to annoy me and the realisation struck - if I found him annoying I was more likely to let him go. I decided to turn the tables on him. I would make him the uncomfortable one. I smiled to myself as I decided on a new plan and started to put it into action.

Beau was just sitting on the grass, doing nothing when I leapt down from the tree, I had my old ethereal skirt on, hanging off my hips and my new corset, there was a slit up both sides of my skirt and my legs showed through it, as well as my stomach from the lack of top. I ignored him as I landed on the grass and walked over to the water, bending over and sweeping my loose hair across one shoulder, I bent my knees slightly and used my figure to my advantage. I could feel his eyes on me.

When I turned around he was staring at me with an open mouth, “Close your mouth.” I told him and turned around to conceal my smile when I heard his teeth smack together - Point two to me.

I spent the rest of the day doing menial tasks like washing my hair and clothes and helping Beau by washing his shirt. I was aware of Beau all the time, trying to make him feel awkward because of what I was wearing and how I looked, but he was doing exactly the same, it was definitely a game and we were running on even points, neither of us willing to loose.

I climbed up the tree; It was time to pull the last trick out of the bag, I took off my long skirt, keeping my short corset on and wrapping the robe around me, then floated down from the tree. “Right now I want you to climb into the tree.” I told beau.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“I’m not doing it until you give me a good reason.” He said folding his arms.

“Fine, I want to have a wash and I am not doing it while you are watching.”

“Oh.” His tanned skin turned a light shade of pink as he climbed into the tree obediently. I walked down to the pool and dropped the robe onto the floor, standing in the shallows in just my pants and corset. Wading in slowly, I cupped the water over my body with my hands and swam over to the red nectries tree, hiding behind the leafy curtain, just waiting. Sure enough he came down out of the tree.