Escaped

Chapter Fifteen

On our third day on the island, with no privacy and a constant air of apprehension, fear, worry, and tension, Luke and I were on the verge of going insane. 

So, naturally, we excused ourselves from the cabin while everyone else was talking and trying to liven the atmosphere. We walked through the small forest, the pine needles and fresh green leaves crunching beneath our feet, the fading evening sunlight pouring in through the trees.

"This is nice. We need some time to ourselves to just relax and enjoy each other in the midst of this mess," I shook my head. "Sometimes I can't help but think that perhaps it would just have been easier to not have escaped at all. Malaya would still be alive, you and the boys would still be safe."

"No, Aurelie," Luke responded, gripping my hand as we made our way to the shore, the surprisingly soft sand letting our feet sink into it like a cloud. "You made our lives so much better by getting out of there. If Malaya were still alive and you hadn't escaped, she'd hate her life right now, having to endure day after day of having to watch them tort... tor-to... ahem, torture," he had to force the word out, "you. I can guarantee you that she'd rather die than have to watch that. And your father? He never would have found you. I bet you if he got anywhere close, Jack would have closed in and fed him a false lead to get him away from you. Us? You helped Jacob get back in touch with his element. He... look," he lowered his voice, "he wouldn't want me to tell you this, but before we found you, he'd been having trouble with the earth. His garden was starting to wilt, and he was having problems getting it to revive. He'd been trying to get his past behind him, and he wasn't having an easy time with it. When he met you, and recognized that you knew what it's like to have a dark past, he realized he isn't alone... and I guess that was the push he needed. Blake? He's... well, remember when we were going to go to school, and he was angry with me?"

"Yes, I do," I nodded, reminiscing the simple days when all we had to worry about was why Blake was upset. That seemed like nothing compared to the dilemma we faced today. 

"Well, he was angry because you had moved into my room, and... well, he was jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?"

"Of you moving into my room instead of his."

"Why would he be jealous about that?" I furrowed my brows, thoroughly confused. 

"Because, Aurelie, he loved you," he chuckled at my density. My eyes widened, and I gasped.

"Oh! Like how I was... er, I was jealous of Alison, because I loved you but I did not know that at the time?"

"Yeah, exactly, beautiful. He- well, actually, he thought he loved you, but it was just a simple infatuation. He hadn't been with a female in quite awhile, and you're just so beautiful that it overwhelmed him. He got over it, though."

"So... what about you?" I asked as the water of the lake washed over our bare feet.

"What about me... what?" he replied, stepping closer. 

"Is what you feel for me just an... infatuation? Did my.. my beauty overwhelm you, and make you think you love me?" I questioned playfully. He leaned down, his nose brushing over mine. 

"Aurelie... I was blown away by how gorgeous you are. I knew that I would fall for you, and not because of your looks. I could see your strength in your eyes, I could see that you would take anything anybody threw at you and handle it. I was very overwhelmed by your beauty... but this is nowhere near an infatuation. I am so deeply in love with you, I would die for you. I would take your place in that goddamned facility if I had to, if that was what it would take to keep you safe."