Burning Desires

1

Loud cackles erupted from my stomach and tears pooled up in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill. I don't know why I was laughing so hard, but all of sudden I couldn't stop. Willow looked at me strangely as my breath came out in short gasps between my uncontrollable burst of laughter.

After a good minute of her face plastered with a weird expression, she caught my infectious laugh and let out a guffaw. She couldn't stop her face reddening, from the lack of oxygen, and soon we were both on the grass, clutching our stomachs with tears streaming down our faces.

The feeling of contentment and warmth consumed every fibre of our bodies as we soon came to a stop, both sighing and staring up at the sky that held a soft blue glow. Feeling the soft grass under my back and refreshing breeze that danced on the surface of my skin,  I reached over to grab Willow's hand and intertwine it with mine, grateful to be able to share this moment with my sister.

"Isla? Willow?" I heard my mother call out. I looked toward my right to see my parents walking in our direction with a basket in their hands. Beams of light shone right on them, enhancing my mother's radiance and beauty, and my father's smile as his eyes roamed his wife's face.

Sitting down next to me and Willow, they unpacked the basket, revealing a red checkered blanket and mounds of food.

"Mmm, did you make tuna sandwiches?" I asked, my mouth practically drooling.

"Now what would be a picnic without tuna sandwiches," my mum replied.

"An actual picnic, tuna stinks," Willow grimaced. Me and dad rolled our eyes taking a bite of the delicious sandwich, only after sneaking a glance at Willow who had her lips slightly tilted upwards, almost as if she was trying to restrain her smile.

After eating, we decided to take a stroll in the meadow, that casts the trees in their virescent hues and exposes the yellow sunflowers that bloomed only a few weeks ago. The smell of lavender and crushed rose petals drifted into my nostrils as we wandered down the glorious expanse of the meadow, hearing the grass rustling gently in the crisp breeze.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dandelion amongst the red, satin roses swaying in time with the light wind. Bending down to pick it up, I accidentally pricked myself on the thorns of a rose. A frown etched on my face, and eyebrows knotted together, when I noticed a small trail of blood trickle down my finger.

Feeling confused, I dig down deep trying to find a source of happiness to rid myself of this foreign emotion. Surely I wasn't supposed to experience this kind of sentiment, surely this wasn't supposed to happen; I've gotten used to being untroubled, so trying to understand this was incomprehensible. Dropping the dandelion, letting the seeds obliterate into the soil, I stand up abruptly, walking ahead of my family.

Looking above at the soaring wings slicing through the silver linings of the clouds, I realised, in this world, we are the same as the birds. They explore every inch of the sky, we explore every inch of the land; they fly amongst their flock, and we are nothing without our family; they have no worries and are carefree, we mirror those emotions and indulge in the happiness we are surrounded with.

My life was fulfilled with delight and felicity, which I embraced, and it would be selfish of me to ask for more. So why was I currently gazing at the singing birds and wanting other company that could satisfy my every need? Or perhaps someone to explore a deep passionate and romantic feeling with? Or even me relishing in the undivided attention of flashing lights and nameless people screaming my name?

Then, in the blink of an eye, my perfect visionary of yellow and dewy meadow dissolved at the sight of a menacing black shadow vaguely making out the exterior of a man. He turns around just as I started to walk towards him, but his long strides nearly rid himself of my vision.

Confused, I walk faster trying to catch up with him, but that didn't suffice as he was only getting further away from me.

So I started to run.

Sprinting through the trees, feeling the wind collide with my face, my heart pounding at even the thought of a foreign man invading my world. As I draw closer to him, the wild thumping in my neck continues to pulsate and eventually matches up to my breathless and panting state. He was only a few yards away from me now, so I reach out and place my hand on his arm.

His head swivelled, clearly startled by my touch as he peered down at me. His eyes were a soft washed out green, like a favourite sweater that's been worn too many times. His lips, almost velvety, were parted in surprise with his eyebrows slightly raised. His hair, dark and lustrous, had a sheen like fine hardwood that bounced of the sun rays and fell past his shoulders in loose curls; his chiselled jawline poking out.

The enticement of his achingly striking features had my lips parted, mirroring his actions, and I found my words melting on the suddenly heated surface of my tongue.

I quickly regained my composure, cleared my throat, and started to form coherent words whilst removing my hand from his arm: "I'm-

-

Gasping, I sat up abruptly, waking up from what seemed like a deep slumber. Whipping my head in several directions with squinted eyes, I tried to make out my surroundings. I groaned as I saw a bright red light flashing sporadically next to me. Frowning in confusion, I noticed multiple wires surrounding my temples and arms, when I felt a hard surface hit the back of my head, knocking me back into the depths of the darkness.

If there is any repetition, just know it is intentional ;) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, remember to vote and comment!

- Yas x