Legacy

Chapter 12: Fresh Air

The oversized flip-flops Michael let me use barely stay on my feet with each step I take, but the feeling of dewy grass against my toes is more than worth it. Every time I take a step cool droplets of water spritz up to my calves.

Michael keeps a pace of two steps behind me, allowing me to enjoy the day.

It's so cloudy out that the sky is just a smooth grey. I make my way to the edge of the forest and place my hand on the mossy bark of one of the front trees. I'm about to take a step around it when Michael's hand lands on my shoulder.

"Don't get any ideas," his voice purrs. "There're limits out here."

"Like?" I glance back at him.

"You may take a walk in the woods," he lifts a finger "but don't pick anything up. No sticks or stones, if you get my drift. And if I tell you to do something, you do it without hesitation."

I nod slowly and take a few steady steps into the woods. The ground slopes down only to jut back up at random angles beneath my feet.

Michael has gradually moved up so he can walk right beside me, which makes me feel more comfortable because I can make sure that he's not undressing me with his eyes. He keeps his eyes to the ground but occasionally glances over at the movement of my legs

Tiny drops of rain sprinkle down every few seconds, but I don't mind the gentle feeling.

The ground we walk gets damper as we come up to a spring in the middle of the woods. The rocks around it are coated with moss and the mere sound of the water makes my muscles relax all the way down to my toes.

Michael grips me by the hips and lifts me down to the uneven rocks. His hand gently closes around mine as he guides me down to the edge of the water. He kicks off his tennis shoes and dips his toes in the water as he sits down on one of the rocks.

I watch the water flow over his feet as I slide off my shoes and sit between his legs. My toes touch the surface of the freezing water and I lean back into Michael as it swallows both my feet in the stream.

"Like it," Michael asks as he pulls me closer.

"Yes, I do." I flick some water in the air with my toe. "Thank you for bringing me here." I curl my fingers around his hand and he raises them to his lips. "It's nice."

"I'm glad you like it." Michael's chin rests on my shoulder. "If you're always this good, we can come here more often." He pecks me on the cheek.

We sit in silence for a few minutes and I feel his fingers crawling through my hair. "Why do you always wear your hair in a braid?" I shrug. The rubber band falls to my lap as Michael undos my braid.

I'm about to say something when he buries his nose in my hair and sniffs it. I freeze and he chuckles.

His lips float right at the crook of my neck and the feeling of his hot breath on my skin is the exact opposite of the feeling of my toes in the water.

"You wanna tell me 'bout that dream now?" Those lips close firmly against my neck.

I shake my head both as an answer and as a means of pushing him away. It's the best I can do without the risk of making him angry again.

"Come on," he whispers in my ear. "It might just make you feel better."

I don't answer.

"Not very talkative today, huh," he says as one of his hands goes down to my thigh.

Suddenly we're back in the bathtub, me frozen in terror and Michael's fingers playing with my... anyway... but not going inside. He doesn't stop until something comes out of me. He seems so proud of himself... maybe it took less time than it felt like for me to... to...