Fur vs Skin | on hold

5.

↠C h a p t e r F i v e↞
FINDING ONESELF

❝Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.❞

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        It took a couple of days for my head to fully heal, the throb of it kind of being a reminder of where I was and how I have gotten to where I am and what I know of. Those days also consisted of me standing near the window and watching the storm pass by, not a single moment helping settle my mind.

Questions took up most of my conscious, most of them questioning myself; why am I still here? Why aren't I running away? and I silence them all with the same answer, because I simply have nowhere else to go, the image of my mother flickering in and out of my mind. I shut my eyes and breathe out heavily.

There was a time Marcus asked what happened that lead up to me being lost in the woods, it didn't take much for the memories to come pouring into my head, knocking the breath out of me. I physically could not get the words out nor did I want to; it would definitely take some time before I was able to even open my mouth about the matter.

The distant sound of thumping causes me to open my eyes and stare out the window, watching as Arsen places another tree stump on the board, raising the ax above his head, his back bare as the muscles contracting with the movements.

That was another problem.

Something was up and I didn't know what it was, whenever we were in a room together the temperature would rise and the air between us will zap and attack at my nerves: a force trying to bring me near his body. He never spoke, just simply stared with an intensity only the sun could give off. I continued to watch as he nudged the chopped wood off the board and placed another stump on top and drew the ax once more above his head.

"Amelia?"

I jump, startled, and turn around coming face to face with an unknown woman — who seemed startled by my sudden movements. Regaining her composure, she smiles at me, her brown eyes glimmering.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, that wasn't my intention. You're Amelia, right?" she speaks, her tone soft as she steps a bit closer into the room.

I nod, my heart slowing down from its fright, "Yes, that's me, and you are. .?"

"Ah, I'm Santha, Marcus's wife," she says. "I'm sure he's told you about me."

"He has."

"He better have," she laughs to herself, "Are you hungry? I can make a little something for you."

I cast a small glance behind me, to see Arsen still working the ax, turning back; I nod. "If you don't mind?"

"Of course not! This way."

Santha soon leads me to the kitchen where she soon set up to makes dinner, pulling ingredients from the cabinets and more from the fridge, it seemed she knew her place around as she moved and shifted swiftly in the given space.

"I'm sorry it took me this long to introduce myself," she starts to say, the pan on top of the stove sizzling as the grease began to pop, "I was away, visiting family when I heard of your arrival."

She looks over her shoulder at me as I sit at the island counter, the white of her smile standing out against her dark brown skin, she soon turns back around and focuses on the food she's cooking, her hands moving around and grabbing for things. There was a short moment of silence as I drift off with my thoughts, my eyes focused on her back, it wasn't long before she spoke again.