Where The Earth Meets The Sky

Chapter 10- Liana's POV

  I hear a light knock on my door, and I bury deeper into my covers, hoping I can fall asleep fast enough to avoid whoever is on the other side of the door.

  “Liana?” At first I think it is papa, but the voice is so hushed it’s hard to tell.

  I groan.

  “Come in,” I say hoping that if it is papa, he won’t.

   I see a tangle of brown hair, and sigh. It is just Blaze.

  “I need the paper,” Blaze says, his eyes wild like a raging fire.

  “Why?” I ask, flipping my covers off, reaching for my nightstand.

  “I just need it Lia. Trust me, okay?” I hear a startling note of sincerity in his words, like he is saying something without uttering his exact thoughts.

  “I trust you Blaze,” I say, pushing the piece of tarnished paper into his palm.

  He nods, his eyes darting around my room.

  “Thank you,” Blaze says, his voice quiet.

  He starts to leave my room, and I quietly get up, hoping to be able to follow him undetected.

  He slips down the stairs, heading towards the living room, and I stand up against a wall. Making sure he can’t see me. He brushes his fingers over our fireplace’s mantelpiece, and I instantly feel a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. He’s by the fireplace, his eyes watching the flickering flames dance. Before I can muster a single word, he throws the piece of paper into the burning embers at the base of the fire, then turns back around.

  I scurry towards the stairs, running up them, making it to my room, hopefully without Blaze seeing me. In this intense moment I almost can’t remember the lines that were written on the paper, but they slowly come back to me in a sweet lull.

      It is seen that light and darkness will bicker. Future and past will quarrel. But the good and bad will unite. Time will tell. The outcome will haunt.

  My heart races when I hear padded footsteps on the stairs.

  “Liana?” Blaze’s voice seeps through my door, pouring over me. I shake, recalling that look in his eyes as he had thrown the paper to the flames. His eyes had mimicked the fire, wild and dangerous.

  “What?” I whisper, my voice coming out like a whimper, and I clear my throat.

  “I love you,” He whispers through the door.

  I shake my head. That’s all he ever says anymore. He keeps reminding me that he loves me.

  “I love you too, Blaze, but I’m… I’m rather tired. We can talk in the morning,” I say, finally building up enough courage to step away from the door.

  “Goodbye Liana,” Blaze says, and I hear him retreating, heading back to his room.

  I scurry back over to my bed, curling up in a ball, wrapping my blankets tightly around my shoulders. I try to wipe Blaze from my head, hoping to be able to sleep, wake up, and realize this was a dream. But I know it is not. I know that whatever secret Blaze is keeping, I have become a part of unwillingly. And it is all very, very real.

  I make my way down the path, eyeing the woods. They look so welcoming right now, and I can’t help but take a few steps in that direction. I’m about to turn around, back towards the path when I see a figure dash from behind the old warehouse, sprinting into the tree line. I recognize the hair and the tattered clothing almost instantly.