take me (Chapter two)

Chapter two: disorientation
/d?s?:r??n'te??(?)n/
a state of confusion with regard to time, place or identity
a delusion

The forest went entirely quiet as if everything momentarily froze in time. The only sound being Almalthea's rapid heartbeat. She can feel a slight shift behind her as she feels a breeze of warm air hitting the right side of her neck. Amalthea's eyes are wide open and on high alert, yet she does not dare to move an inch of her body. After seemingly hours of pure silence, whatever stood behind her made its way around, never removing its hand or whatever else may be covering her mouth. Be a hand, she pleaded inwardly. Clenching her eyes shut tightly, Almalthea prays for the ground to swallow her and take her far far away.

Her entire body goes stiff and she snaps her eyes open again at the sound of a low and deep voice. "you really do not want to know what might hear your scream. Hasnt anyone warned you?". She notices its eyes first. Even under the dim light of the forest you can make out the clear grey orbs that carry no emotion whatsoever. As her curious eyes wander she can make out a figure that looks like it's similar build to a.. man. Sharp features painting its muscular face while two horns sit on his forehead. As she examines this creature further Almaltha notices his slightly pointed ears and freckles on its face, a rather big scar being visible on his cheekbone.

Before she gets the chance to examine him further his harsh voice breaks the silence once more. "And blood will attract them even faster" he mumbles as he harshly grabs her wrists. Almalthea didn't even notice she was digging her nails into her thighs until he removed them, shivers running down her spine from its touch. Confused and still uneasy with his presence she set her gaze back to his piercing eyes. The once emotionless eyes now look angry and irritated, glaring at her.

Once again she can feel her head starting to get heavy as it gets more and more complicated to leave her eyes open and focused. She knows exactly what will occur in mere seconds, having experienced it often enough. A look of confusion forms on his face as he loosens his grip on Almalthea's mouth and wrists to hold onto her shoulders in an attempt to steady her.

She can faintly hear someone call her name multiple times before dizziness takes over and her vision begins to darken.

Almalthea, Almalthea, Almalthea!

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The first noticeable thing is the familiar taste on my tongue, making me feel nauseous all over again. As I try to gulp down the metallic taste I realize how incredibly dry my throat is. Knowing well enough that it will do absolutely no good to open my eyes yet, I just lay there and let my mind wander. It could have been minutes, hours until my mind finally comprehended the event that led me to lose my consciousness, causing me to sit upright and snap my eyes open, the feeling of panic returning immediately. 

Only after my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light did I notice that I am no longer surrounded by a coat of cold damp air and wet leaves underneath me. This anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach seems to grow into terror when I finally observe my surroundings. The fast left and right movement of my head almost made me fall back on the surface that seems surprisingly quite.. soft?

Countless thoughts, millions of questions as to where I am, why I am where I am and what brought me here, and endless possibilities and scenarios are rushing through my mind. Looking underneath myself I'm met with a rather soft mattress and a thin white blanket covering my legs. As the sound of rain splattering against windows reaches my ears I look up to observe the room I am in. 

It seems to be a small and dilapidated house, similar to mine. From the corner where I am in, I have a clear sight of what seems to be some kind of living and bedroom combined in one. With the mattress that I'm sitting on included it only has a small and worn out looking sofa as well as a coffee table and another stool. The, what I guess is some kind of kitchen, is open and directly connected with this room, making everything seem as one. The furniture seems to fit perfectly together as they all share the same grey-brown-ish tone, looking old yet convenient. To my right there is a lit fireplace that lets pleasant waves of warm air touch my sore skin.

But that fact makes me instantly snap out of my thoughts as I realize that the lit fire means that I am not alone. I look around once more but I am met with nothing but the sound of fire cracking and falling rain. I know I should leave before the creature that brought me here comes back, I really should. 

But I simply can't. It's like something inside of me prevents me from moving, making me remain in my spot. With a racing heart and an unsteady breath I stare at the door, mentally preparing myself for the worst to happen when I am to be no longer by myself.

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Whatever Almalthea tried to prepare herself for did not help nor prevent anything, probably only made this anxious feeling worse. She continued to stare at the door for what felt like hours, waiting for something to happen. Anything. Her mind went through each and every possible scenario that could occur when someone finds her.

The sound of footsteps outside of the little house made her eyes snap wide open and her breath pause, hoping that whatever is outside will halt as well. It didn't. The footsteps grow louder and louder until the door finally creaks open, revealing a familiar looking creature. Only now it seems way taller and much more terrifying.

Due to the lack of light, the only thing you can make out is a dark figure standing in the doorway, looking directly to where Almalthea sits on the bed. She is completely frozen in place, unable to grasp what is happening. A few more silent seconds pass until the creature finally moved inside and locked the door behind him. He starts to make its way towards her, the light of the fireplace making it able for Amalthea to see its features better. It is the creature from the forest. The one that held her. 

He looks just like what she can remember from their brief encounter in the woods. Dreary eyes and a terrifyingly hard gaze. Though since he was kneeling in front of her in the forest Almalthea wasn't able to see much from his body, which appears to be very firm and muscular, looking as if he'd be twice as tall as her. 

He stops at the end of the bed she is sitting on, staring at her with an unplaceable look on his face. "Almathea?" His voice slices the air, her breath halting as she can feel her heartbeat loud and clear ringing in her ears. There it was again, she thought. "how do you know?" she breathes out, her voice being barely audible. There is a long pause of silence where they both just blankly stare at each other. After seemingly hours he speaks up again. "Cassius" Is all he says, making Almalthea frown in confusion.

"My name is Cassius" he clarifies. 

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The fact that she is still here means that she probably only awoke not long ago. Else she would have surely left already. The air is filled with a lot of tension as I'm trying my best to figure her out. She is still wearing that unsatisfied and confused look on her pale face. Looking a bit close you can see how she shivers slightly, goosebumps covering her supple skin.

As I make my way around towards the fireplace I can see in the corner of my eyes that she shifts a little in what I'm guessing is uneasiness. But to be fair in her situation I can't blame her. I grab a few pieces of the wood laying next to the fireplace and add them to the fire. Looking if Almalthea stopped shivering I turned my head around, noticing that her sitting position is now facing me. Her thin lips are slightly parted as she continues to watch me.

When her eyes finally meet mine again she speaks up, her raspy voice filling my ears. "Why" she asked. The look on her face seems conflicted and uncertain, the rough tone hinting that she is most likely in need of something to drink. I question her on what she meant and she replied "Why did you bring me here?". 

"you lost consciousness." I stated, being slightly confused by her choice of question. She could have said anything, ask who I am and tell me to stay away. Where am I? What are you? What will you do with me? Please don't kill me. Those would in my mind be more accurate questions to ask in a situation like this. "You could have just left me there" she acknowledged, the confusion on her face still being present.

"I could have." I said as I started making my way towards her again, careful to not scare her. "But you didn't." she snapped back immediately, her voice holding more force and certainty than before. Almalthea truly amazes me, I could sit and watch her for days trying to figure out every facade she holds up. Despite her sure tone, I can still scent her nervousness next to the sweet smell of lavender and musky rain. "I didn't."

A small smile of triumph forms on my face when Almalthea doesn't flinch nor scoot away as I come closer. Hoping that means that she somewhat accepted my presence I reach over to the small and aged table standing next to the bed to grab the glass of water and give it to her. She eyes me warily and didn't take it immediately, making me wonder what's going on inside that head of hers. "The water won't bite." I tell her after she blankly stares at the glass in her hand.

Her gaze finds mine again and she takes a small sip, never breaking eye contact. "But maybe you will." A smirk makes its way on my face as a satisfied sigh leaves her purple-ish lips. She would genuinely have a death wish if she'd trust me instantly, and from what I've seen she is not a person that trusts easily.  Not an easy person generally. I bet she has just as many demons hidden as I do, and maybe one day they will come out to play.

"Maybe."