THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[71.1] CONFESSIONS IN A TREE

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"And I'm sorry you had to hear that."

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I COULD FEEL the wind running through my curls and a strong steady beat of a heart beneath me, slow and easy as we raced through the forest. I knew we were moving fast; I knew things were coming in and out of sight in moments, but I dared not look up holding onto dear life, trying to sturdy any anxiety running wild and free inside me.

Then suddenly, it all stopped and all I could hear was a light breeze gliding past my ear-

"You can look up now, crazy locks," Lucas hummed softly.

I could feel his neck slightly curve to the side; my face still buried in his shoulder. I couldn't risk it. I had to be sure.

'Are you sure?' I signed, eyes still shut and cradled in his neck.

He chuckled at this, the action rumbling through me, "Quite."

I breathed in and out softly for a moment trying to regain a sense of feeling through my dizzy head. This is the closest I had ever been to a carnival ride and yet I was sure it was not as exhilarating as this.

I peeked up through my eyelashes over his shoulder allowing them to adjust my blurry gaze and the thudding in my head to at least somewhat decrease.

My eyes settled on a lofty shade of silver moonlight that grazed upon the lost glassy ocean far out before us. It seemed as if we were near the edge of Kingsland, seeing a totally different side of the ocean, where everything seemed peaceful and quiet like no other human had ever discovered this part of it.

It seemed like we were standing in a small clearing, shaped in a semicircle, the forest behind us.

A leaf kissed my shoulder and I looked up at the tree branches that wove above us, the culprit tree secluded from the other forest trees.

It looked older and more ancient with branches jutting out of from the bottom all the way to the top. It was such a large tree, I had to strain to look up at it, and yet it had one stray branch which was the lowest among the others. But everything was still a little bit spooky and I wasn't sure I was safe, especially when the rattling of a nearby bush caught my attention my heart pounding, arms tightening around Lucas, hiding behind his shoulder.

"Relax, it's just a rabbit. I sensed it five minutes before we got here," he eased my eyes catching sight of the furry creature that merely peaked up at us before scampering away, "and I think you should get down now, this is the second time you're trying to kill me, I honestly don't feel safe," he mused glancing down at my arm that was tightening like a boa constrictor around his neck.

I immediately relaxed slightly embarrassed. Shifting slightly, he lowered me back to the ground and I stood on my own-

For a second only- I felt myself tipping over at the sudden rush of it all, feeling a little bit oozy and also like I was about to throw up.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him in the swiftest reflexes I had ever seen, his arms snaking around me holding me flush against him.

He looked down at me with concern, a strange emotion flashing through his eyes for an instant, "are you okay?" he asked.

My eyes remained wide and my mouth slightly open, unable to believe the kind of position I had found myself in.

I nodded quickly so that this all could end and he smirked as if reading the expression on my face.