The Kiss part 4

Allyson followed quietly behind Vaan not wishing to annoy him. She couldn’t help wondering why he was so stern. She couldn’t remember meeting someone so obviously unhappy before. If he hadn’t of saved her life she really wouldn’t have gone anywhere near him.

Vaan walked on in silence trying to figure out what to do with the weird girl who now followed behind him. “Her cloths are so bizarre,” He thought.  “ And her hair, it was…. almost red.” In this area red hair was about as rare as his own light skin and dark eyes and hair. “ What have I gotten myself into?” He thought.

The forest was dark and frightening to Allison. She knew she was not anywhere on earth, for nowhere on earth was there a place with people and forests like this. Adding being away from home, to this eerie forest made her want to cry, but she didn’t. There was no way she was going to let herself go into a panic. She just trudged on, letting this stranger named Vaan lead her.

A cold wind blew making Allyson in her wet cloths shudder. Looking around, the one dense ocean of barren trees was beginning to thin out a little. The sky was no longer blue or gray but pitch black. Allyson knew it was now nighttime. She rubbed her arms with her hands trying to warm up. Vaan noticed. “ We’re almost there.” He said glancing at her over his shoulder. Allyson was shocked. He sounded almost concerned.

Suddenly Vaan took a right, veering off the path. Without complaint Allyson followed. He led her through trees, and fallen branches and some thorn patches, which he failed to warn her about. Allyson wasn’t thrilled about the thorns and the many pricks and scratches she received. She was happy though, that thorns were her only struggles because she could think of may worse things that could happen.

Then up ahead came the sight of a small little house, made of wood and stone. A barrel to store water was in the front, a fire pit, and a small house for an old German shepherd looking dog that lay sound asleep inside. Just beyond the house there was a man made fenced in clearing, with a stable of sorts. She assumed that there was a horse kept there. It was incredibly rustic, but it was pretty, in its own humble way. She liked it though she didn’t tell him that.

Vaan led her up to the house and the dog never stirred. “ That’s some watch dog you got there.” Said Allyson. Vaan didn’t look at her and replied a little annoyed.

“ That’s Doon.”

Allyson smiled staring at the dog, and Vaan opened the door to the house. He went inside without saying a word, so Allyson just followed him.

Inside was all one room. A fireplace with a bench in front of it, a bed in one corner, a table in the other, and some cabinets for storing things. There was one window and a few rugs on the floor, and some candles too, but that was about it. Vaan unloaded the wood he had been carrying, placing half inside, and then proceeded to carry the rest outside. The cabin was dark as no light had yet to have been made. Allyson just stood to the left of the doorway, trying figure out what she should do. When Vaan came back inside he just stared at her dumb founded. “ You can sit down.” He told her. He then left her and began to make a fire in the fireplace.

Allyson took a seat on the bench but not before she took off her torn up flip-flops that left her feet just as torn up and dirty. She left those by the door. Even after all the walking she had just done her cloths were still wet. Allyson found that there are few things more annoying that wearing wet pants on a walking trip. Her pants that now had a dozen holes in them from the patches of thorns she was led through. “What kinda guy is this? “ She thought.

Vaan turned to her and Allyson thought he was going to say something but he didn’t. Instead her looked at her up and down, scratching his head. “ What are you doing?” Asked Allyson pulling her knees to her chin. She didn’t like him staring. His light colored cheeks turned a slight rosey shade. “ It’s not like that at all.” He snapped.

 “ I’m just trying to figure out some thing for you to wear, so you can get out of those wet cloths.” Allyson let out an “ O.” as her only reply.

Vaan went over to one of the wardrobes and pulled out a white tunic shirt and a pair of worn cloth pants. “ Try these.” He said dropping them into her lap. He then made a quick exit from the cabin, so she could dress in privacy. Allyson quickly undressed, and put on the cloths.

The shirt was huge on her and she had to roll up the sleeves, but the pants were almost to small and didn’t even reach her ankles. Allyson laughed aloud thinking about how ridiculous she must look.

“ Are you finished?” asked Vaan voice from outside the door. Allyson went ands opened the door greeting him with a cheery “ Yes.” A smirk appeared on his face he saw her there in the doorway. Vaan’s mocking smile gave away his amusement but he didn’t say anything. He knew better than that.

Alyson noticed that he had changed cloths as well. “Give me your things.’ he said walking past Allyson towards the fire. He strung a rope across the house in front of the fire. Together they put their wet things on the line. The cloths looked so strange while next to each other. A tunic next to a sweat shirt, jean capris next to cloth pants, the only thing that was relatively the same were the t shirt and his under shirt, but even those were different cause Allyson’s T had little turtles on it.

Allyson tip toed across the cold wood floor, with her now bare feet and sat on the bench by the fire. Vaan stayed on the floor.  She was grateful to him. She was happy to be safe in a house, not alone, and in dry warm cloths. “ Thank you.” She blurted out. Vaan looked at her as though she had just pulled him out of a dream. It took a moment for the words to register. “ Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “ I still don’t know what I’m going to do with you.” Alyson was taken back. “ Do with me? What do you mean?”

Vaan stared at her with an irritated expression. “ Well considering, I just saved you from drowning in a pool, and I don’t know where you come from, and you don’t’ seem to know where you are. I’d say we have a lot to go though before you start thanking me.”

All of that was true. “ What do want to know?” asked Allyson. Vaan turned his back to the fire, so as to face her. “ Where do you come from?” he said. “ Iowa.” Said Allyson. Vaan furrowed his brow. “ I’ve never heard of it.” “ How about America?” She asked him and he just nodded no again. “ Well…. how about earth?” She added as a joke.  Vaan had never heard of any of these. For Allyson this was shocking and yet still she had expected as much. Allyson then went on to tell her story about falling into the lake at her grandfather’s farm, and waking up to his face above her own.