Droplets (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 1) (10 page)

10. Wondering

A small squeal left my lips and I struggled to pull free. The vice-like grip only tightened more, but I pulled harder, not caring. The man’s grip only grew tighter. With my other hand I reached around and tried to pry his fingers from my wrist, still ignoring the pain. I strained for the edge of the cliff, but I could not get any closer.

     The man’s deep voice reached my ears, but in my fright I could not hear what he was saying. Petrified I continued to strain for the water. The man’s other hand wrapped around my wrist that was attempting to pry his fingers. Realizing he had both my wrists and I was trapped, sheer panic reigned through my veins. Away I scrambled, my feet clawing at the ground and my eyes never leaving the sight of the water.

     With a sharp tug he stopped my progress and I found myself face to face with the man. My chest was heaving from exertion and I trembled with fear. Eyes wide, I tried to calm myself as I looked up into the face of the man who held me captive.

     He was young, much younger than I had thought he was. There was something in his eyes, however, that spoke of experience and years beyond what his face showed. He stood taller and broader than my brothers and one glance at his arms revealed large, toned muscle beneath his tanned skin. His chest rose slowly in perfect, rhythm against the white shirt he wore.

     My eyes flickered back to his face. They grazed over his strong jaw, looked to his light hair of gold streaked with brown honey. Again I looked back at his face, my perusal taking no more than a second, and met his eyes. The dark brown irises met mine with equal caution and there was something about his gaze that made me think he was as afraid of me as I was of him.

     After measuring up one another for what seemed like a lifetime he finally spoke.

     “Just stop,” he said. His voice was calm and soothing. The baritone words rolled over me, but I had a hard time contemplating what they meant. 

     “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry I frightened you—it wasn’t my intent.” His eyes told me more than his words could. I gazed back at him stunned, my breath catching in my throat. A wary confusion began to creep into his face and I felt his grip on my wrists loosen slightly. Embarrassed, I broke away from his eyes.

     My gaze fell to his large, tan hands that encircled my wrists with perfect ease. They were powerful and made me fear him. Cautiously, as though worried about what I might do, he let my wrists go. My arms fell automatically to my sides. 

     I wouldn’t look up. I was too afraid. There was something in his eyes that reminded me of Morven. The seriousness of his gaze penetrated my soul, willing me to give myself over to his control.

     “Who are you?” He asked, his deep voice demanding an answer. The abruptness of his question took me off guard and I lifted my eyes to his once more, not sure of how I should answer.
Would he believe the truth?

     “Why are you here?” He questioned even more harshly, making me flinch. I knew I could not answer and once more I remained silent beneath his constant, evaluating eyes.

     An irritated sigh escaped his lips, and he looked out over the ocean. His eyes squinted as he stared at the glare coming off the water. Placing his hands along the waistband of his khaki cargo shorts, which were frayed along the edges, he mumbled inaudibly to himself and ran a hand through his golden hair.

     I watched him carefully and saw his eyes shift suspiciously. He appeared to be contemplating something, something that included me. I held my breath in anticipation.

     “Even if you can’t understand me,” he said as he backed away from me, his movements cautious, “come.” I eyed him, unsure of what he was doing and still pondering his words. Once he was a good distance away from me, he beckoned with his hand.

    
Did he think I couldn’t understand him?
Again I continued to stare, wondering why I could not find the courage to speak and partially amused by his lack of perception. He swore under his breath and I hesitated, not sure what he would do.

     “Come,” he said, as though I were stupid. He repeated the same hand movement.  He was half-turned away from me, trying to show that I was to follow him. Giving in to his demands, I spoke, “Okay.” He froze and his eyes tightened.

     “You can understand me?” he asked.  I nodded. He looked at me curiously his hand twitching by his side. Frustration lined his jaw, and I felt guilty.

     “Then when I… Why wouldn’t you …?” he was at a loss for words.

     “I’m Lissie.” I said. My voice was too feeble and quiet.

     He straightened his already broad shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest. My eyes flicked away toward the ground and I swallowed loudly. He inhaled deeply and spoke again in that deep voice.

     “Well, Lissie, I guess it is,” he said forcefully. I could feel his gaze bearing down upon me but couldn’t look up. “How did you get here?”

     His eyes were intense as he waited for my reply. My mind raced, unsure of how I should answer.

     “I’m… not really sure.” I said. He looked even fiercer.

    “I see,” he said disbelievingly. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again.

     I wondered how I could explain myself. I didn’t want to cause him any trouble; I had obviously intruded his island. I was sure that I was unwanted company.

     I jostled my leg in irritation. Maybe I could make a run for it; I could catch him off guard and be gone in an instant. My plan began to form in my mind. I believed it could work and my heart pounded heavily in anticipation. My right foot moved slightly to get a better stance on the ground. I switched my weight to this foot, but his eyes shifted down as if he saw what I was doing. 

    “Come on,” he jerked his head back towards the trees preventing me from making a dash toward the water. When I didn’t move, his face hardened. “You are coming whether you like it or not.” His threat hung in the air and we stared at each other, quickly evaluating the other’s strengths and weaknesses. His eyes softened slightly.

     “Just come on.” Again he gestured to the trees behind him and I found my resolve slowly crumbling.  

     With a renewed sense of courage I stepped toward him. Approval filled his eyes and he made a small nod with his head, as though he was relieved. In a quick move he picked something up off the ground and held it in front of his body out of my sight. Confused I followed him down the slope toward the trees.

     Just before stepping into the shadows of the leafy branches from above, he stopped and turned toward me. With an open arm he gestured for me to continue in front of him. I hesitated but the object in his right hand caught the light of the setting sun and sent a sharp thrum of fear through my soul.

     I knew I had no choice but to move forward. The dagger in his hand would force me to bend to his will.

     Anxiety surged through my veins and pounded in my heart with every step I took. We walked deeper and deeper into the island. There was something about the place that fascinated and frightened me. The grass tickled my bare feet and the air was alive with the movement of the dancing tree branches, but I was constantly aware of the footsteps following my own.

     He didn’t speak, except to direct me either to the right or left. I jumped every time he broke the silence. Something in his voice made my stomach feel as though it was plummeting to the grass-carpeted ground.

     Moving forward, I clumsily stumbled over a pesky root from a tree and staggered to the side. I hastily reached out and caught onto a branch to prevent myself from falling onto the earth. Once steadied, my eyes returned to the young man and widened in surprise. His jaw was clenched tightly, his arms flexed, but what caught my eye the most was the dagger pointing directly at me. For the moment I stood horrified and chills ran down my spine.

     Slowly his stance relaxed and the dagger lowered. I hesitated and stepped away from the tree branch.

     “Sorry,” I said softly. My voice was barely audible.

     He nodded, acknowledging my statement, and then spoke, “Before we go any further I need answers.” My heart pounded heavily at those words. What could I tell him?

     “So,” he continued and gave me a questioning look by raising one eyebrow, “who are you?” I swallowed hard, still unprepared to answer.

     “Umm, I already told you,” I said weakly. I looked at the ground.

     I knew what he wanted and when I glanced at his face I could see he expected a full answer. I sighed heavily and looked into the trees while my mouth ran through the quickly constructed story.
At least some of it’s true
, I thought.

     “A while ago I was on a boat with my father and brothers when we got caught in a huge storm and I was thrown overboard.” I took a big breath and carried on, “Since then I’m not really sure what’s happened. Being thrown overboard is all I really remember, and I’m not really even sure how I’ve survived since then. I’m not sure where I am, what I’m doing, or what will happen next, but…” I broke off because I could think of nothing else to say that would enlighten him and at the same time keep me from trouble.

     “I see,” he said. He rubbed the back of his neck in a distressed manner and looked away for a moment. “Lead on, straight ahead.”

    “Okay,” I nodded, knowing he hadn’t bought my story. Without another word I turned around and began to make my way through the trees. The silence behind me was eerie. Like a shadow I knew he was behind me, but I couldn’t hear him anymore.

     As we got further into the island the trees began to thin out. Between the dark thick trunks of the trees was a brown sea grass that rippled through the air like a sheet rustling in the wind. Up above I heard birds calling to one another, their cheerful voices contrasting with the stretching sunset shadows of the forest.

     Further ahead we came upon a wall of greenery that stretched out of sight to either side of where we stood. Immense shrubs grew to the height of a house, the leaves all stretching to the sky as though trying to grasp the last few rays of daylight before the sun hid itself for the night.

     Finally making a sound, my captor moved from behind me and walked toward an area in the green wall that I hadn’t noticed before. The branches in this spot were worn down, as though from years of use as a gateway to what lay beyond it. I peered into the opening trying to see what lay ahead, but the tunnel was too shadowed to reveal the other side.

     Without saying a word, I moved into the hidden opening and passed through the leafy pathway. Ducking under the last branch, I stepped out of the natural wall and straightened up. My eyes widened.

    I passed him, went through the vine door, and could not believe my eyes. The natural beauty now surrounding me surpassed the rest of the island entirely. Massive trees with gargantuan trunks stood before me; in between the trees, spanning widely across the ground, were wild flowers of all different colors. The flowers blew softly in the gentle breeze. Rippling in unison, as though they knew how beautiful they were.

       The trees, with thick strong branches, continued so high they looked as if they tickled the now azure clouds. There was something about the branches that were inviting. They whispered on the breeze tempting their onlookers to climb into their grasp. Hidden in the shadows below were the massive roots coming out of the ground and then plunging back into the earth with fervor.   

     Glancing around, I noticed that the wall of shrubs we had walked through earlier created a large oval surrounding the meadow. The diameter was at least twice as long as a football field and successfully created seclusion from the rest of the island.

     Off to one side I noticed a small patch of land containing plants of various shapes, sizes, and colors in neat rows. Before I could even ask what it was, my mind answered the question. It was a garden. Was it really possible that this young man lived here alone?

     Flicking my eyes to the side I caught him staring at me. His brow was creased but he looked less tense than before. 

      “It’s beautiful,” I said, hoping to distill the silence between us.

     Once more he nodded his acceptance. But I couldn’t help noticing the pride in his eyes as he glanced over the meadow with a practiced gaze. 

     I tilted my head to the side. “Do you just live out in the open?” I waved my hand around me. I wondered if this was how his skin was such a golden brown.

     “No,” he said. One of his eyebrows rose and the creases around his mouth pulled back slightly as though wanting to smile. The change in his face eased some of the tension in my stomach.

     He cleared his throat. “
That’s
where I live.” He pointed up and to the right, and I gasped.

     A group of four tall, thick trees stood together, one of which had a rising spiral staircase twisting around its large trunk. At the staircase’s end there was a perfectly crafted cabin nestled into the sturdy branches. It stood in the tree with no sign of instability, its two levels reaching high into the treetops. Two small windows were on the front side of the cabin; one near the wooden front door and the other higher up for the second level.  The whole cabin was made of wood, but it was not a simple blocked structure standing in the tree. Instead, the cabin was part of the tree as though it had grown from it. The snug wooden structure fit perfectly into the branches, parts of its walls intertwining with thick trunk that stretched toward the sky.