39
39
Kaya’s POV.
“I did say it that you’d not regret this.”
Is that a boast I sense from Aiden?
I shake my head to glance at the naturalistic beauty, “if we are to count the whole trekking, then trust me, yes, I did regret following you.”
Aiden laughs, “ouch, that hurts. But well, I am about to make it up to you.”
“Ooh, in what manner do you plan to do that?” I wiggle my brows, joining into the laughing sensation as well.
It’s fun being with Aiden. I could say that I’m tired but trust me, it was worth it, looking back at all the fun I had along the way. Everyday, he gives me a reason to laugh and I can’t thank him enough.
I’ve come to forget my worries and now, just enjoying the moment.
“We are here…” Trailing off, he outstretches his hand for me to thank and I mutter a thank you before I follow behind him.
“Wait, is that…”
“Yes…”
I gasp, my lips broadening into a bright smile as I watch the scenery before me. Oh, goodness. It isn’t just the apple tree that my sight catches but the fragrance of the spot. There are lovely decorative trees all around, giving the strongest hue of green I’ve ever seen in my life. And being it close to a valley, in the distance, one can see the waterfall.
The fog from the water spreads up to the valley like a smoke that slightly blinds one’s vision but it makes sense being that here is splendid.
I’m speechless and just staring at the power to nature. “This is so elegant. I don’t even know what to say. The lovely trees, the valley, the waterfall, the field, the rocks, and the sound of the water cascading…” I whisper under my breath, already lost myself at the sight.
From behind me, Aiden touches my shoulder, gripping it tight. “Now, let’s get to apple picking.”
“Oh, true.” I agree with him and smile before I turn to face him.
“Woah, it’s been so long since I picked an apple.” I tell him. He’s about readying himself before he turns his back to take a glance.
“Tell me something you haven’t told me before.”
My lips are a thin line but spread from ear-to-ear in a reminiscing smile as I recall into the past, “my mother, she would have my brother, Williams, and I pick some apples for a juice to be made by my father. It’s always fun on the weekends, but now that I think of it, it’s only a vague memory. I’ve changed a lot here.” As I speak, a single tear fights its way, wanting to slide down but I snap my eyes close and slightly facepalm.
There’s a brief moment of silence before Aiden speaks out, “I do understand, though. My foster parents and I used to do the same. It’s always on the weekends. The happiness, radiance, laughter, and lastly the aura. It’s as though there’s no evil in the world that can ever destroy something as beautiful as such.”
“Until an evil in a three figure appeared.” I expected Aiden to grasp my words and when he did, he sniffles.
“Until they come indeed.”
The both of us fill ourselves into our thoughts. It’s crazy how every moment brings back the pain you thought you’ve put at the depth of your mind.
These are things which fuels my anger for the triplets’ and makes me know that I cannot prepare to kill myself anymore. I have to fight it to the end, making certain that they suffer for all the pains they’ve caused everyone, that they face the brink of death as well before they finally crossed. That they smell themselves and see the aura of death around them, the cold, icy fragrance of his, the fear, knowing that no matter how strong they are, they cannot escape this.
“We are done,” finally Aiden speaks out, breaking the silence and my eyes snap towards him.
Nodding my head, I step back to allow him space, “so, are we done?”
“Yes, unfortunately.” He chuckles and I snicker before I hit him on the shoulder.
“You better let us hurry before your master starts looking for you.”
My face shifts heavenward to the sky: the sun is settling down to give the clouds orangey rays of light and it’s starting to get colder around here, because of the altitude.
Aiden and I are taking each other’s hand in a swing when, all of a sudden, my hearing picks up a sound.
“Did you hear that?”
“No, what?”
I shake my head. Perhaps it was my thoughts. Then, I hear another rustling from behind the bushes and I jump to my back, breaking my contact with Aiden.
Without retarding, I fixates my eyes on the bushes around, paying attention to the rustling and then, a presence comes out from the shadows, causing my eyes to grow big.
Oh, goodness, no, this cannot be happening. What is Alana doing here?
It can never be anything good. My senses quickly heightens to watch out for anything before then, I hear Aiden’s grunt. Just as I turn my eyes to him, I see the basket falling to the grind and two guards grabbing him by the shoulders.
They cup him to the ground, rendering his limbs useless before they pin him to the ground. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, she indeed has feelings for him.”
“Wait, what?” It was supposed to my thoughts but my mind isn’t settled right now. Why would they want to punish Aiden? He didn’t do anything.
“So, indeed, you are the whore they describe you to be.” She could as well plug into my heart a metal cord and electrocute me afterwards.
My heart bleeds at her words, “what is happening please?”
“Oh, well, I should give you some hints, should I not?” Alana speaks as she laughs.
Out of the blue, Clara appears from behind the bushes as well, joining Alana.
A sense of fishiness crumbles me down at the sight of these girls. On the other hand, Aiden remains pinned to the ground, groaning and grunting as he tries to free himself.
“Please, we haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Really?” Alana laughs before she turns to Clara, who joins in. “Have you quickly forgotten that because of you, the triplets punished a guard. You aren’t meant to move with anyone else, especially not another slave. You’ve just put him in trouble.” As Clara clarifies, my brain tries to decipher the meaning behind her explanation but I couldn’t come to understand. It’s all clustering. “Take that one to the dungeon.” She orders and the guards pick Aiden up, manhandling him brutally.
My face is wrinkling from confusion and anger but I’m unable to do anything.
My attention places back on Clara when she nears me, leaving just inches of distance between us. “I told you to repulse the spell you put on the triplets not to want us but you decided not to, so I thought of this: if the triplets get to know that you’re a friend to another male, and I add some sprinkle of lie, they’d kill him off and that would leave you broken till you decide to take your own life.”
After she finishes uttering, she walks past me, who can only stand there with my jaw metaphorically on the floor, unable to move.
She cannot do this. If I remember Kade’s words correctly, he did say it too. And if these snakes are to lie that there’s something between Aiden and I, he won’t hesitate to kill him truly.
I won’t allow that to happen. It cannot. “No,” whisperingly, I shake my head, not wanting to feed into the thoughts, into the dark imagination.
Turning to face Clara and Alana, who are now walking away, knowing that I’d surely follow behind them since they’ve captured Aiden. Inside me, a wave of anger floods through my blood and I close my eyes for a moment.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
Opening them, I run towards Clara and jump onto her, causing her to fall to the ground. I throw my punches as hard as I can but it did only a small impact of hurt on her face. Once she attains a tad bit of equilibrium, she kicked me in the ribs before she hurls me to a tree nearby and next thing I feel is a weighing weakness before I succumb into the darkness.