A Flicker In The Still Forest: From Forest To Flames #1 Read online

  It wasn’t the first time she woke with no memory of the night prior and it most certainly wouldn't be the last, but it was still unnerving. It didn’t happen very frequently but when it did it was a go big or go home kind of deal. She just severely hoped she didn't do something stupid, eliciting unwanted attention from the cops.

  Picturing her father’s disappointed face, she internally winced. Officer Williams didn't mess around when it came to his only child. Being the daughter of a cop had its advantages, but at times it also sucked.

  Times like this, where if he found out, she would never hear the end of it.

  Speaking of which...

  She rolled her neck and cringed at the overwhelming ache encompassing her entire body. Her father's partner, Mya, had insisted on teaching her self defense. Cops made a plethora of enemies, most of which would love to take out their anger on a family member of the person responsible for their incarceration. So her father had allowed the training and Mya hadn't taken it easy on her either. The soreness she felt now was adolescent compared to some of the wounds Mya inflicted on her over the years, but still, why did her body feel like it was hit with a battering ram?

  Scratch that. First a battering ram, then a Mack truck, followed by something much much bigger.

  As her hands began to fall asleep, an annoying tingle etched across her fingers. Hoping to relieve the pressure, she stretched her hands up over her head and jerked in surprise when they slammed into something solid. What the…?! She would certainly have a bruise later if the throbbing in her pinky was enough confirmation.

  She tried again to move her hand, the stabbing feeling of pins and needles growing. Everyone knew the method to relieving such sensations was to flop it up and down like a fish out of water. So that is what she tried to do because that was the only cure. Clearly. But her tugging proved futile as she was yet again met with resistance. Huh?

  The moment she bravely squinted open her eyes, a blinding light assailed her. She doubled over in pain. Was she dead? That seemed like a crazy jump to take from a headache to seeing a bright light, but for real? Was this her punishment for New Orleans? No matter what anyone said, it wasn’t her fault. Not that it made a difference though. Either way her dad was going to kill her. She almost welcomed the light without fighting. At least she wouldn’t make her father into a murderer.

  Once adjusted to the light, she glared at her hands, now realizing what was restraining them. Corded rope. Okaaaaaaaay. She wasn't necessarily one to get kinky but with enough drinks in her, anything was possible. Not that any men actually went near her. Most were too afraid of her father shoving a stun gun up their rear. She could blame them. Her father was a tad bit obsessed with his taser.

  Who could she possibly have been with? The name slipped out of her like a curse. Elias. Normally when she woke up despising the morning sun, it frequently had something to do with her best friend, Eli. Growing up next door to each other, he practically lived at their house. Despite being adopted and having a close relationship with his foster parents, she knew it was her family that possessed his heart.

  In school, every visit to the principal’s office normally began with his infamous seemingly innocent words, "Come on Aer, it'll be fun." One would have thought that after so many years of getting into trouble she would have learned, but nope, she was still a sucker for a fun time and an even bigger one for an adventure. So, whether it was putting frogs in her teacher’s desk or tying plastic wrap over the toilets in the girl’s locker room, (which by the way, was funny as hell) the beginning and the end was always the same each and every time. With the one person who would walk through hell with her, piss on the devil and crawl his way back out by her side. Eli.

  As heartwarming as their friendship was at times, with her current predicament and spinning vision, she wanted nothing more than retaliation. In fact, a good nut punch sounded invigorating. All the love in the world would be infused into the abuse, but a level of damage had to be done. Tough love, baby.

  She wrinkled her nose as another wave of excruciation passed through her head. It was like tiny midgets were trying to practice jumping hurtles on her cerebrum. Or was that offensive? Maybe other terminology should be used. What did they prefer to be called? Little people? Nope. That was just as bad. Dwarves? Ah yes, dwarves with huge behind axes singing, ‘hi ho’ as they frolicked to their mine-or in other words, her brai

  Why did she do this to herself? If her head didn't hurt so badly, she would bang it against the ground. A bit counterproductive but maybe it would have the reverse effect. Two negatives equaled a positive, right? Wasn’t that a legitimate physics thing?

  Proving her point, the familiar voice sliced through her grumbling. "Good morning, Princess."

  Eli hunched over and entered her line of sight. Sticking out from under his hat, his smashed dark curls fanned out like a mushroom around his head. Was that ridiculous thing on his head even worthy of being called a hat? It looked horrible. At least the triangle brim wasn’t horrendous and served a useful purpose of blocking out the sun from his stunning blue eyes. But then there were the feathers.

  Arrayed in a multicolored pattern, the feathers flew out in all different directions, their movement quickened from the whim of the blowing wind. It reminded her of the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men in front of car dealerships.

  There was no control in her burst of laughter. Maybe they were at some kind of renaissance faire yesterday…? She couldn't resist the joke any longer. He practically walked into it. If anyone was to blame, it was most certainly him. "How many birds had to suffer for that hideous hat?" His puzzled look turned sour as he inspected her more closely. Her eyebrows tilted in a v formation. "What's your deal? What happened last night?” Knowing what would make him laugh she added, “did you ravage me?" while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

  Eli always said he would never date a cop’s daughter. It was always a big joke that he was going to steal her away caveman style the moment her father left the force. She would always just roll her eyes and spout, "Yeah ok." He was her brotha from another motha. The thought of them together always creeped her out. But it was fun to joke about. It always made him squirm. Although his reaction this time was a bit different than anticipated. The laughter she had predicted never came. The only proof that he heard her was the tightness around eyes. They narrowed in further inspection of her like she was a disease festering under a microscope. His usual fun-loving air nonexistent. Alrighty then.

  "You don't remember anything from last night?" His inquisitive tone brought her attention back to his face, which was now sporting an unappealing scowl.

  "Uh, I wouldn't have asked if I remembered, silly goose. What's up with you, Eli?"

  His expression turned to stone. "My name is Elias. Not Eli." He said it with such disdain that it made her pause. "And you and I, Princess, are most certainly not friends. I've only met you once and I have loathed to repeat it since that very day." His voice seemed to have dropped an octave, making him sound more severe. Was he messing with her?

  She tried to remember when he had ever called her princess before and came up short. She shrugged. Why not play along? "Of course my Prince. We are much more than friends. Come give your lover some suga." His horrified expression quickly turned to revulsion at her pouted lips and the nasty smacking sound she began sending his way. Geez, did he really find her that repulsive? She was surprised he didn’t cause nearby plants to wilt with all the venom spewing from his pores.

  "Are you that loose? A harlot who would give her virtue to someone who kidnapped her. That is if you even have your virtue left. You disgust me! And how dare you mock your betrothed!" His emphatic spouting caused a string of spit to catch her in the face.

  Using her elbow, she struggled to wipe her face on her sleeve. “UGGGG say it, don’t spray it, man. EWWW.”

  Normally he would spit on her again or make some crude joke about her fantasizing about it later, but his body only seemed to tense
further. She tilted her head. It was almost as if he were acting. Playing a part. He could charm his way out of any speeding ticket and bar ‘miscommunication.’ He could murder someone in front of a cop and they would still defend him. It was how he always was. She doubted anything could change that. This version of him was someone else entirely. His glare intensified.

  "Is that why I'm tied up, Love? I just thought you liked it rough." She thought teasing might help. Nope.

  His wide eyes practically burned her alive. "You are exactly as they described you to be. Selfish and overbearing." Okay this game wasn't fun anymore.

  Dropping the playful tone, she sighed. "Alright dude, I'm done. Untie me so I can go home. My dad’s going to kill me. I must have been out all night."

  The veil of hatred cleared for a moment as something else simmering beneath the surface of his eyes. Confusion. "Are you delusional as well as childish and lewd?"

  She sighed. "Why are you talking like that? It's weird Eli. Knock it off."

  Anger distorted his features. "My name is Elias! And you are not even worthy of calling me that. You may be a princess, but you act no better than swine!"

  This was coming from the same boy who in middle school was still shoving his finger in her face telling her to sniff. Honestly, she kinda wondered if he even knew what swine meant.

  Ignoring his venom, she rolled her shoulders. It only served as a memory of the stiffness in her body. Blah. "Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." She grumbled under her breath. Speaking of beds, she just now took notice that she was not on a bed but the ground.

  With dirt.

  And bugs.

  And…was that poop?

  She was lying next to poop. A nice long, chunky log. Wonderful. Omg if that was human…she let that thought train fly off the tracks and burn in a deadly wreckage. She didn’t want to know.

  Lines of trees stretched towards the clouds dauntingly as she peered up at the clouds lost in thought. There were no woods where she lived, that she knew of. She was from a city. Worry began slowly sinking in. Her eyes darted back to her lifelong friend with more than a hint of curiosity.

  He snarled. "Get up."

  She had never seen him so mad before. Sure, there was that one time that she had spilled Elmer’s glue in his girlfriend’s hair. He wasn't too thrilled after that, but the little whore had it coming. After finding the slut making out with another guy, a protective instinct had taken over and she simply didn't think. In her humble opinion, there was no reason for Eli to have been so mad though. At least the glue was washable. There was a strong debate that ran through her mind at whether to use gorilla glue instead. That little devilish idea almost won out. He should have been counting his blessings. What would he do without her? Obviously date cheating skanks.

  They had been friends for years and would be friends for a hundred more if she could help it. Even if he was currently acting like Mr. Prickly pants.

  Struggling to stand, her eye snagged on a glimpse of glitter. Glitter painted the confuddling outfit she had on. Cascades of billowing blue and gold fabric flowed over her long legs while a leafy metal vine wrapped around her bicep. Her chest grew tight as she focused on calming her breathing. Her chest felt far too constricted, leaving only one other explanation. She was wearing a corset. No wonder she couldn't breathe!

  "Help me get out of this thing." She hissed just as her companion snarled again. He seemed to like doing that.

  His eyes darted to her chest and then back to her eyes, burning with indignation. "You can't possibly be referring to what I believe you to be."

  Mimicking his stupid speech under her breath, she fumbled with the laces.

  He stood across from her seething, crossing his arms over his chest. "You care so little of your reputation?!"

  "I have no clue what you’re talking about. I've never worn a corset in my life and believe you me, when I plan on wearing one next it will most likely be on my wedding day and it will immediately be removed, following. Hence there being no reason to wear one right now." Raising her eyebrow, she egged him on encouragingly. "You try wearing this bloody thing! It's uncomfortable and I can't breathe. Help me out of this thing before I Kung Fu you."

  His eyes tossed daggers in her direction, flying towards her with no avail. "No."

  Alrighty then. This was going nowhere.

  One stubborn little word was enough to spark her anger. If he wanted to be a child and play games, then she could too. She refused to take her eyes from his or back down and he was a fool if he thought he could win against the master. Her. She was the master. Just to be clear.

  "Fine." she felt along the knot at her wrists. If he wanted to be a jerk, wonderful, but then she was going to make him miserable. The fool had no clue how to tie a knot, which she couldn't complain about because it worked in her advantage. One of the many lessons that Mya had taught her. In her friends’ words, "Ya never know when you’re going to get tied up." One of her weak attempts at a joke when Aerity’s father had strolled into the room and reprimanded them for being late to meet him. Mya could be quite the cornball but Aerity still admired her above most other human beings. Her mentor was just that awesome. Normally Eli was on that list too but now he was really pissing her off.

  Carefully working the rope, she blew out a relieved puff of air when it began to loosen. The coarse material began sliding down and piling right before they dropped to her lap in a thunk. Hands now free, she challenged him to look away. He didn’t. She fumbled for a few awkward minutes for the laces, having no clue how people got the dumb things off without looking down. There was a hint of victory as she miraculously managed to loosen the ties enough to begin slipping it down her hips. Eli’s jaw tensed. More glaring. The dress fell to the ground in a heap around her legs. He had seen her in a bathing suit a million times and when they were five his adoptive parents thought it would be just so cute to have them bathe together. The pictures they took would haunt her forever at every social event his adoptive parents held. The photo album always came out and humiliated Eli until his cheeks were practically purple, but the way he was looking at her now looked neither embarrassed nor exasperated. She wasn't quite sure what it resembled as she numbly worked at her corset. His eyes pierced through hers. This was a new dance for them.

  She let loose the ties. Something inside her hosted a celebration as the corset fell to the ground.

  Eli growled at her current dress. "Put your clothes back on right now." She had no idea what his problem was. She still had layers of another dress underneath.

  "No."

  "The prince will NOT be pleased."

  Prince huh? She shrugged. "Well I'm sure the prince won't like that you tied me up either." The only prince she knew was a rap artist and he was dead.

  "Do you not care of the consequences of your actions?!" His bellow practically shook the ground. "We had to hunt you down from your little charade. Your people and ours are dying! But do you care? No! you selfish little sea urchin. All you care about is yourself! How do you live with yourself?! How do you look at yourself in the mirror?!"

  Her laughter echoed around the trees. “Did you seriously just call me a sea urchin. What are you on and how do I get some?”

  By the look on his face, he clearly wasn’t catching her drift. Mr. fancy hat was too busy playing the role of a stuck-up prick. A character he was playing exceedingly well.

  Wanting to piss him off even more, she rocked forward on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. She leaned back, grinning from ear to ear, as the thrill of seeing his clenched fists felt more satisfying than they would ever admit.

  Come on Eli, take a swing at me. She thought to herself. When they were alone, they often found themselves in a wrestling tiff. Nine out of ten times she won, even if he always denied it. She was more than ready for a fight since the moment she freed her body of the dreaded corset. Eli didn't seem in the wrestling mood though. Where was Mya when a girl needed her?

  "If your d
one squandering my precious time, can we please proceed to the castle, Princess? And I am not your pack mule. You will carry your own garments." The last word was clipped as he reached down to snatch her glittery garments off the ground. Castle huh? Sure. Why not?

  "Sure thing." She yanked her confining clothes from his arms with one hand as she punched his shoulder with the other. She felt rather than saw his eyes shooting laser beams at her and a tight smile formed on her mouth. The sensation was squashed, however, by another unsettling feeling at her back. This one she couldn’t place a finger on. Ignoring the hairs on her neck that were standing up on end, she cautiously dropped back to follow Eli out of the woods.

  The walk felt effortless without bound wrists and the straitjacket disguised garment. And she had plenty of time to reflect on her situation, seeing as how Eli didn't speak to her the entire way back. The only time he hinted to remembering her existence was given in the form narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. It only increased her anger. She needed to think and couldn’t do it under his palpable aggression. A wink and cocky smile from her was enough for him to curse under his breath and snap his gaze forward again. His behavior was more disconcerting than she was letting on. Goosebumps rippled across her skin. The feeling of doom wrapped itself around her neck like a cheap scarf and squeezed.

  After miles of hiking they finally stumbled across civilization. Her feet burned with blisters from the lack of protection that her thin slippers offered but she hardly even noticed. Numbness coated her skin to the point that she barely felt the sodden jacket slip over her shoulders. It smelled like spring lakes and sweat, which was completely opposite to Eli’s normal citrus musk that he insisted on always wearing.