A/N: Thank you, to those who have reviewed and put me on their alert lists! So, the adventure continues!
Disclaimer: See Prologue
Previously
"Why do you feel the need to run?" Charles inquired suddenly. Camilla's head snapped up as she looked at Charles.
"Shit!" Her hand shot down into her bag and Erik heard the distinct jangle of keys. He watched as Camilla quickly extracted them from her bag. He raised his hand and in an instant the keys shot through the air and were in his hand. Camilla stared at her keys in his raised hand. Her eyes were back on his. What felt like an eternity, they just stared at each other.
Camilla dropped her bag, and took off in a sprint into the trees.
Chapter 1- Keep the Secret, It Keeps Us Safe
Erik leapt over the bench and took off after Camilla. He broke through the tree line and spotted her as she vaulted gracefully over a fallen tree. He could feel himself gaining on her by the second. His heart was pounding in his chest- not from chasing after her; he knew that the young woman who saved his life was running from him like a frightened child. Camilla glanced back as she ran, and let out a shriek when she realized how close he was to her.
Charles stood in shock for a moment before tearing off after them. Why were they even bothering to chase after someone who wants to be left alone? This thought stopped short- she was hiding something, something important. Weren't all mutants though? He began to focus intently to Henrietta- or should it be Camilla. He felt her fear in his mind as if it was his own. A man's harsh words rang through his mind as he began to divulge into hers.
'You keep our secret safe, at all costs. I don't care how far you have to run, or how hard you have to fight. We MUST not be known.' Charles felt a block in his mind as she guarded her secret. Charles slowed slightly as he climbed over a fallen tree. He truly wished that he hadn't worn a three piece suit. They were not meant to be run in, or to be moving through the woods. Charles looked forward and could see Camilla disappearing down a hill, Erik close at her heels.
Erik was so close- so agonizingly close. He could see every fleck of dirt as it was kicked up by her boot heels. He could see the bounce and swing of every curl in her dark hair. He could hear every breath she took, at times gasping for air- other times grunting to get over any obstacle. He could hear her short breaths as she started to stumble down the hill. As she began to descend the steep hill, she started to stumble. Erik reached out to her and grasped her arm in attempt to stop her. He succeeded in only crashing into her and sending them both tumbling down hill together. Erik ignored the scratches of leaves and branches; he focused on not rolling over and hurting Camilla. As they reached the end of their plummet, Erik felt himself slide past Camilla, who- he noted- wasn't moving.
Erik sat up to move towards the petite woman when he noticed her beginning to stir. He watched as her head of dark curls rose slightly- half of her face was covered by a blanket of dark hair. One dark, hazel eye looked at him, at first with confusion. Confusion slowly turned into shock, and that to fear. 'She's going to run.' He fleetingly thought. Just as Camilla began to stand, Erik moved without thought; his body slammed into hers as soon as she was in a crouching position. They both fell to the ground, Camilla emitting a great shriek.
Camilla struggled with all her might; however Erik was twice her size and had three times her strength. She pounded her fists into hit chest. Just as she was about to reach for his face, Erik grabbed her wrists and forced them down to the sides of her face.
"Stop! Look at me!" Camilla looked up at his cool, blue-green eyes.
"P-p-please, let me go," she whispered.
"Why?"
"Because."
"That's not good enough!"
"I can't tell you!"
"Then I'll make you!" Erik looked deep into her eyes, and he knew that she believed him. The wind around him began to pick up, and he felt every hair stand on end. Something was happening. Erik looked around, in confusion. He glanced up at Charles struggling to make it down the hill, which was beginning to become even more difficult due to the winds. Erik looked down at Camilla and froze. It seemed as if the time began to stand still, everything but her eyes. The greens and browns in her hazel irises were swirling around her pupils. Deep within him, Erik knew she was causing the change in weather.
"You have to let me go," she stated very calmly, yet just a firmly.
"No."
"Then I'll make you!" Abruptly, the winds stopped. An eerie silence consumed them. Nothing stirred; no birds chirped, no squirrels moved. Everything was frozen, as if an unforeseen danger lurked nearby. Erik stared at Camilla and noticed her irises were no longer moving. However, the green in her eyes became more prominent. They glowed a deep emerald, becoming brighter and brighter. Erik was mesmerized. He leaned in closer, as if he were going to find her secrets with his close proximity. He leaned in so close, their noses gently touched. He took in her lovely, soft scent. She smelled of mint, earth, fresh rainfall and of something else. He began to feel an overwhelming need to figure out everything about her- her wants, needs, desires, even her fears and demons. What surprised him even more was the overwhelming need to protect her, just as she had for him all those years ago.
"Who are you?" He whispered.
"Someone you need to forget." Erik barely registered the sadness in her eyes before he was struck from behind. His world went black.
Camilla groaned slightly as Erik collapsed on top of her. Guilt filled her as she rolled him off to the side.
"Erik!" Camilla looked up to see Charles quickly making his was down the hill to aid his friend. Camilla looked down at Erik. She could not help but marvel slightly at how the young, underfed, broken boy had turned into a well-defined, handsome man. Camilla felt the guilt begin to consume her as she realized she wanted to tell him everything. But she could not do that. She could never let anyone from the outside in, no matter how badly she wanted to.
"I am so sorry," she whispered. She gave him a chaste kiss on his forehead, just as she had done before. Camilla quickly picked herself up and took off through the trees, making sure she made good on her escape.
Erik began to rouse from the darkness. He felt someone shaking him. "Erik, please wake up!" He opened his eyes to see a pair of very concerned blue orbs staring down at him. 'What happened?' He thought.
"Camilla hit on the head with a rock." 'Camilla? Who-' The thought cut itself short, and the events of the past few minutes came rushing back. "How? I was holding her-" "She did it with her mind. That must be her mutation." Erik paused for a moment.
"No, there is more going on than meets the eye."
"I agree." Erik looked around.
"Which way did she go?"
"Erik, she is long gone-"
"Which way?" Erik shouted. Charles pointed Erik in the right direction. "Erik, there is no point. She is probably too far away for you to catch up." His words fell on deaf ears as Erik got up and took off after her. Charles sighed and pursued his friend.
Erik would never admit it to himself, but he truly had no idea where he was going. He could see the end of the tree line and as soon as he broke through, he saw her. His heart skipped a beat. She was running across a field before a parking lot. He took off at a sprint. She would not escape him so easily when he caught her again. Erik, almost didn't notice a small, white Volkswagen Beetle sitting with its passenger door open.
"Camilla! He's behind you!" He saw Camilla's dark head turn and heard a shout come from her before she ran faster. Erik pushed himself even harder. She would not get away from him. But even as he began to close the distance between them, he knew that she was going to be in the vehicle before he could reach her. He watched her throw herself in and slam the door shut screaming "GO, GO, GO!" to the driver. Erik stretched out his hand as he ran and felt the metal in his hand. He could feel the engine revving up; he could sense each screw and bolt, every small metal part beginning to move- and he willed every single one to stop.
Erik could hear their alarmed voices as he gained on them. Camilla threw her head out of the car and looked at him with shock and awe. Her expression was replaced with one of anger and a hint of pain.
"Erik! Let us go!" She pleaded. Erik was determined to not let her go. A gust of wind hit him square in the chest, sending him backwards several yards- which broke his concentration. As he lay in the grass- dazed of the brutality his body just took- he heard the distant screech of tired on pavement. He sat himself up to watch as the small vehicle cut several cars off as it took off into the distance. Anger began to boil deep within him. He vowed that she would never escape him- not until he got what he wanted.
He heard Charles's hurried footsteps behind him. He barely registered his friend kneeling next to him- Erik just continued to stare after the vehicle that had long been lost in the distance.
"Do you truly want to know who she is?" Erik turned to his friend.
"Yes." Charles smiled.
"I know where they're going," he told Erik. Charles watched as Erik's eyes filled with hope.
A/N: Please review!
