Chapter 3:


"Miss, if it's not rude of me to ask, why are you cutting such pretty hair?"

Finally recovering from her shock, Gillian "hmphed" and folded her arms. Who did this guy think he was? "It's not like I want to," she grumbled. "The awesome me is just doing it to keep my awesome identity a secret."

"And what exactly is that identity?" The man stepped out, and Gillian could see light blond hair and violet eyes, slightly glinting in the moonlight. She couldn't help but faintly think that they were kind of pretty—alluring in a way. "Is it something that could endanger you?" Gillian could almost swear she heard a smile in that voice. Why wasn't it as infuriating as she thought?

"Kesesese!" Gillian threw her head back and laughed. This guy was pretty amusing. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret identity!" she chastised.

"I seem to have forgotten," the man said wryly, and stepped out of the shadows even more, so that Gillian could see the whole of him. Pale skin seemed to glow in the nighttime, and his features were rather…soft. Rounded. He wore green hunters' clothes, heavily padded, with a sword clasped to his waist. Gillian regarded it with silent reproach.

Quickly, out of force of habit, Gillian reached for her hat, making to stuff her hair inside it, but a cool hand stopped her. She jumped, and looked up to see that it was that exact man. "How did you…?"

The man shook his head slowly. "Don't cover it."

Gillian was bemused, and more than a little annoyed. "Stop talking in riddles! What are you saying?"

"Don't cover your hair. It's much too nice to be covered up."

"I"—

"You're lying to yourself. And the people around you. Be what you are, and make the best of it."

Gillian rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but feel a bitter pain in her chest. The knife beside her now looked more like a weapon than it had ever looked. She fidgeted a little, shifted around a bit. Then she glared up at the man.

"I can do whatever I like," she said it with more than a little hesitation. Jerkily she stood, refusing the extended hand the man offered her. "I'll be going now," Gillian said it more to herself than to anyone else.

Stooping down, she scooped her hat off the ground, the man watching with an apathetic expression. Slowly, looking him straight in the eye, she took her hat and put it upon her head, stuffing the last of her hair into it. Resisting the urge to stick out her tongue, she turned and walked back towards to camp.

She took a few steps before hesitating once more. Chewing on her thumb, she looked back, just to see if the man was there, if only to catch one more glimpse of his violet eyes.

He was gone.

It was only until she was closing her eyes, about to succumb to unconsciousness, that she realized that she had left her knife.


Eli noticed that Gil was oddly quiet. The shorter man seemed thoughtful; spaced out, as if something was on his mind. Now, Eli hadn't known Gil for very long, he didn't even really know Gil. But he knew him well enough to know that Gil rarely even thought, if at all.

"Something on your mind?" he grunted.

Gil jumped a little, his cheeks turning a little bit red. He ducked his head bashfully.

Okay. Now Eli was just weirded out. "Are you okay…?"

"Yeah," Gil squeaked, his voice a little higher than usual, even cracking a little at the end. "Just awesome. As usual." Eli could hear him swallow thickly.

Eli furrowed his brows together, completely lost.


She was in so much trouble.

Oh, she was screwed.

She hadn't thought about this time of month!


Hey guys! New chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing! (Though I'd enjoy it a little more if your reviewed as much as you favorite…) NEVERTHELESS…

By the way, if I didn't make it clear before, Gillian's wearing pads on her chest to hide her…um…

ANYWAY.

SHORT CHAPTER I KNOW.

BUT NECESSARY FOR DEVELOPMENT.

I DON'T KNOW.

HIGH ON APPLE JUICE.

MY MOM DIDN'T HIDE IT THIS TIME.

WELL.

BYE.