I love love LOVE working on this story. And no, this is NOT based on Romeo and Juliet! Sorry about the chapter fluke. That was for my other story. Weird. 0_0
(Dakota's POV)
I raced breathlessly through the dark halls, not thinking about where I'm going. All I knew was that I couldn't get caught, and that I couldn't just let him leave. This was my last chance to ever see him again! On instinct, I ended up at the place we first met. A light was on, so that meant the cook was inside, and I had nothing to do except sit around the corner there in tense silence. What do I do now?
Suddenly, I hear soft footsteps in the hall. My eyes widen, praying they won't find me. Without warning, I feel a hand cover my mouth, and I stifle a gasp. I look up to see the looming figure above me, and when I realize it's only Scarecrow, I calm down and he takes his hand off of my face. I start to say something, but he motions for me to stop. "Come on, let's go someplace else. Don't want him to catch you, after all!" He whispers.
I smile, grab his hand, and we silently dash outside of the castle.
…
(Narrator's POV)
"I was so scared, I thought you were someone else!" Dakota exclaimed. "Who did you think I was?" Scarecrow asked.
"I don't know, I was too petrified to think straight!"
Dakota strode over to a tree and started to climb. "Can you climb trees?" She asked, looking back toward the straw man. "Well, until I try, I'll never know." He answered back, grabbing hold of a branch. The two scaled up the tree until they both ran out of tree to climb. Eventually, they caught their breath together on a sturdy tree branch. "You did pretty well! Are you sure you never climbed before?" Dakota inquired.
"No, unless you count holding on to a lion's tail while hiking up a mountain." Scarecrow answered. "Why would you do that?" Dakota asked, puzzled.
"That was the day we had to rescue Dorothy from the witch. In order to be unseen we had to use the mountain range as cover"
"Oh. I wasn't with that squadron at the time, all I heard was that Dorothy saved us by melting the witch. I didn't know you were with them at the time. That was brave, though, going to rescue your friend."
Scarecrow sadly nodded and turned away. The memory of Dorothy was too much to bear. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how painful it was to remember." Dakota said, putting a compassionate hand on his shoulder.
He turned back toward her, his eyes full of sorrow. "It's alright, you didn't know. Tin Man, Lion, and I miss her so much, but she's happy now. That's all I could hope for her."
Dakota smiled "I'm sure she wants the same for you, too."
She realized that she still had her hand on his shoulder, and quickly drew it back, blushing profusely. Why can't I just act natural around him? I didn't know this could be so hard! Slowly, she tore her gaze away from her hands and looked him in the eyes again. What followed was a long moment of tense silence, both exhilarated and scared, unsure of what to do next.
Finally, Dakota found the courage to speak. "Are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Maybe. Tin Man would like me to stay for a couple of days, but I have to go back to the Emerald City soon. I'm an advisor to Ozma."
"I wonder what it's like, being in the Emerald city. I heard it's amazing."
Dakota glanced up at the moon, and saw she was VERY late. "Oh gosh, I got to get back to bed now, the girls will wonder where I am! See you tomorrow, and don't get caught." She said, giving Scarecrow a quick hug before scrambling down the tree and off into the night. He was surprised by the hug, but quickly recovered and happily went his way, recalling every magical moment.
