"Do you think it would be okay if we went out of the City?" I questioned as Nate passed Glimmer, City currency, over to the bot. He was quiet, but I watched how his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed.
"Kyrine, I'm risking even taking you into the City. The Wilds are overrun with Fallen and possibly Hive." He turned to me. "I don't want to risk it. And we need to get you groceries. Your cabinets are like a ghost town."
I narrowed my eyes at him, and watched through his eyes as my own sparked with arc energy. I'm not a "I want to go to the Wilds." I growled.
Then, I stopped myself. I growled at Nate, and I haven't turned hostile on humans in years. I growled. At Nate. I coughed, wishing I had more scones. His eyes spiked. Towards me. I really, really wish I had more food to stuff my face with.
"Don't use that tone with me." He growled back. With that he got up and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the cafe behind him. I yelpled when he tugged me harder to him.
My vision blurred, we were going too fast. I vaguely heard Min talking and then the roar of a Sparrow filled my ears. I was yanked on and a helmet was placed on my head. Then he wrapped my arms around his waist.
I screwed my eyes shut.
Sparrows don't run on gas. Nothing really runs on gas anymore. The Traveler, once it came to us, to Earth, cleared up the atmosphere. And in exchange, we powered vehicles with raw energy. It smelled similar to when you light a match. But fire and gas didn't have anything to do with it.
We lurched forward and I scrambled to get a grip on him.
"Nate!" I yelled over the wind rushing past us.
He either ignored me or didn't hear me, but he sped up. I didn't know where we were going, and I still didn't open my eyes to see. He wasn't wearing a helmet though, because the helmet didn't cover my cheeks and I felt his hair on my face. We did a turn and I grunted when he accelerated even more.
"Nathaniel!" I growled into his ear.
When he didn't reply I sighed and gave up. His body was still tense and anger was still writhed in him. I took a deep breath, and I smelled the forest, the dampness from the rain, and the woods were quiet save for the Sparrow weaving in and out of the trees. We weren't in the City any longer.
The Wilds.
The last time I was here, was around two months ago. Only because I wanted to get away from the Wolves ordeal. I had been around to many people, to many rules for so long. And I hated it, I don't hate many things.
Whenever I left the Tower I flew to the Asia quadrant. Or at least that's what it was named before the Collapse. Before..everything. I stayed off the grid for a few days, didn't go back to the Tower or to my friends. I didn't want to.
I lived off that purple mineral food and the water around the place. It was also one of the places that the Fallen hadn't corrupted.
When I took off, I didn't tell anyone where I was going. I didn't think of it either. Because I'm used to being alone, I liked being alone.
The last time I had done something with my group of friends Jo, Sarah, Sean, and Nate, had been the drunken crucible thing that Nate and Sean thought would be amazing.
Sarah ended up getting drunk, for one of the first times.
Jo had to leave because of something. And Nate and Sean were acting like gay lovers.
They all had lives outside of being a Guardian. Families. People they love. I drowned myself in protecting the City, because I didn't have what they did.
Sarah was a bookworm, Jo was wild and crazy..who had a crazy family.
Sean had his girlfriend and his other non-Guardian friends.
Nate had his hustle and bustle life style full of women and sex.
I..had myself. And Erin. She had always been there. Ever since I woke up.
And now, I had Nate. Now more then ever. Though at the moment I didn't think I did.
Cracking my eyes open, I reach up and grabbed the helmet that was on my head, and threw it off. My wild hair whipped around. And my eyes tried to look at our surroundings, but they came together as we went faster.
I looked up, and through the tall trees I could see the sun. This had been another place where Fallen caches hadn't been placed.
Putting my face into the crook of his neck, I tightened my hold on him when he sped up. Testing my grip. His dark hair and my blue hair whipped around each other. He was warm. I felt the sun on my back.
His anger had cooled and was replaced with something else. Contentment.
We started slowing down, and his black Sparrow came to a stop. He grabbed my hand, yanking me off.
"We're here. What you wanted."
I ignored his words. The urge to explore and get out deeper into the Wilds was overwhelming. The trees stretched high above us and the grass and earth felt soft.
Out here is where I felt most welcome.
No humans, humanoids to bother me.
"Kyrine."
I looked up at him then and pulled at my sweatshirt.
"I shouldn't have said that," I started. "I'm sorry, Nate. I don't know what came over me."
I heard him shift. "Just don't let it happen again. You're my responsibility. Don't make me regret volunteering to watch you." He passed me now. I looked at the ground. "You got what you wanted. We're in the Wilds."
I turned toward him. "Don't be a dick about it."
When he stopped with his back to me. I wanted to take my words back to bad.
"I am watching after you. The least you could do is say thank you!" He shouted. My eyes narrowed, anger sparking again.
"I'm a grown woman! Not a child! I don't need some man watching me like I'm an infant!" I shouted back at him angrily.
He turned fast, stalking up to me. "You are my responsibility. Mine."
"I'm a person, you seem to forget." I softened my tone.
Sighing, he dragged his hand across his face. I still remained vigilant, staring him down. "I know," He paused and looked at me through his fingers. "I'm sorry."
I took his hand in mine, the anger flushed out. "I'm just stressed. And being out here, I don't know, I just feel..closer to myself."
I looked around, then back up at him. My lips turned up in a half smile. "So I'm sorry." I told him. His dark eyes looked to our hands when I tightened my hold.
He let go of my hands. "I understand to a point you know. To feel misplaced among people. I just want you to know you can be you around me. Wether that's depressed or happy. Or angry." He chuckled.
I picked at a loose seam on my sweatshirt and looked at the ground.
"I feel myself when I'm with you." I mumbled under my breath. He is the only one to make the whispers go away.
I heard him take a breath. "I'm glad."
Looking up at him I felt that he was indecisive. About what, I didn't know.
His lips were turned up in a smile, but his eyes showed inner struggle.
"Can we go explore now?" I asked.
"Yes. I'll have Min bring my ship and our supplies."
"Ship?" I questioned.
"We won't be exploring Russia."
I felt uncontrolled excitement bubble up in me. "Where will we be going?" He looked down at me as I closed my eyes against his chest.
"Asia."
