Chapter 8:

"I have to get away, I have to make it," Zara thought as she ran along the cobblestone street beneath her feet. There was nothing but this street. Everything else around Zarabeth was dark and misty. She looked fearfully over her shoulder to see if she was being pursued. Suddenly, Zara's eye caught what she feared most. A figure was racing after her.

"I have to make it!" The girl's breathing was now labored and uneven. The faster Zara tried to run, the slower she seemed to go. Without warning, the cobblestone street ended. Where there uses to be mist, there were now four solid rock walls. She was trapped.

"No! He can't get me!" Zara began to climb, but every time she found a foothold, it would suddenly disappear from beneath her. Zarabeth was frantic now. "No, no, no! I can't go back!"

Something strong latched on to the helpless girl's ankle, pulling her down from the rock. Zara landed flat on her back, kicking and flailing as she lay there. She looked up and met with the cold feline eyes of her master. His golden eyes burned with anger, wrenching away any courage Zara had left.

The man raised his clawed hand above his head, threatening to bring it down on his slave. "How dare you run from me you little wench!" The cat's booted foot struck Zara firmly in the stomach, rolling her closer to the wall.

Zara's desperate cries for mercy were caught in her throat as she clung to her stomach in pain.

"No more. No more! That'll be the last time you ever run from me!"

Zara's scream was drowned out into sudden darkness. She fought against the hands that tried to drag her away. "Let me go! No! Please!"

The arms that grabbed at her wrists and hair now enveloped her whole body as she gasped for breath. It started shaking her violently and calling her name. But the voice now changed. It was no longer her master's. Zarabeth let out one more desperate scream as her whole world burst into light.

Zara opened her eyes, tears streaming from them, as she looked around frantically for her master. Two arms were firmly wrapped around her from behind. Zara struggled to get away from whoever it was. She managed to spin herself around in the person's arms to face them. Zara had her hand raised to strike when she saw who it was.

"Jim!" Without hesitation, Zara threw her arms around the boy. Zara's body shook with adrenaline as she realized that she was in her room aboard the Legacy.

Jim enveloped Zarabeth in his embrace, stroking her hair and talking to try to soothe her. "Hey, hey. It's ok. You're safe now. Sshhh. You're ok. I'm here. No one's gonna hurt you."

Zara collapsed, burying her face against Jim's chest, unable to stop the flow of tears. "Oh, Jim. He was-I couldn't. Oh."

Jim held Zara even closer. "I'm not going anywhere."

The two stayed like this for a long time before Zarabeth's sobs began to fade. Eventually, she stopped shaking and the tears finally stopped falling.

It was dark in the room before Zara finally sat up. "Thank you, Jim. I'm ok now."

Jim rubbed his hand tenderly over her back. "You sure?"

Zara nodded in reply. She looked around the room in surprise as she realized something. "What time is it?"

Jim swung his legs over the side of the bed to sit beside Zarabeth. "Well, I came by around lunch to see if you wanted some, but you were asleep. So I came back just after dinner and found you thrashing around and crying. I'm sorry if I startled you when you woke up."

Zara propped her elbows on her knees, cradling her forehead in her hands. "No, I'm glad you did. I just didn't quite know where I was when I woke up. Thank you."

"This is probably a stupid question, but are you hungry at all? It's around nine right now, but I could still heat something up for you."

Zara shook her head. "Not hungry for real food anyway. But I wouldn't say no to something sweet or chocolate. Wanna go to the galley to hunt around with me?"

Jim smiled as he stood up, offering his hand to help Zara up. "I'd love to."

The kitchen was empty and dark except for the two lamps which always burned at the sides of the kitchen and the large red coals of the cookstove. After brightening the room a bit, Zarabeth and Jim managed to find some small chunks of chocolate to snack on. After positioning themselves atop one of the wooden tables Jim was the first to speak. "Zara, the real reason I wanted to come find you after lunch was to apologize. I'm sorry for how I acted this morning. I wasn't thinking and I hurt you because of it. I'm sorry."

Zara looked down at her lap and smiled. "Ya know, I was waiting to apologize to you. I realized that I was acting in pride and that I was being selfish. I never got a chance to thank you for all you've done to help me today. So, I forgive you, but I in turn ask for your forgiveness too."

Jim laughed as he replied. "I forgive you." The boy couldn't help but keep laughing.

Zara, confused, asked, "What's so funny?"

Jim coughed to clear his throat before replying. "Silver was right. He came to me after this morning saying that we looked like an old married couple fighting. Now I'm sure that's how we looked."

Zara looked away smiling, glad that the room was dim. Jim wouldn't be able to see how darkly she was blushing. "Quite the guy Silver." When Zara looked up, she was immediately caught by Jim's gaze. How long had he been looking at her?

Jim reached out to Zara's face, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Jim's answer was only a little above a whisper, as if talking to himself. "He also said you were quite a catch. He's right."

No matter how hard she tried, Zara couldn't tear her eyes from Jim's. Her own voice came out as a whisper, "Jim." Their faces were only inches apart now.

Jim continued speaking in a hushed tone. "Zara, how can one girl be so wonderful, so beautiful, so...so perfect. How could I ever hope to deserve that? I couldn't. But I'd be a fool not to try."

Jim barely managed these last words before his lips met hers. Pure ecstasy filled Zara, her mind numb with happiness. The kiss lasted only a moment, but in that moment, words between them which had never been spoken, spoke for themselves. Neither of them had to say it. They both knew it. They were in love.