A/N: Lemme know what you think of this one...

My arms swing around in circles as I try not to fall from the cliff ... At least not yet. I look down at the water below; about fifty feet straight down. The salty ocean water is a clear greenish-blue color and more beautiful than I can even begin to contemplate. I heard the hard footsteps behind me, but ignored them. Leo. We're all alone up here. There's a thick and seemingly never-ending forest behind me and a broken down gondola-type thing to my right and down, hanging off the cliff face. It's old and rotting; the windows are covered in dust from loose dirt.

I peer over my shoulder down a mineral-dotted hill as the footfalls come closer and quickly look back to the clear water below. I inch my toes closer to the edge so they're hanging off just a bit right just as a strong gust of wind blows past, rattling the gondola and blowing debris everywhere, and also, making me loose my balance. My arms swing around in circles again as I try to shift my weight back towards the forest. I hear him scream my name as he ascends the rocky face leading up to the landing I stand on. My weight shifts forward suddenly as Leo finally makes it up the rocks to where I am. I can't look back at him because I will definitely fall if I do; my limbs are still flying everywhere.

When my feet finally leave the ledge, I don't scream at first. I imagine myself as one of those high divers but then re-think trying to imitate them. It's too high; I'll never make it. My limbs will shatter when I reach the water, my neck will break, and I'll drown. That's when I scream. It's high pitched but doesn't really reach my ears; I'm falling too fast. Actually, everything seems to be in slow motion... It always is when it seems that you may die any second.

Hands, reaching... through the bars of the gondola hanging below the cliff face! I reach for them and my body stops, my weight catching up to me, swinging the abandoned gondola slightly. Leo's face catches my eyes; he's biting his bottom lip in effort as he slowly pulls me upward. Our knuckles are white; the only things keeping me from plummeting to my death. I grab one of the rusted metal bars of the gondola and pull myself up, setting my trembling feet on the bottom support bar. I quickly inch along the metal towards the opening at the other end of the hanging contraption without needing any encouragement and pull myself in. Leo's hand is long gone from my grasp. Still shaky, my legs collapse and I fall in a heap on the floor, crying out of fear and relief. Leo remains in the other compartment of the gondola, probably giving thanks for my spared life. The door between the two compartments swings open suddenly and arms wrap around my quivering body. No words are spoken.

*

The metal bench is cold. Leo's probably thinking the same. He's now in his own compartment, mad at me for running off. I'm mad at him for following. He's come up with a list of the usual excuses. "I was trying to protect you!" and "I didn't know where you were going!" and don't forget "...because I love you!" I was running away because he had pissed me off so much that I couldn't stand to be near him. He doesn't understand why I'm doing this...

I miss his embrace. My stubbornness is mostly abandoned as I stand and start towards the door separating the gondola in two. The gondola shakes and I sit on the floor until it stills again. I probably gave myself away. I was going to just look into the other section; I just wanted to see him, to thank him and maybe kiss him... I crawl across the dirty floor and peer into Leo's confined area. Where is he?! Oh my god! He's not there! "Leo?!" I yell, panicking. I stand and brace myself on the door handle as the gondola shudders. I inch the five feet to the third consecutive door off his section of the gondola and peer out. "Leo?" He left me; he left me here to die alone and cold. "Leo!!! Where are you?" My last word is barely audible as I start to sob.

*

Footsteps! I freeze and stop breathing to listen. Careful not to stir my shelter, I move my feet behind me to crawl closer to the opening on the end of the gondola to look for human life. My face is dry and sticky. I didn't cry all than long, but new tears now spring into my eyes. Leo! He came back! My relief turns to anger. Why the hell didn't he tell me that he had left!? "Where the hell were you?!" I'm pissed and he knows it; he almost looks scared. He climbs the few feet down the cliff face to the gondola and steps inside.

"I found a way out," he explains simply. Still on the floor, I glare up at him. He doesn't elaborate.

He leads the way through the forest, telling me to "Step on the thorns, not through them," and "Grab this branch," and my favorite "Be careful." No shit, Leo! I'm not a total ditz!

I stay silent as we trudge through the thick trees and underbrush and stare at his back when there's nothing to avoid on the ground. I want to put my hand on his shoulder. I want him to stop walking and just hold me. I almost do rest my hand on his arm several times, but can't for some reason. I don't know why, but I feel that I've betrayed him for some reason... I wonder where we're going but can't bring myself to ask him.

I estimate that we walked two or three miles to civilization. Houses line the streets and I saw a gas station with a convenience store, but none of it looks familiar. He's still ahead of me and I struggle to keep up. We didn't stop once, I think irately to myself. As if on cue, he stops dead in front of a sign for a high school and next to that same sign, one for a junior high school. He looks off into the distance at the schools, nestled in some trees far from the road, looking like they should be miles apart, with their different architecture and color co ordinations. Leo looks at me for the first time in hours as if knowing something that I don't recall.

My heart stops. Those are my schools; the places where I was ridiculed and harassed because I wasn't the same as everyone else. I see many familiar faces, but one stands out above the rest. Jared, yes, that's his name, Jared looks at me wide-eyed like he can't believe what he is seeing. He seems to approve of me now. I look to Leo again; I look into his eyes and they tell me... his eyes tell me to go in. My eyes focus on faces in the windows of the building, smiling in welcome, menacing welcome. "No!" I back away from him. Why does he want me to go in? What's going on? I turn and run from him. "I'm not going in! I'm not going in!" He runs after me, his feet pounding on the pavement as I veer off the sidewalk and through a churchyard. I race through a graveyard behind the church as Leo calls out to me, telling me that they, my classmates, want me to; that they expect me too. They've been waiting for me to change. I'm far ahead of him so I stop to rest, leaning on a headstone. The cramp in my side thanks me for halting but I can't stop for long. I continue on down a hill, my tired legs weighing me down. I stop abruptly as Leo catches up. He almost runs into me as I turn around. He leans over, his hands on his knees and breathes slowly, trying to bring his heart rate down to normal. "I won't go in," I tell him stubbornly. He smiles softly and stands up straight.

"Then don't," he says simply. I can feel my eyebrows knit together and I squint slightly in confusion. My feet absently move me closer to him, our noses almost touching. Leo leans in and his warm, comforting hands rise to my face, mine remain at my sides. He pushes his soft lips gently onto mine and pulls away again. He looks into my eyes. "Then don't," he whispers softly again, his breath warm on my cheeks. My heart beats faster as I begin to long for his lips on mine once more. I tilt my head slightly, inviting him to continue. I bring my hands to his light, gentle curls and run my fingers through them as he guides his own fingers through my dark locks. He responds to my subtle hints and kisses me, his tongue reverently between his own lips. He doesn't try to ram it down my throat; he lets it touch mine slightly with each kiss, letting me decide the intensity of the contact.

*

I stir with a contented smile on my face. Confusion still clouds my mind. The reverie makes no sense to me. The fear was strong and the lust was overpowering... and still is. I close my eyes and try to feel his lips on mine again. No luck.

A/N: Short but confusing! Muhahahaaaa!!! Tell me what you think. It's not my favorite chapter and the kissing was kind of hard to put into words... Lemme know!

A/N: I originally wrote this as chapter six but upon rereading it, I decided it would be some good falling action. (sorry... I'm doing those plot chart thingys in LA... rising action, climax, falling action etc.)

Added Later:

Look over there... Do you see it? Man, it's ugly!

Chapter Ten? Is that you? OMG! That zealous_obsession really made a mess outta you! Geeze!

Well, I guess I'll read you just to be nice... But I'm warning you; your buddy, Chapter Eleven better be a whole lot better than you are!

Just because Zealous had Writer's Block, doesn't mean she had to take it out on you! I just hope that Chapter Eleven doesn't follow the same fate...

*

'Ello. There's a little bit of humor 'cause I feel like it. Please be merciful in your reviewing of Chapter Ten. He can't help that he's ugly. It's not his fault. Why is he a he? *ponders* Oh well.

Just remember that I do like to receive reviews containing a bit of constructive criticism because it can help make me a better writer, ok? It may even stop me from slaughtering my own story... You never know.