Chapter 21: Evergreen, Fire, and His Voice
Clark woke up in the backseat of the truck to the rumble of the engine and the swish of windscreen wipers. Rubbing his eyes and wondering how he'd ended up inside over the course of the night, he looked around to find Darcie wasn't in the truck. A glance out of the fogged-up windscreen confirmed that it was coming down in buckets, but despite the rain, she was out there in a drenched tee that clung to her frame and alluringly highlighted her powerful muscles. Her face was pointed at the cloudy grey sky above, eyes closed in contented bliss and the shadow of a smile on her lips. He couldn't help but grin with her at how perfectly beautiful the scene was with her bare feet and damp hair tied up in a messy bun, and he wished he could capture the moment to hold onto. All too soon it was over when she saw him moving inside the vehicle and began to walk back towards it. Clark hopped into the front seat, putting the car into gear and met her halfway, allowing her to climb in before passing her a blanket to dry off with. No one said anything beyond the automatic Good Morning and How did you sleep, but neither wanted to talk much anyway, so they drove in appreciative silence.
The unexpected thunderstorm lengthened their journey with mudslides, potholes, and boulders to the point where it took nearly the entire day to drive up to Fort Good Hope on the banks of the McKenzie River, though it could have taken much longer if not for their combined knowledge of dirt roads and automobile mechanics. Even so, when they finally reached the outskirts of the town, they only had just enough time to grab some dinner and check into a motel before the businesses closed for the night.
Once they were in their rented room Clark polished off both his and a majority of Darcie's meal after she'd offered it to him, saying she wasn't hungry. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he grabbed his sleeping clothes from his duffel while she stood quietly at the window, occasionally nibbling at her bagel as she flipped through a tourism guide. Observing her, he could see that despite her relaxed demeanor she was alert and watchful, muscles twitching in response to various sounds as she tensed in preparation for some unknown attack.
He went into the bathroom to change and came out a few minutes later wearing a Red Sox sweatshirt and grey sweatpants to see she hadn't moved. Clark came up beside her and she acknowledged his presence by closing the guide to look up at him questioningly.
"I'm all worn out, so I think I'm going to hit the hay," He yawned, "Which bed do you want?"
She shrugged. "You can choose. I have no preference."
Too tired to put up a polite struggle, he sighed in resignation and leaned in to hug her goodnight.
Darcie tensed under his arms and a memory flashed before her eyes, one of tight gripping pain, sharp stabs in her side, and Lex's hateful grin leering at her. She growled, suddenly seeing red as she twisted around to break her attacker's hold and hit him with a square kick to the shoulder before wrestling him to the ground. Someone was shouting, their thundering voice ripped away in the firestorm around her when she realized her eyes were burning. A moment of panic raced through her veins before she closed her eyes to make the fire stop, stumbling in the red darkness to get away from him when she fell and hands were pressed over her eyes.
"Deep breaths, Darcie, deep breaths." a familiar voice told her and she obeyed, gasping for air until the fires receded.
"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he tried to apologize, "Are you okay? Heat vision hurts a bit the first few times, but you'll get used to it. I'm really sorry, c'mon, let me help you up."
She shook her head and pushed herself up onto her knees, head hung in passivity and hands clasped behind her back. "I do not need or deserve help. I submit to my punishment."
Clark sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. "This again? Darcie, you don't have to... I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you ever again."
He wanted to believe his words, but deep down he knew he could never keep that promise. Even so, he would try his best.
"It's late. We'd better get some sleep if we want to keep moving tomorrow." he pointed out and she nodded obediently, getting to her feet. He watched as she grabbed some nightclothes from her backpack before vanishing into the bathroom and the sound of running water reached his ears. Clark frowned slightly, folding back the covers of the bed nearest to the door before turning the lamp off. He got in, habitually sending up a silent prayer of thanks for surviving the day, and fell asleep wondering how she knew how to floor a man almost twice her size.