CHAPTER 2: HE CAUGHT HER EYE
Miles and Winnie saw much of each other in the days that followed, not by Winnie's choice of course. One day while strolling down the street, her arm hanging loosely in his, she spotted the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. Maybe around seventeen she thought. Younger then Miles, but probably around her age. He was playing stick ball with the children in the street. He was laughing and refereeing, and the children seemed to be really warmed up to him. She'd never seen a boy his age playing with children when there were girls to be hunted. She was intrigued. For a moment, she thought she caught him staring back at her, but Miles had found what she had been focusing on and drew her attention away from the boy, and the game.
"That's Jesse. He's 17. Very immature for his age. His father says he'll never amount to anything if he continues down the road he's going." Trying to hide her curiosity, she asked him, "What road would that be?"
"The path of darkness my father calls it, but Jesse calls it, The Path of Life. He wants to learn about life."
"Well, I think it's a great ambition." She sad with a smile.
"No man can learn about life. It's just a term for what we are doing right now. Living. If mother nature wanted us to understand it, I'm sure she would've given us a manual. Just look away. There's really nothing to see."
Winnie stared at the boy, her imagination running wild. "How do you know him?" She hid her smile from him this time, taking notice of the upset tone in his voice.
"He's my brother." She looked back at him. "Come Winifred, let me buy you some candy."
She'd noticed a look of pure happiness on Jesse's face. Something she hadn't seen since she was a child. Since the days when she would sneak off and play stick ball with the town boys while her mother was in the bread shop. Miles tugged her arm, and pulled her along. But her thoughts were no longer on the walk. They were on the strange boy named Jesse.
Jesse had seen the girl on his brothers arm. She didn't appear to be at all what he had expected. His brother usually courted stuffy prim and proper girls who had their noses in the air, and always scoffed at the site of himself. But she had looked at him with an interest. That was obvious enough to him because he was an observer. And her nose wasn't in the air at all. She looked straight at him, and the game, as if she wanted to play. He'd never known a girl who'd wanted to play sports before, and he was sure she wanted to play. Not only that, but she was beautiful. With her long brown hair and stunning green eyes. Still, she was with his brother, and his brother dated no kind of girl he wanted to know. But still, he couldn't get those eyes out of his mind. They pleaded with him in a way he couldn't understand.
Miles dropped Winnie off early that day because of the previous business arrangements he had made. "Good night my dear Winifred. Until tomorrow." He kissed her hand, bowed, and never took his eyes off hers. She gave him the pretend smile she had invented when she had been 13, the moment her mother told her she would start taking piano lessons. When he turned, she rolled her eyes and wiped her hand on her dress. She had grown a great annoyance towards Miles. (A/N: Sorry guys, I love Miles I really do, but his character just made the story better. It's good conflict, trust me.) She'd wanted to escape him, but her mother wouldn't allow it, and there was no changing her mind.
Miles and Winnie saw much of each other in the days that followed, not by Winnie's choice of course. One day while strolling down the street, her arm hanging loosely in his, she spotted the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. Maybe around seventeen she thought. Younger then Miles, but probably around her age. He was playing stick ball with the children in the street. He was laughing and refereeing, and the children seemed to be really warmed up to him. She'd never seen a boy his age playing with children when there were girls to be hunted. She was intrigued. For a moment, she thought she caught him staring back at her, but Miles had found what she had been focusing on and drew her attention away from the boy, and the game.
"That's Jesse. He's 17. Very immature for his age. His father says he'll never amount to anything if he continues down the road he's going." Trying to hide her curiosity, she asked him, "What road would that be?"
"The path of darkness my father calls it, but Jesse calls it, The Path of Life. He wants to learn about life."
"Well, I think it's a great ambition." She sad with a smile.
"No man can learn about life. It's just a term for what we are doing right now. Living. If mother nature wanted us to understand it, I'm sure she would've given us a manual. Just look away. There's really nothing to see."
Winnie stared at the boy, her imagination running wild. "How do you know him?" She hid her smile from him this time, taking notice of the upset tone in his voice.
"He's my brother." She looked back at him. "Come Winifred, let me buy you some candy."
She'd noticed a look of pure happiness on Jesse's face. Something she hadn't seen since she was a child. Since the days when she would sneak off and play stick ball with the town boys while her mother was in the bread shop. Miles tugged her arm, and pulled her along. But her thoughts were no longer on the walk. They were on the strange boy named Jesse.
Jesse had seen the girl on his brothers arm. She didn't appear to be at all what he had expected. His brother usually courted stuffy prim and proper girls who had their noses in the air, and always scoffed at the site of himself. But she had looked at him with an interest. That was obvious enough to him because he was an observer. And her nose wasn't in the air at all. She looked straight at him, and the game, as if she wanted to play. He'd never known a girl who'd wanted to play sports before, and he was sure she wanted to play. Not only that, but she was beautiful. With her long brown hair and stunning green eyes. Still, she was with his brother, and his brother dated no kind of girl he wanted to know. But still, he couldn't get those eyes out of his mind. They pleaded with him in a way he couldn't understand.
Miles dropped Winnie off early that day because of the previous business arrangements he had made. "Good night my dear Winifred. Until tomorrow." He kissed her hand, bowed, and never took his eyes off hers. She gave him the pretend smile she had invented when she had been 13, the moment her mother told her she would start taking piano lessons. When he turned, she rolled her eyes and wiped her hand on her dress. She had grown a great annoyance towards Miles. (A/N: Sorry guys, I love Miles I really do, but his character just made the story better. It's good conflict, trust me.) She'd wanted to escape him, but her mother wouldn't allow it, and there was no changing her mind.