Chapter 7 "Companion"
Nin woke the next morning, stiff and cold. While Gin's cloak had stopped him from freezing to death, it had not made for a cozy sleep, though Nin's exhaustion from the previous day had kept him in a deep slumber, where dreams of pale monsters haunted his subconscious. The sun was just rising, its morning rays tinting his vision red through closed eye lids. He had slumped over on his side in the night, as he forced his stiff muscles into straightening to a sitting position he noticed Gin was gone. He was not surprised at this, about a year ago she had come home late after she and Nin had been forced to hide from a man who thought she had stolen a loaf of bread. He had been drunk and spent hours searching the square for them, forcing them to remain hidden under a hay bale. Nin remembered how she had clutched his hand to keep herself from trembling and giving away their hiding place. Despite having to hold miserably still for so long, Nin enjoyed the closeness. She was compassionate, such a rare trait in this place, and he craved her softness.
When they had finally emerged they had kept their hands clasped while they ran towards home. It had been well after dark when they finally made it, and they released each other reluctantly. The next morning, Gin had had bruises on her face and arms inflicted by her father. Nin hoped that she would not look similar this time, or worse…. Nin's eye lids still felt so heavy. He felt as if he could not completely raise them, and his eyes remained unfocused on the frosty pale grass. This kind of haunted expression became more and more common place for Nin as he aged. He did not consciously know how often he wore it.
Nin habitually shook his head, his shaggy dark hair whipping around him. He stood and stretched his frozen body, willing his muscles back to life. His lips were blue, and his bright blue eyes ringed with purple shadows. He breathed slowly and deeply, focusing his mind. The cerulean morning was pleasant. Nin felt a longing in his heart towards this land, this small oasis in the brutal eastern desert. Though it had not been spared the plague of evil that was rooted in this country, it stood almost symbolically against the harsh environment. Indeed he loved its beauty, and it was not only the fear born of yesterday's events that tied him here. Nin drew some inexplicable strength from it. He did not understand it, but it was instinctually present in his heart.
Nin's enjoyment was short-lived as was custom in his lifestyle. He realized that other villagers were beginning to rise, and many of them knew him; he could not stay. Ducking his head, Nin quickly started off towards the trees, before the old man who lived across the road a ways could spy him. The same man who had turned a blind eye towards Mother's assault those many years ago.
As he passed his mother's grave, Nin forced himself to look at it. It would have been easier to avoid the sight, and the subsequent anguish of her memory, but Nin did not allow himself to go cold. His potent compassion and feeling was what set him apart, and he treasured these qualities. So he endured the waves of torturous loneliness and grief that ripped through him, and repeated the words carved in her grave marker in his head, "I love you." In silence he passed the tiny sepulcher, heading towards Gin's home.
Gin and Nin had a trick for informing her of his approach, since her parents would not allow him anywhere near their homestead. There was an exceptionally gnarled and mangled tree maybe 70 yards from the house. It was easily seen and distinguished from the house. In the mass of tangled branches there was a noticeable window, in which hung a single twisted limb. Nin approached the old tree, and using its many knots easily climbed it as he had many times. When he reached the window, about 12 yards high, he reached for this limb. When they had formed this signal Nin had carefully peeled a section of bark away, creating a bare patch on the limb, but leaving the bark attached at one end, so it could be put back in place where it held with some strands of yarn. Nin Slipped the yarn away, allowing the bark to be peeled back and exposing the bald spot. This was completely unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know where to look, but an easily noticed sign to Gin's trained eyes. They agreed she would look through out the day every 30 minutes to the window, incase Nin was there, which she did with utmost diligence. Nin left the signal ready and climbed out of the tree. He sat down at the base to wait for her. His heavy eyes began to close, eager for a quick nap while he waited.
What Nin did not know, was Gin was exceptionally worried about him, and had been checking the signal every 10 minutes that day, if not more. So she noticed the signal almost right away. Luckily, her father was out, and her mother was a little easier to sneak away from, whether her attention lapses were a little purposeful or not Gin did not know. She was in her small room, where from her window she could see the old tree easily. She quickly listened hard for her mother, and could hear her in the other room. She was making faint moaning noises, something Gin heard often, especially when father was away. She did not know for certain what the noises were, but had a suspicion.
Gin took advantage of her mother's preoccupation and climbing silently out the window, headed towards the trees. Nin had just barely closed his eyes a minute when he heard her approaching, and, just a little reluctantly, stood up to greet her. He noticed immediately her skin looked normal, no obscene bruises or other injuries, and he was greatly relieved. She looked at him with soft eyes, her brow was furrowed with intense worry. Nin stared back wearily, unable to find words. She approached him slowly at first then quickly lunged at him and embraced him tightly. Nin softly wrapped his arms around her. In silence they stayed in embrace until Gin pulled away. "What happened to you?" She asks Nin in earnest concern, "I waited all morning in town for you." Nin's response was barely a whisper, "I found them." Gin's face went quickly through a procession of emotion, from confusion, to shock, to understanding, to horror. Nin never raised his eyes. "What happened?" She inquired carefully. It took Nin a minute to respond, "I hit Rin. I spoke to him, tried to convince him to leave father. He became angry, then I hit him. He's gone."
Overwhelming loneliness overcame Nin as he spoke. Each word seemed to sink the reality of what had happened deeper into his heart, amplifying his regret. Gin turned her eyes down as well. Resentment boiled in her towards the ungrateful brother Nin had cared so much for, who now had turned his back on him. She tried to hide this from Nin, not wanting to cause him further pain, but he saw the emotions behind her eyes. She knew she was doing a poor job of concealing her feelings, and she tried to smile apologetically. Nin did not return the smile, his heart being utterly cold. He felt so defeated, the frosty morning feeling like nothing compared to the feeling in his chest. She reached for his hand in a last attempt to comfort him, he allowed her to take it, but did not return the pressure of her fingers. Gin began to suck her bottom lip into her teeth, chewing on it as she debated how to get through the icy wall that was now between them. A desperate fire began to burn inside her, and before she knew exactly what she was doing, she lunged into Nin and pressed her lip to his.
The kiss last about five seconds, five fierce desperate seconds as Gin's lips moved against his. To her he tasted sweet and cool, and she pressed herself into him hard enough to throw them off balance. In response Nin was forced to hold her at the waist so as to remain upright. His eyes widened in absolute shock, then closed instinctively. He didn't know whether it was the shock of what happened or if Gin did manage to break through the ice barrier that suppressed his emotions, but he reacted to her kiss, moving his lips in return for the last second or two. When they broke apart it took them both several seconds to process what had happened, during which Gin remained in his arms. Nin's thoughts had been slow and heavy before, and they remained so, but in a different way. Before it had seemed his thoughts were heavy and dragged through his mind as if coated in ice, now it felt like his mind was filled with gelatin. Gin was gasping with anticipation of how he would react to her.
Nin's eyes met hers, and his were filled with confusion, as if he had just woken from a deep sleep, but hers were filled with passionate fire, tinged with fear. Some force was drawing them close again though, Nin felt compelled by the look of wanting in her face, it made him forget who he was, where he was, and his neck began to bend to begin another kiss, she turned her head to accept him eagerly and their lips approached- SNAP!
The crack of a branch behind Gin, made them both jump, she whirled out of his arms in fear, and saw the last thing she wanted to in that moment. Her father stood a few paces away, his eyes wide and piercing, rage visibly washing over his plump face.
Both Nin and Gin felt their breath leave them. Adrenaline surged through Nin, washing away the remnants of the cold stupor he had been trapped in. Suddenly his thoughts were racing with anticipation, fear, and thoughts of flight, knowing his physical being was likely at stake. However, he stood his ground, knowing that Gin was in just as much danger, he battled with his instinct to run as he simultaneously prepared to possible battle with the enraged man in front of him.
Gin's father moved in a flash, charging them with a bellow like an Oliphaunt. Gin found her voice quickly and shrieked in panic. She turned and pushed Nin away, urging him to run. Nin hesitated and lost the opportunity to do so, the man was bearing down on him with hands reaching for his throat. He lithely pirouetted and side stepped the plump man, through as he passed the large man's hip caught him and knocked him off balance. Nin swiftly recovered, but saw Gin's father turning to run at him again. Gin swiftly grabbed Nin by tunic and threw him with all her force away towards the forest shrieking, "GO!" Nin saw that Gin's father only was focused on him at the moment, so he gave in and ran for his life. He turned back to make sure the man was pursuing him, which he was much quicker than Nin had thought. Nin put his head down and flew through the trees.
After a minute he had put more distance between him and his pursuer, the larger man was tiring quickly. Nin turned and began leading the man in a large circle, hoping to beat him back to Gin and get her away from him. He looked back again and saw that Gin's father probably suspected his plan since he was making a sharper arc back to where they had started, but he was laboring heavily, his round face beat red, and looking like a tomato with a large mustache. Nin's stride became for even, his breathing more timed, a run more than a desperate sprint. Even at this pace he easily continued to out-distance Gin's father. As he approached the area where they had started, he did not see Gin, the signal tree stood alone. Nin's head whipped around looking for her, but it would appear she had not stayed.
Gin knew where Nin's cave in the forest was, and she knew that he could easily out run her very fat father, so she had not waited for them, but ran as quick as she could for the place, knowing eventually Nin would realize and meet her there. Nin did realize quickly, but knew he could not lead Gin's father there, so he continued running briskly in the opposite direction of the river. Gin's father stopped pursuing him. Nin saw the man stop and double over with exhaustion. He slowed to a jogging pace, and watched as the man reared back and gave a shout of rage that echoed in the trees, then stamped towards his home, with spittle flying from his lips with every furious heave of his chest.
Nin continued to run briskly for a bit longer, then turned and slowed to a walk. He did not know whether the man would continue to follow him, or was planning on tracking him, so to be safe he went in a random direction and turned often, sometimes doubling back to throw off any future pursuit. After maybe an hour he felt satisfied and turned towards the cave.
It was nearly noon when he reached the place, and the sun had come out, warm and bright. The exertion combined with the warmer weather helped root out the terrible cold that had seeped so deeply into Nin's bones since the previous day. His mind wandered over a list of worries, what would Gin's father do to her? What would he try to do to Nin? Nin had no doubt he would likely contact the overseers, there was no bounty on Nin that he knew of, but that was of little importance to Gin's father now no doubt. The encounter with Rin was still in the back of Nin's mind though less prevalent now. Last of all, what to do about Gin, and the kiss.
He half slid down the small hill which curved in a bowl shape down to the stream's edge, the small cave lay under the hill, inside of which were two stumps that Nin and Gin used for chairs, he usually slept on the ground. Gin had heard him coming and walked out to meet him as he rounded the side of the hill. She ran to him and leapt into his arms. He caught her easily and held her, but lightly. He was still not sure how he felt now that the magnetic passion of the moment had passed. "What took you so damn long?" She asked facetiously. Nin rolled his eyes and answered, "Yes, I should have come straight here and led your murderous father to our hideaway, brilliant." She smirked knowingly and leaned in to kiss him. Nin closed his eyes, but sadly, and turned his face so that the kiss landed on his cheek. Gin pulled away and looked at him with hurt and confusion in her face. Nin looked at her firmly, his lips pressed into an expression of regret, but resolve. She wordlessly accepted his feelings, and looked away in disappointment.
Nin didn't like it, he wanted to give her what she wanted, but knew he could not do so honestly. His heart was already holding too much. Not for the last time, he felt older than his age, and also not for the last time, he missed his mother.
