TEN

He didn't go home. He didn't find anyone else either, and he didn't find the girl again, couldn't even hear her breathing in the distance or footfalls. They had always been soft, but he had heard them all, just not now. Though he knew she was still around, he could feel it, both in a way he always knew when something was watching him and in a completely new and bizarre way he had never known before. He just knew.

He stuck with one direction, hoping that he would find a way out of the forest and find something else, something that would point to this girl just being a curiosity, and part of a land full of people that were just hidden from the Earth's sight. That she just chose to be difficult. Little did he know however, had there been others after what happened, she would have been the kindest to his type. And she had spoken with such sophistication when she wasn't being facetious. He'd thought her a wild child with no ability to speak or understand more than the basic physical movements. How wrong he'd been, but he still didn't understand her, she still looked wild and acted it at times.

There were no others though, no matter how much or how long he looked. He wouldn't find another living soul on this planet, not even animals. "How do you live?" He asked as he walked, hoping she would hear him and grace him with a response. She didn't. Perhaps she had stopped following him, or at least close enough to be seen or see him, or even hear him. She might have a better way of following him than he knew.

He knew she was still close, but they couldn't hear one another. But he was on her planet, if she had been on his, he would have known exactly where she was at all times, and what she was doing. For now, he only had vague clues.

"Don't go there. Stop walking." Her voice was clear and urgent and was unexpected and then he felt her hands on him, pulling him back. He turned to her as they fell backwards, and he caught her and rolled so he would take the impact. Luckily this time he did not pass out. He wasn't even winded by the impact.

"What?" He demanded, looking towards where he was heading, and could only see trees still. "What's wrong, why can't I go that way? More stones I shouldn't touch?"

Her face grew angry at the mention. "Don't you have any idea what you've done because of that?" He didn't know, and she didn't feel it was her responsibility to explain it to him. "Just don't go any further, you won't survive."

Then she took off again and he rolled his eyes, he'd have to pin her down, literally, and get answers from her. Perhaps if he hadn't touched her precious stone, she would have been more receptive to him. Though she had treated him kindly as he was knocked out. She couldn't bethat angry. However she had gone in the direction she told him not to go. He pushed aside the leaves, but did as she said, and did not take another step in that direction. But it was enough.

It felt like the oxygen in his body was being pulled out now that he moved aside what was making the air breathable, or possible. He let the leaves fall back and felt the air return to his system. He took a big breath and pushed aside the leaves again. He didn't dare step out, he might die on contact. There past the forest, was the barren white he had always dreamed would be the moon. It was glorious and beautiful but it was empty, and for him, a killer. Perhaps if he wielded all the powers of Earth now, including his golden crystal, he would have been able to survive it, but she was right, he wouldn't in the state of things now.

But she was out there, dancing as the sun slowly set and the Earth rose in the distance, larger in this place than the moon was in his. It was as if she called to the Earth as much as the Earth called to her and to him. Perhaps she was why he was so interested in the Moon.

He was about to pass out from holding his breath so he let go of the leaves and released his breath. He took in big lung full breaths of air. She didn't need as much oxygen as he did apparently, but then why did this place exist?

She came barreling back through the forest and her hands went to her knees as she took deep heaving breaths and then she glanced up at him and glared. "What have you done to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can usually go out there for awhile without needing to come back in here, and even longer before it affects me in such a way. Stupid human has to mess everything up." It would be awhile still before they learned that she hadn't needed the breaths that had caused her such panic at this moment, rather she was reacting to his body and he had tried to hide how badly he needed to breathe, not the idea that she now had as weak of lungs as the human, and couldn't enjoy what she so did every day.

She was gone again, but he was finally able to breath and so he walked around the perimeter. There was nothing, absolutely nothing else for him to see. He didn't even know how he got there, or how he could get back. Everything looked the same, it was wide expanses of heavily leaved trees. And it was very very humid. Endymion didn't quite reach it half way around, when he felt himself tire.

It was surprisingly a lot of work walking around here, it should have been easier, with the lighter gravity, but he couldn't find as much purchase to move and his muscles weren't working as hard as they were on Earth.

He settled into the groove of one tree and closed his eyes. He didn't know how long he would have to be here, or how long he already was, but he wouldn't leave until he was satisfied. He felt bad for his mother who always worried, and thought his father could do with some stress. He didn't always do as he was told. Besides, they were used to him taking off by now, though they might become concerned when they couldn't just tap into the Earth and find him.

His dreams that night were plagued by her. Some that caused him unrest because she was so mysterious and he was always reaching for her, but could never touch her. The others were a little too steamy to go into detail and weren't nearly as innocent.

When he woke up the next morning, it was to the sun shining and birds flying over head.

Wait, birds?