Caged, Chapter 3: Desperation

I breathed in the woodsy aroma of the forest as a light, misty rain began to fall through the trees. My legs wobbled weakly under me, forcing me to take cover among the trees. I collapsed to my knees and braced myself against the damp earth, my entire body shaking from the cold and sheer exhaustion. I had no idea how far from home I'd walked; I guessed I'd gone South and ended up somewhere near a smaller town since I vaguely remember seeing these same houses before. Not far enough, I shook my wet tresses. they'll find me by morning if I stay here.

I attempted to get my legs back under me, but I hadn't eaten in nearly twelve hours and unbearable fatigue crashed down onto me like a tsunami, forcing me to my knees once more. "Damn," I clenched my jaw and slammed my palm into the muddy grass beneath me. "C'mon! Work with me!" I demanded in a feeble attempt to get my body to listen to me. I took a deep breath and pushed my body off of the ground and back onto my feet. I wobbled for a minute and urged my legs forward before they could give out for a third time, each step becoming more difficult to take than the last.

My bag felt like it was getting heavier with every step, weighing down my already soaked and exhausted frame. Can't give up, I told myself as a violent shiver rolled through me. Have to keep going. I stumbled through the forest until the sky morphed from midnight black to sapphire blue as the sun began to peek over the horizon. The trees finally gave way to what looked like a very rural road. I wandered down the street as the sun bathed the land with its warm, fiery orange rays of dawn.

More houses lined the road the further I headed into town, most of them one or two storey cottages that gradually morphed into larger, more modern homes; I suspected I was getting closer to a suburb. People were just beginning to mill around the town - I counted three joggers, five business men, and two women pushing strollers - all of them casting me skeptical glances. I didn't blame them; I knew I looked like I'd just crawled out from under a rock. My eyelids were getting heavier every minute and every muscle in my body was screaming with exertion. I made it to what looked like a park before I collapsed onto a bench and was rapidly overcome by unconsciousness.

"Is she alright?"

"She looks like she's sleeping,"

"Someone should wake her,"

"Hey, are you okay?" a man's voice asked as something gently shook my shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

I groaned drowsily. "Mm, I'm tired."

"I can see that," he chuckled. "Are you hurt?"

"No," I shook my head and reluctantly peeled my eyes open. A young man, maybe about eighteen or nineteen, stared back at me through midnight irises. He was unnaturally pale and had a lush head of ebony hair that spilled over his forehead to his eyebrows. The most prominent feature was a large scar that stretched across the right side of his face and somehow seemed to fit in with the rest of his features. "Who are you?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing,"

I leaned up on the bench and eyed him suspiciously. He doesn't look dangerous…

"She's alright," he said over his shoulder. I hadn't even noticed the small crowd surrounding the bench, staring at me like I was going to bite them. "I'll take it from here."

Murmurs rippled through the group as they dispersed, leaving me and the scarred stranger alone.

"You look like you've had a rough night," he smiled at me warmly. Despite his dark features and intimidating scar, he seemed unusually friendly.

"That's an understatement," I mumbled. I only ran away and set my house on fire…

"Are you hungry?"

My stomach answered before I did with a more than audible growl. I blushed five shades of red and nodded.

"Well, I was just about to have lunch. Would you like to join me?" he offered, his eyes shining with sincerity.

Every "stranger danger" lesson I'd been taught flew out the window; I was starving and he was cute. "Sure, I guess."

I dug right into my double deluxe burger, chewing as slowly as I could, savoring the flavors that danced on my tongue.

"Damn, you weren't kidding," he laughed from across the table.

I blushed and wiped at my grease-soaked chin. "So, what's your name?" I asked in hopes of breaking the awkward ice between us.

"Itachi," he replied after swallowing a bite of his salad. "and yours?"

"Shi-" I stopped myself. Giving away my real name probably wasn't the best idea if I wanted to stay hidden. "Shi, just Shi."

"Well, Shi," he smiled as my name left his lips. "where are you from?"

"A city," I took another cheesy bite of my burger. "I'm not sure how far away it is, though."

"I see," Itachi nodded thoughtfully. "and your parents?"

"Don't have any," I replied quickly, my eyes filling with an angry, red haze. "It's just me."

He was quiet the rest of lunch, looking at me through his eyelashes when he thought I wasn't looking; it was as if he was deciding what to do with me. Finally, he spoke. "Do you have anywhere to stay, Shi?"

I shook my head solemnly. "No,"

"Well, then how about you come back to my house?" he proposed with an enticing smile.

"You're asking a girl you just met to stay at your place?" I arched an eyebrow at him. "Do you always ask strangers to stay with you?"

This speculation coaxed a bubble of laughter from Itachi, a deep rumble that made my heart leap. "I'm just being hospitable. I have no reason not to trust you yet and you have nowhere else to go, but if you'd rather stay in the woods, I won't stop you."

I pursed my lips in deliberation. I only knew this guy for an hour and he was already asking me to live with him - who does that? It struck me as odd, but I wasn't about to spend another night wandering around in the woods. It was time to face it - I was desperate. "Alright, fine, but don't try anything."

He laughed again. "Don't worry, I don't go around luring girls to my house so I can bury them under my floorboards."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Let's just go."

…

"Alright, welcome home," Itachi motioned around him as we entered a modular home about a half hour from the café we were at.

I looked around the slightly beaten up home, a nondescript gray carpet traveling throughout most of the visible space. The walls were white with what looked like primer and a few of the light fixtures were naked. A well-worn sofa sat in front of a rather small television set while a terrarium filled a space by the east wall.

"What's in there?" I wondered as I approached the glass container.

"That's Billy," Itachi replied. "he's a bearded dragon."

"Oh," I nodded. "Do you live alone?"

"About that-"

"Itachi!" a young girl squealed as she ran from an unseen room and nearly tackled Itachi. She couldn't be more than eleven and sported the same ebony tresses as Itachi; I guessed she was either a sister or some sort of daughter.

"Amaya, this is my friend, Shi," Itachi turned her so she was facing me. "She's going to be staying with us for a while. Shi, this is my little sister, Amaya."

I couldn't stop myself from gasping when she turned; a giant burn obscured the entire left side of her face and most of her neck, sealing her left eye shut and pulling half of her mouth into a perpetual frown. I snapped my jaw shut and tried to focus on the right side of her face.

"It's okay," Amaya smiled sweetly. "You're not used to it, so it's alright if you stare."

I smiled back at her. "I think you're beautiful,"

"So are you," she giggled, turning her attention back to Itachi. "Sasuke won't be happy. He doesn't like new people-"

"Who the hell are you?" a boy snarled from the mouth of what looked like a hallway. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes inspecting me closely.

"This is Shi," Itachi introduced. "Shi, this is my little brother, Sasuke."

"You brought home another stray?" Sasuke sighed dramatically. "Can't you go out without bringing someone home with you?"

"She doesn't have anywhere to go," Itachi countered, his voice rising in volume.

"Oh, boo-hoo," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's a big girl, she can fend for herself."

"Give her a chance-"

"Who gave us a chance, Itachi?" Sasuke yelled angrily, baring his teeth like a wolf. "No one bothered to help us when we needed it, so why should we help anyone else?"

"Because no one helped us, Sasuke!" Itachi roared back. "That's why we should help people!"

"Whatever," Sasuke huffed. "I don't want anything to do with her." and with that, he stalked back down the hall, the slam of a door quickly following his exit.

"Sorry about him," Itachi sighed apologetically. "He's…moody."

"It's fine," I smiled briefly, staring after Sasuke. "I know how he feels."

A/N: Alright, So That Was Chapter 3. I Tried To Make It a Bit Longer Since The Last Two Chapters Were Really Short And Just So I Don't Get Any Hate Mail, I Made Itachi Nicer And More Compassionate Because That's How I View Him. I Find Him The Sweeter And More Understanding Brother While Sasuke's The Moodier, More Damaged Brother. Amaya Was Just a Little Addition Cause I Can Just Picture Them Having A Sweet, Little Sister. Oh, And Her Name Is Pronounced SHY Not SHI Like The First Half Of Her Name, I Only Spelled It Was An "I" Cause It Went With Her Name. I Guess That's All I Have To Say About This Chapter So Thanks For Reading And Please Review!