The next chapter is here! Enjoy :)
Galen and Noelle stuck it out the next couple days in Ansel, in hopes that Alan and Pete may show up.
Sadly, they never did. They wonder if perhaps their friends may have taken a different direction. Or...if by chance, they're friends may be thought they did die in that river.
As much as they didn't want to think that it still kept pushing itself to the forefront of their minds.
At one point, they were at a crossroads trying to think about what to do. If Alan and Pete believed them to be dead, there could be that possibility, that they were not even looking for them.
Still, Galen and Noelle think they should at least try and look for them, even if Alan and Pete weren't doing the same.
The pair did know at least that Alan and Pete were in the same district as they were. They made it across the bridge before Galen fell in. They even saw them running full speed down the riverbank while the water carried them downstream.
Galen tried to remain optimistic that they will see them again.
All their time together, not once have they failed each other. There was no reason to believe it will happen now. Whether it be days from now or weeks, they will find each other again.
Noelle seemed less certain though. Because when she thinks about how fast the current was pushing them through the water, it could've swept them several miles away from where they went in.
By the third day, they made the decision to leave Ansel.
It was a shame they had to leave. It really was a nice town to be in. Everyone there was very friendly and accommodating. The pair really found friends in Fangor and Delilah while there.
The kids were adorable too. They even tried to tell the pair not to go and to stay there.
But Galen and Noelle promised that they will try and come back and visit them all. But first, they wanted to see where the rest of this journey takes them and if they can find Alan and Pete.
Noelle had walked with Galen to see Mecca.
He told her about Mecca lending them a horse for their travels. Galen took her to the horse farm a day prior and showed her the horse he was looking to take.
Noelle thought the mare was beautiful and downright sweet.
Mecca assured her that the mare was an easy mount and ride. She was one of the horses he'd often use for riding lessons with children who were just starting out.
Lola was very patient and gentle with the children and other new riders.
As much as Mecca wouldn't mind keeping her, he was running out of space with some of the new babies that were recently born. He figured Galen and Noelle would be a good pair for her and they could take care of her during their use of her for traveling through the countryside.
It was about early afternoon when they came by to obtain their new horse. The pair had packed all of their belongings and left the inn.
They thanked Namor on the way out for providing them with a room. Not only that, but as a parting gift, he gave them a map of the area. He opened the very large map for them and pointed out all the areas for them, from the closest to the furthest.
Galen and Noelle were very grateful for the map, it will be a huge help to them.
Once they had what they needed, they went to see Mecca to get the horse they picked out. It will be a nice change of pace not having to walk everywhere for once.
Of course, Noelle made it clear that he will be the one doing the riding. Seeing as she didn't know how to ride a horse. He was fine with that and told her she can simply sit behind him on the horse. While he sat up front with the reins.
When they got there, they saw Mecca brushing down one of the horses with a brush.
He paused when he spotted them. Then he went over to greet them.
"Welcome my friends. You here for the horse?" Mecca inquired.
"Yes, unfortunately, we're leaving at this time. But we definitely enjoyed our time while here. It certainly is a very nice village. Would like to come back and visit it again someday." Galen said.
"Yeah, definitely one of the best places we've seen so far." Noelle added, with a smile.
"Glad to hear it. We certainly enjoyed having you here. And I wish you good luck on your journey." Mecca told them.
"Thank you." Galen said.
"Thanks." Noelle also said.
Mecca then went to saddle up Lola for them and bring her out of her stall.
The horse seemed happy to be out of the stall, she nodded her head up and down a few times on the way out while blowing some air out of her nose. Mecca smiled and gave the side of her neck a few pats as he walked her over to the pair.
"Hey, you two, wait up a moment!" Called a voice from behind them.
The pair turned to see Fangor, his wife Delilah, and their three kids coming over.
"Hey guys!" Noelle said.
"We brought some provisions for you two for your journey." Delilah says.
She then hands them a decent size sack. Noelle took it and opened it. Her eyes widened a little when she saw all the food within the sack. Fangor too, handed another sack over to Galen, it also had a lot of various foods within it.
"Thank you very much for this." Galen told them.
"We even packed some dried meats in there for you Nica. Seeing as you seemed to really like them." The eldest, Mara said.
"Thanks. I appreciate it very much." Noelle told her with a soft smile.
"I also added a couple more of the floral soap bars in there too. Because we know you like those as well." Little Cami added.
"I also shoved a blanket in this little pack." The middle child, Axton said.
He then held out the medium size cinch sack for them to take.
They all were so very thoughtful to give the pair these things.
"There is quite some distance between here and the nearest village. That's why we packed quite a bit. At least whatever you can carry. But then you can also strap some of these sacks to the side of Lola's saddle." Fangor informed them.
"We hope you do have a safe journey. And that you may find your friends again. We promise, if they do come through here, we will let them know you were here and tell them which direction you went. By the way, have you decided on a set direction yet when you leave here?" Delilah inquires.
"We were thinking of heading north. Possibly to some of the settlements out that way. Maybe even visit a couple of the sights mentioned. I hear Bellows Falls is also out that way." Galen stated.
"Indeed, it is. And Gaynor Lake is to the northwest from here. I want to say, a good seventeen or so miles from here." Fangor said.
"Though some of these settlements and other various sights are even further than that. A good couple to a few days ride. Pending on how fast you two are traveling by horse. With a steady gallop, it could be a couple days. But if you simply walk the horse, it could be a few days." Delilah informed them.
"You'll really like Bellows Falls. It's one of our favorite places." Mara told them.
Her two younger siblings nodded in agreement.
"We really can't wait to see it then. It sounds like a very beautiful and fun place." Noelle replied.
They all exchanged a few more words, before they decided it was time to go.
The pair exchanged goodbyes with the family and even Mecca. Then they attached the sacks to the side saddle bags on one side. Then added their own packs on the other side.
Hopefully, the added wait plus the two of them riding won't be too much for the horse, even if they do plan on walking her most of the way.
Galen didn't want to run the horse, just in case they may somehow miss Alan or Pete in the process. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally pass them and not know it.
Once everything was attached, Galen hopped onto the horse. Afterwards, Mecca helped Noelle up onto the horse behind Galen.
She automatically gripped his sides once she was up there. Not fully used to nor comfortable being on a horse. Last time she was on a horse, it was during a girl scout's trip to the Poconos to a horse ranch.
They gave her and the other scouts on the trip horses to take down the trails. She ended up steering her horse into the bushes and nearly hit her head on a low hanging tree branch.
Ever since, it just felt very awkward for her to be on a horse. Mainly for the fact it didn't sit well being on top of such a large, and powerful animal that can easily buck you off, cripple you, or kill you if you don't know what you're doing.
But Noelle trusted Galen. He told her he had been riding since he was very young. It made her feel more comfortable being up there on the horse with him.
"If you wish to go north take the main road this way out of the village. It will take you straight through the woods for a couple miles. Then it will branch off into three separate directions. Take the road to the left, that will take you north." Fangor instructed.
"Thank you for letting us know. It also helps that Namor provided us with a map that covers majority of the district. It shows where each settlement along with lakes, main rivers, and some large waterfalls are located. It also shows us a partial picture of the sea off to the far west." Galen told him.
"Oh, good. The map should be most helpful then." Fangor replied.
"It's certainly quite detailed, that's for sure." Noelle added.
"Yes, we have some very skilled map makers here." Delilah said.
"Well, goodbye again my friends. And good luck." Fangor told them.
"Yeah, good luck." The kids said, repeating their father.
"And I'm sure, you'll bump into your friends eventually. Just keep looking wherever you can. They could be at some of these other villages already. Or passed through them. You can stop and ask if anyone has seen them." Delilah informed them.
"We'll do that, thanks, Delilah." Noelle said.
"And don't be strangers. Feel free to stop by again anytime." Mecca added.
"We will. One day." Galen promised.
Afterwards, he lightly tapped his heels on the horse's side.
She started to walk forward and away from the group of people. Then they headed out to the main road not far from the horse farm and started to take the road out of the village.
It took a good ten-twelve minutes, before they reached the outskirts of it.
If Galen had to guess, Ansel was probably just as big, if not a little bigger than Central City. It certainly was one of the biggest villages he ever came across and stayed in. That's for sure.
It had a very diverse population of people as well. Though what made it unique from most places he's been to in the past, was that here, humans and apes seem to happily work with one another and together.
To him, it was rewarding to see. Because he and his friends have been pushing the notion and agenda for so long and at times, they felt like they weren't getting anywhere with it.
They believed, the apes were too stubborn and into their old ways, that change didn't seem like an option for them.
But here in Ansel, they show that it is very possible, and the village was thriving because of it. Perhaps, if more apes from other settlements saw what was accomplished in Ansel, maybe then, they will think about changing things for the better.
It may seem like wishful thinking or a pipe dream. But Galen still likes to believe it will be possible some day and that there will be a great change in society at some point between apes and humans.
The chimp was drawn from his thoughts when he heard the young woman sitting behind him speaking.
"So, they said a couple days huh? Guess, that gives us plenty of time to annoy each other more." Noelle lightly teased.
Galen let out a small chuckle, then looked over his shoulder.
"I wouldn't find that to be a wise choice while we are up here on the horse. Because if you become too annoying, I may just shove you off." He teased, with a small smirk.
Noelle just tightened her grip on his sides.
"You try, and I'll take you with me." She told him.
"We shall see." He replied.
There were a few moments of silence before one of them spoke again.
"Why do I feel like, by the end of this journey, we are probably going to end up driving each other crazy. Or at the most, try and kill each other?" Noelle inquired.
Galen smirks, while continuing to look ahead on the wide dirt road.
"I can almost say with certainty, I'm counting on it." He told her.
"It sounds like you may be looking forward to it." Noelle points out.
"Perhaps, I am." Galen said.
She arched a dark brow, "Have I told you lately, how weird you can be?"
"Have I told you lately, you can be quite the pain?" He teased.
"Not as of late, no." She replied, as she pretended to think about it.
"Think I should add smart mouth to that statement as well." Galen added.
Noelle snorted, "Yeah, because you never have the tendency to be a total smartass at times."
"Well, you got me there. But at least it's something I pride myself with." He stated proudly.
His statement and the way he said it, made her laugh a little.
"You know, Galen. You keep this up, you can make a name for yourself and be known as the traveling comedian. Probably would become popular rather quickly among the people in the villages you travel to." Noelle joked.
"Oh? And what would that make you? My lovely, yet annoying assistant?" Galen teased.
"Hah! Hardly. If anything, they'd probably like me more than you." She countered.
"Or just throw fruits and vegetables at you after your first horrible round of jokes." Galen joked.
"Hey, if it ever came down to that, at least we'd have plenty of food to bring with us when we leave." Noelle joked back.
He chuckled a little. He swears he has never met a female before that had such a humorous streak.
Many of the females in the past he has met, were either quite serious, or a tad on the dimwitted side. But none really had a flair for jokes or had much of a sense of humor.
Perhaps, that's why he never really clicked with any of them.
With the exception of Kira. But what he loved about her, was she was very sweet, bright, and beautiful. She was also very ambitious and had many long-term goals for herself. Wanting to accomplish so much as a surgeon.
He hopes with that medical book he and Pete were able to provide for her when they stole it from Zaius's study was working out for her.
For all Galen knows, she could've already made a few breakthroughs since he left her all those months ago at the medical center after they used a blood transfusion to save Alan's life.
While he was happy for her, he was also feeling rather sad, and as much as he hated to admit it, lonely.
Kira had not only done well with herself. But appeared to find companionship with one of the head surgeons, Leander.
Galen wasn't mad. He thought Leander was a good ape and, in the end, he had helped them too. He could clearly see; they were good for each other, and he was happy for his previous girlfriend because of it.
But on the flip side, it just made him remember how alone he was. Sure, he had his best friends Alan and Pete. But Galen still felt like he was missing something else in his life.
Something very important.
When he tried to find that missing important part in his life again, it all backfired. Because the female chimp he was wooing, ended up being a homicidal sociopath that planned on killing a lot of apes to further her insane agenda and belief that chimps were the superior apes above all.
Thankfully, he was able to pull the plug on her plans, with the help of his friends, and Leuric when the gorillas sabotaged his wings by shooting them down while they flew over the ocean.
Since then, he hasn't had the company of a female. Well, until now that is.
But the thing is, she wasn't an ape, but a human. Much to his dismay. Yet, he cannot deny the fact that he was drawn to her in some way. Perhaps, it was her witty humor, her no bullshit attitude, or the fact that as far as humans go, she would be considered quite attractive.
His eyes widened a little when that thought popped up in his head.
'I've been alone without a female companion for so long, it's starting to addle my brain.' Galen thought to himself.
He wanted, no, needed to stop this kind of thinking. For it was considered and seen as unnatural.
Or...was it? Fangor and Delilah were a happy and thriving couple with three beautiful children. They didn't let their odd relationship stop them from being together and happy.
Galen still felt like he needed to stop now. All these questions, what ifs, and debates going on in his mind was starting to give him a headache. It was like his mind was warring with itself and he didn't know how to stop it.
"What is the closest village on the map to the north again?" Noelle inquires.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts; he missed what she had asked though.
"Huh? What was that?" He asked.
"I asked, what is the closest village on the map from our position, heading north." She repeated.
"Uhh, I believe it was Quinton. Though I may have to double check the map when we stop later." Galen replied.
"Didn't Fangor and Delilah also say there are some narrow paths that branch off from the road we're on that can lead off to some excellent places to set up camp for the night?" Noelle questioned.
He nodded, "Yes. Though I'm not entirely sure all these camping spots are labeled on the map. But if we see any of these small paths as it gets closer to dark later, we'll take one of them. Though we won't go too far because we don't want to stray too far from the main road."
"I think, Delilah even mentioned at one of these spots, there was a pretty neat cave to camp in. Though if there are that many camping spots, we probably won't know which one this cave is at. Which is a shame, because it could also provide us with good coverage and protection as we sleep." Noelle surmised.
"Perhaps, but as we've seen, the woods here are quite dense and provide a lot of coverage as is." He replied.
After another several minutes, they finally came to where the main road splits. There was the road in front of them and then a road that branched to the left and a road that branched to the right.
They knew from what Fangor relayed to them earlier, that they needed to take the road to the left if they wanted to head north. So, that is what they did. Galen tugged a little to the left on the reins and steered Lola to go left down that road.
It continued to be a rather long and boring trek.
The only times they stopped, was to eat something and relieve themselves. When it became a little much, Noelle decided to take out her phone and started to play some music. Though she made sure to turn the volume down quite a bit, so not to spook or startle the horse.
At least, that provided the pair with a little something during this tedious part of the journey.
Neither of them admitted it either, but they were growing a little more disappointed as they traveled along and still have yet to see any sign of Alan and Pete. But they need to keep reminding themselves that it was a huge district, and they could be anywhere.
The pair continued to talk on and off with each other as they rode for the next several hours. At least, they still have yet to run out of things to talk about.
Some shining examples are when Galen told her about some funny times from his childhood. Some of which, Noelle really had a hard time containing her laughter.
It appears, Galen was really quite the prankster and little hellion as a child. It made her feel bad for his poor parents.
While Noelle had a few funny moments of her own from the time she was a kid, she still felt like they didn't compare to the stories Galen was telling her as they rode on.
"Man, I'm surprised you're still alive right now and your parents didn't end up killing you a long time ago with all the shit you pulled." Noelle said, with some laughter still present in her voice.
Galen just shrugs with a small smile.
"Ehh, in the end, they always forgave me. Well, actually, I still don't think mother ever forgave me for the one prank I pulled on grandmother that one time. When I switched out the milk with vinegar and watched as she put some of the vinegar in her lemongrass tea thinking it was milk.
The look on her face after she took her first sip. I didn't know what was more amusing, the look of shock on her face or when she spat it all out afterwards. And all that tea she spat out traveled quite far. Seeing as she nailed grandfather good, who was sitting across from her at the small table." He explained.
Noelle laughed a little at that one.
"Why do I feel like your mom reamed you out good for that one." She pointed out.
"Oh, she most definitely did. The spanking I received that day, I couldn't sit down right for the next couple days because it was still rather tender and soar." Galen replied.
"Could you blame her?" Noelle teased.
"No, I really cannot. Though it didn't help that it wasn't just her I received a spanking from that day. Grandmother got me good too with some rather hard whacks to my bottom. But then, Grandmother never did have any humor nor appreciated it." He says.
"Hey, to be fair, I probably wouldn't be a happy camper either if someone put vinegar in my tea. I may like vinegar, but certainly not in tea." She stated.
The conversations they had dragged on. Until they noticed it was starting to get dark.
Soon, they will have to find a place to rest for the night and continue their journey in the morning.
"Keep on the lookout for any more of these narrow paths that branch off from this road. Next one we see, we'll take it." Galen instructed.
"You got it." Noelle replied.
They kept their eyes peeled for one of the many smaller paths. Though as it got darker, it started to get a little more challenging to see.
The pair must've been traveling for another half hour or so before they spotted a few meters away, what looked to be one of these little paths. It was off to the left, up ahead on the dirt road.
As they drew closer, they were able to confirm it was indeed a narrow path.
Galen steered the horse towards it and started to take that narrow path. Though he only walked them for the next ten-fifteen minutes, before finding a spot he deemed suitable, as it was just far enough away from the main road, yet not too far in as to get lost.
They came upon a small, round clearing in the woods, surrounded by many tall trees. There were also a couple old logs not too far from the tree line that surrounded the small clearing.
Galen carefully dismounted from the horse, then he turned to help Noelle down.
Afterwards, they both grabbed their packs. They left the horse near a couple bushes that jutted out from the tree line. Lola knelt her head down and started mouthing the grass with her long snout and started eating some of it.
The pair approached one of the logs.
They dropped their packs next to it and Noelle was about to sit down, when she saw Galen walked off. She was about to ask where he was going, when she saw him kneel down and pick up a couple sticks.
He didn't stop there either, as he went on to gather more sticks. It obviously didn't take long to realize what he was doing.
Noelle got up and started to help him collect sticks herself. Thankfully the moon was full enough to provide some light in the clearing. Though, she supposed she could use the flashlight setting on her phone, if the lighting became too scarce.
After about five minutes, they both had a decent size pile of sticks in their arms.
"Let's set our piles together over here." Galen instructed while gesturing with his head to a spot on the grass to his right.
Noelle did just that and they put their piles on the ground together, making it into one large pile of dried-up sticks and a couple of old rotted branches that fell from the trees.
Galen grabbed a couple of the rotted branches in the pile and walked a few paces away and placed them on the ground. Then he went to work, trying to start a fire.
It amazed her how he made it look quite easy. When it wasn't easy at all to start a fire without a lighter of sort and some gas.
After a few minutes though, he was able to build up a small fire for them. He fed it a handful of sticks to keep it going. Then he turned his attention to Noelle once he was done.
"We can pull out some food now and eat if you want." He suggested.
He figures Noelle is just as hungry as him, because they didn't stop on the road along the way to have dinner. Both deciding to wait until they found somewhere to settle in for the night first.
"I most definitely am, I'm starving." She said.
Noelle started to rifle through her pack for some of the food she packed herself for the journey.
She pulled a few strips of dried meat, a piece of fruit, and a couple of vegetables. Galen went and sat next to her on the log and started fishing out some food for himself from his own pack.
They ate in relative silence, just enjoying the warm, quiet night. Well, somewhat quiet. They could hear the chirping of crickets and some other various insects from with the woods.
Still, it made it no less peaceful.
As they ate though, Noelle's mind started to drift to other places. In particular, her home, and family. Which was probably not a great idea, because whenever she thought about them, it made her very sad, and was just a painful reminder that she may never see her home, family, and friends again.
It seems, as this journey drags on, she was becoming a little more homesick as time went on.
Noelle recalls her parents, her brother, his wife and kids. She also thought about her friends and work colleagues. She can only imagine how they were feeling as well, knowing she was missing.
It was most likely tearing at them as much as it was her. They're probably going out of their minds wondering what could've happened to her.
The more she thought into it, she was starting to find it a little harder to swallow her food, with the lump forming in her throat and the sting of tears starting to burn the corner of her eyes.
Galen didn't seem to notice her change in demeanor at first as he gazed at the small fire while he ate.
Eventually, his gaze did shift to Noelle, and that is when he saw at least one stray tear roll down her cheek.
"Noelle, what's wrong?" He asks, voice filled with concern.
It took her a few moments to answer him, for she was still struggling to swallow the building lump in her throat.
"Nothing just...I'm really starting to get homesick it seems, the longer I'm on this journey, and away from my family and home. I'm really just...starting to miss them all so much." She admitted.
A couple more tears left her eyes. Though she tried to look away, not wanting him to see her crying.
Not a moment later, she felt an arm gently wrap around her, and a hand gently squeeze her bicep as she was slowly pulled into a warm, firm body. Then she felt the side of his face lightly press to the side of her head and part of her cheek as they sat there together.
"It's alright. I understand. For the longest time, I was homesick as well. Especially, at the start of this journey. Ever since it started, I maybe only got to see my parents once and that was it. It can be very challenging, especially, at the very start of the journey. But it does get better." He assures her.
There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke again.
"How? How can it get better? Especially, when it definitely seems like I'll never see them again. You're lucky in a sense, you got to at least see your parents again. I won't have that opportunity. Not now, not ever." Noelle says, as a few more tears wet her cheeks.
Another arm came into her line of vision as Galen wrapped his other arm around her front and started to embrace her.
Noelle slowly took her hands out of her lap and started to wrap her arms around his waist. Then she turned and pressed her cheek into his shoulder. As he tightened his hold on her, it gave her a sense of security and comfort.
"I know, and I'm truly sorry this happened to you. I wish I can find more answers and explanations as to how you got here. But unfortunately...I can't. All I can do, is be here for you here and now. And just hope, that in some way...it's enough." He told her.
A small, teary smile slowly touched her face.
"And believe me when I say, I do really appreciate it. Especially, now when it's needed most." Noelle admitted.
A soft smile appeared on Galen's face as he continued holding her.
"You're very welcome." He said, in a soft tone.
"What did you usually do when you felt down like this from being homesick?" She asks.
"Well, I pretty much sat down and sulked. Then Pete would get all huffy and tell me to stop sulking like baby, before reminding me that I wasn't alone and still had friends." Galen told her.
Noelle couldn't help but chuckle a little at Galen's failed attempt to imitate Pete's voice when he mentioned what Pete would say to him when he was sulking and feeling both irritated and sad at being away from his family.
Hearing her soft laugh, brought a smile to his face. He was glad to know, that when she was feeling down, he still knew how to cheer her up.
"Yeah, I guess that sounds about right, what Pete would say." She said, with some laughter in her voice as she wiped a couple tears off of her wet cheeks.
"I think it's safe to say, Pete is as blunt as they come. But in a way, his words did help. Even if they were rather blunt and straightforward." Galen told her.
Noelle reached into one of the deep pockets in her shorts and pulled her iPhone back out.
She held it out before her, staring at it. Looking at it, gave her some sense of comfort. It was the only little piece of home she had left. Galen looked down and spotted the phone in her hand.
His gaze drifted from it to her and noted she seemed to either be studying it very closely or was lost in thought. Though by the look in her eyes, she did seem rather lost.
As he continued to stare at her from where he sat, still embracing her, he decided to make a vow here and now, to make sure Noelle wouldn't feel so lost and alone anymore. That he will always be there to find her and bring her back.
"Would you like to play something?" He asks, trying to help take her mind off things.
She was silent for a moment, before replying.
"Sure." Noelle said.
Then she pressed the round button at the bottom of the screen. The iPhone lit up and she went to her iTunes. She then went into the iTunes Library to her 'Favorites' playlist. It was the one she mainly loves listening to.
She scrolled down the list briefly, before stopping on her choice. Then she tapped the song. It's soft but somewhat haunting melody started to filter around the campsite.
Down, down, down, we go
We must find our hope
There's no time for fear
We must end this here
Face our rivals
Nowhere left to run
This is our fight for survival
So, let's get it done
~Instrumental~
Down, down, down, we go
To reclaim our home
There's no price too great
We must choose our fate
Blood in the water
In the crack of the boat
A mother will fight for her daughter
Then stand by your queen
Fight for the throne!
~Instrumental~
By the time the song ended, Noelle started to feel a little tired. The days' travel was starting to get to her.
Once she finished eating, she just wanted to lay down. They continued listening to a few more songs as they ate and conversed with one another. He was relieved when she seemed to be doing better.
The pair probably talked for another couple more hours, before deciding to call it a night.
They pulled their blankets out of their packs and unrolled them. Galen decided to let the fire burn out on its own. Most of the sticks now were basically charcoal. So, it wouldn't be much longer before it does go out.
Noelle laid down, pulling the blanket over herself and started getting comfortable.
Galen laid down next to her, with his blanket drawn over himself. They both laid facing each other. Their gazes never seemed to stray from one another as sleep started to slowly take them.
Before it did, Galen reached over beneath the blankets and grasped her hand, holding it in his. He then started to lightly run his thumb over her knuckles.
He did this, until they both finally fell asleep several minutes later. Even after they were fast asleep, he still held her hand in his as they continued sleeping soundly through the night.
I don't own the lyrics or the song in this chapter. The song is called 'Down' by the band, Of TH3 D33P. If anyone here never heard of the song, I highly recommend they listen to it. It can be found on YouTube. It's an awesome song and kind of sets the tone at the end of this chapter. Kind of how Noelle is feeling at the time. It's also another song off of the T.V. Series, Siren.
It also looks like Galen and Noelle are still gradually getting closer too but have yet to still realize it or acknowledge it. But the pair can only continue to hold off for so long before finally caving in.
Until Next Time ;)