Alone in a Forest, [Tag: Brennuh]

[Izzy]

Mark sighed. He didn't want to say that. He wanted to take it back, now that he had thought about it. She seemed to hate this, and the boy fell silent. Melinda's fingers slipped in between his, and he thought about it. She was alone... she needed company. His fingers gave her a gentle squeeze. He felt her head rest against his shoulder, and Mark's head swiveled around enough so that his cheek gently rested on her head. It wasn't leaning on her, rather, just increasing the contact in between them.

She finally reacted to being called a name.

"You aren't... look, I take it back. You live here now. Melinda..."

He looked down into her eyes, he knew that she didn't want to be found... except, maybe, by him alone. Mark listened as she told him why he shouldn't try and put things together and find out who she was. Why she ran. How he could destroy her life that began a few months ago. The old life of her... being whoever she was back then... that was a dead girl now. She only had one life... only had one... this one, and Mark wouldn't forgive himself if he did destroy it.

Mark sat there, in dumb, mute silence. Melinda's hand in his... her head leaning on his shoulder... he could feel her humming through the material of his clothes. Finally, attention was paid to the sky and the weather. It was getting cold, and Mark let go of her fingers, instead wrapping his arms around her shoulder. He pulled her closer, and nodded.

"I can still visit you though, right? I'm not going to tell where you are, if you want to be here, you can stay. I can't take that right away from you. "

He leaned closer to her face, and Mark leaned forwards, trying to press their lips together. She had said she wanted him to kiss her, right? And to admit it... he liked this girl. His free arm crawled around her, wrapping her up in the warmth of his coat. Was this the right thing to do? He shrugged things off. He was too close now to back off. But he paused.

"This is my promise."

And with that, he kissed her.

[brennuh]

Melinda looked down, and sighed. Her eyes closed, and she snuggled into Mark's shoulder, attempting to find a more comfortable position. But then she looked up, eyes almost piercing with anger as Mark told her that this forest was her life. It wasn't really. She just didn't have any other options. If she decided to go back, she risked being disowned, or worse, sent to boarding school. Melinda almost wanted to shudder just by thinking about it. Truthfully, her family was never that great. Just absolutely loaded and obnoxious. She was sort of like the girls in Gossip Girl. Hello upper east siders. Melinda had never known what true friendship was, and now, just now, she was getting a glimpse at what the poor kids had.

Suddenly, Melinda wanted to go back. Out of the forest. But not home. She could have a job for herself. Save up her own money and buy a flat.

But she couldn't go back now. They would still be looking for her.

Her head twisted suddenly, and lips were on hers. But Melinda balked. She had wanted this, hadn't she? Yes, she had. But now it seemed like Mark was just taking pity on her. But it wasn't. He promised. Melinda wasn't sure of what exactly he promised. She hadn't listened to a word he said while she was lost in thought. But they were kissing, and Melinda lost track of time, and of space. Raising a hand, she slowly and smoothly laid it on the side of Mark's face, her lips moving to their own beat, meeting Mark's in a crime of passion.

He was, after all, kissing a convicted runaway.

And then the words hit her. Mark's words, that she had ignored just seconds ago.

Melinda broke away for a second, and took a breath. "You can come visit me. I'll wait. And if I leave. I'll tell you," she whispered, and flicked her eyes back up at Mark, moved so quickly, so she sat on top of him, high on each side of his own legs. And she kissed him again, putting both hands on his face, feeling the warmth of another human warming her.

[Izzy]

He felt anger in the girl, she was rather worried. What was it? Yeah, Mark had made a lot of generalizations and mistakes today. He also wondered at what she had to lose back where she used to be, what she had to gain from being here. But that didn't worry him now, she was here, she would probably stay... and if she had a chance, might go off to return, an anonymous face in the crowd. Most likely thing that was going to happen was that he'd be there with her too. Mark simply held her, his arms wrapping around her as night closed around them. Her head rested on his chest.

It was a long time to wait, letting the gears turn in her mind. Mark's eyes scanned the forest around them, trying to see if anything was there. The taste of her lips were still on his. His thoughts wandered to the two of them, what would happen now. Maybe they'd just meet like this, running into each other in the middle of the forest every holidays or anytime he could steal a few days of freedom. Well, after that... what would happen? What if someone ran into her between those times? He didn't know. She could take care of herself. What about winter? He didn't know. There were so many different things that could happen.

But they would probably keep meeting.

Her hand touched his face, and Mark looked into her eyes. She promised to stay, or at least to give him warning about what she was doing, or where she was going. And then suddenly... she was on him. Her legs spread out over his lap, her hands cupped his cheeks and she kissed him again. It took Mark by surprise, and his arms eventually wrapped around her torso, pulling her closer to him, it could have seemed like two lovers embracing, and Mark found the analogy amusing. Their pose certainly fit, but did their minds? He wondered... did she like him? Their lips pressed to each other, Mark felt her heart beat through the material of their clothes.

He leaned back, out of breath and smiling with the passion inflamed in them.

"Yeah, I'll come here when I can..."

Mark leaned back forward, and kissed her again.

[brennuh]

She was leading him on, and it was probably a bad thing. Mark didn't need to like a girl who lived in the woods. God, she was practically a caveman. But that didn't stop Melinda from kissing him. Even though it registered in her mind that she ought stop, she didn't. She couldn't. She had to. But she wouldn't. Pulling away from a second, she looked into his eyes, seeing... she didn't know what she saw. A boy. And that wasn't really anything to get excited about.

But Mark was different than all the boys she'd ever kissed. All the boys she had ever dated were practically perfect. And they wouldn't be caught dead wearing what Mark was. And they were too busy doing smoking pot and buying houses in other countries to live in the forest for a week, just because. In fact, Mark was probably the polar opposite of anything she had ever liked. Or at least, she thought she liked.

Sighing gently, Melinda ran her fingers through Mark's hair, knocking off his hat completely. "You're really beautiful, did you know that?" she asked, not even thinking for a second that being called beautiful would offend Mark. It would have offended all those other boys. But not Mark. Mark was her special boy. And she wanted to lock him up and keep him as hers, forever.

But forever wasn't possible. Neither was her stay in the forest. It had to end soon. And maybe sooner than that. The thought had already crossed her mind a few times that going back with Mark wouldn't be a bad thing. She might have to break into her house and get everything that belonged to her. Or everything that she could fit in her small black beetle convertible. Which was nicely parked by her small campsite by the river. That is, if it ever started again. Melinda liked to think about her car as the sight of humanity. Since she had not seen anybody in months, it was her bit of pollution.

Melinda snuggled into Mark a little bit, and kissed him again, softly. "If you have a girlfriend, I'm going to kill you," she said, grinning from ear to ear. She felt like a puppy dog, almost. And Mark was her owner. He would train her, so that she could remember what being a teenage girl was really all about.

[Izzy]

What was she doing? Mark didn't really know what he was doing, either. His arms pulled her closer, and he realized what he was doing, for the first time since he started the kiss. He was kissing a girl who had been living in a forest for a few months, but he didn't mind the invasion of his senses. Her lips pulled away from his, and Mark smiled softly at his first 'love' kiss. The other kiss? CPR.

She was different. Very much from the average person in the street. Mostly because of her lifestyle, but... she had that intelligence. Something more than your average person. He had never shared more than a friendship with a girl, he never really wanted to get past that point. Life was just so busy for him. If he went on a date, it was with six-seven other guys. That wasn't too bad, but... it was boring, yeah? Compared to this, anyway.

Melinda spoke, whispered a compliment. Beautiful?

"Anything but, Mel. Most used word people use to talk about me is freaky."

His arms pulled, held her close. Nose touched nose. Mark didn't know why she said that. Many girls called him cute, but that just caused jealousy from the... less tolerant. That was when the catch came. When you couldn't be bothered with rules and laws, add that to having been trained by a Force Recon Marine, it made a mess that wasn't made up of you. Then the girls started calling him names that would translate to a rouge, beating up their boyfriends.

Nobody knew that he didn't start the fight. Nobody outside of a plaster cast, anyway.

He bumped their foreheads together, his eyes so close to hers.

"But... I'd bet after a shower or two, you'd look pretty beautiful yourself."

He chuckled, before returning to a state of silence. She was thinking, and Mark simply held her, feeling her warmth mix with his. Night wrapped its cold blanket over them, but he would keep warm. Mark idly thought of what was happening in camp. He still had a few of the hexi-cubes, which would keep them warm, but they were expensive. He remembered their original purpose, but... it didn't matter now. Thoughts wandered to Melinda and her home. If they could get back there, he knew a few tricks to get some of her stuff back, and maybe she could move into that old cabin out back... it was close enough to civilization, you'd take fifteen minutes before you reached a small town, but it was snuggled away in the forest, hidden from anything but a satellite scan.

Melinda playfully threatened him, which was fine by Mark.

"Not to worry, I've never been in the dating scene, anyway."

She was grinning, and so did he. Mark leaned back and settled his body to the tree bark. A hand left Melinda's body, exposing her flesh to the cold. Tucking the bucket hat into his pocket, he gently pecked Melinda on the lips as he shifted up to a more comfortable position. She was crushing his pelvis into the ground. It was... rather suggestive, their position. Melinda straddling him like this... he suddenly realized that this was the closest and most intimate contact with a girl before.

A shiver ran up his spine. It was cold, even for him. Wonder what it was like for Melinda?

"You want to go back to camp now?"

[brennuh]

His lips were soft, and Melinda struggled to remember a time in the past when she had felt so comfortable in a boy’s arms. Never. She couldn’t remember a time, not even when her father had given her hugs as a child, had she felt so safe. Sighing gently, Melinda let her lips trail down Mark’s neck, where she licked the small bend of skin between jaw and neck.

She pulled back and shook her head. “I don’t think you’re freaky. I think,” she murmured, her voice trailing off. “I think that you’re my guardian angel.” Melinda took a deep breath and pushed herself away from Matt, dancing on her tiptoes in the small meadow.

Melinda smiled largely as she hopped through the long grass, and she whirled suddenly, pointed a finger at him. “And I’m never showering again,” laughing gleefully, she felt a heat run through her. One of excitement and determination. Like a day just begun with so much possibility. Except, this was her life, and it had just begun. Frowning for a moment while she thought of this, Melinda stopped dancing, and let her weight fall onto one hip. How embarrassing. She was an urchin practically.

“I… want to go back to my camp,” she said, and moved back to Mark slowly. “You can come with me if you want,”

[Izzy]

She shifted around in his arms, and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace. Mark had never really touched a girl like this before. Holding hands, a quick hug... that was about all he had done with a woman. His senses were flooded with her prescence. He felt her skin with the tips of his fingers, he felt her breath on his neck. He smelt her musky scent, saw her hair veil his eyes. He could taste her tongue as it wrestled his, and heard her speak. Mark smiled again. "Yeeah... when those girls said I was freaky, they had a boyfriend that I sent to hospital, admittedly. I'm not going to apologize for that."

She pushed away, and he hauled himself to his feet. "Twinkletoes." He muttered. She had a lot less mass to lug around, but it wasn't like he was judging her. Mark sighed as she declared her... celibacy from showering. "Then I'll throw you in the river." He called after her. Mark chuckled, and then thought of that old soap bomb his uncle taught him how to make. That would certainly help clean her up. Of course, the soap was meant to be napalm, but then again, it was funny to see the neighbour's house flooded with bubbles. She smiled, and told him about her other camp. Her home, apparently.

Mark knew he didn't have a permanent home. Only the knowledge that he would be constantly wandering. The forests, his Uncle's cabins, and wherever his parents would be. He sighed, and shrugged the thoughts from his brain. Melinda was what was important, for now.

He shrugged. "Sure, but I might have to clean up around my place afterwards, I don't want my gear ripped up by a bear or something."

[brennuh]

"You beet people up!?" Melinda squealed while making a drastic pose in the middle of the meadow, her hands up to her sky. "Well aren't you just a knight in shinning armor?" she asked playfully, while shaking her thinly dressed hips. She looked up to her sky and felt the cool breeze of night blow through her overgrown hair. It was getting cold, but she was used to it. Beyond used to it. Melinda had just been hoping she was be so immune to the cold that winter wouldn't harm her, but she could tell from the fall air that it would. And quickly.

"Twinkletoes?" Melinda asked, the old term not being recognized. She shrugged, and wiggled her hips more. "I'm the queen fairy!" giggling, she moved back to Mark, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaping upwards so her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Carry me oh knight!" she demanded, making neighing noises every time she felt him move. Listening to him go on about bears, Melinda shook her head. "I am the bear, so you should be more worried that I'm on top of you then you should be of me ripping up your camp."

Grinninh, Melinda kissed his temple and snuggled into his body warmth, her own skin becoming hard with goosebumps.

[Izzy]

"Knight? Hell no! And hey, they were the ones trying to beat me up, they just... lost the fight." He wasn't one to be heroic, or stupid, as his uncle put it. You were heroic when you did something stupid and lived. You were stupid when you tried something heroic and died. When you wanted a standoff with someone, you set him up in a street corner and shoot him from the far end of town, the farther the better. He sighed,

His face earned a splash of color from the wind. Mark wasn't used to such cold whiplash, but it wasn't like he had experienced it. He avoided it when he could, but it wasn't like he was going to be exposing himself needlessly. He grinned again at Melinda. She seemed to be enjoying herself, no? Mark walked over to her, and he sighed again.

"No, Mel. Queens are married. Princesses aren't. And by memory, I think you're a little more than 10 years old." He grinned, and then braced himself as she climbed on him. Well, this was probably like the sexy little sister... but she wasn't his sister. He hugged her close, not mentioning that his legs were straining to carry himself, his rifle and satchel, as well as the girl. "Well, carry you I shall not. Not when I'm flat on my baaaAAAACK!"

He tripped, and fell on his back. Stars exploded into his vision as Mark started up. "Ouch." He muttered, feeling her lips on his temple. It was a good medicine, but not an effective one. Mark shook his head, and found the situation... oddly sexual. It could have been her, but she was crushing his waist. You did that when you were sitting on an... important part of Mark's male anatomy. "Melinda, you're kind of... on an important piece. Could you... I don't know... Shuffle forwards?"

[brennuh]

Melinda couldn't stop. It was like all her childhood years had suddenly just hit her, and she was filled with the infuriating need to act as immature as she possibly could. But she could see it in Mark's eyes. He was loving every second of it. She felt him shake under their combined weights, and she moved slightly, ready to climb off. But then they were falling. A small squeal escaped her lips, and she felt his body thud on the ground. A look of surprise came over her features and she shrugged guiltily.

And then Mark began to squirm. He said words, but Melinda ceased to listen. The heat felt like it was flaring throughout her body, and her head felt like as the ground suddenly moved closer. She blinked, wondering what was happening, and stood up, tripping over a small branch and stumbling barely a meter away from the boy whose company she had been enjoying only seconds before.

Melinda blinked again, but the dizziness stayed on and only worsened in the seconds after. She looked down and noticed, with faint amusement, that her wrist looked twisted at a very odd angle.

"Mark?" she whispered, swaying dangerously to the side. "I think I'm broken,"

And then she fell, eyes open and glazed, her body crumpling downwards... and everything turning into shadow.

oooc. i couldn't resist. hehe. i'm sorry.

[Izzy]

She was a little bundle of immaturity, and craziness. Heck, he could deal with those kind of things. But right now what he was curious about was why she was like that. Then she glomped him... literally. He tipped over, of course. He had probably done something to his rifle, seeing as there was a stabbing pain in his side. Melinda was alright, it seemed. Mark held her by the waist, laughing a little as he got back up. "That was... surprising... Mel, you really gotta stop doing that sort of thing, aye?" His grin faded as he got up, and pain lanced through his body. He had landed a little awkwardly, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

Melinda got up, then staggered off, then tripped and... Mark didn't remember the rest. He had run over to her, kneeling beside her and watching her get back on her feet. Was it a serious injury? He was confused, but he felt more concern about her. Slinging the rifle off, and reaching for the small red pouch, emblazoned with a white cross, he heard her mumble something, and then she slumped over. Mark's mind panicked, but he re-established control over his thoughts and body. The boy slid down beside her, opening the medi-pack with care and unzipped it, his eyes scanning for other injuries. She must have lost a bit of blood somewhere, but Mark decided that the wrist should be the first thing he would take care of.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" He could only mumble these words as he pulled out his knife. He hacked at a fallen branch, and soon he had her wrist bound up in bandages and a splint. Mark was concerned for her, and he had many rights to do so. "Not too bad." He poured a little water on her face, and checked the rest of her body for injuries. Melinda was probably going to be a tender girl in the morning. He huffed, and felt the shade get cooler by a breath. Night had arrived. He needed the light to get her back, so Mark decided that visiting her hut would come tomorrow. He scooped her up off the ground, and checked himself. He was expecting the weight, so he would be fine. Mark began to trek off, with Melinda draped over his back like a living backpack, as his rifle hung off his neck and his knapsack strapped to his chest.

It sure as hell wasn't comfortable.

[brennuh]

Her eyes opened and all she could feel was her stomach being pushed inwards at awkward intervals. Like she was part of someone else's body, going along for the ride. As her vision cleared, and she saw the ground moving along underneath her, Melinda realized she really was going for a ride, and began to scream. It wasn't the pain in her wrist that caused it, though the deep throb was enough to make her dizzy, it was the fact that for the few seconds that her yell pierced the air, she could not remember who was carrying her.

She felt her last few months of solitude in the wilderness come back to her, and she had to fight back the urge to attack the person carrying her. She stopped screaming and turned her head around. "Mmm." she said quietly, saying out the sound so she could remember his name. "Mark. MARK!"

She pushed herself from the boy's shoulder, letting herself fall down his chest, pushing him away until she was on her own feet. What was she doing? How had she gotten here? Why had she trusted herself with getting to know him? To kiss him? Pushing further away from Mark, her eyes narrowed.

"You shouldn't be here," she said softly, letting her knees bend enough for her to bolt if needed. She remembered everything. The food, her wrist, everything. But instinct still told her to run. "You shouldn't be talking to me. You could get into trouble."

[Izzy]

He carried her along, it was uncomfortable but necessary. He moved as carefully as he could, carrying Melinda on his back, her knees pressed between his arm and sides, the rifle and satchel hanging off his shoulders, as were her arms. He could feel her stir on his back, her head rolling around on the back of his neck. Earlier, he had re-located the wrist, literally crushing it back into position. That would help, if not she could have lost the wrist - an the hand attached - to internal bleeding. Mark glanced down at the path ahead. He had a small trauma kit on him right now, and a more complete medical supply over that way. He could fix up any more injuries later on.

Then she yelled. Holy crap, this girl could scream. Mark stumbled, onto his knees. He grunted under the strain it caused him, as well as the fact she was pushing him away. He rolled away, clearing the little space where she could get in an effective punch or a savage kick. Mark stood back up, cautious and confused. She was putting more strain on her wrist while she did that... and why was she acting like that, anyway? Slinging his rifle, he dropped it to the ground, shoving the satchel behind him. There was a mix of emotions in his face; confusion, worry, hurt. A rare occurrence. It had been a long time since he had been all three at once. Mark didn't know why she was acting like she was, he shook his head clear. "Melinda?" What had happened?

He stepped closer to her, squeezing past a small bush to get to her, his hand reaching out. "Melinda, you're hurt. Its easy to get confused when you've hit yourself on the head like you have. Mel, listen to me." She was trying to bolt. He knew that she would probably be able to outrun him in terms of speed, but how about endurance? Would she be able to cover her tracks? He would find her. "Melinda... please, just calm down. I'm trying to help you here." Mark took another step forward. What the hell had happened to the bubbly little girl that had tackle/hugged him earlier on?

"For crying out loud, Melinda, you think I'm in trouble? You're still bleeding from the wrist, cuts all over your body, and you've got some form of concussion, like it or not. Running around like that... damnit, you might as well jump off a cliff!" He let out a sigh, stepping closer again. He glanced at her splinted hand. The splint would hold her. "Melinda, I don't get why I can be in trouble for helping a person... especially one like you." His ice-blue eyes watched her, trying to figure out why she was freaking like this. "And its not like I'm new to the trouble game in the first place." His gaze steady, Mark looked at her.

I am, however, new to the feelings I have for you...