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Description
I stumbled around in the afternoon light. Of course, being in Washington had it's perks. One of those perks was the forest. Washington was full of forests. In the backyard of the house we were staying in, I found such a forest. This is when I knew it was my cousin's house. The dirt road, the way his driveway circled around his house, it was all suddenly familiar. This had made me wonder where my uncle had gone off too. A little ways down the dirt road, I found the clearing I had pointed out when I was thirteen. The sun still sparkled on the creek, it still filtered through the trees in a sort of greenish light way. I sat down on the boulder that had taken home to the creek and clearing.

One advantage of this spot, only Uriah and I knew about it. While my cousin and brother had gone up ahead, I had pointed it out to Uriah. My cousin jogged by the clearing, not seeing me.

I was brought back to my thirteen year old self. Although Uriah was two years older than I was, he had been fourteen at the time. We had gone for a walk down the dirt path with my mom, cousin and brother. This had given my aunt and uncle some alone time because I believed the little ones were playing in the yard. While Alex and Damon ran up ahead, I decided not to press the fact that my cousin didn't want me there. I settled a little bit further behind my mother and kept pace with Uriah's almost-hopping walk. I hadn't, at the time, understood what his disability was. I accepted him for who he was because he didn't shun me for being a girl.

We hadn't gone very far. After about ten minutes, we turned back. The sun was high in the sky, which shone on the tiny creek that flowed through the clearing. It was the glint of water that caught my attention. My mother was ahead of us this time. I stopped a little, putting my hand on Uriah's arm. "Look!" I said. Through the branches, I could see a clearing. I saw the tiny creek more clearly.

"That's pretty awesome!" We stopped fully, prepared to go into the clearing. My mother turned to see us going into the bushes.

"No, no. We have to get back to the house."

I was brought back from the flashback with the sound of someone crashing through the brush. Uriah came until full view, nearly falling into the creek. "Fuckin' trees aren't the same as they used to be. OW! DAMNIT!" he screamed, finally finding solid ground in which to stand.

I stared at him. He stared back at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew you'd be here," he said, ignoring my question.

"I'm aware." I turned on my boulder, facing away from him. I didn't want to face him. The night before, my nightmares were plagued with the look in his eyes, as if he almost got joy in seeing the man before him kneel in pain. It scared me. Even thinking about it, it made me shake.

"Then why hide in a place where I could find you?"

"I didn't expect you to get up after I pushed you onto the couch," I said. I faced him. He was shimmering with anger. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to stop being scared!" he said loudly, thumping his cane down.

"It's kind of hard when you almost beat a man to death," I yelled. I stood up and put my back against a tree. I seemed to have a knack for getting myself trapped.

"I was protecting you! I was saving your ass because you stupidly ran off during the fireworks!"

"What happened to controlling your anger?" I asked quieter. I could hear my cousin jogging down the dirt path, probably because he heard us yelling. Uriah looked at me, his eyes narrowing. Alex, once again, passed the clearing without even so much as a head turn.

"If somebody hurts someone I care about, my temper has no bounds," Uriah said quieter as well.

I stayed against my tree as he made his way to me. It took him longer because he was watching out for the stray cans of beer and rocks that could've made him trip. I tried to reason with myself. As he drew closer, my heart thumped faster and my breathing became ragged. This man is not going to hurt me. He protected me yesterday. He's not going to hurt- My thoughts were interrupted by the closeness. He stood only a couple of inches taller than me, but that was enough for my breath to hitch.

His eyes were a blazing, emerald green. The color itself was so dark, his eyes looked almost black. "I would never hurt you," he whispered.

Once again, his face was closing down on mine, until my phone started ringing. He gave a sigh, I almost gave a sigh in relief. "Hey mom," I said.

"Yes...The party went fine...No, I'm not harmed...Yes, I know. K, love you too. Bye."

Moment officially ruined, I slipped out from between Uriah and the tree. He put his left hand against it. "I will get that kiss sooner or later."

Let it be later. A crash through the bushes and there stood my cousin. "There you two are!" he cried. I gave him a grin.

"Took you long enough," I said.

"Shut up," Alex said breathlessly.

I stared at the two men. Before I knew it, my legs were taking me back to the house. I knew Alex and Uriah were following close behind me. I needed to pack my clothes. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to get away from him.

My anger built up in my chest. I pushed it down, along with the tears that threatened to fall. I grabbed my black suitcase, which was almost already packed. I grabbed my black outfit, the tattered skirt, ruined halter top, black tank top and my black shorts from the night before. "What are you doing?" Uriah asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Packing," I snapped.

"Why?"

"Why else do people pack?!" I screamed. I yanked the zipper harder than I should have. It still zipped closed.

"Your flight doesn't leave until Monday." I had two whole days.

"That's fine. My aunt said she'd be willing to pick me up." I texted my aunt. It would take her about an hour to get to my cousin's house.

That entire hour, I read the book I had brought. I didn't respond to Uriah's prodding or his questions. Even to his anger. I kept my mouth closed. I literally bit my tongue to keep from saying anything.

The hour lagged on, but finally, finally, my aunt honked outside my cousin's house. Uriah was sulking in the corner of the living room, his green eyes glaring at me. I knew he wasn't happy, but I needed this. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to turn away and just run.

My black suitcase was put in the trunk. I slid into the front seat, and turned to smile at my little cousins I hadn't seen in a very long time. The car drove down the gravel driveway. I looked back to the see the door empty. I turned in my seat, ready to face the world without the heartache.

Description
I stumbled around in the afternoon light. Of course, being in Washington had it's perks. One of those perks was the forest. Washington was full of forests. In the backyard of the house we were staying in, I found such a forest. This is when I knew it was my cousin's house. The dirt road, the way his driveway circled around his house, it was all suddenly familiar. This had made me wonder where my uncle had gone off too. A little ways down the dirt road, I found the clearing I had pointed out when I was thirteen. The sun still sparkled on the creek, it still filtered through the trees in a sort of greenish light way. I sat down on the boulder that had taken home to the creek and clearing.

One advantage of this spot, only Uriah and I knew about it. While my cousin and brother had gone up ahead, I had pointed it out to Uriah. My cousin jogged by the clearing, not seeing me.

I was brought back to my thirteen year old self. Although Uriah was two years older than I was, he had been fourteen at the time. We had gone for a walk down the dirt path with my mom, cousin and brother. This had given my aunt and uncle some alone time because I believed the little ones were playing in the yard. While Alex and Damon ran up ahead, I decided not to press the fact that my cousin didn't want me there. I settled a little bit further behind my mother and kept pace with Uriah's almost-hopping walk. I hadn't, at the time, understood what his disability was. I accepted him for who he was because he didn't shun me for being a girl.

We hadn't gone very far. After about ten minutes, we turned back. The sun was high in the sky, which shone on the tiny creek that flowed through the clearing. It was the glint of water that caught my attention. My mother was ahead of us this time. I stopped a little, putting my hand on Uriah's arm. "Look!" I said. Through the branches, I could see a clearing. I saw the tiny creek more clearly.

"That's pretty awesome!" We stopped fully, prepared to go into the clearing. My mother turned to see us going into the bushes.

"No, no. We have to get back to the house."

I was brought back from the flashback with the sound of someone crashing through the brush. Uriah came until full view, nearly falling into the creek. "Fuckin' trees aren't the same as they used to be. OW! DAMNIT!" he screamed, finally finding solid ground in which to stand.

I stared at him. He stared back at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew you'd be here," he said, ignoring my question.

"I'm aware." I turned on my boulder, facing away from him. I didn't want to face him. The night before, my nightmares were plagued with the look in his eyes, as if he almost got joy in seeing the man before him kneel in pain. It scared me. Even thinking about it, it made me shake.

"Then why hide in a place where I could find you?"

"I didn't expect you to get up after I pushed you onto the couch," I said. I faced him. He was shimmering with anger. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to stop being scared!" he said loudly, thumping his cane down.

"It's kind of hard when you almost beat a man to death," I yelled. I stood up and put my back against a tree. I seemed to have a knack for getting myself trapped.

"I was protecting you! I was saving your ass because you stupidly ran off during the fireworks!"

"What happened to controlling your anger?" I asked quieter. I could hear my cousin jogging down the dirt path, probably because he heard us yelling. Uriah looked at me, his eyes narrowing. Alex, once again, passed the clearing without even so much as a head turn.

"If somebody hurts someone I care about, my temper has no bounds," Uriah said quieter as well.

I stayed against my tree as he made his way to me. It took him longer because he was watching out for the stray cans of beer and rocks that could've made him trip. I tried to reason with myself. As he drew closer, my heart thumped faster and my breathing became ragged. This man is not going to hurt me. He protected me yesterday. He's not going to hurt- My thoughts were interrupted by the closeness. He stood only a couple of inches taller than me, but that was enough for my breath to hitch.

His eyes were a blazing, emerald green. The color itself was so dark, his eyes looked almost black. "I would never hurt you," he whispered.

Once again, his face was closing down on mine, until my phone started ringing. He gave a sigh, I almost gave a sigh in relief. "Hey mom," I said.

"Yes...The party went fine...No, I'm not harmed...Yes, I know. K, love you too. Bye."

Moment officially ruined, I slipped out from between Uriah and the tree. He put his left hand against it. "I will get that kiss sooner or later."

Let it be later. A crash through the bushes and there stood my cousin. "There you two are!" he cried. I gave him a grin.

"Took you long enough," I said.

"Shut up," Alex said breathlessly.

I stared at the two men. Before I knew it, my legs were taking me back to the house. I knew Alex and Uriah were following close behind me. I needed to pack my clothes. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to get away from him.

My anger built up in my chest. I pushed it down, along with the tears that threatened to fall. I grabbed my black suitcase, which was almost already packed. I grabbed my black outfit, the tattered skirt, ruined halter top, black tank top and my black shorts from the night before. "What are you doing?" Uriah asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Packing," I snapped.

"Why?"

"Why else do people pack?!" I screamed. I yanked the zipper harder than I should have. It still zipped closed.

"Your flight doesn't leave until Monday." I had two whole days.

"That's fine. My aunt said she'd be willing to pick me up." I texted my aunt. It would take her about an hour to get to my cousin's house.

That entire hour, I read the book I had brought. I didn't respond to Uriah's prodding or his questions. Even to his anger. I kept my mouth closed. I literally bit my tongue to keep from saying anything.

The hour lagged on, but finally, finally, my aunt honked outside my cousin's house. Uriah was sulking in the corner of the living room, his green eyes glaring at me. I knew he wasn't happy, but I needed this. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to turn away and just run.

My black suitcase was put in the trunk. I slid into the front seat, and turned to smile at my little cousins I hadn't seen in a very long time. The car drove down the gravel driveway. I looked back to the see the door empty. I turned in my seat, ready to face the world without the heartache.