The Book Of Days

„Anth, calm down. You said that for a reason. You had to say it!“, Ethaniel was repeating in his mind. He felt remorse, guilt for lying to her, but now it was too late to correct anything. Brianna went for a walk, time for some studying.

He pulled out his black book out and continued with studying. „Everybody who have tainted blood, and are not worthy to enter the upper world, shall not enter untill they are ready to claim their misdeeds in front of all three worlds.“

Ethaniel raised his head, thinking what he just read. „Shall not enter...“, he repeated. Studying continued deep into the night. He was in deep state of outter mind when Brianna returned. She layed by the log again and fell asleep.

Ethaniel waited patiently almost all night for her to come back. Now he could go hunting. The time came for him to have a meal. He put away his book, and stood up. He came close to Brianna to make sure she was sleeping. He reached his hand toward her face to move the lock of her hair away. He stopped.

„What is happening to me?“, Ethaniel said quietly, not understanding his situation. For the first time after many years, something inside of him began to wake up. He felt something. Even dough he didn't know what that feeling was, he senced it is not welcome. „Now is not the time for emotions!“, he mumbled. Ethaniel snapped out of it and stood up.

Time for dinner. He walked away slowly, in case Brianna wasn't sound asleep, and came out under the tree. Evening was pleasant. Not one cloud to hide one star. Ethaniel recognized few star constalations with almost no thinking. On the west was the great Orion, and on the east was standing Kasiopea humbly.

„North. Hm, maybe it will bring me some good catch.“ He turned around, to make sure one more time that Brianna was sleeping and disappeared into the night.

„Time to go.“, she said happily, not wanting for Ethaniel to find out. „Why are you so happy?“, Ethaniel was confused.

„I just am. Aren't I allowed to?, Brianna was hopping to engage a conversation.

„You can. But don't drag me into your nonscence. I am not in the mood to listen your child stories“, Ethaniel proceeded with his chauvinism.

„Okay. I won't bother you, but try to understand one thing. One day you will have to cheer up a bit and start talking to mbe. I can deal with it for now, but not for long yet. I miss conversation, and you are the only person around to talk to. Don't think I like you, I stil think you are cruel person, but I have to deal with it. You should try it too!“

Ethaniel was lost for words. This was the first time he saw her determened. He liked the new aproach, but didn't let her know it. „She must be hiding something. What did she do now?“, he was thinking.

„Shall we?“, anxiously asked Brianna. „Ethaniel must not dought at anything. He mustn't find out. He won't find out“, she was comforting herself trying to keep the smile on her face.

Ethaniel grabbed her hand and lifted from the log she was sitting on. „Let's go. The day is young, and we have still a lot to walk.“

„Do you even know where are we going. I would like to finally know if this journey has an end. For four days you've been pulling my hand without explanation. So, can I know?“

„We're going to San Francisco. I have friends there who can help us!“, he was slowly becoming a bit tolerant. „And they can help us... how?“, Brianna continued.

„They can help us hide from the police. For now we can life like this, walking and sleeping on the open, but when we come to San Francisco, we're gonna need protection, and my friends are very capeable in hiding people.“

„Are we going to hide for the rest of our lives? You're forgetting the fact that I didn't do anything wrong, therefor, I have nothing to hide! I agreed to come with you only because I wanted to get away from the routine. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have come!“

„Have you had enough? You wanna go home?!“, he releasend her hand with anger. „Go! I don't need you!“, Ethaniel now completely lost his calmness.

Brianna stood there confussed, not knowing what just happened. She turned around and walked first step towards New York, when Ehaniel fell on his knees behind her, screaming from pain.

Brianna understood something has happened and rushed back to help him. She leaned him on her shoulder and tryed to get him up to his feet. With hard movies, he stood on both of his legs leaning almost all of his weight onto Brianna's shoulders.

Brianna almost screamed when he raised his head. „Ethaniel, what...? Your face is completely burned. WHAT IS GOING ON?“, Ethaniel wasn't responding.

She dragged him back under the oak. She fell a few times, but in the end she managed to pull him back to the same log she used as a chair few minutes ago. She slowly lowered Ethaniel so he could lie down, and leaned his head on the log.

„How could this happen?, Brianna was hopping for an answer but Ethaniel was still quiet. She took a small bottle of water from Ethaniel's backpack. On the bottle was pale writting „Evian“. It was an old bottle. She soaked the old sheet she was sleeping under the other night, and put it on Ethaniel's face.

„Try to get some rest. I know you are in pain and you can't talk now. I'll be here, close. I'll try to rest a bit. You try it too.“, she said softly. She went 3 feet away and leaned onto the oak still looking at Ethaniel.

Ethaniel moved his hand few times to ajust the sheet to cool his face. At the end, he was in one position, like he was sleeping. Brianna finally relaxed, when she saw him calmed, and then fell asleep.

Morning haven't rised yet when Brianna woke up. The sun was a long way under the horizon, and there was no sign of Ethaniel. She got used to the fact she has to wake up alone. That was the only time of the day that was reserved to herself. This is the best part of the day, no anger, madness or something else.

She crawled out of her tent, looked around herself. Now she saw were she was. There was almost nothing surrounding her. The view was spreading to all sides, like there was no end. In the distance was a glimpse shape of mountains, still to little light to figure out which ones were. Growing up in the orphanage, the main attraction was studying the far horizons that she will never see.

Now the impossible became possible. In this moment, absolute numbness of sences, she felt complete. Fused with the nature, she felt devotion that will follow the breaking of sunlight.

Irruption of unpleasant noises comming behind Brianna, broke the morning harmony.

„Where were you?“, whe still didn't understand how can he stay all night awake. A single night haven't passed by that he slept. „You know very weli I don't sleep. I left for a walk. Don't tell me, you've missed me?, Ethaniel never gave up on his sarcasm.

„I would be nice to know once where do you wonder off every night.“, Brianna was always taught to be polite in all situations, no matter the company. Rarely she managed to do so.

„It would, wouldn't it? It's a good thing, you'll never find out. Listen, you have your quiet moments like this one, when you fly off to your imaginary place and sing with birds and dance around the trees. Why couldn't I have one?“, he smiled. „I really don't understand how come you haven't figured out that I'm here to protect you and me. I'm here to survive another day on open. I've been locked up in dark for too long, so be walking alone across the world.“, he put his old sheet into a little backpack and grabbed Brianna's hand.

„If you insist on holding my hand, you could at least lossen your grip. My pain threshold is not as high as yours is. I'm not made of steel!“, Brianna raised her voide, hopping Ethaniel would finally figure out she's a woman.

„Are you that weak?“, confidently asked Ethaniel. „Yes!“. A pause followed. Brianna knew that Ethaniel was not interested in conversations in the morning. The sun hasn't rised yet, and she didn't wanted to go into new fights. Ethaniel was withdrawn every morning, probably because he hasn't slept for years.

Even though there were no signs on insomnia on his face, he was distanced. Mornings were reserved for mind wondering, believing in better tomorrow, and hope for survival.

Those few hours, Brianna was thinking about Ehtaniel, his actions and behavior. Even with cute face, Ethaniel was very complicated person. She didn't knew his past, so she couldn't be cirtain of what happened to traumatic that reflected on his entire character. As a girl, she liked to observe human subconscience. After a few weeks, that she knew him, she concluded he has no brothers or sisters, and his parents were probably dead. Attitude of his behaviour toward her was a matter of subconscience. She discovered his good side, so she knew his behavior was jsut a reflection of his dissatisfaction of his own life.

He rarely wanted to talk about his past, but on several occasions he tryed to explain his origin. He wansn't very good at it, because not even he knew exactly. He knew who his parents were, even though he never told Brianna, but he realized he was special in some way and differet from the society he grew up in. He never found out the reason, but he hopped for one day to find out.

„Can I expect a breakfast soon?“, Brianna asked inpatiently. „I've found a snake. I believe it will be enough. We'll find some shadowed spot where we can roast it.“

„A snake? Couldn't you find anything better? For four days, I've ate everything that crawls!“

„I've already told you I'm not planning on arranging you feasts. First, I don't have resources. Second, eat what is offering. Stop annoying me!“, he firmed his grip. They've walked for two hours before settling down under the old oak. There was plenty of shadow under it, so Ethaniel can rest in his corner, and for Brianna to eat breakfast in other.