dark khaki cargo
shorts, and a faded red t-shirt. It was more than that, though; it wasn’t just
that she could remember what he was wearing. When she thought about it, she
could recall every detail right down to the way the flap on his right back
pocket was creased up, and the exact shape and size of the small hole on the
left sleeve of his red t-shirt. Speaking of which, Ella saw a red thread
snagged on a snapped branch that hung close to the path. Of course the wood
inside the break was moist and green. Ella continued on. She was still aware
of her surroundings, but at the same time she was a little lost in her
thoughts.
She seemed
to be lost in thought a lot lately. It was probably only natural with everything
that had happened over the past few days, but she knew she needed to get it together
and focus. She undeniably had feelings for Burke, and she was pretty sure he…
what… loved her? Well, maybe not love, but she was getting some serious
signals. Was this really the time to pursue anything though, with some alien
nut job running around town? Let’s be honest with ourselves here; the Demon
was a serial killer, and according to Burke they were the only two people who
could do anything about it.
Still,
people fell in love in the midst of horrifying tragedy and adversity throughout
history. She recalled reading several stories about lovers during World War II when she had been
working on a paper for a history class. She wished she and Burke could at
least be honest with each other and open up instead of all this red-faced
stuttering and dancing around.
Ella stopped
and looked around. She’d gone almost half a mile since she’d seen that broken
branch with the red string. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She
wasn’t getting anything of what she’d come to think of as Burke’s smell - an
intoxicating mixture of his soap and the plants from the greenhouse. She knelt
down and looked at the floor of the path. The earth was still packed tight,
but there was a light dusting of pollen from the trees in this part of the
forest. It was undisturbed except where she’d been walking. Fabulous, hadn’t
she just told herself she needed to get it together and focus?
Ella turned
around and headed back the way she had come. She moved slowly, looking for any
signs that Burke had come this far. She would watchfully make her way back to
the last sign she had seen of him. It would be on the right side of the path.
Thank heavens she had left the red string in the break. That would make it
easier to find. She was trying to pay more attention to the sights, sounds,
and smells around her. She knelt down to examine one of her own footprints
after noticing little songbird prints on top of it. Wow, she had been here
only fifteen to twenty minutes ago, and already the print had been disturbed.
She was starting to understand the importance of all the things Burke had told
her about tracking. It was both an art and a fine science. She stood and
narrowed her vision, focusing and scanning the flora for the red string. She
didn’t think she’d doubled back far enough yet. For the love of God,
what if she had passed it?
Ella closed
her eyes and tried to remember the string. She could picture it in her mind.
What else was around it? The string itself had been snagged on a young maple
tree. There was a small azalea shrub a couple of feet from the tree. The
shrub wasn’t in bloom, but she recognized the leaves. She had helped her aunt
plant several at home. There was also an outcropping of rock a few yards
further down the path. She had passed it just before originally spotting the
red thread.
Holy Crap.
Ella bent over, put her hands on her knees, and took a deep breath. Burke was
right; she was only just beginning to grasp what her mind was capable of. She
had passed the outcropping of rock – then seen the string. But when she closed
her
shorts, and a faded red t-shirt. It was more than that, though; it wasn’t just
that she could remember what he was wearing. When she thought about it, she
could recall every detail right down to the way the flap on his right back
pocket was creased up, and the exact shape and size of the small hole on the
left sleeve of his red t-shirt. Speaking of which, Ella saw a red thread
snagged on a snapped branch that hung close to the path. Of course the wood
inside the break was moist and green. Ella continued on. She was still aware
of her surroundings, but at the same time she was a little lost in her
thoughts.
She seemed
to be lost in thought a lot lately. It was probably only natural with everything
that had happened over the past few days, but she knew she needed to get it together
and focus. She undeniably had feelings for Burke, and she was pretty sure he…
what… loved her? Well, maybe not love, but she was getting some serious
signals. Was this really the time to pursue anything though, with some alien
nut job running around town? Let’s be honest with ourselves here; the Demon
was a serial killer, and according to Burke they were the only two people who
could do anything about it.
Still,
people fell in love in the midst of horrifying tragedy and adversity throughout
history. She recalled reading several stories about lovers during World War II when she had been
working on a paper for a history class. She wished she and Burke could at
least be honest with each other and open up instead of all this red-faced
stuttering and dancing around.
Ella stopped
and looked around. She’d gone almost half a mile since she’d seen that broken
branch with the red string. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She
wasn’t getting anything of what she’d come to think of as Burke’s smell - an
intoxicating mixture of his soap and the plants from the greenhouse. She knelt
down and looked at the floor of the path. The earth was still packed tight,
but there was a light dusting of pollen from the trees in this part of the
forest. It was undisturbed except where she’d been walking. Fabulous, hadn’t
she just told herself she needed to get it together and focus?
Ella turned
around and headed back the way she had come. She moved slowly, looking for any
signs that Burke had come this far. She would watchfully make her way back to
the last sign she had seen of him. It would be on the right side of the path.
Thank heavens she had left the red string in the break. That would make it
easier to find. She was trying to pay more attention to the sights, sounds,
and smells around her. She knelt down to examine one of her own footprints
after noticing little songbird prints on top of it. Wow, she had been here
only fifteen to twenty minutes ago, and already the print had been disturbed.
She was starting to understand the importance of all the things Burke had told
her about tracking. It was both an art and a fine science. She stood and
narrowed her vision, focusing and scanning the flora for the red string. She
didn’t think she’d doubled back far enough yet. For the love of God,
what if she had passed it?
Ella closed
her eyes and tried to remember the string. She could picture it in her mind.
What else was around it? The string itself had been snagged on a young maple
tree. There was a small azalea shrub a couple of feet from the tree. The
shrub wasn’t in bloom, but she recognized the leaves. She had helped her aunt
plant several at home. There was also an outcropping of rock a few yards
further down the path. She had passed it just before originally spotting the
red thread.
Holy Crap.
Ella bent over, put her hands on her knees, and took a deep breath. Burke was
right; she was only just beginning to grasp what her mind was capable of. She
had passed the outcropping of rock – then seen the string. But when she closed
her
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