Jaded Crimson

"I'm going to kill you!" thankfully, he was laughing instead of actually trying to kill me. But by tickling me like he was, I wasn't surprised when he said he was.

"Stop!" I gasped as I locked my arms at my side and tried to wiggle away from him. "Jaden I was kidding! Stop! You're killing me!"

"Should I even ask," we both froze and looked up to see Maria leaning against the driver's door. "Or should I walk away and pretend I didn't see this."

"Uh," Jaden said at the same time I did. "She embarrassed me," he pointed at me with one hand while the other stayed on my side ready to tickle again. "I'm getting her back."

"Alright," Maria held her hands up, chuckling slightly as she walked away.

"You're mom can be amused by just about anything can't she?" I asked, trying to prolong the torture treatment. I figured he'd get me back, I planned on it. But tickling never occurred to me, and damn I hate being tickled.

"Just about," he laughed as he moved back to his seat, nearly falling backwards because his heel hit the console.

"Ha!" I snorted and covered my face; before he could tickle me again I jumped out the door and ran for the house. "He's going to kill me Maria!"

"I have nothing to do with it," she yelled as I slammed the front door in Jaden's face, as I heard the thump signaling he hadn't stopped in time to avoid running into the closed door, I broke into a hysterical laughter while running to hide behind Maria, my gasps of air were far and few between as the door opened and Jaden walked in rubbing his face.

"I've known you two days and already you injure me," he murmured as he threw his jacket off and started walking towards Maria and I.

"Oh I'm dead," I pulled off my own thin jacket and turned making a break for the dining room opening to the kitchen, I could hear him running behind me but I decided to kick in the 'Chicago kids running after you, better run faster' state of mind, which caused my legs to work overtime and get me at least four steps more ahead of him. I rounded the kitchen and headed down the hallway to the outside door, pausing to open it quickly he nearly caught me. But I was off again for the maze.

"Crimson!"

"I'm so going to get lost," I murmured as I ran full speed past the corners of the maze, already running past four or more of them I knew I had lost him at least for a few minutes. I decided right then, I had gotten lost in the maze again without someone to help me out, again. "Great one Crimson, get yourself lost yet again."

"You know, the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself," someone mused from behind her, she stopped dead in her tracks and closed her eyes, slapping her hand to her face she grumbled against it. "But then again, we're way past that aren't we?"

"I forgot, you know this maze," I said through my clenched teeth as I turned around and stared at Jaden. "Don't kill me?"

"Oh I don't know if I'll commit homicide just for you," he stalked closer to me, literally. Like prey and predator on the discovery channel, I was being stalked. "But then again, you did slam the door in my face."

"Would I'm sorry change you're mind on that whole," I wiggled my finger at his face. "Homicide thing you were mumbling about?"

"I wasn't mumbling," he said with a bright, psychotically scary smile. "I was speaking quite clear I'm sure of it."

"You're starting to really freak me out," I mumbled lowly as I hit something soft, prickly and in my way. A hedge. "And I thought I was insane."

"Oh I'm not insane," he rolled his eyes sarcastically as he placed either of his hands above each of my shoulders; I scrunched my nose at the irony of the situation, like a bad romance novel with a little drama in the middle for the extra effort. "Just, vengeful."

"And that would," I shrugged my shoulders innocently. "Be needed why?"

He looked down at me with one eyebrow raised before it slowly lowered and he was just staring at me, without saying a word. I wanted to reach up and maybe slap him out of his trance but, that probably wouldn't have worked since it would have pissed him off more. But instead of having to do that, he lowered slightly. "Crimson?"

"Uh yeah?" I pushed back into the hedge as far as I could, the prickly things in the bush stuck to my skin even more, he was actually low enough to kiss me or bite me, or something. And it sort of felt, uncomfortable because one, he's supposed to be like, my foster brother. And two would be, I've known him not even two days straight, but then again.

"Uh," he leaned up to his full height again and returned the mischievous grin on his face. "I'll give you a ten second head start before I get you."

"First," I said slowly. "Will it be painful?"