Timed

"We're here, so make yourself at home, because we are going to be here for a while." His voice rang with suspicion. I felt my legs fall towards the ground, a jilt of electricity sprang through my spine, causing ensuring pain to shoot through.

"I can't," my voice fell an octave. "I made a terrible mistake." A hand quickly grasped at me.

"You can't, it's too much already." He looked at me; his eyes made me make sense of what he said. He had to be sure; there was no reason for why I should go back, running towards that one place where it all started.

He ran off, legs escalating higher every time he took a step. The farther he went, the less I could see him. "Come back to me," I whispered, my mouth beginning to gape a little as a rhythmic whistle escaped.

I couldn't stay; I had to move somewhere. The moon glistened in the sky, it drizzled the goodness off, casting a bolder light this time. The glow absorbed itself into the peaceful air, causing the goodness to ring the night's noise.

"Cullen," I sobbed. My voice broke into a shallow cry.

"Are you okay, Ivory?" A chirped voice came from behind. There were arms now holding onto me, the grasp had tightened.

"You know, I can't be held hostage forever, I have to be let go and return to him someday." My voice croaked, ignoring his question.

He ignored me, he moved his arms away from me; I sunk into the log that was nearest a small pit of wood that he had built. A match flickered with a flame that was only visible to us.

"Here," he handed me a plate, and a cup of fresh water. The plate contained a freshly cut fish that couldn't be anymore than an hour old. A few berries scattered everywhere, and a piece of bark that lay lightly upon the fish, exposing sharp splinters across the outer layer.

"I can't eat that." I protested, arms pushing the food away, letting it slide on the dirty ground, causing leaves to dress itself around the fish.

"Look, I know you want to go back, but, you just don't understand." I gawked once he had said I didn't understand.

"Excuse me, but I think I do. You took me away, you won." I nearly shouted at him, his eyes grew with intense anger.

He rose up, bucket of water in hand, and darted at me, fists clenched. "Look, I took you away from there only to protect you, if you want to see your parents again, you better-" His voice stopped. His eyes were focused, still filled with anger, yet sympathy slipped in and began to take over.

"My what?" My eyes furrowed, he had beaten me down, and I was blinded by it all. He had it all figured out.

My legs sped off, and into the darkness, I lost myself then. My legs felt as if they were no longer visible, I heard no crunching of leaves, nor did I feel anymore air. I ran farther, my eyes no longer seeing.

The land had changed completely. This time it painted a darkened field, causing the tinted black sky to turn into an absent dark blue, the mountains carved sharp black edges into the sky. I felt like I was on top of the world. My vision fixated, I could finally see where I was going. My pace became steady, as my arms wailed into the open field, grass flowing through my hands, sending the cool, sharp edges on through the openings of my fingers and thumb.

A light blue had highlighted the hidden branches in the sky, its sides poked out like fingers. I was welcomed by a nearby stream; it followed on through to a small opening that had hung over a small dam built by beavers.

"Ivory," an echo broke out from the pit of the entrance I came through.

My body froze, I couldn't go anywhere, not even to run faster. I heard a leaf crunch, its lifespan now empty from the sound that had reached my eardrum.

"Get away," I croaked, my body now beginning to shake with the tension that went through like a shock of energy.

"I can't see you, but I can hear you." His voice had shown familiarity to me, it was forgiving in a way.

"Ace, if that isn't you, don't say anything-if it is, run towards my voice." I didn't hear anything else. Turning, I quickly grasped at the anticipating air that had flooded my presence.

He moved in, footprints becoming deeper with each step it took. It began to grow closer as the air around us both grew stale. I turned once more, my body now sending a message of disbelief. It wasn't whom I was thinking of at this moment. It was another man, his silhouette faded away from the bits of light that fell atop him. Short hair fell just a few inches past his ears, side burns crested into a slight infringement of a moon.

Dark hair poked out from the very barriers of his chest, muzzled around him like a fur coat. He seemed to have some type of cap on his head; it exposed a Red Dodger's logo. The lineage poked out like thorns that prickled skin, leaving scratches that lasted for days. He appeared to resemble something a black bear would look, however, minus the muzzle.

"Why don't we play a little game." His voice grew on me, causing me to shudder at the ring of his words.

"What game are you recommending?" I questioned, my voice quivering.

"A favorite of mine, and yours." His voice grew on me once more, breaking the barriers that were secured around me. "We are going to play 'Marco, Polo'. You like it... don't you?" His voice is gravelly from the closest touch of breath that ran down my backside.

"Who goes first?" An arm extended towards my waist, picking me up with severe force, not seeming to let go until I felt a thrilling rush run through me, as my body met with a thump at the bottom of the stream.

"Now," his voice was hidden, he made no remarks to where his whereabouts were, "when I say go, we will start."

It fell quiet then.

"Polo!" I gasped, my legs were glued onto the cold floor that had sunken into my shoes.

I began forward, darkness forbade any shadow from entering the maze of possible sinkholes that could swallow me up, and there would be no further explanation as to where I had gone.

Every now and then, it seemed to be hard to try and run for an exit, however, nothing would be appear. I would run, yet something would block me from leaving this troubling maze of sheer darkness. "Come to me," I cringed, my eyes closing with intense force. He had found me.

"You're right there." I said, my pitch unclear of what emotion I was expressing.

"You are everywhere." I looked down, all that was there was a puddle that looped in circles every time a motion of footsteps reigned towards me.

"You have a knack for figuring out where I am." His voice seemed happy.

I glanced over, scanning his darkened silhouette with my eyes. He clearly was muddy from all the running he had done to try to look for me in the game. I marched toward him, but still leaving a fine boundary between us.

"You know," I glanced down, my head shaking to the side of my shoulder. "I haven't really put much thought into my parent's whereabouts. All I was told was that they had disappeared."

There was no answer.

"And," I clenched my fists, agony was sweeping in, choking me from spitting out certain words. "I want to look, but, something is keeping me from it."

"I know how you feel," he knelt down on his knees, scanning the perimeter of the area, yet it was clearly dark, but that didn't stop him from looking. "I had left my family... long ago."

I turned, my brain had processed what he was saying. Moreover, it didn't seem to figure what he meant by he left his family long ago. "Did you leave an hour ago, a year ago?"

He shook his head, intensity of gravity making it heavy from the movement he was making.

"I left fourteen decades ago. I figured I would never find another girl like you after they were all swept clean." His voice was vague. I couldn't tell if he was being serious.

I gawked at him, a sincere feeling soared through me. He was acute. I knew just by looking, he trembled with a grim tone.

"So, you left. Nearly a hundred and forty years ago, and now I am, what, the last of someone profound, nonexistent species that is deemed to not exist?" I questioned, my voice no longer solemn. I was in panic mode; he could sense it.

"What I mean is, I... need your help."

He was nonchalant; however, for me, I was clearly the dart that wanted to stick into his chest and make him panic. I gazed one last time, he wasn't the usual snaky self he usually was.

I spoke up then: "What kind of help are you requesting?"