by Selena Page
"Yeah. I’ve been in this part of the forest before. I go pretty deep into the mountains but it’s different here."
They both watched the forest for a few moments as they hiked. The air whispered around them and the leaves crushed under their feet. The forest had changed. It was darker for sure, but there was something at the edge of their vision. Something at the edge of their perceptions.
The path wound through the brush and trees, up a slight hill, then down and around a bend between two mountains. The ground leveled off in the valley between the two ridges. At the mouth of the valley were the broken and cracked remains of a town main street.
Andrew and Kara stopped at the sight of the decaying town.
"Welcome to Dunbarton," Andrew read from a broken sign that was lying on the ground.
The town was moldering and decaying into the forest. Houses stood in neat rows that were interrupted by trees and brush growing between them. The pavement was cracked and broken with bushes and small saplings sprouting between the chunks of concrete and asphalt.
"Wow," Kara said.
"Yeah," Andrew said, taking it in.
No matter how many times he had done this sort thing the excitement still raced through him when he found something new. The mountains always had some new discovery despite how many miles of trail he'd climbed. Even though his studies made him familiar with nearly every corner of the county, he managed to discover something new and exciting.
"How do we start?" Kara asked.
"I usually start off by walking around the perimeter and then systematically going through. This is a whole town, so it’s going to take a while."
They stopped there and made a hard right turn following the buildings surrounding the edge of town. Walking it, they found it was shaped like a teardrop. The residential rowhouses and buildings gave way to a cluster of small shops and restaurants. That gave way to administrative buildings and commercial buildings with the Dunbar Coal name. There was a small smattering of borough administrative buildings, but these were few and only for the scant appearance of a town that was run by itself.
The Dunbar name was everywhere. The true power lay in the coal company that had folded almost a century ago. The vein that had seemed so prosperous and impossible to mine had run dry. A network of dead and useless tunnels ran through the mountains. Sinkholes opened up every year swallowing trees and diverting small streams.
They wandered into the town hall. The Dunbar name was as omnipresent here as the rest of the town. Pictures of the coal miners lined the walls. The plaster was peeling and falling off in great chunks on the floor. In the center of the room was a coal miner's hammer. The light from the windows wasn't much, but the metal gleamed from across the room. Andrew immediately felt its pull. A familiar pressure rose in his mind and he knew he needed to bring this hammer with him. Andrew walked toward it.
"What is it?" Kara asked.
"The hammer…it feels familiar," Andrew said absentmindedly.
"Is it…magic?" Kara asked, sounding surprised.
"No…just…important. Maybe related." Andrew’s hand hovered over the miner's hammer. He was cautious; grabbing something that was linked to this monster could not be good. Usually.
He grabbed the hammer and braced himself.
Nothing happened.
"Hey, uh, Gandalf, you all right over there?" Kara asked impatiently.
"Fine. Fine," Andrew said, feeling silly. He put the hammer in his rucksack, and they moved out of the building. They came back to the only road that led directly into town. It was getting dark. Andrew held his hand up to glance at the angle of the sun and knew they only had a couple of hours left.
"We don’t have much time left to make camp. We better get a move on," Andrew said, hiking his shoulder straps up.
"Why don’t we make camp right outside of the town?" Kara asked, gesturing to a level area a dozen or so feet away.
Andrew looked at the level spot. It was a good place for a campsite. Naturally devoid of brush or saplings. Good level ground to pitch tents on. He shook his head.
"I don’t want to camp that close. Something about this place bothers me. I can’t put my finger on it but it feels wrong," he said.
Kara crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. "Scared of the bogeyman?"
"No, but what we're going after is what's connected to this place. I don’t want to be sleeping in its bed."
Andrew and Kara made their way down the decayed and fractured road. They went about two miles and then cut left into the trees until they found a wide, level site to camp. Andrew hacked down some saplings and small bushes while Kara gathered firewood. They did this quietly, not talking much. Despite the distraction of his gifts, both had felt the electricity between them in the collapsed tunnel. She couldn't help but remember the rush that consumed her with his arms around her. They both silently mulled over their feelings and knew that coming night brought a promise of intimacy.
Kara tried to focus on the town. She tried to focus on the imagery of the decaying buildings, how some houses leaned and others had trees poking through their roofs. She kept glancing at Andrew as he readied the campsite. God, this guy distracted her.
She watched him set up his tent expertly and noticed his tanned arms that gleamed with the day’s sweat. His shirt was sweaty from the hike and it stuck to his well-defined chest and stomach. She glanced away and continued setting up her tent. Her face and neck were warm at the thought of him. She smiled inwardly at the idea of those arms around her, then got back to setting up her tent.
It struck her what she had not seen in the town. Graffiti. No graffiti, no damage to the buildings that wasn’t done by nature itself. No trash either. No piled bags or tipped over garbage cans or dressers. Everything had been left in the houses. Just as it was.
"Did you notice there wasn’t any graffiti?" Kara asked, trying to put her thoughts back in order.
Andrew finished fastening a rain fly to his tent. "Yeah. It was a little weird, wasn't it?"
"And no trash or shacks."
"There are a lot of these abandoned towns all over the Appalachians. They aren’t hard to get to, it’s just nobody knows about them. The mine owners would put cheap housing up, ship miners and their families in, and run the mine as long as they could."
"I have a hard time believing that no one ever got up here. You know how easy it was to find this place."
He nodded. It was a lot easier to find this place than he had he thought. He couldn't really tell why no one had found it before. It wasn't that hard of a hike, and it wasn't that out of the way either.
"I think you might be right. Maybe they did get up here just…never left," he said.
They finished making camp and got a small fire crackling. Andrew broke out some canned stew and a loaf of bread, which he set on a tin plate by the fire to warm.
"So this your hobby?" Kara asked.
"Sort of. It's more of a passion. I love being outdoors," Andrew said as he mopped some stew from his bowl with a crust of bread.
"When did you start doing this?"
"Oh, about when I was twelve or so. It was always so crowded in the house. I just wanted to get away from everyone."
"How many siblings do you have?"
"Ten," Andrew said pointedly. "I was never lonely."
Kara’s eyebrows rose. "Wow. I knew you had a huge family. I didn’t know it was that big."
"How about you?"
"I have a sister in Ohio. Older than me, she’s got three kids," Kara said sheepishly
"I always wondered what it would be like to only have one or two brothers. Don’t get me wrong. I love them all, it just…gets to be a lot."
"Yeah. You know, whole bunch of witches and warlocks all in the same house. Must get busy. Contemplating the meaning of the universe and all," Kara said with a playful smile.
Andrew gave her a flat look. "It's really nothing like that. Even for the families that can do magic. It's just part of who they are. Like being a
journalist is for you."
"So it’s like an occupation?"
"No. It's more than that, but our days are like yours. We worry about each other. Wonder about jobs or our family."
"What’s it like?"
"What? Magic?"
Kara nodded.
Andrew paused and looked up through the trees to the stars. "Astrophysics," he said and spooned a mouthful of stew.
"Really?"
"That’s it, really. You see I know how something works, but that’s it. Most of the time it's as useful as understanding astrophysics. It's something you can play with at some level, but it's not something you really want to kick around too much. It’s just there."
"Huh."
"Thought it would be more than that?" Andrew asked, tilting his head toward her.
"Well yeah. I thought it would be all about…"
"Please don’t say fireballs and magic missiles."
Kara smacked and his leg and laughed. She let her hand rest there. "No, I wasn’t going to say that." She smiled as she spoke to him. "I was going to say…Lord of the Rings."
Andrew had been spooning another mouthful of stew into his mouth. He dropped his hand, letting the spoon hang in his mouth, dipped his fingers into the bowl, and smeared it across her cheek.
Kara laughed and pinched the side of his ribs, making Andrew gasp and spit out the spoon laughing. He wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her off. Kara wriggled in his grip and wrapped one leg around him, pulling herself close. The heat of her pressed against his body. The nakedness of her legs against his sweaty, sticky shirt. He didn't want to hold her off, not anymore.
NINE
Andrew's eyes traced the outline of her mouth, her lips parting and a heady breath escaping her. She stopped wriggling, and it felt like she pulled toward him without actually moving. She swallowed, taking a deep breath, and Andrew noticed the curve of her breasts underneath her tank top. She was beautiful.
His hand gently caressed her jaw, and she leaned toward him. Their lips meet. Deep, passionate, their arms encircled each other as their tongues tangled. He ran his hands along her spine, causing her to gasp and arch into him. She rose up on him, her body curving like a blade in the starlight, and wrapped her thighs around him completely. Andrew kissed her chin, her neck, and down her collarbone until she ran her fingers through his hair and pushed him into her breasts, moaning.
Writhing with the sensation and finding him eager, she kissed his ears and his neck as he ran his hands up the sides of her body. In one fluid motion, he stood with her around him and carried her into his tent. He laid her down on his sleeping bag.
Kara breathed in the smell of him. His scent was a heady mix of pine and sweat. She ran her hands up his stomach, feeling the easy definition of muscles across his chest. She felt power there. Deep strength that radiated off of him. She rested her head on his clavicle and trailed kisses over his neck. Her tongue flicked out and tasted sweat.
Andrew responded eagerly. He pulled her hips against his, his powerful hands resting on the curve where her back met her hips. His thumb followed the curve of her hip and brushed just past the waistline of her jeans. Kara rocked her hips into him. Willingly, he bent into her and finally his lips consumed her. It started sweet and light, then grew deeper and stronger. Kara tasted his mouth and let her tongue explore his.
His mouth explored the spot on her neck where her pulse jumped. He went lower, and she sighed as his lips brushed the swell of her breasts. Her nipples were rock hard against the light fabric of her shirt. She arched her back pushing her nipples against his lips.
Andrew took his cue and pulled her shirt back and kissed the sensitive, pink skin. Kara moaned in response and curled her hands in his thick black hair and pulled him into her. His kiss was long and deep. Finally he pulled back to breath, and their eyes met and both knew they wanted more. More of each other, more of each other’s bodies, more of whatever electricity was coursing between them.
Kara pulled off her shirt in one easy motion, Andrew doing the same. They came together again kissing and embracing. Her breasts crushed against the solid muscles of his chest, she ran her hands down his back and found his jeans. She fumbled with buckle and zipper. Andrew followed the arch of her back. His touch, strong as it was, was so gentle it and made her arch into him, demanding more. His hands found her waist and tugged her shorts down. She felt his cock against her, hard and throbbing. She ground her hips, and he gasped. Kara smiled, letting her hand drift down his stomach, and wrapped her fingers around his cock.
Andrew pulled back, sucking in a deep breath. He looked deep into her eyes, and his whole body tensed. His arms held him up like two stone columns, while she stroked him slowly, coyly feeling the whole of him. Savoring the warmth of him in her hand. Andrew lowered himself a little. Kara slid one long, pale leg out and curled it around his waist and pulled him closer. His cock pressed harder against her pussy, and she sighed again as he slowly and easily entered her. He kissed her as his hips worked rhythmically. She moaned into the kiss and let her hands run up and down his back. Kara pulled him close against her and rolled him onto his back.
He gasped when was astride him, having never parted. Kara placed her hand on his face and he kissed her fingers. Kara’s hips and body rocked, driving him deeper and deeper into her. She ran her hand along his flank and felt him tense. An incredible warmth spread across her chest and face. She felt herself flush and her breath quicken as they worked, each a part of the other. Each driving the other closer and closer to madness. Finally Andrew tensed like bow pulled back. Kara went wild with the feeling of him so close to climax. Her pace increased, her body rocking and her breasts pushing against his hands. Andrew thought he might lose his mind, but then he came, lights exploding behind his eyes.
She moaned deep and long into his chest, wiggling her hips with pulses of pleasure that rose from inside her. Andrew griped her hips and held her close, letting her rock herself to finish. He kissed the inside of her neck as the rolling waves of pleasure finally finished, and they lay together still a part of one another.
For a while Andrew didn’t say anything. He just stared at the line of her jaw and enjoyed the caress of her hair against his chest. Kara slowly and indulgently ran her fingers up and down his side making him shudder. She giggled and rolled her hips again making him groan. He was still hard inside her. She let her hips make one slow circuit of him, rising and falling against him. She kissed him, first on the ear and then along his jaw and his lips. Andrew kissed her back and rose into her, making her gasp. They thrummed again. Rising and falling against each other.
She lowered herself down next to him and cupped his chin in her had. She laid her leg astride him and pressed into him as he thrust himself into her. She kissed his face and then looked deep into his eyes and saw the same need, the same passion mirrored there. She felt him tense again, getting close, and pulled him into her. Andrew exploded into her again. She slowly rolled into him, her breasts pressing against his athletic frame. She dipped her head, and he pressed his lips to her forehead.
Andrew’s mind wondered, and his eyes roamed over her body. What was it with her? How did that happen? He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this way. Andrew allowed himself to enjoy the feeling. He started to think of what their life would be like after all this. He just needed everything to calm down, and he could begin to figure out where she fit.
But would she fit? Would she really accept him and his family? Would she truly find her place amongst a family of defunct and deposed warlocks and witches? He barely did. He found his place in solitude. He knew what happened next. People got disappointed. It would be rosy and fun for a little while, but they would leave. Once the shine had worn off. Once the reality of the situation set in. Andrew felt his jaw clench and his shoulders tighten at the thought. His eyes were off in some middle distance, and he did not feel Kara stir until her hand caressed his face.
All the tension melted away. He turned his
face into her hand and kissed her palm.
"Where were you just now?" she asked.
He thought about lying. It had always worked. He opened his mouth to start the lie and then his mouth closed. He tried again but then realized he didn’t want to lie to her.
Andrew breathed deeply and let the truth slip out of him. "People leave Kara. Everybody leaves."
Her face screwed up in a questioning look.
Andrew sighed. "Everyone leaves when the fun has worn off. When they realize that it's a bunch of squabbling people playing at master of the world. It runs out even faster for my family, because we’re broken."
Kara bit her lip, thinking. "I don’t care about the magic Andrew."
Andrew frowned. "What?"
"I don’t care. OK, it’s cool and it's helping with this thing right now but I really don’t care about it. It doesn’t make sense to me and I can’t do it, so why should I care?"
Andrew kept frowning.
"OK look at it like this. What if you were like some super scientist and made crazy gadgets?"
Andrew smirked. "Well I kinda am in--ow!"
Kara bit his shoulder mischievously. "Work with me, Einstein."
"OK, OK."
"I can’t really do anything with it except support you and be excited or disappointed when things work out or don’t. So it's just not that important me."
"Oh."
She smiled. "See? Now go to sleep…. Dummy."
Kara nestled herself back into his shoulder and wrapper her naked legs around Andrew’s, giving him a squeeze. Soon she was fast asleep.
His fear and doubts seemed to melt away with Kara's every exhale. He smiled and enjoyed the feeling of her naked body against his. He didn't need all the answers right now. He needed to relax against this beautiful woman, to protect her as she slept. His thoughts slowed, and finally sleep washed over him. The lilac scent of her hair and the hush of the woods all around him echoed in his dreams.
TEN
Kara didn't really remember waking or dressing. She just kind of realized she had, at some point, put on clothes and went outside the tent. Had she been pulled from sleep by a noise? Had she been driven from the warm embrace of her new lover by a dream? Kara didn’t know. She only knew that she found herself in the woods with no knowledge of where the tent was and where Andrew was.