Chapter 4: Berry Bushes and Burnt Water
I could hear my clock ticking again. It was silent, but still there.
The duke, however, looked out of breath, and covered in little scraps from the tree branches that layed close to the ground. Compared to me, who was wearing a winter coat, I had no such scraps. I had managed to dodge all of the tree branches.
His sword was moved closer to my throat, and he looked like he was happy that he had won.
"You have to be shiting me."
Was all he heard out of my mouth. His face was perfect. It was wrinkled in a way of if he actually had smelled bull's shit.
'Maybe I should. No that would never work. But I should at least give it a try.'
I calmed the tick of the clock after I read my plain in my head.
I looked at my open passenger door, and then looked down at the beeping notification about the door being open.
I looked back to the duke, "Your just going to leave the door open? Close it so the bugs can't get in!"
I started to scold him. He was taken a back, but he did as I said, dropping his sword and putting into its sheath. He reached and closed the door.
"Now." I started again.
"Put in your set belt."
He looked at me utterly confused. I sighed, unbuttoned my set belt putting it back into place and then pulling it back and butting it back in. I moved my hands up to so the simplicity of the mechanism.
"Ooooh." He whispered, almost a shamed.
He grabbed the belt and dragged it to the button. He looked up at me like a puppy receiving a dog treat.
'Oh my god that worked.' I was laughing in my head. I shaped up and resumed posture soon enough.
"Good, now we can go."
I could hear the gears turning in his head from here.
'it seems his head is finally analyzing what was going on. That's too bad.'
I put my foot on the petal.
'It's to late to try and escape.'
I slammed my foot on the gas, and nailed it out of her hiding spot. The duke held on to the passenger seat for dear life.
Her engine roared across the woodland. Echoing as though a beast had woken up. I came back out of the same opening I had come in at.
I busted through the low foliage like a Jason Bourne move, unfortunately, there was no explosions.
I car was slightly lifted in the air, and my windows were down. I had my song on up on the volume of 24th notch. It was a Five nights at Freddy's song, but it was fine. It had a good beat to it.
The duke was holding onto the 'Oh shit' handle, that's what my friends like to call it. He looked like he was bewildered, but had a child like enthusiasm. I cold see to my left was that Carmel haired knight.
I turned my wheel slightly as we bounced back onto the ground.
My car was kicking up more dust and gravel. I punched her up to 50 miles per hour, and booked it. I went to 52 mph just so I could know how fast Carnotaurus went, and I loved that my boy was this fast. I was crying in the inside.
The prince was looking around, and then finally layed his eyes on the right mirror. I was looking in the middle mirror, I watched as he got further and further away. Taking the way I came to get distance between the knights and me.
The song changed to an Undertale song, Ashes. It wasn't a bad song ether. It also had a good beat.
I turned the notch up to 28.
The duke was both distracted and confused at what was going on. But when it clicked in he started to sink into the corner of his seat, trying to figure a way out.
I sighed, I saw him jump in the corner of my eye.
'This atmosphere. Not even my open windows could calm it.'
I sighed again, and looked around us. The veiw was beautiful. Flowers and slight frost, and snow. The breeze graceful caring the sent of the frost flowers and cold mountain air.
"It's breath taking." I whispered. I didn't see that the duke had relaxed a bit more.
As the song changed to a more relaxed song, I started to day dream and thinking.
'Would anyone notice I was gone? Would anyone had cared?"
I could only think of one person. Piper. She would be the only one to remember or even care. With how much we supported each other there would be no way she wouldn't worry about me.
I started to think a back to the time when piper was having a proble with a person.
Her name was Olivia, and she would fall in love with any boy and would dump them the next day. She had a rough boyfriend this time. He started to push us all apart by saying the things that made us all angry.
It was one moring that made me flip my lind. Piper was the girls bathroom with Olivia to try and sort things out. But Piper told Olivia that she didn't want to be her friend any more. When Olivia left the bathroom, visibly upset, her boyfriend, RJ, slapped Piper across the face.
When I saw that, I was taking off my book bag, and was just grabbing an extra chess stick a friend always had on her.
I dropped everything and ran straight to RJ. He saw me coming and had expected a punch, but I kicked him straight behind the knee cap. He collapsed on the knee and started to shake. I then recoiled, swing my leg up and crashing it down onto the back of his neck.
He yelled in pain.
I was preparing for another attack but Piper grabbed me and held me back. I was so angry, and yet, my face held no emotion. It was blank, held by pure and utter announce that he dared to lay a hand on my best friend.
That day I was to be suspended, but when Piper told them that I was protecting her, I got a warning. No one but Piper was beside me that day.
RJ was soon suspended after his car was found with a hunting gun, and drugs.
Olivia never dared to come near Piper, nor me again.
I came back to realty when the song and switch once again.
CRX, Broken Bones. It was a good song. I nodded my head to beat. The road come to wooded fork. The tree branches joined their twisted branches and brilliant leaves together to make a wonderous cool canopy. Spruce tree and Pine covered thickly on the sides of the road. Making our sides thick and dark.
The duke broke the silence. "Where are you taking me?"
"No where actually. I don't even know where we are." I replied coldly.
"You thought I had a reason for you to come with me? You were the first to jump into my car. You just happen to be coming with me."
The duke clenched his hands on lap. I sighed.
'I need him to relax.'
"Okay sir dukie.-"
He reacted hard to the name by flinching. I was about to say something but I had cut him off, "What is your name?"
He looked at me in utter confusion. Almost ashamed that I didn't know his name. I sat up with an elagent and dominative stature. He threw his left hand on his dark blue, and elegantly decorated top coat.
"My name is Arlo Van Gardiner. I am the next in line to take the thrown for the great nation of Cludeous. You may now cower in fear woman."
He opened his eyes, in hope, that I would be cowering. However, I was trying not laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" He sounded serious.
"Your name in my contry means 'Berry from The Berry Bush'. Pffff-!"
"Why you! I command you to s-stop laughting!" He sounded flustered.
I was trying not to drive all over the place but his name-
"Hahah-Ah, Your name is worse than mine! BA-hahaha!"
"Okay then what is your name!" He asked trying to hid his flushing face of reds and pinks.
I looked at him, 'I thought he knew my name. No wait..'
I looked back to when he called me by my nickname.
'He only knew my nickname.'
I stopped laughing, and focused more on the road. It was only fair to tell him my name. "My name is Ash Irving. In my country it means burnt green water."
He looked at me, from the side. I was half expecting him to laugh like everyone else from my past had. Very few teachers try not to laugh, and some straight up laughed. I was always bullied by my name. I hated it, and I grew to hate people.
I clutched my steering wheel.
"Ash is a name that sites you."
That sentence made me look over at him. My mouth agape, surprised he didn't make fun it.
He looked at me and turned his head away. Trying to hide more into the corner of the passenger seat again.
"It sites your firey red hair and temper."
I hummed at this ideology. I felt lighter, just a little bit more happier that he had complemented my name.
"That was the first time anyone had ever..." I whispered out loud, my eyes unfocused on the gravel road.
The duke had long sence turned his head to look my way, "What? I didn't quite hear you."
I started to think of his name again. I head heard it, or at least had read it somewhere before.
'Arlo Van Gardiner.'
'Arlo Van Gardiner.'
I memory came back, text speech bubbles, and a lush green space of a greenhouse filled with beautiful flowers and small fountains that helped to create atmosphere. A seen with a beautiful heroine and male lead. Their heads moving down and about to touch lips.
I opened my eyes realizing what was happening. I slammed my breaks, the duke grabbed the 'oh shit handle'.
He was about to yell, before I grabbed my phone, and started to search for that manga.
"Where is it, Where is it!"
I started to search my phone gallery of all of my photos searching for that one picture.
"What? What are you-?" , the duke seemed confused and concerned.
I found it, and moved my phone in the middle of me and him. I looked back and fourth through the picture and him.
"It's.. the same person."
"What are you talking about, woman?"
"Your the male lead in that manga novel I was reading!"
The sounds of a horse galloping soon came up to use. It was the Carmel haired knight, Clinton Cole Ritter.
The most powerful knight in the noval!
'WHAT IS THIS SITUATION!' ,I started to cry in my head. I was so dead.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone