Chapter 14: INNER FEELINGS

DANNY'S POV

I made my way to the bevy with caution and speed in my feet. I had no idea what the girls were talking about but based on Eva's body posture, I could tell that she wasn't enjoying this much. Matter of fact I could bet that she wasn't liking this at all.

"catch you later….Eva" Wendy's voice trailed off as she left Eva with her gang of girls close behind her.

It was at this time that I finally arrived at the spot where they had interacted to meet Eva staring blankly at the floor, frozen to the spot.

I hope I wasn't too late to have prevented any form of damage.I approached her slowly at this point and softly placed a hand on her shoulder.

Her body jolted a bit.

" hey are you good?" I asked as softly as possible.

She looked back at me before her body became at ease. She was visibly shaken though she was trying very hard to hide it from me.

"I'm...….I'm good" she replied as she put a hand on the hand that I had on her shoulder. To be frank, she was pretty terrible at lying.

'you wanna talk about it" I asked. She looked up at a big column of cloud that was sailing slowly through the sky without a care in the world.

For some reason I also found myself looking at the cloud as well. The cloud seemed to have a very different meaning to me. It meant hope of escape.

"nope!!" I actually forgot that I had asked her a question and was yet to get a reply from her.

I guess I was too engrossed in the cloud. Either way, we had to get the plan set in motion so that we wont be left behind or caught.

"we have to go so we don't get left behind" I said softly massaging her shoulder.

"sure... thanks Danny" she turned around to be face to face with my and she closed the distance between us slowly, intention clearly written in her eyes as she looked into mine.

I most of all hate my body's reaction to this stimuli, my breathing became hard and it seemed as though a fraction of my heart had decided to take an impromptu leave from work.

It was actually slightly painful but not the kind of pain that was actual pain. Id prefer to call it the pain of bliss.

She put a hand around my neck and drew me closer slowly as her pretty pink lips gaped a bit.

"hey guys" shouted my brother at us, obviously spoiling the moment that had taken so long to build up.

"what?" I replied slightly angry but he didn't notice it in my tone.

"we got to go get ready, come on" he disappeared behind a cabin shortly after.

"well, we got to go" Eva said as she slowly unwound her hand from me and edged back a bit.

"yeah....yeah sure" I said slightly flustered, though I wasn't sure if I was flustered by the anger I had for what my brother had just unconsciously done or if it was because of the the thing that was just about to occur.

She smiled at me and grabbed my hand before dragging me in the direction of the cabin.

I eventually caught up to my body where it was being dragged because to be sincere my spirit wasn't in my body.

I looked at her now smiling face as we walked to the cabin and I lust thought within myself.

"what I wouldn't I do for this girl!"

JASMINE'S POV

We had finished with the easy part of the plan that we had developed for our escape from the grip of the poachers but it was time for the main event, OUR EXODUS.

The movement of all the students through the Serengeti in an attempt to flee this continent was on the way. I happened to be at the cabin before the rest of the gang and I had proceeded to pack up my bag for the trip.

We had gotten all the stuff we needed and we had gotten them all packed, but one could never be too careful as my mum would say

Come to think of it, I really missed her. The time here was fun and all that I ended up forgetting about how worried my mum would be of me at the moment.

I and my mum have been alone since I was conceived. My dad died 2 days after hearing the good news that I was 3 months in the womb and still alive. My mum said that he had died when he went to get me some stuff for when I was born from the supermarket.

I have never seen anything more than a picture of my dad but with the way mum has been describing him to me at home, I really feel like we are connected and he is around me.

I actually grew very untrusting of guys and males all together because I haven't been able to see one that was as good as my father. I really wish that I met him

The door slid open as I packed up my stuff. I peeked out of the room to see who it was and to be sure I was safe.

I got out of the girl's chamber's to make sure and I met Jerry in the parlor.

I take it back, I have only been able to meet one person that fits the description of my dad very closely. That was JERRY.

He walked over to the couch oblivious of my presence. He took off his bag and threw it down on the couch before murmuring something to himself as he got on his knees.

By the time he got up, he used his fingers to rake his hair backwards after which he sank into one of the beanbag.

He was definitely exhausted.

"hey" I greeted from where I was at the entrance of the girls' quarters.

He turned back slightly abruptly, definitely startled by the realization that I was there.

"hey" he greeted back as he seemed to scan me head to toe.

"how long have you been standing there? You really scared me!!" he seemed to be panting as he placed a hand on his chest. I guess that was his attempt at controlling his breathing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I would scare you" I said.

"no qualms, I'm good" he replied. I walked towards him in the parlor and sat on the couch after shifting his bag to the extreme end where it would not discomfort me.

"so where are we now?" I asked

"well, we have made the announcement, so now we wait for the students to get ready for the trip and prepare to carry out phase three" he said with his eyes closed and his head turned towards the ceiling.

It almost felt as though the inspiration of what to say was coming from the ceiling.

"alright then" I said as I rubbed my shoulders with my hands.

"i think its time we got changed and prepared for the escape" he said as he slowly slid off the beanbag and ended up on the floor looking up at the ceiling.

" hey why are you on the floor?" I asked as I giggled a bit at him. This guy is really funny

"what can I say, I feel like I am Moana." he said

" the floor calls me"

"can I join in?" I asked

"feel free, make yourself comfortable if you can" he replied as he tapped the rug.

The floor of the cabin had purple carpets spread across it to match the purple lights that the ceiling had when night fell.

Again, to the interior designer, whoever they are I think they deserved a medal.

I got on the floor and ended up sleeping close to Jerry as we stared quietly into the ceiling.

"hey jasmine" he said with a very low tone. There just something to the way that he says the name jasmine that is way different from how he says jayjay. The kind of solemness and the love that filled the tone he used to say my name made me want to ask him to do it again.

"yeah" I answered as I tilted my head a bit to look at him.

"I've been thinking and I realized that I don't really know you up to the level would want." he said as he turned towards me.

Those brown eyes of his.

"whats there to know?" I said as I turned back to look at the ceiling and for some reason he did too.

"a lot actually" he said

"starting from, who you are? Where you are from?favorite colors? Favorite food? What is your mum like? Whats your dad like? Should I keep going?" at this point even I was laughing at the amount of stuff that he had listed out for me.

This was definitely premeditated.

"well...…okay" I broke into a short laugh that immediately infected Jerry and we ended up laughing for sometime before we stopped.

"well, for starters, I don't have a dad but my mum is a very wonderful woman and a strong one too" the look on Jerry's face warped from one that had a smile on it to one of pity.

"oh I am really sorry about that" he quickly said as he touche my shoulder.

"it okay" I said.

I cant believe that my voice actually cracked, hello, I'm trying to be strong over here.

I felt a tug on my shoulder and slowly Jerry dragged me closer to me and hugged me in a warm embrace. I felt way more secure in his grasp. It was like a little protective domain that was accessible only to me.

I cant believe that I actually cried in his arms.

"i got you alright" he said softly as he kissed my head. I don't know what it was, but there was something to that kiss that just made me know that it was for real.

"you know what?"

" I can get to know you along the way, for now let's just make sure that we get everybody out of here, safely" he said.

I was no longer crying but I longed to remain in this safe circle, there was something to it that I myself cant explain. All I knew for sure was that I just wanted to stay in his grasp for as long as it was possible