Tempest on the Mountain
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
"Okay - everyone ready? Then let's head out." Charlie moved to the front of the group, turning briefly to look in Jake's direction. "Would you mind taking up the rear for now?"
My pleasure, Jake thought. He nodded his assent, and waited for everyone to follow the professor into the woods, motioning for Adrienne to walk ahead of him. He let the others get ahead, taking his time and scanning the woods a little more intently than Charlie probably intended. He regretted that the group could be in danger due to his and Adrienne's presence, but it couldn't be helped.
Up ahead, a piercing scream rang out, and Jake sprinted up the trail. Had someone discovered them already?
He rounded the last curve and stopped abruptly, his boots slipping on the pine needles underfoot. It took him a few minutes to regroup and process Adrienne laying across the trail on her back, a mass of red hair tangling hopelessly in a wild rose bush as she struggled to free herself. Two women were squatting down beside her, trying to calm her as the professor hacked at the bush with a pocket knife.
Adrenaline still driving his actions, Jake unsheathed the hunting knife on his belt. "Move," he said gruffly, startling the women and garnering more than one frightened gasp at the weapon he held. He stalked over to Adrienne, grabbing the red curls close to her head. The other women had moved away, and Charlie quickly spread her hand over his, effectively blocking his aim.
"No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "Cut the branches, and I'll untangle her hair." Her voice was firm, but not nearly as convincing as the warmth of her hand covering his. Jake hesitated. He could see in the set of her shoulders that she expected him to do what she asked. He was surprised to realize that he wanted to give in to her request.
Too bad he couldn't do that. Untangling those branches would take time, and they needed to be farther up the trail before nightfall if possible. He brought the knife down on the other side of his hand, cutting Adrienne's hair shorter than he'd originally planned. She pulled away, sitting up with a yelp of disbelief and frantically running her fingers over her head.
My pleasure, Jake thought. He nodded his assent, and waited for everyone to follow the professor into the woods, motioning for Adrienne to walk ahead of him. He let the others get ahead, taking his time and scanning the woods a little more intently than Charlie probably intended. He regretted that the group could be in danger due to his and Adrienne's presence, but it couldn't be helped.
Up ahead, a piercing scream rang out, and Jake sprinted up the trail. Had someone discovered them already?
He rounded the last curve and stopped abruptly, his boots slipping on the pine needles underfoot. It took him a few minutes to regroup and process Adrienne laying across the trail on her back, a mass of red hair tangling hopelessly in a wild rose bush as she struggled to free herself. Two women were squatting down beside her, trying to calm her as the professor hacked at the bush with a pocket knife.
Adrenaline still driving his actions, Jake unsheathed the hunting knife on his belt. "Move," he said gruffly, startling the women and garnering more than one frightened gasp at the weapon he held. He stalked over to Adrienne, grabbing the red curls close to her head. The other women had moved away, and Charlie quickly spread her hand over his, effectively blocking his aim.
"No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "Cut the branches, and I'll untangle her hair." Her voice was firm, but not nearly as convincing as the warmth of her hand covering his. Jake hesitated. He could see in the set of her shoulders that she expected him to do what she asked. He was surprised to realize that he wanted to give in to her request.
Too bad he couldn't do that. Untangling those branches would take time, and they needed to be farther up the trail before nightfall if possible. He brought the knife down on the other side of his hand, cutting Adrienne's hair shorter than he'd originally planned. She pulled away, sitting up with a yelp of disbelief and frantically running her fingers over her head.
3 comments:
Future installments will be longer - I was really struggling to get this done last night (as you can tell, I'm sure).
You know, if it's easier for you to just post the serial once a week, and something short the other day, it's okay by me. I'm impatient when it comes to reading, but I don't want it to be at your expense! (you notice I don't offer a serial on my blog!)
I love this story by the way. I suspect Jake & Adrienne's relationship isn't what it appears to be, and if it is it sure won't be now that he's cut her hair!
No worries, C. :-) Honestly, the reason I did the first one 2x per week is because I get anxious waiting for weekly serial postings, and didn't want to do that to my readers. So twice a week is good with me - you may not have noticed, but I moved things around to fit a short story in on Saturdays too.
I really want to get better with my writing. The blog gives me solid deadlines, and the more I write, the better I get, so three fiction posts per week will be good for me in the long run. Hopefully my "shorts" won't be too painful while I'm learning the style!
Glad you picked up on Jake & Adrienne's odd relationship. Hopefully the prose won't be too painful to read, but I need to write more description, as I have a tendency to rely on dialogue. Do let me know if it gets tedious to read!
And thanks again for reading and commenting! :-)
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