113 Settling In For The Night

After picking the veggies and two apples, I walk over to the stream and wash them. Once everything is clean, I glance up at the sky before heading back to the house. The sun would be setting soon.

Time really did seem to move faster here than in the real world.

As the cottage comes back into view, I find Bolin looking up at the sky with a peaceful look on his face. I smirk a little as I walk past him and into the cottage. He quickly follows me in and says, "They even have pots and pans here. I set everything up for you so all you have to do is throw everything in."

I give him a large smile as I walk over and place the veggies on the cutting board. They really did have everything here...

I cut the veggies and look around the kitchen. Sure enough, they have spices. My smile grows as I place everything into a pot. Bolin walks over with another pot and pours clean water into the pot of veggies.

A simple vegetable stew will have to do. As everything comes to a boil, I throw some seasoning into it and put the lid on. I step away and turn to find Bolin finishing the windows. They weren't boarded up with boards, but the sticks would help.

We use some of the kitchen knives to make a few wooden spears, but I keep a small kitchen knife tucked in my boot, just in case. Bolin walks over, brushing his hands clean as he says, "That should do it. It's the best we can do for now. We can look for better stuff tomorrow."

I nod my head in agreement when suddenly I find myself pausing.

Tomorrow?

Why would we keep looking for stuff instead of trying to find a way out? The question causes unease to wash over me as Bolin finds bowls and places them on the small wooden table. I frown a little as I glance at him and ask, "Bolin, what should we do tomorrow?"

Bolin finds spoons as he answers without much thought, "We should gather some more food and maybe look to see if there are any animals here. We should also look for some more wood." He turns around and places the spoons next to the bowls with a content smile.

I watch him with growing fear but when he looks up and smiles at me, I find my whole body growing cold. He reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear as he says, "And after that, we can go for a nice walk and look at all the flowers and plants they have here."

I slowly swallow and ask, "Shouldn't we be looking for a way back?"

He pauses and then frowns. I see confusion in his dark eyes before he takes a step back. He lifts his hand to his forehead with a deep frown and says, "You're right. I don't know why I said all that. I guess because it's so nice here, I just wanted to enjoy it with you a little."

I give him an uneasy smile, but I understand his feelings. It really was nice here. Maybe I'm just overreacting.

I sigh and shake off the worry and fears as I say, "No, you're right. It's really nice here. We should enjoy it a little and look for a way back later." He beams at me and nods his head before leaning in and kissing my forehead.

I close my eyes, enjoying the moment as I forget everything else.

Once the soup is ready, I pour some for Bolin and I before sitting down at the table. The candles give off a warm, soothing glow as we both smile and enjoy our food. The soup was just vegetable soup, but it tasted as if it had come straight from the heavens!

I moan at how good it tastes, enjoying every drop. Bolin even goes back for seconds as he says, "This is the best soup I've ever eaten. I didn't know you could cook so well." I give him a warm smile before freezing.

I don't know how to cook.

At all...

I burn water!

I look down at the bowl of soup with unease as that same sense of fear comes flooding back. Wait... weren't we supposed to be on watch right now!? I look over at the windows and blink with worry. Everything seemed fine.

No weird or scary animal noises, nothing.

I start to calm down again until Bolin says, "You should definitely make this from now on. I wouldn't be mad eating this every night." A strange surreal feeling washes over me as I see Bolin happily eating the last of the soup without a care in the world.

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing him so relaxed and happy looking but it's... odd. He's in the middle of trying to bring his Kingdom and people back and he's more concerned about the soup!?

I quickly stand up, pushing the chair back and knocking it over.

Bolin jerks his head over to me and blinks in surprise before asking, "What's wrong?" I reach up and grab my head as I keep backing away from the table. Something's wrong, something's terribly wrong!

Bolin quickly comes over to my side and says, "Shhh, it's okay. Calm down and tell me why you're so upset." I look up at him with confusion and say, "We need to leave here as soon as possible Bolin. Something's not right with this place. Can't you feel it?"

He pulls me close and hugs me tight before rubbing my back and saying, "Everything's alright. We're safe at the moment and we'll find a way out tomorrow, okay? Nothing can be done right now."

I find myself relaxing a little, but I keep my fists clenched. I need to get back! That bastard...

....

What's his name again? The one that... he did...

Distress and fear surge through me as I struggle to remember how I got here and who did it.

Balcom!

I repeat the name over and over again in my head, determined not to forget as Bolin leans back and says, "Maybe we should call it a night. I think we'll both feel better after a night's rest." I look up at him with fear in my eyes.

He reaches out and lightly touches my cheek as he gently smiles down at me and says, "Don't worry, I'm here with you and I won't let anything hurt you. You're safe."