pent hanging around in the setting sun with no real goal, with nothing to do but accept the rules imposed by her mother and this life she hadn't chosen. The

motion, like a black and white film in whi

to steal something indefinite, something precious. She was not made for this tranquility, for this slowness. She felt foreign to all of this. She

ized she had no idea where she was going, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter as long as she got away. She crossed the

she went deeper into the forest. The scent of the damp earth, the crunch of the leaves under her feet, all of it seemed to soothe her a little, but the whirlwind of frustration inside her ha

rees grew denser, the daylight fading into the thick shadows of the branches. Louisa stopped for a moment, suddenly feeling a little lost. She turned to look back at

g," she told herself out loud. "You just wandered off a little bit. It's just a little detour." But deep down, Louisa knew t

ng. After a good hour of walking, Louisa was beginning to feel the fatigue in her legs. The silence of the forest seemed to thicken, as if the world around her had stopped brea

quickly. A shiver ran down her spine as she saw a figure approaching between the trees. The lig

u lost,

hadows, his arms crossed, and his gaze pierced the darkness like a razor blade. He didn't seem surpris

here, in the darkness, while she, lost in her thoughts and in this forest that swallowed her up, had

de in her voice, though she knew deep down she couldn't

ced by her answer. "It seems like you di

fectly capable of handling myself,"

ly stopped. She felt increasingly uncomfortable under his unwavering attention. He said nothing, but he had t

aid finally, his words broken by the sou

path she had taken seemed like a distant memory now, an illusion. "I thin

urned, not seeming to hesitate for a sec

leaves their only witness. Raphael's every move seemed calculated, controlled, as if he knew this forest far better than she

asked, finally breakin

e I want to be," he replied ca

insurmountable wall. All she knew was that this meeting unsettled her. She had the impr

n the distance, faint but reassuring. She suddenly felt empty, as if all the energy she had put into es

of the trees. He looked at her one last time, h

harder than leaving," he

d on her heel and walked away, letting Raphael's si