Strangers

This mansion was bigger than she had thought at first. Being here was weird and she felt out of place. All of a sudden she had ended up outside and she giggled a bit to herself as she walked over to a patch of flowers. She had some time to spare before she needed to move back to the academy. She still felt out of place, but now she was atleast surrounded by beautiful flowers. She ran her fingers over the soft petals smiling to herself and being careful not to set any of them into a rotting state. Dinah heard the gravel behind her being pushed and she leaned her head backwards, thinking it might be Larry or one of the other’s she had met, but instead stood a quite tall werewolf. ”Hello?” she said, tilting her head to the side as she looked up at his towering height. ”I’m sorry, I’m just visiting, and I seem to have gotten myself lost,” she said before turning her head back to the flowers.

Dinah got to her feet as he picked a flower and took it when he offered, placing it to her nose and giving it a gentle inhale of it’s scent. She smiled at the flower before moving her gaze to the flowers he had been speaking about. ”I like tulips most,” she said with a smile, looking down at the daisy between her fingers. She liked all flowers to be honest and took the little daisy and placed it in her hair as he started to think out loud. ”I’m hopefully just passing by, my auntie lives here with you,” she said with an almost shy voice. Looking at the bare chest made her blush slightly as she looked away. She wasn’t supposed to look, nor even be so close to others. ”I’m Dinah,” she said looking back at the tall figure in front of her. ”I’m guessing Jake is short for Jacob?” she said with a small chuckle. His question about the other kids made her pop her head to the side. She didn’t know if she wanted to be completely honest, because she didn’t really feel for meeting a lot of the other’s living here. However this Jake guy seemed quite nice.

”I’ve met a handful, but I doubt that’s the only ones – I can feel so many souls lingering here,” she said looking down and shaking her head. She had to remind herself that not everyone understood the thing she knew about souls and their lifespans. What she saw in Jake’s eyes was such an immensely long life, and it made her happy. ”I’ve met my auntie Melania, and her suitor Keaton – oh and his brother Larry, a pure sweetheart,” she said thinking to see if she could remember all of the names she had been introduced to. ”Then there was the girl with the keys, I think she was named after an animal – and the fiesty dark siren, uhm,” she said snapping her fingers as she tried to remember. ”Mariella, her name was and now I’ve met you,” she said with a small proud look on her face as she had been able to remember most of them.

”What are you doing here?” she said a bit curious. He looked awfully dirty, maybe he worked there?

Hearing Jake say her name made her chuckle. Why was he so easy to speak with? He seemed like such a genuine great guy. As he said his full name she nodded. She had only heard briefly about the Mikaelson’s – or she at least knew of the banshee that her grandfather once had a relationship with. As he asked why not having both she felt like something moved in her. It was like it spoke to something deeper in her. Why couldn’t she ever have both? She nodded as she still looked down. When the werewolf started speaking about his memory and Dinah couldn’t help smiling at the image. His laugh made her laugh, a sweet almost innocent sound coming from her lips as she hid her mouth behind her hand. After having named so many people she had never seen, she chuckled at his mention of it being a summercamp and nodded. She didn’t really know what a summercamp was, but she guessed it was a large collection of youth. Jake seemed to search for something as he said he was helping his father and she tried following his gaze until she turned her grey green eyes back to the werewolf’s face. ”Oh I did think that, but if your father is the one owning this, then I guess I am truly trespassing – I haven’t gotten permission to be here,” she said with a sweet smile on her lips.

Jake all of a sudden chanced behavior and she looked at him as he hid his face behind his big hand. His words made her look down with a shy smile. To be honest she didn’t have any boyfriend, but she did belong to someone in a way. ”I, uhm, it’s complicated,” she said, looking up at Jake’s face again. She had some sadness behind her eyes. Her brother had been acting out since getting to earth, and for the first time in a long time she felt alone again. She had spoken with him, confronted him about his infidelities, but sometimes she just had to remind herself that it fell for deaf ears. ”And to be honest, I don’t want to think about him,” she said in a weak voice. She was still hurting. Dinah often felt like she kept on giving without getting anything in return, and for the first time she felt like she could speak to a guy without him instantly feeling the need to touch her or claim her. ”I’m not good at gardening either, but if you need some help I do have some spare time before going back to the academy,” she said offering her help. There she was, giving again. Offering herself to get some acknowledgement in return. But it was the only way she knew how.

As she said she didnt have permission to be here, Jake narrowed his eyes for a bit as he seemed displeased by it. "You have permission now," he then said as he smiled at her. Frankly he wasnt sure Kyle would even mind, she could look like one of the future kids, and with Kyle's current state of mind, things like that could easily slip through. A small lie. Jake however wasnt looking happy at the memory of his father's broken mind. He had a few bad memories that he wasnt going to think of in this moment, he was just happy that Kyle wasnt going to be like that always.
When she said it was complicated a part of him wanted to be relieved, but it meant that there was someone, so was it really a relief? He noticed the sadness and moved his hand away from his face as he stepped a bit closer, placing a hand on her shoulder she spoke in her weak voice, making a compassionate expression as he looked at her eyes, "I'm sorry I asked," he said in a genuine tone as he gave her shoulder a short squeeze to then let her go. Jake was kind of a touchy person, mostly being raised around loving parents had made him compliant to physical comfort in even the smallest of gestures, it just came naturally to him to act so. "He does sound like a jerk though. What guy in his right mind would make you not want to think about him?" he then said as he shrugged. He didnt mean it to put salt in her wound, it was just something that seemed to slip his lips as he was bugged by it.
He smiled as she offered her help and looked around as he thought about it, blowing a few silent raspberries. "It's tough work. Mostly moving gravel from one spot to another. Evennnn though... it does get boring all by my own," he said as he scratched his neck and then an idea popped into his mind, making him smile happily, "You could help me by keeping me company. I'd fall asleep otherwise. And with the sun and everything, I'd rather not end up with sunburns," he then said as he chuckled and looked at her. He nodded in the direction they had to go and looked at the pit that he had been filling with gravel. "It's supposed to end up being a place where people play croquet... Because that doesnt sound lame as fuck," he then said as he made a goofy face picking up the shovel. He shook his head and stuck the shovel in a wheelbarrow filled with gravel. He threw some gravel on the dirt and flattened it out. "What are you studying at the academy?" he then asked as he turned his eyes to Dinah with a soft smile.

”Don’t be sorry – It’s my own damn fault as always,” she said with a faint yet sad smile as she looked at the hand on her shoulder. The gentle squeeze made her smile grow a bit before she followed his hand as it moved away. Couldn’t she just do what her brother had done? Hurt him back with being close with someone else? However she was so entangled in her brother’s net that it seemed impossible. She was too loyal for her own good, trusting her brother was the only thing she could do right now. Jake’s comment made her chuckle with a sad sniffle following. She didn’t feel like crying, but that small sniffle did escape her grasp. Offering him help was more to distract herself from the inevitable and going back to the academy. His suggestion made her nod and she followed him by his side as he moved the wheelbarrel with gravel. She sat down on her knees, moving some of her dark hair behind her ear and looked at Jake as he worked. ”I’ve never heard of that game,” she said with a smile, tilting her head to the side. She held out her hand and a dark shadow started moving the gravel down to Jake in stead of him having to shovel it. Dinah knew she was pushing her abilities a bit, but she wanted to help a little at least. His question made sense seeing as she had just mentioned it previously.

”Right now I’m taking some general courses to figure out what subjects I want to choose,” she said taking a piece of gravel between her fingers and looked at it. It was just a plain white rock, but she liked anything on this earth that she hadn’t seen in her time in hell. This world was so big and wonderous, and part of her wanted to discover it all before it would come to it’s end. She exhaled slowly and looked at Jake again. She had not often seen someone who worked just to help. Most people did it to gain something for themselves and she had so many questions. She wanted to understand. ”You are a werewolf, right?” she said, biting her tongue a bit. Maybe her brother wasn’t the only one being blunt in her family. ”I always wanted to meet one,” she added with a shy smile.

"A lot of people around here say that. I'll just be blunt and say this: I dont believe it," he then said as he looked at her with certain eyes, shaking his head a bit, "There has to be two in the matter or more. Shared blame," he then said as he let go of her shoulder.
He watched her sit down before he started his work. "It's the most boring game ever. You have these things in the gorund, like square rings kinda thing. People have hammers to hit a solid ball with, but it's really just about hitting the stick on one side to then go back, all through the rings," he explained, making a golf motion with the shovel. "But unlike golf, you cant just hammer the ball across the yard. Or I mean you could, it just wouldnt help you win," he then said as he chuckled softly and raised an eyebrow at the shadow, haltering his movements for a bit before he looked at her with an approving smile, "Cool shit," he said, clearly impressed by the shadow.
He nodded as she explained, flattening out the gravel that the shadow nicely had helped him with, glancing at her at times. "That's a good start. Found anything interesting?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested in her and what she wanted to study. He felt small beads of sweat form on his chest and grabbed his shirt to dap it off, before looking up at the sun, "Hey big man in the sky! It couldnt have been a cloudy day, huh?" he yelled at the sky, chuckling to himself as he looked at Dinah with his deep set blue eyes that he had gotten from his father. Her question made him narrow his eyes a bit in suspicion before he nodded and stuck the shovel in the gravel, placing his foot on the side as he leaned onto the handle with his elbow, resting his head in his hand, "Yeah," he said as her addition made her chuckle, "You should meet my dad then. He's a werewolf in every aspect. And I mean every," he then said as he shook his head a bit and looked back around the garden. He was sure he had seen his father poke around, but it was hard to tell. He walked over to the wheelbarrow and grabbed a bottle of water that he took a long gulp from, till he then just poured the water over himself to cool down. He gasped at the coldness and laughed a bit as he then looked at her, shaking his head to remove some of the water from his now drenched hair.
"You're ought to know one thing about this place though," he then said as he looked back at the house with eyes that didnt really show what he felt, something melancholic maybe. "With all that had happened, some believe it's cursed. Dooming everyone that stays on the property for too long," he turned his head back to Dinah, but his eyes were quick to wander away as he made a rather sad smile. "Not that I've been hit by all this. I seem to be the only one that had managed to not be screwed over by something," he then said as his eyes turned back to her, the sad smile losing it's sadness a bit, bit only a bit. "Do you believe a house could be cursed without reason?" he then said with a raised eyebrow as he grabbed the shovel again to resume his work, yet it was clear that he was more than ready to listen.

Dinah knew that blame was often to share, but why was she always the one feeling this type of remorse? She looked at him as he explained the game, mimicing the way he made the swinging motion and giggled to herself. ”It sounds fun to just give it your best shot – hammer it to the end of the garden,” she said as she could imagine it for herself. She felt color rush to her cheeks as he said her shadow was cool and she looked down. Often people found her abilities strange, but Jake seemed to just accept them as soon as he saw them in action. His question pulled her out of her own thoughts, shrugging lightly on her shoulders as she looked at him flatten the gravel. ”I like a lot of it, so I haven’t really decided yet – however I really like fencing and archery for some reason,” she said with a small chuckle. As he started yelling at the sky she fell backwards laughing, laying in the grass and looking up at the blue sky as she held her stomach. She turned her face to greet his, his blue eyes so clear like the ocean and for a second she felt so lost in them. Dinah stretched, looking at Jake from down here he looked like a giant, but it wasn’t in a scary way. ”I think it’s very brave of you to already want to introduce me to family members, don’t you think?” she said in a teasing voice.

Dinah had always been careful with who she was herself around, but Jake seemed nice. She didn’t feel him stare like other boys might, and she honestly found herself releaved. Her grey green eyes followed the werewolf as he went over to get something to drink, watching the water fall down his body made her bite her lips. Then she looked away in shame, closing her eyes to remind herself this was not something she was supposed to do. The angel took a deep breath, calming the feelings she felt inside of her, battling her own loyalty to her brother as she saw the mental image of Jake again. As he spoke again she opened her eyes and looked to him. She sat herself up on her elbows, looking at Jake as he spoke, narrowing her eyes at what he said. His question made her chuckle and she sat up, folding her legs so she was sitting cross-legged on the grass. ”I don’t feel any spell or enchantment on the home,” she said as her eyes fell on the building. ”But I know that life is a fleeting matter, vowen into every being and so easy to take if one desires it,” she said. How she wanted to comfort him, tell him that he didn’t have to worry about it, but that would be a lie. So many things could befall the people that surroded ones being.

”But the hardships reminds us of what our goals are, what we fight for to continue,” she said, moving closer to Jake and placing a hand on the werewolf’s cheek, looking into his eyes with her eyes shifting between his. A faint smile came upon her lips as she removed her hand. ”Life is the eternal battle, the one that death will eventually win, but does that mean that there isn’t anything to do about fates or curses? Of course there is, even death can be cheated,” she said with a sad look behind her eyes. She made a small flick with her hand, a small shield of a shadow hovering over Jake to shield him from the hot rays of the sun. ”I think it’s why I love flowers so much,” she said, taking out the daisy from her hair to look at it in her hand, gently rolling the stem between her fingers. ”A flower just grows towards the sun and it’s not concerned with hardships or having to share anything but the sun’s rays with other flowers,” she said with a small smile on her lips as she looked at the daisy.
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"Fencing is pretty cool. It's almost like a dance. I find it quite interesting to watch, but I doubt I'd be any good at that dance. I'm not always sure on my feet and the risk of having my eye poked out seems pretty convincing enough to stay on the sideline," he said as he looked at her with a small smile. He laughed at her tease and shrugged shortly as he looked at her with careful eyes, "What, introducing a pretty girl is brave? If anything, they'd think I would actually be out here being good at something," he then remarked in his lingering laugh that had turned to a chuckle. "I'm kidding. I wouldnt take advantage of you like that," he then said just to assure her that he meant no ill will with his remark.
His eyebrows darted together in a swift fast motion as he noticed her looking away with shame. Then he realized that it had probably been pretty out of place, and he sighed shortly, "Sorry 'bout that. I just needed to cool down," he apologized with a crooked apologetic smile as he wiped some of the water off his face, slinging his now wet shirt over the handle of the wheelbarrow. He was noticing her movements out of the corner of his eye as he worked, some part of him wanted to move his eyes to just look at her, but he also knew that she had a complicated thing going on, and he wasnt really the type to interfere with such things. He looked at the house and raised his eyebrows as she said she couldnt feel anything on the house, turning his head to look at her, before he shrugged and nodded with a smile. Her continuation made him sigh. "Tell me about it. Everyone here keeps dying and coming back," he then said as he eyed the house again before he looked at her. Her comforting words made him scoff with a smile slipping up as he then felt her hand on his cheek, looking at her as she spoke. "I aint that scared of dying. I'm ready for whenever it happens. I just wish that the people around me wouldnt hurt all that much," he then said as he looked up at the shadow forming above him.
"That sounds pretty poetic," he said as he looked down at the daisy in her hand, having been too mesmerized by her taking the daisy out of his hair, to realize that he had been staring. It was all pretty now, but it was going to wither, and it would be fairly quickly. He exhaled shortly and turned his eyes to hers, "But flowers cant feel. It's sole purpose is just to grow, produce nectar for the bees, all that shit about ecosystems and nature's flow, to then eventually die," he wasnt sure if he was right, but it was what he knew of flowers. He scratched his neck and made a short frown but it was more in wonder than anger, "It'll never feel love or comfort. It wont feel sadness or anger. It just exists in this whole mechanical being of a world, being a part that keeps it up and running. I dont know, seems pretty whack to me," he turned his eyes to the shadow that shielded him from the sun. "I just know I'd hate to be a flower. But if I were a flower, would I then be able to hate?" he then wondered out loud, scrunching his face as he seemed to have confused himself, "See? I'd be a shitty flower," he then concluded as he looked at her with a soft chuckle leaving his lips, a smile lingering for a bit. He looked back at the graveled ground, "I'm almost done," he then said as he walked over to the shovel and picked it up to finish his work.

”It is like a dance, but with pointy sticks,” she chuckled and nodded at his words. She wasn’t very good at it, but with it came a feeling of at least trying to do something. Dinah had never been a girly-girl, but she had never been a tom-boy either. She was just Dinah. His further explaination of him introducing her made her chuckle. She hadn’t taken what he said seriously and shook her head. ”It’s fine – I guess it’s just nice hearing that some fathers do stick around,” she said, a sad look behind her eyes but a smile still lingering on her lips. She was still conflicted about the feelings she was supposed to have towards her father. Seeing him recently had made her realize that things weren’t black and white, but she still hadn’t forgiven him for what he had done to Eaden. She shook her head as he came back over after his water break. ”You have a beautiful body,” she said a little blatantly, but that was the only way she could describe it. He didn’t have those soft fine lines like Eaden had, no his body was a bit more muscluar and Eaden was more slim like herself. Dinah couldn’t help but chuckle at his words about not being scared of dying and looked shortly at the shadow above him. It wasn’t too bad keeping it up. As he said she was being poetic she shook her head. She didn’t feel poetic, she just felt like she was explaining things as she saw them.

Dinah felt his gaze, but was occupied with looking at the daisy. His words made her look up at his blue eyes, so striking that it made her heart skip a beat. He spoke so finely of the flowers, but he seemed to doubt his own wording, which made her wonder a bit what he might be thinking of. ”Have you ever looked at a flower and thought it didn’t do it’s job right? That it’s petals were the wrong shade or that it’s stem was too crooked?” she returned his question with a question. ”Flowers are just flowers, alone they grow and you can see it close up, but in a large meadow it would drown, it’s beauty blending in with all of the other flowers,” she said with a smile. ”But would you ever say that one flower was better than the other? Sure you might have a preference, but could you ever nit pick a flower that it lost it’s beauty?” she asked, placing the daisy down on the ground in front of her.

”Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that is true, but everyone around us always have an idea about what true beauty is, instead of considering we are all a flower in a meadow together,” she said almost as a whisper. At times she wished she could just blend in with the others around her, but she was always the one getting plucked out of a situation. He said he was almost done and Dinah nodded, making the shadow follow him above to give him some release from the heat. ”I think your friends might be too focused on different things instead of bonding together like the flowers in the meadow – they don’t seem to share the same cause, and maybe that is why things seem so chaotic,” she said shrugging. She didn’t know for sure, but it might explain.  
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"Pointy sticks that takes out eyes," he added with a smile.
He noted her words about fathers and raised his eyebrows a bit. Though, he didnt really feel like it was something they should talk about, barely knowing each other and all, but he would definitely bring it up if he got to see her again - Which a slither of hope helped him believe he would. He chuckled at her compliment and looked down to then brush off some excess water from his chest, "Thanks. I guess it's good genes," he said, not being all  that good with receiving compliments, but getting one from her didnt seem that bad. He smiled and looked at her, "I'd compliment your body, but that would seem sexist. So I'll just say you have a pretty smile. 'Cause you do," he then said, chuckling a bit nervously as he scratched his neck.
His words about the flowers were just a thought, but she seemed to take it in either way, actually listening to what he said. It wasnt often that people listened to him, especially the future kids, but he had probably done that to himself with his younger years being all about sexism and rude remarks. He looked at the flower at her question and made a wondering expression, "No..." he said right before she continued, looking up at her as she explained. Her other question made him narrow his eyes a bit, "Beauty is.." he started but she was already way ahead of him, making him close his mouth to listen to her with a smile. When she finished her whisper he chuckled and shook his head, "Yeah, I was totally going to say that too," he said in a small joking tone before he looked down at the flower. "I'd pick any flower if it could make a pretty girl smile," he then said as he smiled to himself and returned to the shovel.
He was flattening out the last gravel as he felt more comfortable without the heat warming him up. Being warm naturally was a pain in sunny weather, as it just felt like being a radiator stuck on overheat. He listened to her words and was silent for a while as he finished the last part of the gravel, throwing the shovel out of the grass away from them. He looked at her and frowned a bit, but more in speculation. "For them it's all about the drama. The twins especially. You'd think that twins would find a way to stick together, but it doesnt seem to be the case here," he said a bit bitterly as he then sighed. "I just guess I wish they'd stop trying to blame themselves. Like none of this is happening solely because of one person's actions. It's a whole domino effect. One screws up, everyone gotta play the hero, a lot lot of another screwing up. It goes around in circles, and it's getting old at this point," he then explained, starring a bit too long at the house before he shook his head.
"I'll be their shoulder to cry on, but I aint going against my father's word. Staying at the house and being safe has paid off. If the rest would just do that too, I think they'd be able to form that meadow," he then said.
He turned his eyes to a side far off the garden and looked at Dinah, "Let me show you something," he then said as he started walking in the direction he had looked, going in between the trees that closed off the property. He pushed bushes aside and they walked for a while before the last bush he moved revealed a rather big pond. He turned his eyes to Dinah and smiled. "This is were they should be, at this pond, being teenagers and have fun. Screw all the heroic shit, screw the blame," he said as he walked over to a small opening between the trees were a simple fireplace was made. "Sitting by the fire, underage drinking, fooling around in the water, flushing out all the bad with something good, something worthwhile" he almost dreamed out loud as he looked at the fireplace. He had made it, hoping it would be used, but it hadnt.

Dinah chuckled as he said he would have complimented her body, a rush of color flowing to her cheeks as she looked away. She smiled however, as he said that she had a pretty smile. Part of her wanted say he should forget she mentioned anything being complicated, touch her if he wanted, but that wouldn’t help anything. Deep down she was scared of losing her brother because of such an impulsive thought, and it wasn’t like Dinah to be impulsive. She rather liked thinking things through, making sure to know all the angles possible for her to know. ”If you picked a flower for every pretty girl you met, then the garden here would look barren, don’t you think?” she asked with a small chuckle. However it crossed her mind that he had plucked her the daisy not long ago, and she felt her heart beat a little faster once more. As he mentioned twins her eyes fell down to her fingers in her lap. She knew he wasn’t talking about her, but it was like he knew what troubles she had had with Eaden lately. ”I have a twin brother and I’d like to think it’s normal for siblings to fight from time to time, don’t you?” she asked a bit hopeful. She had never really known what was normal, far from it. Growing up in hell was something so different from her recent life on earth. She listened as he spoke and nodded. She didn’t have many friends, if any at all, but she knew she could always rely on Eaden – or at least that was what she told herself.

”I guess there are some that believe placing roots one place means that you can’t move,” she said with a smile, looking at Jake with a gentle look in her eyes. ”But flowers always move up, elevate themselves, because finding another spot is impossible for them,” she said and looked to him as he said he wanted to show her something. She got up from the grass, made the shadow disappear before following him. He pushed some bushes out of the way and soon she saw the glistening water of the pond, the cozy fireplace and looked up at the tall trees surrounding this little safe heaven. ”If I had this place, I might just never leave it,” she said in a breathless voice as she looked around. She walked over to the pond, placing her hand in the water and moving it around, taking a handful of water before splashing it on Jake. ”Fooling around like this then?” she said with a sweet giggle and removed her shirt and pants before jumping in the water. She swam to the surface gasping for air and chuckling as her body was shaking in the cold water. ”Come on in,” she said as she clapped her teeth together, moving around in the water to get heat to her body. Even though the water was cold, it felt so nice against her skin. The sun had baked all day and she knew that Jake needed to cool down. She swam to the side of the pond, placing her hand on the soft grass as she looked up at him. ”Or are you scared of an itsy bitsy angel?” she said with a teasing grin.

"Ehhhh. They're not all that pretty," he was quick to say back with his eyes on the shovel. He smiled back at her, knowing that he had given her a flower before.
He was looking at the house but noticed her looking down. His eyes wandered back on her, as she told him what he was wondering about. Her question made him bite his upperlip in a speculation as he rubbed his chin. "No it's completely normal for all siblings, you know? But those two are taking it to the next level," he then clarified before he sent her an assuring smile. "Twins are usually closer, so fights are worse. But from what I've seen in most, they'll find a way around it,"

"Roots can be good. A stable ground for growth," he said, but it was clear that he didnt quite understand his own words yet. It was just something his dad kept saying whenever they were together in the garden. Kyle was a wise man, but he wasnt very good at explaining complicated sayings. Most of the time Jake had to make out his own meaning of the words that he were told.
Seeing how she reacted to seeing the spot that he had made was quite wonderful. He had put a lot of work into it, so it was nice to get at least some recognition for his efforts. "Well, no one besides us know of this place," he said with a smile and a shrug. Was that an invitation? Maybe. He felt a bit reluctant, she did say she had some complicated things going on, but it didnt have to be like that. He liked her company, even if she had a special someone.
As she splashed the water in his face, he staggered a bit back, gasping shortly at how cold it was, yet he laughed after a bit, wiping his eyes to see her undress. His eyes widened a bit as she jumped in the water, watching her come to the surface with big eyes. He could see that she was cold in the water, it was probably freezing cold. He touched the water with his hand as he crouched down to feel the coldness, inhaling sharply as he then looked at her with a slight smile. "I mean, the itsy bitsy angel did just shove ice cold water in my face," he then said as he jumped out of his pants and stepped in, making a frown as the water surrounded his warm body. But he didnt really freeze as he thought he would, going deeper into the water till he had to swim. He swam over to her, clicking his teeth as he could still see how cold she was. "Alright, let's keep the itsy bitsy angel from freezing herself a way to a cold," he then said in a warm tone as he dragged her into his arms, rotating her so her back was against his warm chest. He wrapped his arms around her, not really thinking anything was wrong with this.
"God you're cold. Good thing I'm a walking radiator, huh?" he said as he dragging his warm hands up her arms to see if he could rub his warmth off on her.

Dinah nodded at the words Jake said, but they didn’t sound like his own original words, but it didn’t matter. She liked that saying. As he showed her the place she felt a bit in awe, and she felt a bit honoured as he said it was only them knowing about it. Even if he said that just to make her feel honoured, she didn’t really care. She liked this place aready. His reaction to the water made her laugh as she jumped in the water. She didn’t regret jumping in, she needed something to clear her mind and cold water seemed to do the trick. Under the water it was another world, a world were she had no obligations to an ancient prophecy, or had a brother acting out for some reason. As she got to the surface she chuckled at her teeth kept clapping together at the cold, but it was still nice. Her body would have to get used to the temperature shortly. Her eyes fell on Jake as he came into the water and came closer to her. She smiled at him, but her heart was beating ever so faster than usual, however as he pulled her close her heart stopped for a second. Feeling his warmth, his arms running up her arms, made her close her eyes and let out a small sigh. Had her and Eaden ever been swimming like this? His question made her open her eyes as she leaned her head back on his shoulder, looking up at his face with a faint smile on her lips. ”My very own fireplace, even in water,” she whispered with a teasing voice. She closed her eyes, feeling her body slowly adjust to the cold water and getting some warmth from Jake. If she could, she would stay here forever, not wanting to go back to the mess that waited her.

However, she did feel guilty. Jake wasn’t doing anything inapropriate, but Dinah knew her brother would rip out the werewolf’s ribcage just from being this close to her. He was possessive, and so was she, but he had always had a temper. Maybe it was true what they said, that twins were two parts of one person, and together they made a well balanced world. But right now she didn’t want to think about Eaden, so why was he constantly popping into her head? She wrapped her arms around herself, touching Jake’s arms and part of her wanted him to pull her closer. Tell her that no matter what she wasn’t going to end up alone. That was her biggest fear, ending up alone, left behind like everyone seemed to have done. First their mother dying, then their father leaving and now Eaden was acting out. It was like she could see the fabric that held them together was losing it’s grip. ”Jake,” she whispered, looking past his face and up to the blue skye above. ”Do you think a person can die from loneliness?” she asked carefully. She turned around in the water, placing her arms on his shoulders and enjoying that she could look at him eye to eye.

Her tease made him laugh as he shook his head, "It's not easy being this hot," he said, an obvious statement about his warmth rather than looks - He didnt think he was that good looking, he had seen guys that looked far better. Not that he would say that he was ugly, he just felt mediocre. "But I do come with the offer. I was a boy scout for like a month, till they kicked me out, but I know quite a lot about keeping fireplaces safe," he then said as he chuckled a bit and kept warming up her arms.
As they were there in the water, he closed his eyes and felt the cold lingering against his warm skin, holding her in his arms as he leaned his head a bit back to feel the few rays of sun that escaped through the tree crowns above them. It was quite nice being out here, with the birds singing in the distance, winds making the leaves whistle ever so gently, along with her breath. Over all, there wasnt really anything more soothing than this, he thought to himself. He opened his eyes as she whispered his name and lowered his gaze to look at her. Her question made him swallow as he then thought about it for a bit as she was looking up at the sky. When she moved and placed her arms around his shoulders, he felt slight shivers run down his spine at the comfort. "I think people can do stupid things when they're lonely.. buuuut-" he paused for a bit as he exhaled deeply, "I dont necessarily think loneliness can kill," he then said, looking into her eyes as he then got a worried frown, "Do you feel lonely?" he then asked in a careful low tone, tilting his head ever so slightly. He didnt want her to feel lonely, why would a sweet girl like her ever have to feel that way?
He moved them a bit around, feeling the water that they had warmed up get colder at the moving. "My dad always said that there's a reason for everything. Feeling happy, feeling lonely, feeling sad. We drown in our negatives and forget about the good stuff, till we've dug a hole of bad that's almost endless," he then receited as he looked up at the sky. "The hole stops us from viewing the beauty that surrounds us. Like.. the beauty of love, beauty of frienships, all that shit," he chuckled at bit and then shook his head. "I forgot the last bit though. I just guess sometimes, we just have to stop digging all those holes, because someone else might fall in," he then said as he looked at her, till something caught up in the corner of his eye. He pointed to where he was looking, a family of deers searching the grass, "We forget that the world is so pretty, even more if we take the time to look, and see the smaller things that hides among the bad. Like look at them, they're just deers, but looking at them is always so relaxing" he turned his eyes back to her with a soft smile.

Listening to Jake brought her a calm feeling she hadn’t felt for a long time, feeling safe right now was what she needed most of all. His direct question made her swallow as she looked down to the water that was seperating them. ”Lately I’ve felt like I’m trying to hold on to sand, but it just keeps slipping through my fingers – And I wonder what will happen when the sand is no more in my grasp and my hands become empty,” she whispered with a weak voice. She felt vulnerable in this moment, but she felt it was safe to tell Jake about this. Dinah did fear what would happen if she lost her brother like she felt she was right now. She shouldn’t be seeking out anyone’s comfort but her brothers, but Jake was a light that she needed. The way he looked at her was just so heartwarming, and she could feel he had grown up with love around him. As he moved them around she sighed at the feeling of the temperature changing. She wanted to have a friend like Jake in her life, because then she didn’t have to fear loneliness, right? He spoke again about his father and she smiled. It was so clear to see how he admired his parent, and it felt like such a striking difference from her brother’s inate hatred towards their father. His words made sense, and she nodded. ”But what if the hole was filled with water? Making us sometimes float and sometimes sink? I don’t know, but I feel like I’m drowning right now and I hope I’ll find a way to remember how to float,” she whispered. She looked at his lips as they moved. If his body was warm, how would his lips feel?

This was typical of her, seeking comfort in touch and feeling instead of speaking about her problems. She liked that Jake made her speak instead of silencing her with moans and pleasure. She followed his pointing and her face lit up as she looked at the deers, but she also felt fear in her system, before she turned around to Jake as he smiled at her. She seperated her lips, trying to find her words. Maybe she was being cynical right now, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of hunting season. Would that deer family survive such a season? She sighed and pulled herself closer to Jake, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him. ”Thank you for actually listening,” she whispered. She wanted to say something more, but she couldn’t find it. Her throat was hurting as she was fighting the sad feeling in her. She moved out of their embrace and swam to the side of the lake, getting up and shaking a bit as the coldness still had a hold of her. She walked over to one of the small clearings where the sun still had power and laid down in the grass. Quickly she whiped away a few tears as she felt the warm sun above her drying her skin and heating her up. She turned to look at Jake, patting the ground next to her to signal he could join her if he wanted. ”I don’t feel like going back to the academy yet,” she mumbled as she turned to look at Jake.

He sighed at her weak whisper and gave her a sad look. The words that popped into his mind probably wouldnt be all that comforting, but he also felt like it was something she needed to hear. "If you lose all the sand, you can always grab another handful. It might not have the sand that used to be in your hand, but it can have parts of it," he tried in a comforting tone as he then sighed. It seemed like it was quite a lot on her shoulders, and he hadnt experienced something like that, so he couldnt really relate to it or give her any solid advice.
"Well surivival is in our nature. Even if your mind feel like giving up, your body will always try to stay afloat. I guess it's alright to dip, because we do need to feel sad. But we dont have to stay underwater forever," he said with a comforting smile as he noticed her looking at his lips. He clenched his jaw slightly as his own eyes wandered down to hers, but he couldnt find the courage in him to do something about it. It didnt even have to mean anything that she was looking at his lips, it was just the way she was doing it.
He watched the deers before their eyes met and he frowned as she didnt seem all that happy about it. He turned his eyes back to the deers and then gulped, "The future can be unpredictable. But in this moment, it's clear as day," he said with a trying smile as he looked back at her. The smile only grew at her whisper and hug, as he pulled her tighter into his embrace. Of course he'd listen, was she doubting that he would? He wondered if anyone else had listened to her before or just laid her words on deaf ears.
He let her move out of his arms and watched her as she swam to the edge of the lake, leaning a bit back into the water as he closed his eyes for a bit. He opened them and followed quickly after as he got up on land again. He shook some of the water out of his hair that had wet his long locks, before he noticed her gesture. He walked over to her and laid next to her, placing his hand on his stomach as he felt the warmth of the sun. He closed his eyes for a bit and listened to her mumble.
"Then dont go," he said as he opened his eyes and turned his head to her. His eyes were giving away that he wanted her to stay, but he also felt like he couldnt force her to, nor did he want to force her to do anything. He looked up at the sky and exhaled deeply. "Stay here with me in this secret place," he then said with a soft chuckle and placed his free hand under his head for support.
He listened to the birds for a bit before he lifted his hand on his stomach towards the sky, letting the sunrays slip through his fingers onto his face before he motioned his hand like he could grab the sun. He smiled and shook his head.
"There once was a moon, as beautiful as can be, only the stars could fathom, but the sun could not see. The sun so radiant, he burns so bright. The moon so luminous, but only showed her face during the night. She was untouchable, surrounding herself with a blanket of darkness. The sun would give anything to catch a glimpse of the Moon illuminating the beautiful night sky." he started, turning his eyes around at the sky, glancing at her as he told the story. He smiled softly and pushed himself onto his side, resting his elbow in the grass and his head in his hand. His free hand playing with the grass in front of him. "Until one day when the Sun was sliding out of the heavens, he caught a glimpse of her. She was peeking up, a rare side of her being exposed to the light. And while the Sun could shine, he knew the Moon could glow." - "Just as the Stars were wandering into the night, the Sun fell in love like a snowball hurdling down a mountain. How he wished to see her move than the fleeting moments he shared with her at both dawn and dusk. But they were a world apart."
He spoke so passionately at the story, motioning his hand along the skyline as he spoke, grabbing at the sun again with his hand like it was something he could hold.
"'Go,' she whispered to him one of those nights, her voice as sweet and sorrowful as the last light of morning. 'Go and let me breathe, for you and I have decided fates. You illuminate the day, and I cast a glow one the night. We will never be. Our connection would go against what all the people believe, all they know' During the summer he would stay a little longer just in case she would change his mind. It was no use." - " 'Don’t you dare abandon your blessing of light for my darkness.' And those were the last words the Moon was strong enough to speak to the Sun."
He made a sadened expression as he looked back at her for a bit, before he turned to the sky again with his eyes, readying himself to finish up the story.
"The Sun could feel her peaceful soul and it soon became clear. He would die each and every night to let his true love breathe, for it would put an end to all her misery." he finished, chuckling a little as he felt his eyes get a bit wet, sniffling shortly. "I've heard that story over and over, but it always gets to me,"

His words didn’t really comfort her, because she was trying so hard to cling on to what things had always been. Holding on to a hope that things would be fine if she kept quiet and endured her brother’s outbursts. He barely came to her with his needs, and she knew what it meant, but thinking about it only made her more sad. She knew people in this time would not accept what her and her brother had, but she had never cared. Dinah loved him, even when he hurt her like this, and maybe that was her flaw. Maybe she had been better to let go of him, let him do what he needed and not be the one holding him back. In some ways he held her back as well, but she didn’t see it like that. As he answered her about the water she smiled at him, wanting to reach out and beg him to pull her to the surface. Let her breathe in this damn world, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, even if she was looking at his lips. She was tempted to get back at her brother like this, but she couldn’t. Getting up to the clearing made the warm rays of the sun feel so gentle against her skin. She looked at him, his blue eyes almost begging her to stay. Opening her mouth she wanted to say she wouldn’t leave, but she reminded herself whom she belonged to. She looked back at the sky, trying to listen to her surroundings, but her mind was racing.

Jake started speaking and she turned to her side, looking at him as he spoke. The rays of sun dancing over his face made her smile, but she still listened. Why was it that everything he said was so accurate to her placement in her life right now? Was he psychic? Dinah couldn’t help herself to reach out and touch a small droplet of water on his chest. Her lips seperated as he continued the story, but it wasn’t because she wanted to interupt, she was more in awe of the beauty. The story told so carefully and she felt like the moon. She would need to confront her love, but what if she didn’t care about getting suffocated by him? She looked at his eyes as they started to water up and she moved closer, always wanting to comfort others. Her hand moved carefully up, whiping one of his tears away, letting her thumb rest against his cheek. ”It’s a beautiful story,” she whispered, feeling her voice break as her tears betrayed her. She moved closer to him, hiding her face in his chest and just cried silently. Life had dealt her so much, so why could she not take something for herself? Being close to Jake was just what she wanted right now, but not close as her brother always seemed to crave. She needed a friend, someone who would just hold her as she cried, not trying to solve anything. Jake had just met her and she didn’t feel like burdening him with her woes, so just laying here, crying was already a big no in her book. However she did feel so safe with him.

She sniffled as she moved her head from his chest and looked up at him with a faint smile on her lips. How could she ever repay him? To him he might not have done a lot, but to her it meant the world. He had listened, distracted her mind and last but not least comforted her with the gentle soul he had. ”Would it be alright for me to,” she whispered, looking down as she tried to muster together her courage to ask. ”To come by now and then? Just being in this secret place when I need to?” she pleaded. She was ready to beg for it, because being here just made her feel safe.

Having her wipe away his tears caught him a bit off guard. He hasnt exactly experienced comfort like this from others than his close friends and family, so having a stranger do it felt different. But it wasnt scary or bad, he found it oddly comforting, and maybe the really scary part was just that he seemed to want more of it. But she had her complicated thing, he couldnt meddle with it, that wouldnt be right. Yet his mind was pushing thoughts in his head that confused him.
He held her close, caressing her back in gentle comforting motions as he just let her cry. He looked down into her hair with sad eyes, not really knowing how or why she was crying, a want to ask was rising, yet he knew it probably wasnt in his place. What if she didnt want to talk about it? Would he risk making it worse by making her think more of it? He sighed quietly to himself and looked at her as she looked up at him with a faint smile. Her whisper made him frown in worry as he was quick to nod, no matter what she was going to ask, it would be fine with him. He smiled at her plea and pressed her closer to know it was alright, "Yes. Of course. I did offer it to you," he assured her and pulled away to lift a hand that wept her teary trails off her cheeks.
He looked out on the pond again and made a soft smile. "I promise, next time you come here, there'll be a raft. It will be pretty cool," he then promised her as he turned his eyes to her, the soft smile still on his lips. "If it'll be a good one, that's another thing. But it will be a raft," he said with a chuckle and then got a bit of a serious look in his eyes. "You do like rafts, right?" he then said, suddenly seeming so worried about it, because he wasnt sure he would make one if she didnt even like them. What would a raft do in this safe haven if she didnt even want to use it.

She felt relief in the fact that she could come back here if she needed to. Life had a way of getting in her way at times, and having somewhere to escape that sadness that sometimes lingered in her. He started speaking about a raft and she couldn’t help but chuckle at his words. ”I don’t know, to be completely honest, but I think I would like anything that you made,” she said. Looking at the sun she knew she had to start heading back to the academy. She didn’t want to, but she also didn’t want anybody to go searching for her. If they found her here, her safe space would be ruined. She hugged herself closer for a second before she let go of him and reached for her clothes. Her body had dried mostly, her hair however would give her away. On the other hand she didn’t care right now. ”Be safe, alright?” she said with a warm smile on her lips as she pulled on her t-shirt and started tying her shoes. Dinah took a short look around before she leaned in to Jake again, placing an innocent kiss on his cheek before getting up. ”I’ll see ya around,” she said, more like a promise before she moved out of the safe haven and moved back to the academy.