The maze responded to the hunt, to her, to me, its paths shifting and swirling, creating new obstacles and opportunities as if it relished in the hunt as much as I did, and maybe it did, as it always felt like we were one. She was quick, and it just added to my obsession, many had given up by now, but not her. Gwendolyn continued darting around corners with a grace that belied her fear, but she hadn’t caught on yet, there was nowhere she could go that was an escape from me.
As I continued my pursuit, each step forged a deeper connection to her, a bond that tugged at my very being. It would have bothered me if I wasn’t soenamoredwith the feelings she made me feel by just existing.Mine. Mine. Mine.It sounded in my brain over and over again, and I had made my decision, the maze could have her life, but I was keeping her in death.
The thought both thrilled and terrified me. I was keeper of the maze, a tall tale that those only whispered about, that the school knew about but kept on the down-low, knowing that it’s me who keeps these lands plentiful. A nightmare that comes to life once a year. Yet, the idea of her in my grasp, holding her close, filled me with a longing and a desire I'd never experienced before and I was going to have her.
I rounded another bend, knowing she was up ahead. I could hear her ragged breathing as I got closer, her taste lingering in the air and I salivated over it. She turned around to face me, and instead of the terror I expected to see, there was determination, a spark that made her more than just pretty. She was a challenge, and the one I'd been waiting for, that much was clear. I reveled in the thought of capturing her, and that fire, and smothering it until she submitted to me.
I closed in, and I could see her falter, just for a moment, but that was enough. I surged forward, the maze giving me a clear path and bending to my will. Their stalks shook, trembled, almost screamed in their movements to funnel her toward me, her eyes wide with the realization that the maze and I were one.
“Why are you doing this?” Her voice was pure defiance and hate that breathed its own source of life into me.
I stepped even closer, the shadows wrapping around us like an embrace. “Because, the maze chose you, Gwendolyn. But I can’t seem to let you go.”
Her pulse quickened, I saw it, beating at the base of her throat, and I leaned forward to lick it. She stopped moving, stoppedbreathing,but her pulse continued to beat rapidly, counting the seconds and distance between us in its own way. I could see her confusion, the struggle to understand the connection that wasforming in the space between us, a bond that even death could not sever.
I reached out, brushing my fingers against the cool stalks that had made a wall behind her, leaning in closer. “You’re meant for this place, forme.You’ll find beauty in the darkness that you never expected.”
Her breath stuttered on her inhale, and for a heartbeat, I thought I saw a flicker of understanding of…acceptance but then she turned. Desperation leaked from her as she sought an escape and I laughed. It ricocheted and bounced between us, playful yet determined. “You can run, my dear Gwendolyn, but you can’t hide. The maze has chosen you, and I will have you, one way or another. You zig, I zag, and eventually, you’ll be mine.”
With that, I surged forward in the direction in which she took off, the thrill of the chase igniting my senses once more. I would catch her, and when I did I would force her to see the truth of our connection. Force her to see that she wasmine.
Chapter Seven
Gwendolyn
I ran, the sound of my heart pounding like a wild drum in my chest, each beat sending shock waves of fear through me. One thing was for sure, the maze was alive, but Kasper wasn’t. Call it intuition, a sixth sense, whatever you want but I knew. It wasn’t the maze that sent shivers down my spine, it was Kasper. I could feel him all around me, his dark energy clinging to the air.
“Gwendolyn.” His voice was low, smooth like velvet and it sent a flutter through me that I couldn’t ignore. “You zig, I zag…I will always find you.”
I glanced over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of him. Tall, willowy, translucent, and undeniably alluring. Dread twisted in my stomach but it was joined with intrigue, something that wanted him to catch me. I forced my legs to move faster even though they hesitated for the briefest of moments. “You’re a monster!” I screamed into the abyss.
“A monster?” I felt his chuckle on the back of my neck, the sound rich with amusement. “I prefer the term Keeper, keeper of the maze,keeper of you.” His words hung in the air, and despite my instinct to keep running, my breath was coming out in ragged breaths and I wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer.
“Keep me?” I whispered, knowing he could hear me.
“Yes, my sweet Gwendolyn, I'd like to keep you, and in doing so, I could protect you from the maze…and show you what true darkness feels like.” Some of his words appealed to me, and I was captivated by them, slowing my run to a walk.
“Protect me? Is that what you call this?” My voice trembled with defiance. “You’re hunting me!”
“Ah, but isn’t the thrill of the chase what makes this all so delicious?”
He appeared in front of me like an apparition of mist that stitched itself together, it was fascinating, mesmerizing, and it stunned me. He moved closer to me and the stalks began to shake even though the only movement in the air was my breaths. Kasper had a wicked glimmer in his eyes, and yet, I wanted to keep looking into them. “You’re not afraid of me, are you Gwendolyn? You’re just afraid of what you might feel.” He reached out toward me, his fingers ice cold and I gasped, his spell over me broken.
I took off and turned around another corner, desperately trying to find my escape, but the maze was shifting to funnel me back to him. “You’re wrong, I feel nothing, only fear.” I gasped, my lungs burning as I pressed on, but I felt it flicker again, curiosity,desire,a thrill at the idea of being caught.
“Are you?” His voice was once again close, seductive, and wrapped around me like it was begging me to come home. “Or is it me that you’re drawn to? The fear only heightens the excitement, I promise.”
I stumbled backwards, nearly losing my footing as he drew nearer. “I won’t let this happen, I won’t let you take me.”
“Take you?” Amusement danced in his tone. “My love, by the end of the night, you’ll choose me.”
“Choose you? To what? Be a sacrifice to the maze?” My voice dripped with defiance, but my heart skipped a beat and I could see him tilt his head, like he heard it, likehe knew.
“Sacrifice? Now, perhaps those before you could be called that, but no, you I want to keep, you’ll be mine and the maze’s forever.”
“You’re insane.”
“To some.” He advanced on me, his cold fingers wrapped around my throat as he tipped my head up to look into my eyes. I paused, caught in the moment, and my body screamed in acceptance, the ice around my neck turned into a fire that I considered stoking, and he grinned.
