Page 33 of Ravaged From Fate

He ducks under the ropes and proceeds to head towards the front doors of the gym. Juniper looks at me like follow him, girl.

And I kinda agree.

This is my moment to question him properly…

“How about I join you on one of your long walks?” I ask the retreating man, dashing out of the ring and after him.

He turns around to me.

“What? Now?”

He stammers. Unusual for a quiet and thoughtful man like him.

He’s actually scared of what I might ask him…

“Yes, right now,” I say. “You taught me how to box. Now I’ll join you on your walk.”

“No one joins me on my walks.”

“Well, I want to find out more about you, Caspian.”

He scoffs. “There’s nothing to find out.”

“You are a stranger in this small community and I’m the nurse that’ll have to deal with whatever shit you bring here, so I want to find out more about you.”

The man stops and thinks for a moment.

“Okay,” he says. “You can join me.”

15

CASPIAN

Elsa. Elsa. Elsa.

This girl.

Her touch.

Her smell.

I could barely control myself when I stood there in the ring, guiding her through that punch.

Who is this girl?

And why does she have this power over me?

I told myself I wouldn’t get involved in the affairs of East Springs, and here I am getting all giddy like a lovesick schoolboy whenever this nurse even so much as glances my way with those bright blue eyes of hers.

And now she wants to walk with me. Talk with me.

And I am terrified because I don’t know if I have the strength left to resist her…

16

ELSA

We’re completely silent until we reach the outer limits of East Springs; where Main Street slowly morphs into a long road that leads out into the winding wilderness and away from civilization. That’s when I summon up the courage to probe Caspian about his life.