CHAPTER 6

KRISTINA'S POV

The young man dared to introduce himself to me. 

"I'm Nathan by the way." Then he extended his hand to me as a sign of his introduction. 

At first I hesitated, but eventually I also introduced myself to him. 

"I-I'm Kristina," I answered shyly, but I secretly smiled– a little bit. 

He's handsome enough. And he even looked like a gentleman who could give good advice, so I decided that I should trust him. But of course this is only temporary… I have to take a test to find out if he was really worth trusting or not. 

But still for now I can't help but to let down my guard and smile at him. This might just work. Maybe we'll meet again sometime and maybe there will be more interactions between us. 

After all Nathan isn't bad looking either and from time to time I wonder about what kind of men those in his world are. But then again the last thing I need right now is to get involved with any of them. 

I mean the last time someone got too close to me ended in an unfortunate accident, so it is better not to get involved. My life is complicated enough already without being surrounded by men who wanted me as a bed partner. Or worse they would try to use my body instead. 

The last thing I want is another mistake. So I choose to avoid such relationships. And since they wouldn't dare to do anything against my wishes, I don't have to worry about them trying to hurt me physically. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Nathan said.

He probably sensed how nervous I must have been because suddenly his hand rested on mine. 

"Is there something wrong?" He asked gently. 

"Uhm... Yes, I'm okay. No worries."

His voice sounded worried. He must have thought that I was afraid of him. But no, I simply wasn't that scared. In fact, I'm used to these kinds of situations by now. 

They've happened to me many times before and I always manage to escape unscathed. And besides I knew that he is harmless, honest and trustworthy. 

I can trust him as much as I can trust any other human being. But unfortunately I can't trust him enough to tell him about what really happened to me. 

No, that won't do at all. If I tell him I met some sort of dangerous creature, their kindness and concern would vanish instantly and they would start treating me differently. That doesn't sit right in my stomach anymore. 

I couldn't bear for him to treat me like one of their kinds. It hurts too much to see his expressions of pity when he looks at me. So in order to protect myself, I have to keep my secret. 

I can't risk letting anyone know where I came from and therefore where I belong. It wasn't the first time I kept secrets. There were many times where I was forced to endure unpleasant situations that left me scarred for life.

So I can't risk telling anyone my true self because they could expose me to danger. I have learned how to handle these situations well. So I am able to keep up with the people who seek to kill me. 

After all, it's not very easy for me to stay hidden, especially when I have the most important person of the group, who loves me so much, to protect. I'm lucky though, and that keeps my survival instincts intact. 

"Okay," Nathan replied after taking a moment to process what I said, "but please tell me if you feel uncomfortable. Or rather if you have some troubles, alright?" He offered me a reassuring smile. 

Yes, I know why. I'm a stranger to him, after all. He doesn't want to get too close to someone whom he doesn't know... 

But that won't change my decision. It would be best not to involve him in my problems because it might harm his reputation. I have to keep a distance, to save his reputation. For my sake, if nothing else. 

Still, I couldn't stop smiling. I found that Nathan's kindness was soothing. It was the same feeling I had experienced when I met him for the first time. 

But I soon realized that I shouldn't let the chance pass to get to know him better.

I have to make sure to become closer to him before I reveal my true self. And that's exactly what I plan to do. Because I can't allow myself to fall for his charm. I can't risk it. 

"Don't worry, Nathan. I'm fine. Please continue," I said to him while returning his smile and putting a strand of hair behind my ear. 

Nathan nodded his head once again and turned to look into the night sky. The stars seemed brighter in the clear summer night sky. 

The moonlight glowed brightly and I felt myself relaxing as I watched the beautiful view. 

And that's the moment I finally made up my mind about my choice. As far as I know, the man next to me has no interest whatsoever toward me. 

That's not what I was planning to do. What I wanted to do is convince him to be friends. I just have to show him that he can trust me with his whole heart. As long as I can assure him that everything is going to be okay in return, he will believe me. 

In fact, I could tell that Nathan trusted me already. His eyes were full of affection and tenderness whenever he looked at me. 

It may seem that I'm acting overly optimistic here, but it was just the opposite.

After all the events that led to this situation, I was completely convinced that Nathan could be trusted. And he did appear to be sincere when talking to me earlier. 

Even after our initial conversation he never stopped smiling, and it made me happy to see him so happy. 

This evening I decided to try talking to him further. So while he's distracted by gazing at the night sky, I slowly inched closer until my body pressed against him. 

We both were staring at the sky for a while in silence, enjoying the fresh breeze, the comforting smell of flowers and nature around us. But then we heard a familiar sound. 

Someone was approaching us. Both Nathan and I froze immediately. The atmosphere changed from peaceful and calm to tense and deadly at lightning speed. 

I could hear the rustling and crunching of leaves coming nearer to where we were standing. We didn't move, nor spoke. 

Soon after, I heard footsteps. They weren't running and the pace was slow. Whoever it is must be a man and a woman or both. 

My heart beat faster, I was sweating and my breathing became heavy. I was shaking like crazy. I felt so alone and vulnerable, exposed under the moonlight. 

Suddenly I heard another noise. Someone was coming towards us. It sounds like...