Page 30 of Obsessed

I pick up my pace, following her tracking beacon's signal. The growing darkness makes the forest look alien and threatening, nothing like the peaceful sanctuary she showed me.

"Alice," I whisper to myself. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

The pull in my chest grows stronger with each step. Something's wrong. My instincts scream at me to move faster, but I force myself to stay alert, scanning the darkening forest for any movement.

"Hello?" A weak voice carries through the trees. "Is anyone there?"

My heart skips. "Alice?"

"Davrik? Oh thank the stars." Her voice comes from below. "I'm down here!"

I follow her voice to the edge of a deep pit, maybe four meters down. Alice sits at the bottom, leg stretched out awkwardly. Dirt and leaves cover her usually pristine research uniform.

"Are you hurt?" I drop to my knees at the edge.

"Just my pride. And maybe my ankle." She winces. "But look what I found!" She holds up a specimen container with something tiny inside. "This could be exactly what I've been searching for!"

"Only you would get excited about plants while stuck in a hole." I scan the area for anything I can use. A thick vine wraps around a nearby tree. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, just carefully." She pushes herself up, favoring her right leg.

I yank the vine free and test its strength. It holds. "I'm going to lower this down. Wrap it around your waist."

"Are you sure it'll hold?"

"These things are stronger than steel cable. You've told me that about fifty times."

She laughs weakly. "I didn't think you were listening."

"I always listen." The words slip out before I can stop them. I clear my throat. "Ready?"

She secures herself, and I brace against the tree, pulling steadily. The muscles in my back strain, but I don't stop until she's safely on solid ground.

She stumbles as she finds her footing, and I catch her against myself. For a moment, we stay like that, her breath warm against my neck.

"Thank you," she whispers.

I step back quickly, my hands dropping from her waist like I've been burned. Alice doesn't seem to notice, already fumbling with her specimen container.

"Look at these cellular structures!" She holds it up to catch the fading light. "The way it processes nutrients is completely unique. I've never seen anything like it in all my research here."

Her eyes light up as she rambles about chemical compositions and biological markers. I try to focus on her words, but keep getting distracted by the smudge of dirt on her cheek and the way her hands shake slightly from excitement or cold.

"This could be it, Davrik. The breakthrough I've been looking for." She clutches the container to her chest. "Maybe they'll finally see I deserve to be here."

My chest aches. I want to tell her she has nothing to prove, that she's already more capable than most people I've met. Instead, I ask, "Can you make it back?"

"Of course!" She takes a determined step and immediately stumbles.

"Right." I move closer. "And I'm the president of the Alliance."

"I just need a minute." She tries again, grimacing. "The station's not that far."

"Alice."

"Really, I can-" She yelps as I scoop her up. "What are you doing?"

"Getting us back before dark." I adjust her weight in my arms. She's lighter than I expected. "Unless you'd rather hop there on one foot?"

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