Peter's Lily (Sequel to Pan's Tiger)

Chapter 16: The painful truth

'I hate you.' He seethed and I took a wary step backwards, perplexed with his words. Curiosity channeled through me, drowning all rational thoughts to anxiously run or fearful hide.

'What?'

'I always have.' He mumbled, almost in a sickly monotone, that had no expression or emotion except bitter hatred for me, as if we were enemies. 'Always will, until the day I die. I loath you, with every bone in my body. We are destined enemies. If fate would run my way, you would already be dead, lying cold and feeble in my arms.'

I couldn't take any more. I screamed, pelting for the safety of the trees. But nothing seemed to work. Wherever I fled, he would follow me, always two paces behind. It was as if he was a shadow, clinging to me and dragging me down. I felt like I was drowning under love's heavy burden, suffocating and chocking in the harsh, cold waters.

But I carried on, pushing my body to its limit. My feet were in agony, pain rapidly circling throughout my body. However, despite the repetitive and torturously agonising pain, I forced myself to carry on, feeling like I was travelling faster than the speed of light.

'Tell the devil I said "Hey" when you get back to where your from!' Oliver screeched behind me, I could almost feel his cold breath tinkling on the back of my neck and my heart beginning to beat faster. The footsteps began to become louder and faster, as if he was loosing distance between us. I whipped my head in his direction, my eyes widening with fear and anxiety, a mixture of confusion and anger filling me.

Then Oliver began to whisper a soft, low chuckle. Sweat licked my palms and I wasn't sure how long I would last until I broke down with fear, until I realised it had escalated into the satirical cackle, as if mocking my fear. Gasping with fright, I jumped away, badly attempting to increase the distance between our bodies.

'Oliver, please!' I gasped, my voice breaking and my intake of air shortening. I began to whimper, terror flooding through me. It was almost as if I couldn't believe it. 'I love you.'

'I hate you, Lily!' He bellowed and even the leaves on the trees swayed with his anger. 'You deserve every hardship you face. You deserve to burn slowly I hell. I want to watch your skin melt from your body. You deserve to drown, choking and suffocating under a blanket of thick, murky water.'

'Stop it!' I screamed, collapsing onto my knees, the lengths of my legs digging into the hard ground and gaining countless scratches and bruises. I didn't care.

'You deserve to be buried deep amongst the Earth, where your body can rot deep below anyone else. You deserve to suffocate in the air you can create, unable to breathe and gagging with the poisonous toxins. You deserve all of these and so much more.' I whimpered, unable to breath as he spat his insults towards me. 'Most importantly, I deserve to watch you suffer.'

'Stop! Please.' I yelled, my voice breaking by the second word. I sat there for what felt like eternity, hugging my knees, caked in dirt, to my chest, the dress I hadn't changed in two days was smothered with stains, and tightly clutching the nearest tree, as if without her grip, she would fall to her death down the steps towards the deepest and darkest crevice of hell.

Every inch of my face was plastered with soot, grime, sweat and blood, except in the rare places fresh tears have washed away the dirt. I wish the tears wouldn't be so metaphorical and wash away more than this.

He didn't stop, his voice booming above all else's, pounding insults into me, each one feeling like a dagger piercing my heart. I peered up at Oliver, who was smirking me with a mixture of triumphant pleasure, and discontent hatred. He loved barking endless insults at me like a drilling machine, as if he didn't realise how much they hurt me. Or maybe he did. Oliver seemed suspended above me, all of his body (from the ankles above) towered over me, as he shoot me a authoritative glare.