Same Planet but Different Worlds

Chapter 13 Bantering

Kaya's POV

This stranger is asking me to let him go and as much as I feel like I should at this point, I also know that it could be the most thoughtless mistake I would ever make.. That's if this blows up. I don't know. "How do I know you didn't spare me to torture me later? Or to just take me away from my friends to kill me where they won't hear?" I ask him without hesitation before he huffs out. "There is no way I can show you that it wasn't my intention to do so.. But it wasn't.. I was just going to question you because you're on our land." He declares with so much suspicion of me that I guess I can see where he is coming from.

But even if I didn't believe him, he does have a hold of me and at this rate, and we are both trying to get out of this in one piece. The only way that will happen is if he lets me go.. and we know the only way that will occur, and it starts with me. "First, it is not your territory, we make sure to stay out of your territory, so this won't happen.. Next, I will release you.. But only if you swear that you will leave here and won't come back or attack any of us.. You have to leave all of us here and in one piece without informing anyone of seeing us." I state my terms as he stared into my eyes. Even at this angle his eyes look beautiful, almost as bright as those stars above.

"Ok.. We will go, and we won't tell anyone about you, whomever you seem to be.. but I can't guarantee that no one will see you if you stay here. This is not our territory, you're correct about that, but this is close enough that it got our attention.. That's why we are here.. That's a warning and the best I can do." he says as I feel his hands starting to release me, before letting me go to drop the little bit of distance before my back is fully lying on the ground.

I take this opportunity of being out of his grip and firmly on the ground, to slowly roll over on my stomach before using my arms to push me up. It takes me a second before I am standing up, then dusting the dirt off of me. I glance over at him dangling above the ground, slowly swinging around in a circle. His eyes are glued to me as he patently waits for me to help him. There is a part of me that is considering leaving him there.. but as I look over at him, I can see the trust and confidence within me and my promise deep in his eyes.. He believed in me just as much as I did with him in that moment and I can't betray that, even to a stranger.

I am a person of my word. I know I could easily leave him and his friend hanging, but I can't do that and feel remotely good about myself. I think he can see that I am considering leaving him there. His eyes get sad, looking almost heartbroken before looking away from me. I hate seeing that look on his face. I cannot explain why, but the pain in his eyes hits straight through me and to my heart. I look back at my friends, then to him again before huffing out as I walk back to his side.

I get down on my knees and then untying the vines that are wrapped around the tree and further away. I see from my peripherals that his eyes are locked back onto me, watching my every move since he is now under my control and care. I am showing him that I am a good person and hopefully, he is the same. That we can have a mutual respect for one another that will keep us all alive and not starting any further issues than this one, until we can go our separate ways.

Once the vine is untied, I take it into both of my hands as I use all of my strength to move his heavy body slowly to the ground so he doesn't get hurt from the fall. I watch him reach the ground with his arms which is helping his landing be much softer, than without that help. Especially when I know I could have just cut the vine and let him fall quite easily without little to no effort on my part.

But I was worried that if I did that, he might hurt me as well, getting me or my friends back for treating him unfairly when it seems like he is trying to respect me in this hard moment for the both of us. So, instead of being rude to this possibly threatening stranger, I am trying to show understanding and care, since that is what he seems to relate with for whatever reason. Which is hard for me to believe, since I have heard only bad things about their colony of men.

The men I have heard about from his compound are not like that at all.. But I have never seen one for myself. So this is something strange I never expected. Once he is on the ground, I lean down helping him untie the vine from around his feet. I can feel his eyes on me once again as I just ignore them trying to end this before any of my friends get hurt. I just need them to leave us alone, so I have time to wake my group up and give us a chance to leave before we are found again.

When that is done, I look up as my eyes automatically meet his. "This.. trap of yours.. worked.. very well.. You must be very smart. I have never met a smart woman before." he declares while he is standing up as I do the same, not wanting to let him get the better of me. "Of course I am smart, that's why I have these." I declare showing my arm and headband that have my achievement charms on them. He looks curiously at me as he quickly steps closer only inches away. "What do these mean?" He asks me before reaching out to gently touch them.

This action shocks me as my mind is telling me to step away, but I can't seem to get my body to. "They are my achievements I have succeeded at over the years." I say softly as he nods, looking from them then back to my eyes. I am getting nervous at his close proximity. I don't hate it, knowing I probably should. His breathing feathers off of my cheek, sending shivers through me as my skin covers in goosebumps, showing how close he really is. I push this strange feelings of comfort out of me as I step back from him, just to put some space between us.

He looks saddened and surprised by this action, but doesn't come closer. I see my knife by my feet so I slowly reach down picking it up before, looking back at him suspiciously. "How did you know that this was my trap?" I ask as he scoffs at that question as he instantly retorts. "I watched you build them." He sends a smirk my way that warms me up from the inside, if I was made of ice I would have melted completely. His perfectly framed jawline made that smirk look more enticing than I ever imagined it would. But I need to stop thinking like that about him. I change my attraction into an attitude to get him away before I get tricked.

"You saw it.. And yet you fell into it?" I state with sass about his stupidity in that moment, because he claims to know about my traps and yet he still got stuck in it. He chuckles at that comment before stepping closer as I step back. "I didn't think I would get caught in it.. I thought I had avoided it, that is until I fell into it." He responds pretty quickly before taking another step towards me. "Actually, I led you into it." I declare with confidence in myself as he smiles even bigger. "I thought so.. but that was hard for me to believe since I didn't think you were that smart.. It's strange seeing a woman who knows how to talk and do many more things.. it's interesting to watch."

He takes another step towards me as I take another back but my backing up is cut off as my back runs into a tree that is behind me, while he still inches closer. I keep my knife pointed at him until I feel the pressure of his body leaning into the knife. Not only getting my attention, but his as well. He looks at the knife then back to me with surprise covering his features, I don't think that he thought I would use it on him, but I don't see why I wouldn't. Only someone without a brain wouldn't have their guard up around a stranger they have never seen before, let alone a man.

The closer he gets to me, the harder time I seem to have with breathing. He is making me nervous but not a normal kind of nervous that I would get from hunting or climbing.. this is different. "Don't get any closer.. or.. I will hurt you." I demand from him trying to wrap it in a threatening tone, but I don't think it worked. I watch as he nods in understand and stopping in his tracks. "I won't hurt you, but I understand the weariness.. But you're safe with me." I scoff at that comment before seeing the seriousness in his eyes.

His kind eyes stare down at me with a genuine look to them that makes me want to trust him wholeheartedly, but I am not that thoughtless, "I am not like what you have heard about." He declares as I roll my eyes and say without hesitation. "You don't know what I have heard." He nods at me, taking in my words as I see the thoughts running through his head. "You're right I don't. Would you tell me?" He asks as I shake my head.

"No I shouldn't even be talking to you, let alone helping you.. I should just be killing you right here to make sure you don't stab me nor my friends in the back the first chance you get." I declare as he nods. "So why don't you.. kill me? I am your enemy, am I not?" he asks me as I nod lifting the knife and pointing it into his chest as I swallow the lump in my throat. Our eyes are locked, as I feel the air taken right from my lungs as if he did it himself.

"Well do it.. Your best bet would be to stab me here." He declares moving the tip of the knife from his chest and to his throat. I shake my head as he says softly. "Just make it fast.. I don't want to suffer." He is right, so I nod and push the tip of the knife into his throat, but not enough to break the skin. I sit there for a silent moment with him as he leans down further, bringing himself closer to me. "You can't reach?" he asks as I shake my head before dropping the knife from his throat. "No.. I.. I just can't."

He looks confused about that as he turns his face to look down at me, causing our faces to only be inches apart. "Why?" he softly asks before I let out a deep breath. "I don't like to hurt.. anything.. I know you're a threat.. and could easily kill me, but you haven't.. So I can't get myself to do it either." I say as he stares at me as if he wants to say something, but this needs to end, because I have no idea what is going on between us, or what this feeling is that he is igniting within me, but if my friends see this they will either kill him for touching me or yell at me for not alarming them of his presence.

I clear my throat before changing the subject and turning away from him. I instantly am moving out from under him, trying to put some space between us before he gets too comfortable. "Why were you watching us?" Is all that I can seem to push out between my deep breathes that are supposed to be calming me, but for whatever reason my heart won't stop rapidly pounding within my chest. I look back at him to see he is following me. I look from the ground then back to him as we stare at one another. "I should be asking you the same thing.. why are you here, where are you from?" he asks me as I shake my head and looking back through the trees where my friends are still soundly sleeping.

"We were just getting food.. that's it." I declare as he looks at me with suspicion in his eyes, but it still doesn't make me feel as if I am in trouble or danger. Which is lucky for me, since he is a complete stranger that I shouldn't be talking to, but I somehow can't seem to help myself. There is a natural comfort he brings that is telling my body he is not a threat, as my mind states how much of a threat he could be to me. I am confused on how to feel right now, which is making this hard.