Ayla couldn't help but freeze all over again.
Even with the water rushing over her feet.
Her eyes betrayed her yet again.
Fear was consuming her as the scene unfolded around them.
Was she supposed to trust this man, or her instincts that told her to run, run fast and far away?
Everything in her body told her to just fall backward and disappear, without a word more, but something stopped her.
With only seconds to decide, she made her decision.
Now, she had to live with the consequences.
She raised her eyes to look past the man standing close to her.
Lowering her voice in hopes that he would be the only one who could hear her, she chose to ask him one question.
He had one shot and three seconds to answer correctly.
The heart that lived inside her chest was beating faster than she had ever experienced it beating.
It felt like it was pounding so hard and fast against her chest that it would rupture her ribs and break free, leaving her lifeless body frozen in fear.
"Are you alone, really alone?" she asked.
Startled herself that she was asking, he was startled by the fear present on her face, and at the fact that she was reaching out to him as if he were her friend.
Not sure why her demeanor suddenly changed, he was curious.
He shook his head slightly, not sure of the reason for the question, as his instincts told him, something was off.
The man hadn't realized that his moved at all while he was trying to process her question.
Tempted to scan the area, but he chose not to because it didn't seem to be wise in that moment.
No, he felt it was better to keep his attention on her, who he realized was looking past him.
The man was trying to make sure he had heard her right.
She noticed his slight turns as his chin barely went side to side and inched backward slightly.
It wasn't like she could go very far.
She was hanging off the edge now, well, part of each foot could no longer feel solid earth under them as she stood there.
Ayla thought he was indicating that he was answering her, saying that he wasn't alone.
"Wait, wait" he said as she went to turn.
"Of course, I am. That's what I told you, isn't it" he responded as if she had asked him a preposterous question.
Her mistrust was new to him because he wasn't used to dealing with anyone who didn't just listen to his words and believe them, and he was caught off guard.
Then, he began piecing together the fragments of their brief conversation with her sudden change in emotion.
Everything started falling in place.
The reason she thought he followed her.
The comments she made about being chased.
The real fear on her face.
Finally, had added together the question that just left her lips.
They were in trouble, or at least she was, and it was his fault.
She appeared to be in immediate danger.
'Is that why she is at the edge of the waterfall? Does this have nothing to do with me at all' he thought.
"It's okay," he said, hoping he could calm her.
"I know. I can help you. I know why you are worried. Can I come to you slowly? I mean you no harm".
He had his hands raised, palms toward her, as he stood closer to her than the riverbank.
His words reached her with sincerity as he continued.
"I want to protect you. That is all I want to do right now. Let me fix my mistake. If you want, I will even jump with you to the bottom and be your shield when we land so you are safe" he told her in a hushed voice.
Ayla didn't know what to think.
She didn't know who this man was, but he seemed like he was a virtuous man.
Ayla sensed nothing about him that made her think he was anything but honest and wanting to help her.
The young woman also knew she was in danger.
Danger that was closing in quickly.
Could this be the beginning of her first friendship?
More than that, the beginning of multiple beginnings?
Being in danger wasn't unusual for her.
What was unusual was that for once, she didn't feel alone.
It was time to make a decision.
"You can come to me. There is no need to be slow about it, though, or they will reach me first," she said as she pointed behind him.
She had been watching as three men broke through the woods barrier and started walking towards them.
One man in the front, followed by two men standing behind him.
They both realized they wasted too much time, and the other guests of the evening were close and not backing down.
Now appearing to gain speed at more than a walk, as the original mystery man began to make his way to Ayla.
There was more than one person on their way, and they weren't slowing down.
Were there more than the ones that could be seen?
Whoever wanted her really wanted her, and they were apparently paying top dollar for her.
Finally, the man she trusted to come to her was grabbing her, taking her hand, as the other three were just a few feet behind.
Ayla took in a deep breath as she let him throw an arm around her waist.
It felt right, which made her look at him in a way she had never looked at anyone.
"I guess if we survive this, I should ask your name. That would be the fair thing to do" she said with a smile as she grabbed his hand back.
Before anyone realized what was happening, the two of them leaped off the edge and down into the depths of darkness and water mist that gave them cover.
It felt like the whole thing took an hour, but it was over within maybe a minute.
All she could imagine was how good it felt to have someone beside her for once as she ran for her life.
He was warm, and he was comforting, and he made her feel safe.
More than that, for a man, he had a warm, sweet, kind of smell to him that also mixed with something she couldn't recall.
Ayla just knew he smelled good to her as he held her while they cascaded to the bottom of the waterfall.
To have a companion to be by her side as she did whatever it took to ensure she got to safety for once was exhilarating.
Maybe it had a little to do with the jump, too.
Ayla felt amazing and soaked up every moment as the warmth of what awaited them below engulfed them and sucked them in.
The gentleman was true to his word as well.
Once they reached the bottom, he pulled her closer and held her tight as they met the water's choppy surface.
His intent was to endure the impact of whatever lay below himself, so she didn't have to.
Seeing as he was taller than her, his feet broke the surface of the water, making her entrance nearly effortless as they slid in.
Normally, she ran alone and was constantly petrified.
This time, she was not alone.
This time, she almost felt safe.
Did that mean she would no longer run alone?
Probably not.
Then again, she was no longer planning on running?
She didn't have the answers to that while she let the warm, seductive water steal her away from the world.
Right then, in that moment, she was enjoying the hand that refused to let go, and the body that held hers tightly, as the warmth that surrounded her as they sank deeper into the water at the bottom of the waterfall.
Shocked at what just transpired, the three men were looking to one another in disbelief.
Thankfully, for Ayla, they were only able to see the jump at the top through the cover of darkness and the mist of the water.
Her taste of happiness was able to be a private moment, just for her, as the night shielded the two from prying eyes.
At the top of the waterfall, three grown men were having panic attacks.
The person they had tried to capture many times before had just jumped off a cliff before their eyes.
All they could think of was how much trouble they would be in if anything happened to her.
What if he found out?
He hired them to find her and bring her home safe, and she just jumped off a freaking cliff with a man.
Was this random man with them?
Was he an enemy to them?
They knew other groups were after her, too, so was he part of one of those?
Who was he, and how did he get her to trust him?
Ayla didn't trust anyone.
They did their research for years and knew that she didn't talk to a single soul, never.
She lived a life of strict isolation, so they knew they had challenges ahead of them.
How did that man do it?
What if she just died in front of them?
Would there… no, no, they didn't want to think about that.
They neeeeded to get to the bottom of the waterfall and see if she was alive and okay.
Some sort of proof of life was vital to their own survival.
Should they jump, too?
If she were dead, they should all just go ahead and kill themselves because he would do it anyway.
Best case scenario, she was perfectly fine, and this stirred some sort of memory, and she would come with them willingly this time, worst case, well.
Three guys of large stature used unmarked paths to start making their way down the waterfall, deciding that jumping probably wasn't the smartest choice.
For men of their appearance, they didn't manage to walk very gracefully down, if it could be called walking.
Toddlers learning to walk had a more steady gait, as arms went flying in every direction.
The fear of unknown consequences kept creeping into their heads, and they needed to push it away and think clearly.
While the three men were fighting for their existence as they descended the waterfall, Ayla and the unknown man who jumped with her enjoyed the warmth of the water around them, below the water, underneath it.
The pair forgot for a moment that they couldn't breathe unwater.
They had stayed down for an unnatural amount of time before they realized they needed to surface.
Ayla didn't want to, though.
She knew when she did, somewhere above the water, men were waiting for her.
In her mind, she felt like she should just stay under the water and let it take her.
The man beside her could tell she wanted to give up, and he had no intention of letting her do so.
Letting go of the grip he had on her body, he swiftly pulled the hand that he had previously held and guided her a little way down the river.
When he felt like they were far enough away from the waterfall, they surfaced.
Neither of them realized just how long they were under the water for, but it was nearly forty-five minutes.
Once they were sure that none of the men were around, they could truly breathe.
"How long were we down there for" Ayla asked, as they popped their heads above the waterline.
"I'm honestly not sure. I know it is long enough that I was able to get you away from them, and that is all that matters" he said with confidence.
It was clear that he had questions, but he didn't want to pry.
He wanted to be respectful to her by giving her the space she needed because she was clearly a private person, and he could tell that trust did not come easily to her.
"So much for not taking a literal leap of faith" she giggled.
Ayla couldn't help it as she looked his direction and remembered their conversation just before jumping.
He looked at her and started to shake his head.
"Obviously, I didn't expect you to jump, and I didn't expect to jump myself. I guess we were meant to jump together in blind faith" he said, while he too played the conversation back to himself in his head.
That is what made her look at him with a little more respect than she had before she jumped off the cliff with him.
She knew that he did it without knowing anything about her.
Ayla also knew he had questions, yet he didn't ask them.
This man, who knew nothing about her, yet respected her privacy anyway.
He appeared to have no desire to push her or make her uncomfortable.
Actually, it seemed the opposite.
"How come you don't ask anything from me. It is dangerous to follow someone blindly. You know nothing about me" she said.
He looked at her, puzzled, "Then, we are on an even playing field, because you know nothing about me" he smiled.
She looked at him, a little amazed, "Ayla" she said shyly as they swam cautiously toward the shore.
His attention had been focused on the woods behind the riverbank, trying to ensure they weren't going to be greeted by anyone unwarranted.
He looked at her with bunched eyebrows.
"Now you know something about me" she smirked.
Something told her that this was just the beginning.
Whether the beginning of something good or bad, she still had to find out, but she was excited to do just that.
As they reached their destination, she continued, "and we should probably find some kind of shelter for the night, so they don't see us. They don't normally give up so easily. Not those three".
He was surprised by many things in that sentence.
"Alexander, but you can call me Alex or whatever you what to. Did I hear you correct when you said 'we' should"?
He purposely chose to leave alone the rest of what she said for the time being.
She stopped him from moving forward, placing a hand on his chest.
Feeling her hand resting on his chest, he knew this would just be the beginning for them as well.
"Yes, we, because both of us jumped, and neither of us should be seen. If one survived, then both did. Besides, I'm curious about you, and I need someone to help me fight against all these men. I'm tired of running and fighting alone; it's hard. You seem capable and willing, or did I get that wrong" she asked, attempting to sound shy.
She did not get that wrong, not in the least bit.
He was still processing the 'we' thing, though.
Alexander found her highly attractive.
Her curves that were fresh in his mind from hugging her close felt like they fit perfectly into his arms, and were made just for him.
Ayla's name was like a song on his lips, and he was scared of nothing, until now.
This grown man was scared to be alone with this strong-minded female like Ayla.
The thought of being able to control himself around her scared him, but what she would do to him if he misstepped terrified him.
Mentally, she could rip him to shreds, and he knew it.
He wasn't sure what was happening to him.
How much of a man would he be if he admitted to Ayla that he was a little scared to be alone with her?
What kind of man was scared to be alone with a female, but she was scary, so he continued to follow her like a lost puppy, following an invisible leash.
Before the two of them knew it, they were off the riverbank and walking through the brush a good distance before finding the entrance to a somewhat small but perfect cave.
It had everything they needed.
Far from where they jumped, quiet, hidden, secluded.
The cave was warm, dry, and covered perfectly by the surrounding nature so that they wouldn't be found.
Alexander had been covering any trace of them along the way so that they wouldn't be followed.
For now, the two of them were hidden away in nature where nothing or no one would find them unless they wanted to be found.
As far as the other three men knew, she vanished without a trace, and that was clear.
They turned over every stone and leaf in the direct area to make sure.
Now, they were reluctantly going to their boss to give their report and receive their punishment.
They knew this time would be different. This time, everything was different.