She quieted her voice in hopes that he would be the only one who could hear her. The heart that lived inside her chest was beating faster than she had ever experienced it beating. "Are you alone?" she asked. Surprised at the fact that she was reaching out to the man who was standing in front of her as if he were her friend.
"Of course, I am" he responded as if she had asked him such a preposterous question that he was caught off guard by it.
Then, he began piecing together the fragments of their brief conversation with her sudden change in emotion. Everything started falling in place. The reason he followed her in her mind, the comments she made, the fear on her face, and the question that just left her lips. They were in trouble; she was in immediate danger.
"It's okay," he said, "I know. I can help you. I know why you are worried. Can I come to you slowly? I mean you no harm. I want to protect you. That is all I want to do. 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. She sensed nothing about him that made her think he was anything but honest and wanting to help her.
She also knew she was in danger. This wasn't unusual; what was unusual was that for once, she didn't feel alone.
"You can come to me; no need to be slow, or they will reach me first," she said as she pointed behind him. They both realized they wasted too much time, and the other guests of the evening were close and not backing down.
There was more than one person on their way, and they weren't slowing down. Whoever wanted her, wanted her, and they were paying top dollar for her.
"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 he reached her and grabbed her hand. Before anyone realized what was happening, the two of them leaped off the edge and down into the depths of darkness that gave them cover.
All she could imagine was how good it felt to have someone beside her for once as she ran for her life. To have a companion to be by her side as she did whatever it took to ensure she got to safety for once, as the warmth of what awaited them below engulfed them and sucked them in.
Normally, she ran alone and petrified. This time, she was not alone. Did that mean she would no longer run alone? Was she no longer running? She didn't have the answers to that. Right then, in that moment, she was enjoying the hand that grabbed hers and the warmth that surrounded hers as they sank in the water at the bottom of the waterfall.
Shocked at what just transpired, several men were looking to one another in disbelief. 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 he with them? Was he an enemy? 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, so they had challenges ahead of them. How did he 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.
Should they jump? 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.
The guys used unmarked paths to start making their way down the waterfall, deciding that jumping probably wasn't the smartest choice. The fear was just creeping into their heads, and they needed to push it away and think clearly.
While they were fighting for their existence at the top of the waterfall, Ayla and the unknown man 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.
He swiftly grabbed her hand and guided her a little way down the river and away from the waterfall before 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 breathe.
"How long were we down there for" Ayla asked.
"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.
He had questions, that was obvious, but he didn't want to pry. He wanted to be respectful of her and give 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. She 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 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. She knew he had questions, yet he didn't ask them. He respected her privacy and didn't push her or make her uncomfortable.
"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. As they reached their destination, she continued, " and we should find some kind of shelter for the night, so they don't see us".
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"
She stopped him. "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 them. I'm tired of running and fighting alone; it's hard. You seem capable and willing, or did I get that wrong" she asked shyly.
She did not get that wrong, not in the least bit. He was still processing the we thing, though. He found her highly attractive, and her 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. Mentally, she could rip him to shreds. 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 scared to be alone with her, 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 shore and were walking through the brush, before finding the entrance to a somewhat small but perfect cave. It had everything they needed.
It was warm, dry, and covered perfectly by the surrounding nature, so they wouldn't be found. Alexander had been covering their tracks along the way, so 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 others 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 receive their punishment. They knew this time would be different. This time, everything was different.