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Post by Kate Austen on Feb 8, 2010 22:41:54 GMT -5
Kate stepped into the jungle, no longer aware if Sawyer was on her heels or not. She didn't care. She was soaking wet and covered in sand. She was barely covered in a tank top that was hiding nothing wet, and pants that were still unbuttoned. Granted she was wearing her underwear underneath all of that. It was some small comfort to her when she unexpectedly heard noises coming from the forest and realized she wasn't alone.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Mar 2, 2010 1:27:33 GMT -5
He didn't know why he'd wandered into the jungle, nor was he even aware that he had roamed so far into it's lush, green interior. The sounds of the creatures around him and the hush of the light breeze that toyed with the canopy above was all that he could hear for now. Still he paused and delighted in the scenery, being one of the first times he had wandered out so far. This place was filled with awe and wonder, and even this did not escape his scientific mind.
Jack breathed in a few nose fulls of the damp air, smelling the earthen scent of rotting vegetation in contrast with the charming scent of the tropical blooms. But he heard something just then and lowered his stance slightly as to hide himself as best he could among the vegetation. And holding his breath, he heard nothing for a few moments. Maybe it was well enough to just let himself be known.
The boy walked towards the place he'd heard the noises, and to his surprise he encountered a Kate that might as well have been half-dressed. Those dark expressive eyes widened slightly before he reticently looked away. He did notice that her pants were undone as well, so he looked around for someone she may have been with, then back to her, shaking his head of the stunned silence.
"Are you... alright?" Those eyes showing their concern, meeting hers would cause a pull between these two, something indiscernible by the boy at this time. It was...familiar, if such a thing could be ascribed to a chance encounter in the jungle of some remote and mysterious island.
He stepped forwards, knitting his brow in confusion he asked her gently, "What are you doing out here?"
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Post by Kate Austen on Mar 2, 2010 17:06:03 GMT -5
Kate looked at the boy, feeling that same tug as their eyes met. It was as though she had seen him before, and if she had believed in previously lives, she would've believed that they had been lovers in one. The whole feeling left her tingly, and slightly weak in the knees. After a few moments, she realized she was staring and she shook her head to break the gaze between the two.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." she said, as she became grounded and aware of her current state. She frantically zipped up her jeans, feeling a bit embarrassed. The second question, she didn't know how to answer. And as she thought back through the day, she remembered Ben saying something about an assembly soon.
"Just went for a swim, on my way to take a shower before the assembly," she replied. It was true enough, despite the fact that she had never before intended to go to the assembly.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Mar 2, 2010 19:49:27 GMT -5
Shephard quickly drew in an involuntary breath as he watched her, taking note of how her hair was sticking to the sides of her face while she struggled with the zipper on her jeans. He smiled, but again realized he was staring and looked around again putting as if he were searching for something in the dense jungle. Really he just wanted to keep from staring at her, but was quite helpless to stop.
He stepped closer to her, "I'm Jack" The boy said in his usually approachable way, still holding that smile for her that seemed to spread from ear to ear. His hand had been held out for her to take if she so wished it, his eyes having traveled up her form and to her face. Stunning would be the word that described this first impression of her and it rang harmoniously through his thoughts.
After she would shake his hand (or not) and give him her name in return (again, or not), he set that hand onto his side and looked off into the jungle again. And then with a clever smile he glanced back to her again, "Where's the swimming hole?" He nodded off in some direction, "Is it over there?" Jack started off onto that route but it was one which he just chose for himself, mainly to try to get her to converse with him.
A pause in his steps before he would disappear from her view and into the jungle outright. Another brilliant smile flashed in her direction as he looked back at her. "We have time before the assembly. Are you going to show me?" That ever prepossessing smile still decorated his facade as he spoke. He couldn't help it, he felt... lighter for some reason. Could it have been something in the air? No, it was HER. He was sure of it as he was of the rain.
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Post by Kate Austen on Mar 2, 2010 20:44:21 GMT -5
"Kate," she replied to his prodding. She slipped a sand covered slender hand into his, and then clasped it, shaking it ever so slightly. She smiled at him, his eyes seemingly dancing over her made her highly aware of the fact that she was soaking wet and covered in sand. She giggled softly as she retracted her hand and brushed them against her pants.
"Sorry, I was swimming at the beach... and threw myself into the sand?" as she said it, she felt stupid. She knew she wasn't making much sense. But she had done that, for a reason she no longer knew. She was getting lost in those eyes, and they made her want to throw herself at him and just get lost together.
She was sorry when he broke his gaze and her senses returned to her. She began to follow him, oblivious to the fact that he was actually heading away from the beach. She didn't seem to notice nor care. She could follow him anywhere and be happy.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Mar 2, 2010 21:20:10 GMT -5
"Kate." He noticed that he liked the sound of that name when he let it slip from his lips. A glance back at her sand covered being and another smile was given in her direction. At this point, Jack was so engrossed in his newfound feeling of elation that he nearly forgot that he had an assembly to attend within the hour. Nearly forgot. He knew exactly what time it is, give or take a few minutes; so there was no need to glance at his watch as of yet.
He stopped walking suddenly and turned to her, when she said she had been swimming in the ocean. "Then why am I going this way?" The boy would let out some hushed laughter. Maybe she was closer now, due to his sudden stop before her. All the better. Jack found himself shortened of breath but this was not due to the swift walking they'd been doing. No, this was due to the invisible hook that had been jammed into his chest. And the line went right into Kate's pretty hands.
"So, no swimming hole, that would explain the sand." Shephard moved closer to her still, the gap was bridged for the most part, only leaving perhaps a foot or so between them. Oh, but he was all eyes for her. Jack licked his lips, finding that suddenly they were dry, and set his hand on his side and looked at her.
"Tell me something, Kate. Are you thinking of skipping that assembly?" Jack looked her up and down with a smile. He had every intention of going, but something in her eyes told him that she probably wouldn't be there and that she was somewhat troubled, to put it in a gentle way. Hell, he was troubled as well but weren't all of the students here? But no, Kate's eyes spoke of the heart of a renegade behind those pretty eyes.
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Post by Kate Austen on Mar 2, 2010 21:36:28 GMT -5
She stopped almost a second after he did, and abruptly finding herself dangerously close to him. Usually she didn't like her personally space being invaded, but she didn't mind with him. He invasion was gentle, warm. Everything was so hauntingly familiar in a way she didn't recognize. Like she had done this whole dance before, just in another language.
When he casually mentioned the sand, she remembered quite suddenly where she was going. Why she had been out in this mess of a jungle, "I'm actually heading back to take a shower. Care to join me? Not in the shower... I mean in the walk back..." She was babbling senselessly. And she thought to herself that she really wouldn't have minded if he had joined her in the shower.
She tried to regain her cool, shrugging at his last question, trying to pretend to be unaffected by this all, "You caught me. But... if I have to go, I think I'd like to go with you." She brushed a piece of wet hair from her face as she looked into his eyes, before giggling and looking down at her shoes.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Mar 2, 2010 22:07:16 GMT -5
The hand that had been put at his side lifted and traveled to the back of his neck as his mouth adopted a broad, sheepish smile. Jack looked away from her again, this time in the direction of the commons. He couldn't possibly look her in the eyes right now given the thoughts that now raced through his mind. About her. And showers.
"Sure, I'll walk with you." Young Jack said with the brightest of smiles. He shook his head and produced some subdued laughter while he recovered from the temporary loss of intelligence that he usually brandished. Yes, she was already having quite an effect on him. He dropped his hand to his side again and lingered there just a moment for his dark eyes to gaze into her own.
Still, Jack lead the way back the way he'd come earlier, this time at a pace that was slower so that she could talk to him while they made their way back. He looked over at her again, smiling in a guileful way, "Who was out here with you?" Honestly, he didn't know whether or not she was alone, this was more of a probing question, for information. He didn't just want to blurt certain things out, not just yet.
Soon, it would suddenly start raining, he figured, since the rain showers seemed to come around for a few minutes each time, just like clockwork. And not wanting to arrive at the assembly soaking wet in front of all the other students for the first time was something that Jack wanted to avoid if possible. But he made no haste, due to the new companion that walked beside him, one of which was like a magnet to his steel. He could not resist this utterly enthralling pull from her.
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Post by Kate Austen on Mar 2, 2010 22:37:08 GMT -5
She brushed off his question, feeling a bit like it would've ruin the moment to admit she had just been in the ocean with Sawyer. She decided it would be better to cut around the question. She shrugged, and casually said, "No one important." She smiled at him and nervously laughed. She wasn't lying. But she wasn't being completely truthful.
She noticed that it was about to rain as well, but she didn't mind nearly as much as he did. She rather enjoyed the rain and the chaos it brought with it. She slipped her hand back into his. With the absence of the rough sand on it, her could probably feel her silky smooth skin.
She smiled gently at him, as she continued through the forest, biting her lower lip. She felt so light as she walked next to him. She was giddy and happy. She never wanted him to let go of her hand. It felt too right.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Mar 3, 2010 0:18:31 GMT -5
Jack smiled to himself while he sensed the hesitation in her words. He knew that she wasn't being completely up front with him, but that was fair enough. Someone as beautiful as she couldn't be completely without some other boy becoming attached, he reasoned well enough. Still his dark eyes moved to her face and he couldn't help but wonder who her other suitor could be, and if they had met.
As her hand was thrust into his own, Shephard couldn't help but stop dead and look down at the join of their hands. His expressive eyes lifted to hers, " Is it... uh... too soon?" Jack would ask nervously, gulping a bit. "I'm not complaining, it's just... we uh... we just met and I..." He trailed off, unable to finish that thought. Well he had to admit to himself, he liked this. It was plain as day in his smile.
"Kate..." Jack said that name gently as they edged near the break of the jungle, where it would abruptly dump the two of them onto the lush green lawns of the school's compound. The dorms were just up ahead. He looked around from the edge of the greenery, feeling awkward about holding her hand. What would happen? She probably had some other fellow as a suitor, but who was he and how would he react?
This was something that Jack wanted to be cautious about. The young man did not want trouble for Kate, or even himself at the time, although the latter he could probably handle just as well. He gave her hand one last squeeze and let it go. "We're here." And giving her a knowing look he stepped out ahead of her and onto the lawn, keeping a wary eye out for any overly watchful eyes. There were a few giggles and whispers, but nothing threw any alarms in his mind.
"I'll see you at the assembly, I guess, Kate." Maybe she would be there and maybe not. Jack started walking backwards in that direction, lifting a hand to give a friendly good-bye wave. He then shoved hands into his pockets and turned around, headed towards the multi-purpose room.
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Post by Kate Austen on Mar 3, 2010 16:44:03 GMT -5
As Jack gulped and reacted almost negatively to the hand holding, she reminded him, "Jack, it's just a hand. You don't have to take it if you don't want to." She was a bit upset, but not surprised. She knew she was characteristically awkwardly forward. Most welcomed it. But this young man seemed to want to question it. As though he thought she had another motive.
She was even more concerned when they reached the end of the forest and he nervously let go. She knew the unpleasantness was written all over her beautiful features. It had to be. But as she watched him walk away, worried about what other people thought, she couldn't help but feel like he took a part of her with him. She grasped at his fingers as he left, and felt them slip out of her hand. she wanted to be back near him. And it hurt that he was leaving.
She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed softly. Oh well. She was still dirty, and still needed a shower. She felt gritty. Eww. The encounter with Jack had made her completely forget her omission to Sawyer. The thought fondly of both young men as she trekked up to the dorm. She was looking forward to her warm shower, although she couldn't help but feel sad that she would be alone.
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