31_days | [AUGUST 1] [ORIGINAL] AN IRRESISTIBLE OPPORTUNITY

Title: An Irresistible Opportunity
Day/Theme: August 1 / “my one preparation for the rich, noisy, and functioning madness”
Series: Original
Character/Pairing: Hale & Azalea
Rating: G

My one chance… It all comes down to this moment.

“Behind this door,” Jasper begins with his back facing me, pressing an open palm on the old wooden door. “This is where you want to be.” He turns to face me, his grave eyes trained on mine.

I swallow hard, feel the weight of the spit hit the bottom of my stomach. My eyes quiver in their sockets. But I lower my head, take another gulp—of encouragement this time—and I nod. “Yeah. This is where I want to be.”

I can’t go back on this.

“I have to warn you Hale. You may not like what you see in there. There’re no monsters in there, I’m sure.” Jasper releases a brief, nervous chuckle. “But I assure you… you will find the answers to your questions.”

Answers, to my questions. I have many questions, all of which may take a lifetime of searching. But I’ve become feverish. Anxious. Impatient. My curiosity that once was a mere interest in the ineffable aspects of life grew into ardent desire. I want to know if I’m wasting my time with these tribulations and motions of life. Am I going to die in vain as if my life never mattered to the world in the first place?

No one holds the answers to my questions, yet what lies behind this wooden door, on this gigantic oak tree where I lived most of my innocent childhood, are answers that will not only satisfy my craving for knowledge, but will also rob me of any remaining innocence.

And then her face appears in my mind, vivid and almost matching the genuine article. The emeralds in her eyes gleam, pleading that I reconsider my decision.

“Hale,” she calls softly with a veneer of emotional suffering. “There are some things you don’t need to know. Just live your life. Be free,” she urges.

But Azalea, freedom is dangerous.

I wanted to tell her so badly that freedom is dangerous; I felt it burn within my throat, toss and thrash as I quelled the notion. I remained silent, because when I lock eyes with Azalea, I’m placed under a spell, enthralled by the serenity of her facial composition, how every feature appears to have been designed by divine, meticulous hands.

“I’m ready Jasper. Open it.”

…