I followed him in silence out of the park, refusing his offer of the umbrella. We crossed the wet, green field and arrived at the path that leads you past the tree line and deep into the forest. He passed it without a second thought, but I stopped dead in my tracks. Was this a good idea? I really wanted to know, but this seemed pretty dangerous- regardless of whether my gut told me that he was safe or not. 

"Cameron, you know that I would never hurt you." Xavier frowned, looking slightly hurt that I could even think that.

I breathed in deeply, passing the tree line shakily. Xavier nodded, leading me down the dark path into the woods. It was hard to keep up with him at times, since he was a lot taller than me and took much longer strides; I would have to almost jog in order to keep up with his normal walking pace. Plus, my pace was a bit more hesitant. I was following Xavier into the woods, after all. 

The forest became more and more dense the further we strayed from the tree line. It was so dark, so I'm not sure how Xavier could see so clearly. I stumbled on a tree root, my knees hitting the dark floor hard. I skidded slightly, but Xavier catching me before I tumbled any further. 

He helped me to my feet, my body tingling wherever he touched me. I loved the feeling of his hands on my skin and it was one of the first times he'd touched areas other than just my hands. I ignored it, trying to brush the mud off of my jeans with no luck. 

"Shit, I'm sorry. Are you okay? I forgot how dark it can be when you're not used to it. Just hold my hand- I'll guide you." Xavier apologised, offering me his hand. 

I hesitated, but took it purely just to avoid falling again... definitely not because I liked the way it felt to have tingles vibrating up my arm. Practical reasons only. 

He lead me down the dark path, warning me when it became a bit steep or extra muddy and slippery with the rain. It was a lot drier in the woods than it was in the park- the canopy of trees above us was acting as a shelter, but the odd raindrop leaked through as it found a crack in the ceiling. The sound of the rain drops hitting the leaves above our head was amazing, but it was so loud in the silence. Deafening. 

I spotted a singular light in the distance, shining brightly between the tree branches. I presumed that was where we were heading, since Xavier seemed to be heading straight for it. Once we were a bit closer, I realised that as far as the eye could see there was a wall. It was unbelievably tall, made of brick and covered in moss. There's no way you could climb it, but even if you did (using a ladder or something), the top had what looked like barbed wire curled over every inch. 

I guess Heather wasn't exaggerating her story about this place. The wall must go around the whole of their property, sectioning it off from the rest of the forest. I was curious to know how long the wall was and how large the section of the forest inside was. It screamed authority and the secretive aura was intriguing to me.

Xavier approached where the singular light was, a small metal door seeming out of place on the ever stretching brick wall. I looked along the wall again, seeing security cameras lining every inch of the thing. Whatever was inside, they certainly didn't want outsiders coming in- or knowing what lay behind these walls.

He suddenly let go of my hand, pressing a small metal button on the side the wall. A camera was right above us and he looked up, staring at the camera. A loud buzzing sound erupted from the door and it swung open, allowing me to finally see what was inside of the walls... More woods?

I looked at Xavier, confused by this. Why was this part of the woods sectioned off if there were only more woods inside? I was expecting to be met with the path to a street full of houses, not more woodlands for as far as the eye could see. I hesitated, feeling nervous to step beyond the large brick wall. 

"Do the elders know you're telling me?" My voice was small, shaky. I didn't want to step foot inside that place if a threat lay behind those walls.

They could do just a good job at keeping somebody inside as they could keeping somebody out. 

"They were against the idea, but they know." Xavier nodded, "It's safe, I promise. Everyone will be asleep right now anyway."

I took a deep breath and nodded, allowing him to take my hand again as we walked through even more woodlands. The rain above us grew harder, drumming even heavier now on the ceiling of leaves. More drops were leaking through, getting me wet, but we carried on. 

The walk seemed to be going on forever and I wondered how Xavier managed to reach my house so fast when I called him that one time. Maybe he wasn't at home when I called him? A crash of thunder bellowed in the distance, making me jump. I wasn't scared of thunder per say, but I certainly wasn't appreciating it right now. 

"It's not much longer." Xavier reassured me, noticing how jumpy I was.

I nodded and we continued down the path. In the distance, I could see a whole bunch of lights. They were street lights, lighting up the woods surrounding houses that were dotted around. I could see quite a few houses now- modest two story homes. I wondered which one was Xavier's as we walked past them, continuing to walk straight. 

Just as quickly as they came, we walked past the houses, not stopping at any of them. I looked at Xavier, waiting for him to explain. We were in darkness again now and all of the street lights were far far behind us. 

"That's just one of the neighbourhoods. There's a lot of them- m9ine's just to the left here." He informed me, gesturing to the dark woods. 

We came to a part in the path where it split into two ways, following the left path up a little incline. I could see a much brighter light now. It wasn't coming from a street lamp this time, but from the windows of a house.

As we got closer, I got a better view of the beautiful house in the distance. It was made out of black slate, black brick and glass. It was incredibly modern looking, but it wasn't out of place in the woodland scenery. If anything, it complimented it. 

It was all by itself with not another house in sight and it was much much bigger than the houses in the other neighbourhood. I guess it came with being the big boss around here, but this was ridiculous. He owned this at twenty one? Straight out of Uni? I guess family wealth goes a long way...

The warm glow from inside of the house was comforting and I approached it eagerly, dropping Xavier's hand now that I could see clearly, since I didn't want him to think he was getting off easy. He walked up to the front door, sliding in his key and twisting it. The door swung open and he stepped back, allowing me to enter first. 

I kicked off my muddy shoes at the door, not wanting to get the pristine house dirty. It was larger inside than it had looked from the outside and the warm lights brightening up the space. Xavier followed me in, pulling the door closed and blocking the rain outside. Suddenly, it was deathly quiet without the rain as background noise. 

"You live here?" I was astounded, trying to take in the beautiful house. 

"You like it?" He asked, his voice hopeful, "I designed it myself. A cool fact is that the whole gated area is solar powered."

I coughed in surprise at that. How rich were these people? And why did he want me? I felt my stomach twist with anxiety as I realised all of those questions were going to be answered tonight. Xavier was taking off his coat, hanging it up with his scarf. 

"Why don't you go shower before we talk?" Xavier suggested, "You're dripping wet and covered in mud from when you fell. You can borrow some clothes." 

"I'd like a shower, actually. I'm pretty cold." I shivered, my wet clothes clinging to me. 

"Follow me." He nodded, setting off down one of the hallways. 

He lead me up some stairs, heading into what I could only presume was his bedroom. I blushed, glancing at the bed. What I wouldn't give to... No, Cameron. Focus on getting answers. This guy might be dangerous. For all you know, you could have just set foot in a serial killer's house. He may be charming, but Ted Bundy was charming- that's how he lured people. 

Xavier didn't even glance at the bed, heading straight for his closet. I followed after him, gasping. It was absolutely huge. The whole closet was basically the size of my bedroom, lined from floor to ceiling with black shelves. He headed for some drawers, pulling them open to reveal a bountiful collection of hoodies. 

"Take whatever you like- shirts and sweatpants are in the drawer underneath that one. I'll turn up the heating for you." He told me, "Bathroom's through that door there. Did you want anything to eat?" 

"If you're having something." I nodded, "Thanks, Xavier."

"You're welcome. I'm just... I'm nervous." Xavier whispered, his eyes meeting mine. They were swirling with strong emotions that probably matched what I was feeling right now.  

"Me too." I revealed, "I need to know, though."

"You're right. You do. I'll be in the kitchen when you're done." Xavier let me know before disappearing back down the corridor. 

I looked around, hesitant. Was I really about to shower in this strangers home? I guess today was all about pushing me out of my comfort zone. I chose a band tee, a hoodie and a pair of jogging bottoms that had drawstrings, since they wouldn't even stay up otherwise. Xavier is ridiculously tall and muscly, so these were definitely not going to fit. 

I stepped into the bathroom, spotting a tower of clean towels on a shelf. I took one, placing it near the shower. I turned it onto the hottest setting, letting it warm up while I undressed. I double checked that I had locked the bathroom door- not that I thought Xavier would stoop that low anyway- before stepping into the stream of hot water. 

It relaxed my muscles, warming me up after the rain had frozen my skin. I looked at the products he had in his bathroom nosily, selecting which ones to use. I made my shower relatively quick, since I was anticipating the conversation coming up. 

I stepped out of the shower, towel drying myself quickly and pulling on the clothes I had borrowed. I was right about the joggers- they were much too long and far too baggy. I had to pull the drawstrings tight around my waist to ensure they stayed up, the t. shirt coming down to my thighs. 

I was secretly obsessed with it, though. His clothes were so comfortable and smelt like heaven to me. They smelt exactly how Xavier smells and I wondered if his bed smelt like that too. Would it be creepy to lay down on it for a second? Definitely. 

I decided against it, sliding the hoodie on and leaving the bathroom. I was planning to just go and find Xavier, but I couldn't resist a snoop. After all, he could be a killer. His bedroom looked relatively normal and plain- he had several pictures on his dressing table, but that was the only defining feature really. I presumed they were family pictures, since they featured the same few people in them and they looked related. 

I pulled open the top drawer of his bedside table, expecting to see condoms or something. Instead, I only found a book and a pair of reading glasses. Boring. He would look sexy in a pair of glasses, though. I shook those thoughts from my head, deciding to just leave the room.

I retraced my steps, heading down the hallway and the staircase until I ended up back at the front entrance. The house had a pretty open plan in this section, the living room and kitchen combined into one large room with high ceilings. Xavier turned around to face me the second I appeared in the doorway, his face softening at the sight of me. 

"Am I allowed to say that you look adorable?" He breathed, seemingly stunned.

I blushed, shuffling from foot to foot awkwardly. I wasn't sure how to take compliments from such a hot man- especially in such an intimate environment. I knew I was here for answers, but it certainly felt personal, being in his home. 

I crossed the room, stepping into the kitchen section and looking at what he made. I grinned- he had made eggy bread. It was one of my favourites. He plated it up, sliding one to me as he dug into his own. I took a seat at the kitchen island, digging in happily. We ate in silence, only speaking once we had both finished. 

"Ready to talk?" He sighed, receiving a firm nod from me.