“Were you two going to do something?” Ella asked. “Sorry for barging in. Jane lets go back…you two can go back to what you were doing.”

“Why don’t you join us?” Aaron quickly suggested.

“Yes there’s…a lot of food!” Selina tried.

Ella turned around quickly rushing toward the table, “I think I saw these somewhere…oooh! Delicious!”

Ella sat down and put the baby on her lap.

“Lets get fat together,” Ella said to baby Jane.

Selina quickly turned away from Aaron feeling embarrassed. Aaron glanced at Ella and her baby then turned to glance at Selina. They spent the rest of the day playing card games and watching some dvds that Chun rented. After spending one day in they all agreed to go out the next day to get some fresh air.

-_-

[The Small Town]

To their surprise they found that there was a parade going on. The couples watched in awe as people in costumes walked down the street playing instruments with floats following. As the parade went by a large group of tourists came by cutting Chun and Ella off from Aaron and Selina. Selina turned abruptly to see Ella being pushed away with Chun. She also noticed Ella’s efforts to turn around and try to head back to them. Selina made a disappointed face and looked up at Aaron.  

“How do we get out of here now?” Selina asked.

Aaron turned to look around then turned back to Selina, “I’m not sure either.”

“I hate strange places,” Selina muttered as she remembered bad memories.

Aaron pressed his lips together as he tried to think of something. At the corner of the street Aaron noticed a pub, but amidst the people there were only men.

“Hey wait here ok?” Aaron said. “I’ll be back.”

As Aaron turned to walk away Selina quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Can’t I go with you?” Selina asked. “Why are you telling me to stay here and wait?”

“It doesn’t look like a good idea if I take you over there with me,” Aaron told nodding toward the pub, “I’ll be quick ok?”

“Lets just go somewhere else,” Selina said, “I don’t want to be left alone.”

Aaron stared at Selina feeling surprised at her sudden change of attitude. He’d never seen this side of her before.

Selina glanced at the ground, “I don’t like being alone in strange places.”

Aaron took the hand that Selina was holding him with and took hold of it.

“Lets go somewhere else then,” he agreed.

Feeling relieved Selina unconsciously held onto his hand tightly. They walked on for a while, but were going nowhere. The sun was beating down on them and soon they were already feeling exhausted from their walking. As they came by a bench Aaron suggested that he’d go buy some drinks. Nodding her head Selina watched as Aaron walked away.

-_-

[A Shop]

After buying two bottles of water Aaron had begun to leave the store only to find an old man having trouble carrying a box full of fruits. He had wanted to hurry back to Selina, but he also felt that he should help the old man. Making a quick decision he decided that it probably wouldn’t take long to help the poor old man. Afterward he would quickly to back to fetch Selina. Soon enough he was already rushing over to the old man.

-_-

[The Small Town]

Selina glanced around the streets as she fanned herself with her hand. About 20 minutes had passed by and Aaron hadn’t returned. She was beginning to worry herself if something had happened to him. Maybe he was lost? Feeling she could not bear the heat no longer she got up and started to walk around not sure where she was going. Selina went in the direction Aaron had gone and found the refreshment shop not far away. Figuring Aaron might be inside Selina glanced in through the windows to only find the faces of many strangers. Selina stepped away in disappointment and looked around. She was starting to feel lost.

“Calm down,” she told herself as she felt her heartbeat quicken. “I’ll look around some more. Aaron shouldn’t be too far.”

Putting her hopes on that thought Selina walked around some more only to find that she didn’t know where she was going. Where can you go when you don’t know anything? Selina stepped back on the sidewalk and glanced around finally accepting the truth that she was alone and lost. The thing she hated most was being in a place she didn’t know. Flashbacks of her younger self walking among strangers haunted her.

She had been wandering around for so long now that the sun was beginning to melt away. She found herself standing in the empty streets with very few people standing around. Too shy to ask for help and not knowing how to ask for directions to go back to where she had been earlier because she didn’t know where she had been before she pushed away that option. Feeling the soles of her feet become sore she sat on the curb of the sidewalk. Beginning to feel disappointed and sorry for herself she could only feel her fear become bigger.

“Hey ya little miss,” a voice behind her said.

Selina jumped up as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stared at the man with a curly mustache standing behind her. He smiled at her showing his crooked yellow teeth.

“You don’t look like you’re from around here,” he began.

“N…no,” Selina replied.

“Would you like me to give you a ride back home?” he questioned with a creepy smile that gave Selina shivers.

“N…no,” Selina repeated.

“Aww…come on. I’m just being generous…” he said as he reached forward and grabbed her arm.

Selina couldn’t help, but gave shout and turned around running away. As she got farther her feet clumsily bumped into each other and finally coming to a stop she tripped over herself. Selina fell forward onto the palms of her hands. Selina made a face and turned her hands over to look at her scraped palms. Before she could cry to herself she felt someone grab her shoulders. Selina turned around screaming and stopped as she found a shocked expression on Aaron’s face.

“Are you ok?” Aaron asked.

Selina found tears dripping down her face as she threw her arms around him feeling relieved. She couldn’t help, but cry loudly like a child.

“Where the heck were you?” Selina questioned.

Aaron smiled as he wiped the tears off her cheek, “Sorry I ran into some things.”

“You should have come back to the bench like you said you would!” Selina said pushing Aaron’s hand away and wiped her own tears. “I waited for an hour!”

“It was ten minutes,” Aaron corrected.

Selina frowned at Aaron and lightly hit him across the shoulder, “Liar.”

A while later Selina found herself sitting on a small bus beside Aaron. Too lazy to walk back to Chun’s resort they had waited by the street for the bus to take them back.

-_-

[Chun’s Resort]

“Where were you?” Ella questioned loudly. “We were about to call for the cops if you didn’t make it back!”

“We just got a little lost,” Aaron said with a smile.

“Lost?” Chun repeated.

Aaron nodded, “Lost.”

Chun nodded, “It was a bad day to go out.”

They nodded toward each other and everything became silent. The crying of baby Jane interrupted the silence and Ella excused herself. Chun also excused himself leaving Aaron and Selina to stand awkwardly.

“I guess I’ll go too,” Selina said and walked off.

After a quick meal went into the bedroom to find that Selina had already knocked out. Aaron walked over and the first thing he did was glance at Selina’s hands. Finding dried blood Aaron went out and found a small first aid kit. Selina woke up as she felt her hands become lightly wet. She glanced at Aaron as he did not seem to be aware that she had awoken.

“You have rough hands,” Selina said.

Aaron suddenly looked at her surprised that she was awake.

“Use less energy when you’re wiping away the blood,” Selina told, “you’re hurting my hand.”

“Oh…” Aaron replied.

They were silent for a while until Selina spoke up, “Do you know why I don’t like strange places?”

“Why?” Aaron asked.

“I got lost from my family at a carnival once. I knew no one and recognized no one so I couldn’t find my way back to them. Though there was this one man…he was quite good looking,” Selina began and noticed a smile curb onto Aaron’s lips. “Why are you smiling?”