not aware of it?" I shrugged again as I focused on the trunks of old trees, about to change the subject and deny the other part of his statement. I most definitely did not have the hots for this arrogant guy.
"You know what I've always believed?" he said softly.
We were still standing in the path, only the sounds of a few birds echoed around us. My voice drifted away on a light breeze. "No."
"I've always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect." His eyes searched mine intently, and for a moment we stood there toe to toe. "The ones who throw their beauty around, waste what they have? Their beauty is only passing. It's just a shell hiding nothing but shadows and emptiness." I did the most inappropriate thing possible. I laughed. "I'm sorry, but that was the most thoughtful thing I've ever heard you say.
What alien ship took the Daemon I know away, and can I ask them to keep him?" He scowled. "I was being honest."
"I know, but it's just that was really...wow." And here I was, ruining probably the nicest thing he would ever say to me.
He shrugged and began leading me down the trail again. "We won't go too far," he said after a few minutes. "So you're interested in history?"
"Yeah, I know that makes me a nerd." I was also grateful for the change in subject.
His lips twitched at that. "Did you know this land was once traveled by the Seneca Indians?" I winced. "Please tell me we aren't walking on any burial grounds?"
"Well...I'm sure there are burial grounds around here somewhere. Even though they just traveled through this area, it's not a stretch that some died on this very spot and - "
"Daemon, I don't need to know that part." I gave him a light push on the arm.
He had that weird look again and shook his head. "Okay, I'll tell you the story and I'll leave some of the more creepy but natural facts out." A long branch stretched across the path, and Daemon held it up for me to duck under, my shoulder brushing against his chest as I passed before he dropped the branch and took the lead again. "What story?"
"You'll see. Now pay attention...A long time ago, this land was forest and hills, which isn't too different than today with the exception of a few small towns." His finger drifted over the lower hanging branches as we walked, pushing the lower ones aside for me. "But imagine this place so sparsely populated that it could take days, even weeks, before you reached your nearest neighbor." I shivered. "That seems so lonely."
"But you have to understand that was the way of life hundreds of years ago. Farmers and mountain men lived a few miles away from one another, but the distance was all traveled by foot or horse. It wasn't usually the safest way to travel."
"I can imagine," I responded faintly.
"The Seneca Indian tribe traveled through the eastern part of the United States, and at some point, they walked this very path toward the Seneca Rocks." His gaze met mine. "Did you know that this very small path behind your house leads right to the base of them?"
"No. They always seem so far off in the distance I never thought of them as being that close."
"If you stayed on this path for a couple of miles you'd find yourself at the base of them.
It's a pretty rocky patch even the most experienced rock climbers stay away from. See, the Seneca Rocks spread from Grant to Pendleton County, with the highest point being Spruce Knob and an outcropping near Seneca called Champe Rocks. Now they are kind of hard to get to, since it usually involves invading someone's property, but it can be worth it if you can scale way beyond nine hundred feet in the sky," he finished wistfully.
"That sounds like fun." Not. I couldn't keep the sarcasm from my voice, so I offered a pained smile. I didn't want to spoil the mood. This was probably the longest Daemon and I had ever spoken without some statement earning him the finger.
"It is if you're not afraid of slipping." He laughed at my expression. "Anyway, the Seneca Rocks are made out of quartzite, which is part sandstone. That's why it sometimes has a pinkish tint to it. Quartzite is considered a beta quartz. People who believe in...abnormal