Worth
Popular takes a turn and walks towards me again. I laugh at his childlike behaviour.
"You really thought I'd let you be stupid alone. Come on. The bolts of lightning are getting intense. You have a gift and you couldn't even help us by reading his past."
"I'm a soothsayer. I discern the future. Not the past."
I mug him.
"Well, could you tell when he was going to die because useless people don't deserve to live?"
He barks and I shake my head in disbelief.
"I wouldn't say that. I think he's a nice man. It's you."
"We need to go."
Xaya
"Can we take a little break? My feet are throbbing."
I speak as we follow the same route back. The donkey cart's owner dropped us where he previously found us. It's drizzling and there are flashes of lightning."
"We have to keep going to reach the haven before it gets dark."
She grabs a bottle of water she got from the old man and pours the contents on my feet.
"How's that?"
She fastens the bottle and pushes into her bag.
"Better."
Worthy
"We should rest and continue tomorrow."
Pop says and I couldn't agree more.
"Do you know where we are?"
I ask entirely oblivious to the surrounding.
"Yes, I do. Xaya's granny's house isn't too far from here. And if we take a shortcut through those shrubs, we will get home in less than an hour."
He lets out, reassuring me.
"It just feels like we are going in circles. We've been on the road the whole day and you say Reed's house isn't that far. It's supposed to be far behind us."
"Well, that doesn't matter now. What matters is finding Xaya and..."
"Owetu. You won't bond with this girl easily, will you?"
"I- I believe I will."
That's when I got it. Popular hardly loses his way with words. And him stammering says the opposite.
The haven
"Where is this place?"
I inquire precipitously
"Just follow me Worth."
Xaya
I do as she says by following her as we wander around like we are on a quest. I think of where to head in the morning. The same story I suppose. From dawn to dusk.
Spirits of the night did the same as the air around us got warm and thicker. My vision got fuzzy and blurry and darker out of exhaustion.
Are these the imaginations people perceive before they pass out? Portrayals of past events play in my mind forming different shapes that are engulfing each other. Dark objects start to appear in front of me as I fail to apprehend whether I'm seeing spirits or just my mind playing tricks on me.
•••••
I hear voices from a distance. Like light whispers. I stir and I feel a feather- light touch on my forehead. I open my eyes gradually and I gained sight of the person I thought I'd never see again.
Worthy
My stomach churns out of excitement. My heart skips a beat at his charming looks. The hair on my arms rise at his warm touch, leaving goosebumps. For a second I thought I'm dreaming. He's your uncle. The tiny voice inside of my head intercepted. This time I won't listen to it but my heart. Cliche, I know.
His thick beard seems longer now.
He's wearing a black T-shirt, black skinny jeans and brown leather boots.
He smiles at me. I am upset with him but I can't help smiling back.
He cups my neck and pulls me in a bone-crushing hug.
Me being me, I wrap my tiny arms around his broad back, inhaling his musky scent and all there is to be heard is my beating heart.
