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Chapter Eight - The Marked Tree

CHAPTER 8

The General!

Hazel couldn't believe she had met him so suddenly last night. He had introduced himself as Mykel. Her legs stood grounded and not a word passed between her lips. She just gawked at him, like a stupid damn fish.

Hazel woke up and stretched on her bed. She felt slightly embarrassed and wish she could have done last night over. She will compose herself better if she sees Mykel today. Her shoulders were heavy from all the tossing on her bed. Sleep didn't come easy. His smoldering eyes dominated her dreams.

She dragged her tired body from her bed and took a shower. She wore faded jeans, her sneakers and a plaid shirt. Her hand reached for the hairbrush and combed out her thick, long black hair in front of the mirror in the bathroom. It fell effortlessly around her shoulders. She stood for a while and studied her face. Her fingers grabbed her cheeks and plumped it up to give it a natural rose tint. She smiled softly, accenting the beauty spot above her right cheek. Her mother had one too, at the exact spot. It was her favorite feature. It reminded Hazel of her. The girls already got up and dressed for the day. She walked alone to the food hall to meet them.

The hall was filled with people eating their morning breakfast. Hazel's eyes searched the spot where she usually sits in the middle of the first table. There, the girls were already seated. She made her way to them and glanced around, wanting to secretly see where Mykel was. He wasn't in the food hall; she didn't know why she felt disappointed.

The girls were all gossip with their General back. Robyn and Iggy looked fresh from last night. Their tipsy stunt with the random dude came flooding back to Hazel. She almost had forgotten about their girl's night out and had returned with a man to Rocky Peaks.

Hazel sat down and glanced at the girls. They didn't seem hungover in the least. She heard their conversation. They mentioned nothing. It was like a usual Friday morning. But something was different. She felt it as she entered the food hall, and she could feel it among the girls. Excitement! There was a buzz in the air. Rocky Peaks had renewed vigor. Hazel grabbed a buttered toast and took a bite. She washed it down with hot black coffee.

She could see they were all happy to have their leader with them. It felt like something new was about to take over. A revived energy had begun that Hazel didn't fully understand.

"How did your errands go last night?" Hazel asked Iggy. Her curiosity setting in once again.

Iggy swallowed her orange juice from a glass in one gulp and stopped her conversation with Robyn. "It went well. We got what we needed." She simply said. Oblivious to what Hazel had seen.

Hazel faked a smile and thought it was strange they hadn't fessed up. "Great." She said. Maybe their girl's night was some sort of secret?

"So..." Iggy smiled eagerly, changing the subject. Robyn and Claudette's interests perked up as both leaned in to listen.

Hazel shook her head. "What?"

"So, what do you think of him? The General. You met him last night."

Hazel took a deep breath. "It was brief, and it was dark. I was taken off guard and kind of made a blubber of myself." She rolled her eyes.

Iggy bit a smile and stood up.

"C'mon," she said and heaved Hazel up by her hand. "You get a second chance. He wants to see you."

Hazel's heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to see him so soon. Iggy and the girls got up, and so did Hazel. They exited the food hall, which was still filled with people. The streaming morning sun was hot and bright against Hazel's face. Iggy held her hand tight. There was a wide smile that couldn't be wiped off her face. The other girls departed their separate ways, getting ready to do their chores.