Ellora's Sun

Chapter Nine

Adelaide slammed the door behind her, flying down the stone stairs. She stalked back towards the remnants of the train station, wanting to be anywhere but there. She hadn't made it two steps before she heard the door open behind her, and footsteps follow after her.

"Adelaide, wait." She was surprised to hear Christoph's voice instead of James, but she didn't turn to look at him. Adelaide reached the stone pathway, trying to think of how she could get away from him.

"Just come back inside, okay? We'll figure it out." Christoph urged, catching up to her easily. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled so she would turn and face him. Adelaide jerked away from his touch and glared at it him.

"Maybe I don't want to figure it out, Christoph," Adelaide told him angrily. She didn't even know if that's how she felt - she just knew she was overwhelmed and needed a second to think, and she wasn't going to get that in there, "I just need to get out of here."

"It's not safe out there by yourself," Christoph told her, reaching a hand out to touch her arm. When she flinched away from him again, he pulled his hand away quickly, "I'll come with you, and we can talk about it."

"No," Adelaide snapped. She groaned in frustration and turned her back to Christoph, "I need to be alone, and I need to not be here."

She put her hands on her temples, feeling a headache forming. Adelaide thought about the forest they'd left behind, with the canopy over head and rows and rows of moss covered trees. She had no idea how to use her magic, but she hoped wishing really hard was close enough

When she opened her eyes a second later, Adelaide grinned at the sight of the shaded clearing and overgrown plants. She admired the tall, crumbling wall that had been a complete building just moments before, and the rows of trees that replaced fields of grass.

Adelaide didn't stay to admire for too long. She was sure Christoph would follow her - he was just as stubborn as she was. So she picked a direction, and raced off into the trees, hoping to get as far away from Ellora as possible.
She flew past tree trunks and patches of ivy, getting sticks caught in her hand and scratching her arms. Adelaide didn't care - she kept running, her boots crunching the fall leaves below her. After she felt like she'd run for over a mile, she slowed to a walk, taking in her surroundings.

Adelaide had hoped she was running towards the road, or towards something, but she had only found more of the exact same forest. Every direction looked the same, with the same dark trees and broken branches. She had no way of knowing which way she'd come from.

"Lost?"

Adelaide jumped at the sound of a voice to her left. A pile of leaves nearby erupted into the air as her heart rate spiked. She knew that Christoph hadn't found her, but whoever it was did not seem fazed by leaf eruption.

"You scared me." Adelaide breathed, taking another step away from them as she breathed heavily. The man leaned lazily against a tree, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her with a bored expression.

"Sorry about that." He told her, his voice flat and emotionless. He was young, close to her age, and he wore a long, black trench coat with an unbuttoned flannel underneath. He was tall, and he had broad shoulders and muscles that made Adelaide feel small standing near him. His flannel blew in the wind, leaving his muscular stomach exposed to the winter wind. Adelaide was shivering in the breeze, but he didn't seem to mind.

He stepped towards her, his heavy, black boots crushing the leaves underneath them. He extended a hand towards her, which Adelaide ignored. He shrugged, shoving his hands back in the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm Stefan Voss, and you," He pointed a finger towards her, "are Adelaide Baker. We've got lots to chat about."

"I don't think that we do." She told him, narrowing her eyes at the stranger. If he knew who she was, then it was very likely he was a witch. And she doubted he was from Ellora.