White Strings

Episode 1 - Slumber

They stood in front of each other as if someone stopped the time right as their eyes met. Both young and quite lonely, they thought they were alone before their encounter. She started her day by doing the same thing that she had done ever since she could remember, she did nothing. She just wandered around as her aunt was trying to scout outside for food. He, however, did something he almost never did, he strayed away from the path in a rebellious whim.

She was frozen in place, and he could see her gaze dance around like a panicked animal. Curious as he was, he did not dare move, knowing that a twitch of his muscle would send her running. He sensed something from her that led him there, but she had no idea she was emitting this energy, so it seemed. He knew that the fear in her eyes was justified, someone with energy like hers was bound to be hunted down.

The thick forest trees moved in peaceful harmony. Silk had never met anyone other than her aunt and the wandering trader. She stared right back at the boy in search of the menace her aunt promised she'd see in a stranger's gaze. But he didn't move, and so she stayed still.

"How old are you?" his voice startled her as he finally broke the silence. He could almost see her thoughts racing each other as her eyes danced around in search for possible escape routes.

"I'm just lost," he said in an attempt to present himself as a harmless passerby. "Do you know how I can find the main road again?"

"No," she finally answered. She knew where the road was, but she hoped he would just leave her alone so she could run back to the hut.

"I'm not going to hurt you, in fact, I am actually running away," he tried to calm her down again. This time his words seemed to get to her.

"You are?" She looked behind him, but the thick greenery didn't reveal any sign of chasers. "From who?"

"Are you lost as well?" He latched onto the weakening of her resistance. "It might be dangerous to walk around alone at your age, isn't it?"

She scoffed and adjusted herself a little bit from the paused position he found her in. "You are as little as me."

"I am Thirteen, how old are you then?"

"Eleven," she said after a short hesitation.

The fact that they were almost the same age calmed Silk a little bit. Her aunt Amani always warned her from strangers that might want to dispose of her because of her bloodline, or use her for the same reason. But someone her age wouldn't want to do that, right?

He still saw fear in her eyes so he tried to distract her away from the hesitant approach she was taking. "I am actually not running from someone dangerous, just from things I need to do. How about you, what are you doing here?"

She didn't answer, clearly still doubtful of his presence. Silk couldn't find the hate that she was trying to sense from the boy. She was tempted to just answer his questions but at the same time, she had rarely seen new faces. And even when she could see them, she was usually hiding, pretending she did not exist.

"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you. Look!" He turned around and showed his sturdy tunic from all sides, proving he was not carrying a weapon. "See?"

"What are you doing here then?" Silk found her courage to talk.

"I told you, I have things to do but I wanted to run away from them, so now I am here and a little lost. I will leave soon."

He would leave soon? Silk slowly calmed down and she dared to relax her muscles, which were ready to break into a sprint. She walked out of the bush she was gathering herbs from and stuffed her findings in a bag.