Zodiac

THREE

    Willow's adrenaline was still zinging around her body when Mud ran out of the school. He yelled her name and barrelled into her chest, flinging his arms around her waist and clinging tightly. His hair smelt of smoke, his clothes lightly tinged with soot. He clung and squeezed her so tight that she could hardly breathe, but she didn't mind. Mud was safe, that was all that mattered. She hugged him back and closed her eyes listening to his breaths, reminding herself that everything was okay. He was there in front of her, hugging her. Everything would be okay.

    "Please don't go Willow. I don't want you to," he sobbed into her side, scrunching her shirt in his fists. She could feel the cool air on her lower back. She leaned down, holding his face in her hands. Tear marks streaked down his cheeks. She squeezed them together, squashing up his face like a baby. She forgot sometimes how old Mud had become to look. No longer did he have so much baby fat; it was still there but less of it. He was growing into a young man, but when he cried he was still Willow's baby brother. She couldn't understand why he was crying. Maybe it was the shock.

    "Sweetie I'm not going anywhere. Why would you think that?" she asked, confused. Before he could answer three black cars pulled up in front of the school. They looked shiny and new, a contrast to the old banger hybrids everyone in Woodland drove. A man and women dressed in black climbed out of the middle car. People outside the school were shocked into silence, slowly being forced to part ways so the strangers could walk through, and they were walking towards Willow. One of the women grabbed Willow's arm and tugged her in the direction of the car and away from Mud.

"Willow of Woodland, daughter of Cedar?" the man asked. Willow nodded, too afraid to speak. "Under the Zodiac youth act of 58 you are to come with us." With that said he turned and walked to the car. The woman followed dragging Willow along with her.

    "What are you doing?" Willow shouted. "Let me go. Mud!"

    "He's safe," the woman at her arm said, "you need to come with us." Mud tried to reach out and grab Willow through the crowd of people that suddenly surrounded her, but someone else held him back. As Sir Breeze followed behind her, Willow was taken to the middle car. She could no longer see Mud and Willow had a feeling that once she entered the car everything would change. Trying to fight against the woman did nothing. It was like the air was freezing her upper body in place. The woman forced her into the car, making her way into the front passenger seat. Sir Breeze slid in next to Willow. She looked out the back window to see Mud crying. Ash held one hand across Mud's shoulders to hold him in place. He looked at Willow as if she was a stranger; there was fear in his eyes. Poppy stood next to him.

            "Everything's going to be okay," Willow saw Poppy mouth to her. She tried to smile, but it wavered. The car began to pull off. Willow saw Ash grab Poppy's hand and lace his fingers between hers. They looked like a perfect family portrait, the three of them. Willow turned around and didn't try to look back for a second glance.

            Sitting next to her Sir Breeze looked deathly pale and so quiet that if Willow closed her eyes she could pretend she was alone; but when she did visions of the fire flashed through her mind. The thought of her brother's terrified face was too much to bear so she kept her eyes open.

            The quiet was driving Willow insane. Though he obviously didn't want to she had to talk. Willow needed answers. Everything was a blur; the fire, the fountain, her eyes. It had to have been a trick of the light. She didn't do anything. "Sir, what happened?" Willow asked.

     Sir sighed, his eyes drew to hers. "I think you know Willow." He looked out the window. Willow's gaze followed catching glimpses of the country side as they sped along. The car had driven them far away from Woodland. There were no houses or proper roads. Only bendy country lanes lay ahead of them. Willow's head began to ache from the potholes. Usually Willow loved to travel, she could count on one hand the amount of times she had left town, but not when her future was so uncertain.