Different Worlds

Unexpected Feelings

DEVON'S POV

The screams were so sharp and piercing that they cut through the strained silence with ease.  Before I realized what was happening, my legs were racing me towards the small shelter that Sienna and Rochelle had disappeared into.  I didn't have to look behind me to know that Jacek had followed my lead.

Looking inside the darkened room, it would have taken human eyes at least a minute for their eyes to adjust from the bright light outside, but being part centaur, mine had no trouble.  The second I saw Sienna writhing on the floor in agony, something inside me snapped.  I raced over to her and pulled her into my arms.  I was so angry that I couldn't form words as quickly as I wanted to.  It was a good thing that Jacek stepped in.

He looked straight at Rochelle, his old, wrinkled eyes taking on a look of authority.  "Stop!"

Rochelle looked back at Jacek, her eyes widened with how much magic she was exerting to try and make this work.  "Just a little bit longer!  I've almost got it!"

"Stop now!"  I had finally found my voice, and the two words I managed to force out were practically dripping with anger.  It was at this point that Sienna's screams abruptly cut off, and her body went slack in my arms as her head rolled into me, eyes closed.

Rochelle's eyes looked towards me, slightly unfocused.  "Please, I nearly have it."

"I don't care!"

Rochelle ignored me and continued on.  I was so furious that I was literally seeing red.  I was about to jump up and deal with her directly, when her arms finally fell weakly at her sides, and she collapsed onto the ground, still conscious.  The electric atmosphere in the room that had resulted from the magic had died.  She looked at Jacek and me, clearly exhausted.

"I got what I was looking for."

Jacek looked at her, half-concerned and half-angry.  "Are you okay?"

I snorted.  I really didn't care how much of a toll the magic had taken on her.  I hoped that she felt the effects of it for a long time to come.

"Nothing a little rest won't fix," Rochelle replied, ignoring my reaction.  Then she looked straight at me.  "I'm sorry I didn't stop when you asked.  But if I had, all of it would have been for nothing, and Sienna wanted to know."

I just glared.

Rochelle heaved a sigh.  "But you'll be happy to know that Sienna is what we thought.  She comes from the line of the First Traveller."

Jacek nodded, and he looked down at me and the unconscious girl in my arms.  "Get her to the village healer."

Carefully, I picked up Sienna and carried her out of the shelter.  She was a lot lighter than I had been expecting.

"Is she okay?"  Bronson jumped up immediately, as soon as he saw me, as did Evan.

"I don't know.  Where's the healer?"  I purposefully angled my body so that I had my back facing Evan.  Leader or not, I found myself having little respect for him.

"This way, I'll show you."  He let me away, even further into the camp, and I followed anxiously, eager to make sure that Sienna was alright.

* * * * * *

"It's been an eventful day, hasn't it?"

Event though I hadn't heard Jacek come up behind me, I didn't jump in surprise.  That was one thing about me, I didn't scare easily.

"That's an understatement."

We stood there in comfortable silence for a moment, just looking out into the peaceful scenery.  After a while, I could feel Jacek's eyes on me, and I reluctantly turned to face him.

"I take it that you wanted to talk to me about something."  It wasn't a question, just a statement.

Jacek smiled.  "Of course."  He didn't add anything right away, so I just waited until he finally continued.  "Sienna seems to be an exceptional person."

I didn't reply.

"To go through all she's been through in the last couple of days, then to endure what she did this afternoon.  Very exceptional."

I still didn't reply.  I had a feeling that I knew where he was going with this, and I had no idea how to respond.

"She is a very worthy person to love."

That got a reaction out of me.  I looked straight up at my Grandfather, with an incredulous look on my face.  "Love?"

Jacek grinned.  "You heard me."

I began to shake my head emphatically, but I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Lost for words, eh?"  The teasing note in Jacek's voice annoyed me, but I decided to ignore it.

"I agree with you that Sienna is very ... exceptional."  I spoke carefully, trying to word things in a way so that I wouldn't trap myself.  "But, love?  I don't think so."  I had meant to sound stern and determined but I faltered at the end, and I knew that my Grandfather was way too astute to have missed it.  Looking up, I saw a twinkle of amusement in his old eyes, and I gritted my teeth.  He patted me on my shoulder.

"Whatever you say."  He grinned again as he began walking away.

I stayed where I was.  I had never had feelings for anyone before.  Sure, there had been a few girls who had made it clear to me before that they were interested in more than just friendship, but I hadn't reciprocated those feelings.  I was sure that my non-interest had also resulted in quite a few hurt feelings, but I couldn't help that.  But when I thought of Sienna, of her long, dark brown hair, her clear green eyes, her slender build, I felt a wave of feelings flood through me, and it staggered me.  The feelings weren't weak, like I would have expected them to be after knowing her for such a short time.  They were powerful in a way I couldn't fully comprehend.  I didn't know how to react to it.  And the hardest question was, did I tell Sienna how I felt?