Entwined Worlds

Chapter Nine: The Secret Meeting

(Avia's point of view)

After the attack, we had to move. We did not know if this would be the last attack, or the first of many. We just had to go.

Astrid was all right after the battle but the veins surrounding the wound are still charcoal-black. She was still a little confused after we explained what happened but I think she understands a bit better now. Something is different about her, though.

After the attack, she has been a little quieter. A little more timid. A little more secretive. I feel like a little bit of her, something that was so prominent, something that made her different, is gone. I can't quite put a finger on it. She's just changed into somebody I don't quite know anymore.

However, we are slightly more aware now of the dangers that we will face. We always stick to a path or near a river and, as soon as we see the sun start to set over the horizon, we set up camp. Whenever we can, we pick up food. None of us walks alone. Being alone means danger and danger means death.

Being with my sisters all day means we've learnt a lot about each other. We now know our backgrounds, our hobbies, our secrets. I know that Emily misses home a lot and Astrid misses her home itself but not the people inside of it. I don't miss anyone back home.

Emily had a very nice life in Australia. Her family was rich and she was given everything that she ever wanted. She wasn't a brat, though, and neither was she a show-off. Her parents took her in most gladly and treated her like their own. Apparently, they were unable to have children, so Emily was their pride and joy. They lived on the Gold Coast, right next to the beach. She had many friends too and they were proper friends, the type that liked Emily because of her personality, not based on her looks or wealth. Emily was very lucky but she was grateful for what she had.

Astrid, on the other hand, lived in Northern Sweden. She lived in the middle of nowhere in a wooden chalet. Her parents were not rich but neither poor. However, they gave everything they had to their four sons, with the bare minimum going to Astrid. She had four brothers, who never quite understood her. She was always alone, left with only her imagination. As she lived nowhere near a town with a school, she had no friends. I guess that's why she's always been shy. I rather pity her because she never had anyone to keep her company, while I always had company – even if it wasn't the good kind.

As the days moved on, we just started to love each other even more. There's just that kind of love, where you just know each other so well that there's no doubt that we don't care for each other. There's just that warmth that surges through you, that warmth when you know that people are listening to you. They're not judging you or giving you an evil eye; they just listen and take in what you have to say. It's nice to finally have friends, a family even and a place to call home.

'Emily, do you mind if I just pop into the forest for 'secret business'?' I ask. Okay, I lied when I said we're never allowed into a different part of the wood alone – we're allowed only for our private business, which obviously we can't do in front of each other.

'Yeah sure but be quick,' she replies, without giving a glance at me. So, I walk into another area of the forest where they can't see me but I know roughly where they are.

I know I said it's nice to have company, but it's also nice not to have company. Sometimes you just need some alone time where you can just think about your thoughts and feelings by yourself. I would enjoy this time if I wasn't doing something else other than this, but it's a bit awkward to think now.

As I walk and pick my spot, I feel the sky above me become darker. The once blue sky has turned now a pale grey, the kind that you know will bring a powerful storm with it. A shiver falls down my spine, which brings a weird sort of warmth and emptiness into my body. All at once, it makes me feel welcomed but shunned.