Galderon Chronicles: Emergence

chapter five

I gasp awake, sitting up in bed, massaging my right cheek that was stuck to 'The races and cultures of Gladeron' which I had drifted off reading last night, or maybe early this morning. Sleeping off with my face stuck to a book isn't new, but my environment sure is. The smaller bed and the white coloured walls let me know I was not home. It took me a moment to remember where I was, wondering what had woken me so suddenly.

The pounding on the door came again and I muttered,  "right. Probably that."
"Hold on," I said, as the knock came again, more insistent.  "What on Yar is going-" I started, then froze when I saw who was at the door. " Oh, what do you want?" I asked with a little more hostility than I meant, seeing Zenon at the door.

He regarded me impassively for a short moment. "Meet me outside. You have five minutes."

"What?" I asked, brain still foggy with sleep. "I'm not sure I heard right."

"Five minutes," he repeated, face still blank. "Anything over, and you will not like what I will do." He walked away before I could ask anymore questions, and I sneered at his retreating back. How is he always so devoid of emotions? It made me want to poke and prod at him until I got some kind of reaction out of him. I hurried inside to freshen up and get ready, hating to find out what Mr blankface will make me do if I'm late. 

I picked one of the more stretchy and comfortable outfits from the pile Rossi had brought me last night. Strange girl. She still didn't say anything to me. Just pushed the clothes into my arms and left. I don't know whether to try to make friends or watch my back with that one.

I hurried to the front entrance where Zenon stood waiting. He glanced at his time piece as soon as he saw me, then dropped it back in his pocket without a word and began walking. I paused for a moment, assumed I was supposed to follow him,  and did.

I looked again at the open fields out front. They must have enormous confidence in whatever protections they put in place because this amount of open space made me feel naked for some reason. We bypassed the outbuilding I had been wondering about the previous day, right to the back of the house. Here atleast, the clearing of the yard was bordered by an encroaching forest of trees. The forest pulled at something inside me, reminding me of home. Fixated on the trees, it took me a while to notice all the contraptions in the yard that I shouldn't even have missed.
I looked around in confusion, trying to decide what all the contraptions are for.
Zenon stood off to one side, arms crossed, watching me observe my surroundings. I looked to the outbuilding again and frowned. "What's in there?" He didn't seem like he was going to answer, and I shrugged. "I could just go find out."

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he said, reluctance heavy in his tone.

"And that makes me want to know even more," I said with a small smile.

His scowl darkened. "Is all this a joke to you?"

I scoffed. "Incase it isn't obvious to you yet, I have no idea what all this is. No one will tell me anything." I said, my voice climbing with each word. I hate being kept in the dark, and this house, though I've barely been here a day, I can tell they're full of secrets.

He regarded me for a few moments. If my outburst surprised him, he didn't show it. "Run from where you are to that post down there close to the tree lines," he said. I guess we're pretending it never happened then.

I looked at the distance I was supposed to run and scoffed. "Yeah, that's not going to happen."

He turned sharply to me, eyes narrowed. "What did you say?

I swallowed on dry throat, suddenly remembering I'm out here with a man I barely know, who may or may not want to hurt me, and my poor heart began pounding. "I don't run," I said, trying to instill as much strength as I could into the phrase. Maybe if I say it with enough conviction, he'll think it's true. For a moment, I consider telling him about my heart condition, but nothing about this man invites confidence. He looks more like the thought of weakness offends him. So I remained quiet and tried to hold his gaze.