Daydream

Chapter 6

"Explain, again," Timothy cracked over the wireless phone.

Eliezer sighed and repeated himself.

"She is able to completely block herself from me, I couldn't make an inch of progress. She disappeared when I tried to contact her."

"I was told you were the best... things seem to be exaggerated. Blocked out of a 12-year-old's mind?" the voice mocked.

"You are just proving your complete lack of knowledge of the subject. I am best at physical things, tangible things, not wild emotions and mind games. And she is not twelve, she is many years older."

"You can't know that, you haven't seen her mind. I'll have to report what you have found out- please do try harder next time, we don't want these outliers making the forests dangerous for much longer."

The phone beeped as his line disconnected, without a goodbye.

"Goodbye, you shit. Next time I'll let you take her on," Eliezer cursed as he pulled the various chords out their plugs, and wound them up.

This job was not particularly mind-consuming, leaving Eliezer free to reflect on the interaction he had had with Hidden. Heidi, he corrected himself. A mind that screamed sadness and loneliness- two things that easily drives people to the madness of rebellions and anger. This, Eliezer was sure, was what made her so strong- not that he could understand what could have caused her so much pain. He remembered the strength, the uniformness, the power that radiated from her wall- it was flawless, and something she could not have been taught. Hiding, coveting her power- selfishness that dictates all outliers. A coward, not stepping forward and sharing the gift God has provided her. Eliezer continued similar trains of thought as he finished putting the telephone away, and looked at the temporary camp that had been erected.

Five fires blazed, arranged in a pentagon. Tents were pegged down as close to them as possible, to try sap up as much warmth during the cold night. Six lookouts where somewhere in the darkness, several hundred meters beyond the light, armed with tasers and a gun. Just in case. At several fires people huddled around, pulling beanies together around their ears and poking their food on the meagre coals that had formed. Talk was muted as the woods were dark, forbidding. People discussed their scouting group's events, following several different trails that had been found. Most had led to dead ends; several people were discussing the merits of treetop getaways. A possibility, but unlikely. Eliezer discretely listened to a particularly interesting conversation, between Jacinta and Rory.

"Well no shit, it's a common path. See the amount of footprints, though? How often would it have been used, yet we haven't seen head nor hide of anyone since the Murray lot. They can get information around faster than we can track," Jacinta argued, a mouth full of potato.

"They don't have the technology- that path may be a common path, but probably only used by a larger group of outliers. There isn't many in this area, those two girls were probably part of the lot that wandered through these hills. Buggered off real quick, and aren't coming back soon," Rory countered.

"Bullshit, no one can clear out that quick."

"Where are they then?"

"Small groups can go faster than a larger group."

"They wouldn't survive, not during winter."

"But it isn't winter, its autumn. They could be hiding in gullies and up trees, and we could be walking past."

Jacinta's comment made Rory stop, thinking it through.

"Children don't stay silent, where are they?" Rory thought out loud.

"Outliers do. That girl at the compound, she must've said three words in just as many days," Jacinta pressed her advantage, "Who knows? Maybe they have spies, or spirits that tell them where to run."

"Jacinta, you sound like a five-year-old believing in old wives tales. Spirits," Rory made quotation marks in the air, "do not exist. Told to keep children from wandering away."

She sighed, shaking her head. Rory turned back to his food and engaged conversation with Felicity next to him.

Eliezer walked back to his tent; he was the only one not sharing. The campfire flickered against the entrance flap of his tent, create twisting shadows on the few items inside. He lay down on the sleeping bag, staring at the patched ceiling. He was troubled; Heidi and her friend had disappeared into thin air, taking with them any sound of human activity. All the woods offered was a chorus of bird songs, some loud and carrying warning, some distant and muted. He was still confused as to what powers she possessed, which were not within the usual confines that he had been taught to recognise:

Maegic, strong from the earth,

Transformers, animal from within,

Earth Children, holders of Nature,

Minders, hearing life's thoughts,

Yet she couldn't be placed into any one category, Eliezer thought, she doesn't show any defining traits of either. He sighed, as his eyelids became heavy and his mind slowly drifted off into sleep, where his mind wandered into dreams of blue eyes and a small dancing girl bathed in sunlight.

~