Ashes of Affection (Rough Draft)

Chapter Seven

“Phoenix!” I screamed and jolted away.

“Sage! What happened?” Jack gasped, waking up.

I cupped my hands over my face.

“It’s nothing…It was just a nightmare.” I sighed, the panic fading.

“What’s going on?” He asked, moving beside me.

Tears filled my eyes and I no longer wanted to hide it so I broke down.

“Why won’t this stop? I don’t know who he is.” My voice was shaky.

“It’s okay, just breathe and take your time. You aren’t alone.” He wiped my tears before he hugged me.

The nightmares were relentless and always felt like they’d never stop. I couldn’t see his face but I knew he meant something to me. He felt so familiar, so why couldn’t I remember his face or anything about him?

“I’m sorry.” I whispered.

“Why are you apologizing?” He questioned.

“I know you hate being woken up.”

He breathed a laugh.

“Being woken up is the least of my concerns.” He paused for a second before he sighed. “If you ever have a nightmare or anything of the sort, you can always wake me up. I know I might not be as comforting as Amara or Kai, but I’ll always be here for you guys.” I knew he was trying, I also knew how hard this was for him. We spent our whole friendship being distant with each other but now we had to rely on each other if we wanted to survive. The pain began to return as the adrenaline wore off. I winced when I moved. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, just the pain’s coming back.” My gaze shifted to the entrance. The sun left glittery lights along the fresh snow. It was freezing cold. “We have to keep moving.” I got to my feet and Jack followed.

“Sage, you shouldn’t be walking, let alone in the cold snow.”

“Well, we can’t stay here.”

He took a deep breath. He knew I wouldn’t give in.

“I can go back and call for someone to come get you while I go find the others.”

“No. I’m not leaving you guys. I’m going with you.”

He sighed. “Fine, but if I feel like you’re getting too cold, we’re stopping.” I gave in and accepted it. When we left the cave, the wolves immediately ran over to us. The snow burned against my feet with every step. Jack quickly picked up on the fact that me walking in the snow was a bad idea. “Sage, come here.”

I was confused when he knelt down.

“What?”

“Get on my back. You aren’t walking in this weather.”

I was hesitant but did so. He stood up as if I weighed nothing. The wolves trotted alongside him and a few went ahead. I guess he finally trusted my instincts as he followed the animals. The cold wind nipped at us. I could feel him shivering so I moved his jacket so that instead of only covering me, it kind of covered him as well.

“Jack.” I whispered, causing him to stop.

“What?” He asked but I shushed him and pointed ahead of us. His gaze moved to the white fox that stood about twenty feet ahead. He was in as much awe as I was, if not more. The wolves took a step forward, getting ready to attack it but I whistled and they growled but backed off. When the fox heard us, it ran off and vanished into the snowy forest. “Is that a normal sight?”