Dive In

Chapter 8

Ella awoke to the deep rumbling of an SUV pulling up to the cabin. She rolled out of her bed and hit the floor with a thud, glancing up at her clock. Crap, it was already noon. She scrambled to her feet and ran to her window, watching as a muscular man climbed out of the monstrous SUV and walked up the porch steps. She flew around her room, pulling on a light blue sundress and pulling her messy hair into a bun. Luckily her clothes were dry from last night and she could throw them into her hamper to hide the evidence. She quickly brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face before she ran downstairs to see what was going on.

As she rounded the corner, she ran face first into the back of the strange man. He turned to look down at her, and Ella hastily took a step back. He wore sunglasses even though it was dark in the house, and his bald head shone in the dim light. His face was harsh and angular, and judging by the camo pants and tight black t-shirt he was probably from the military.

“Oh, good morning Ella. Or should I say afternoon?” grinned her aunt as she emerged from the kitchen.

“I was up late reading,” said Ella, letting out a yawn.

“That's my bookworm. Ella, this is Travis Campbell. Travis, this is my niece Ella,” introduced Maria as she led them into the living room where Derek was sitting uncomfortably on the couch. He shot Ella a look of boredom.

“Nice to meet you Ella,” said Travis, pulling off his sunglasses and holding out his hand. His lips smiled but it didn't spread to his dark eyes.

“Nice to meet you too,” she forced herself to say, taking his hand loosely. His grip was firm -too firm- and she had to fight the urge to wince.

“Travis is a good friend of mine. I called him to help me look for the person we saw in the woods. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so we're going to head out right away. Ella, do you want to help up look?” asked Maria, grabbing her shot gun from the mantle and strapping it to her back.

“Oh, no I'm sure I'd just get in your way,” smiled Ella, “and someone should look after Derek.”

“Hey! I don't need a babysitter!” grumbled Derek, stomping off to the kitchen.

“I guess you've got a point,” said Maria, trying to hide her disappointment.

Ella felt a pang in her heart. Even though her aunt stood only a few feet away, she felt like there was miles between them. She wished she could go to Maria, to talk to her, to ask for her help. But Ella knew that was dangerous, and as she watched Travis brooding in the corner, she was beginning to really believe that her aunt was tangled up with evil people. Now that Ella knew she was Wildfolk, allowing herself to fall into the hands of the Mortalis Warriors would mean certain death. She just couldn't trust Maria anymore.

Not sure what else to say, Ella excused herself and went into the kitchen to find something to eat. As she was digging around in the fridge, she heard heavy footfalls from behind her. She turned slowly to see Travis standing behind her, scrutinizing her every move.

“You don't look like your aunt at all,” he noted, taking a bite out of an apple, the juice dripping down his pale lips.

“I look like my mom,” she said shortly.

“Listen Ella, I know I don't appear all that friendly, but if there's anything going on out here, you can tell me. I want to help,” he said, taking a step closer.

“There's nothing I know that my aunt doesn't,” she said coldly, turning back to the fridge.

“Well, if you do see anything, here's my card,” he handed her a stiff square of paper. He turned on his heel and stomped out of the room.