World Of Silhouettes

Nineteen

After the shock that I got bit by a snake leaves, i'm just tired. Tired of being in the woods, I just want to go home. My thoughts drift to my friends. I wonder if they are dead.  They must have water, like I do. . . or did. Who knows where camp is now. Im lost and the sun will set soon. I want to be resolved, strong and bold. But something is happening to me that hasn't ever happened before. I feel alone. Scared. Tired.  I remember when I was just a kid, how I used to fall asleep on my Mom and when I woke up, I was in my bed, under the covers. If only that worked now. If only I could teleport like Grey does, back to my tent by the trading post and pretend I've been surviving. If only. 

I wrap my arms around my legs, hugging them close to me. MY shoes taunt me, telling me to go and grab them, and I will. Later. I never though I could have a lazy moment in the woods, but then again, I never thought I would be out in the woods. I watch a lizard slither onto the tree, basking in the last bits os sunlight. It crawls past me, and down the tree, obviously annoyed the sun is setting. My eyes wander somewhere and typical me, to lazy to refocus them, leaves them like this. The crickets in the distance act as a soothing quiet, lulling me to near sleep. 

A voice startles me out of my perfect cat nap. 

"Do you always run away whenever you see snakes?"  I see Grey, walking quietly to me. 

"Only on special occasions," I say. The sleeves of his jacket are so big on me, they act as gloves for when its dark. I could stay up on this tree, watching the sun set for ages. Maybe I will.

"Ready to go?" He asks after a few minutes of silence. I guess all those days of paperwork, being in the woods, running for my life from bears and snakes, have finally caught up to me. All I give is a reluctant nod.  He offers me his hand and I take it, leaping down the tree. I hold onto his hand while I slip my boots back on. If you look, you can see two small holes where the fangs of the snake went in. I shudder and we begin to walk. The only thing is, he never lets go of my hand. He holds it on a way that makes me want to just trust him, to lean on him and fall asleep. I resist the urge and we walk through the quiet of the woods. The sun is a small fiery ball now, slowly setting, leaving us in the darkness. The humid nights air is relaxing cool, perfect for me as I am now.  I couldn't ask for a better night. Im not hot, nor cold. What about Grey? Does he feel the same? Should I offer the jacket back? A selfish part of me decides that until he asks, its mine. 

"How did you find me?" I ask. Breaking the silence. My throat is scratchy and dry. 

"Same way I found you and everyone else before you," He says, he crunches on a stick that moves and I jump back, still somewhat scared. He smiles slightly and continues, "Your auras, I can sense them. Although you and Katie were the easiest. Abbey too, of course." 

"Hmm?" I ask. Way too lazy to use words.

"Because Abbey already has magic. Even if its just a small bit. You and Katie have a lot of potential in magic, so its easy to find you. You are both very unique." 

"Were they okay?" I ask. My eye lids close for a second and I bring them back up, focusing on him. 

"They weren't exactly running from snakes, Scarlet." I look as defiant as I can. 

He just laughs. 

"They were okay. Abbey was faring the best, though."  A flare of jealousy goes through me. I bite my lip. 

"How long were you with her?" I ask just a little to harshly. I hope he doesn't notice. 

"About ten minutes, why?" He asks. He walks in front of me but knowing him, he's smiling. I blush and close my eyes. "I was just wondering," I manage. We make it back to the camp. The fire is still going, believe it or not. He must have put a log on it while I hung around on a tree. He's already done more than he should have. Why?