-HUNTED-

Chapter 7 - The Forest

JJ sat opposite Lucy in the service station, looking at her intently.

Lucy looked up from her coffee.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Don’t worry.”

“Look, guys, we’re gonna have to ditch the van. We’re close to London, and the amount of cameras around is going to make it easy to pick up the van.” Jenny said.

“Well, how do you propose we get around then? I mean, I can run, but that’s it.” JJ pointed out.

“Well…” Cameron hesitated.

“What?” Jenny asked.

“I can probably levitate us…”

“Rubbish.” Cried Lucy.

“Well, if I can hold 2 beds and a bookshelf in the air at the same time then I should be able to hold 3 people up easily.”

“Well, come on, we’d better get going. And we’re going to need some clothes. Everyone’s staring at us.” Lucy stood up and closed her eyes, and the whole of the service station instantly fell asleep. “We’ve got half an hour. Let’s go find some clothes and get going.”

Twenty minutes later, the group was standing outside the service station, staring at the cars shooting past them on the motorway in the  morning light.

“Remind me why you didn’t get anything Jenny?” asked Cameron, looking at the place where Jenny was standing, invisible.

“I don’t need to blend in. I can become invisible, idiot.”

“And JJ?”

“Well, if I wear them while I’m running then there’ll be a massive tailwind, and I’ll destroy everything I run past. That’s why my stuff’s in the backpack that you’re wearing.”

“Fair enough. Right. JJ, you go ahead, and PLEASE try not to destroy stuff.”

JJ sped up, and Cameron grabbed onto Jenny and Lucy’s hands, lifting them into the air.

Lucy screamed and held on as tight as possible, holding her breath as Cameron took them soaring through a cloud, soaking them all.

JJ jogged along the motorway, casually stepping out of the way of a car which, to him, was traveling as fast as a snail. JJ jumped onto the bonnet of a 4x4 and flipped over it, gracefully landing on his feet.

JJ stood in the middle of a deserted field, watching Cameron lower Jenny to the ground slowly before bringing him and Lucy back down to earth.

“Lucy, you can stop hugging me now. We’re on the ground.”

Lucy tentatively released Cameron, and he took a deep breath. Lucy looked at him – his bright red face mainly – and winced.

“Sorry Cam.”

”Lucy, what’s the matter? I went solo!” Jenny said, invisible.

“I kind of have a fear of heights. A MASSIVE fear of heights.”

“Well then, how exactly do you propose you follow us? Run? Unless you’ve suddenly gained the ability to run as fast as JJ, or teleport, or SOMETHING, then…” Cameron complained.

“Then what?”

“No idea. We ditched the van, and there isn’t really a point in taking another one. Especially as it’s stealing. It’s kind of ILLEGAL!” Finished Jenny.

“Well, I suppose we could. After all, it’s not like they’re going to catch us.”

“Cameron!” cried Jenny, hitting Cameron on the arm. “That’s illegal. Anyway, we can worry about that when we’ve found Rosie. Roadrunner, you speed up and search the forest, Cameron, you go up top and get a bird’s eye view of this place. Lucy, go with Cameron, and if anyone sees you… well, make them forget.”

“Great plan Jenny. But what do I do when I’ve found her? And how will I know if it’s even her?” JJ pointed out. Jenny turned and looked at him.

“She’ll be the one who’s flying, genius!”

Major Davis knocked on the door of the boys’ room.

“Come on boys. Time to get up. I’m going to need both of you on this one.”

There was silence from inside the room.

“Boys?”

Still silence. “Dr. Stevens, open this door for me.”

Dr. Stevens placed the key into the lock, and turned it. The door swung open, revealing the empty room to the two men who stood there.

Major Davis turned to the guard who was standing outside the room, guarding it.

“Soldier, where are the freaks?”

“I don’t know, Major. I think I’d remember if they’d got out on my watch, sir.”

“Soldier, unlock the door to the girl’s room.” Major Davis frowned at the guard.

The door to the girls’ room swung open, revealing again an empty room.

The Major punched the guard in the face.

“WHERE ARE THEY?!” He cried in anger.

The guard stood up.

“I don’t know, sir. But I don’t remember them getting out. I would.”

“Check the CCTV cameras. See where they are and what time they got out of their rooms. Dr. Stevens, come with me, we need to notify… you-know-who.”

JJ returned in five minutes, having searched the whole forest for any signs of a flying girl.

“Anything?” Jenny asked. JJ shook his head.

“No. I don’t really know what I’m looking for, to be honest. It’s not like she’ll have left tracks or anything.”

Lucy shouted out in her mind to Cameron.

‘Hey, Cam, you found anything?’

‘Nope. I think we need to get her attention somehow. I dunno how.’

“Guys, message from Cam. No idea where she is, but he thinks we should get her attention somehow.”

“Like what?” JJ asked. “We can’t exactly put up posters saying we’re looking for a flying girl!”

“Get Cameron to do one more round of the forest. Then, we need to set up camp. Roadrunner, you’ll need to run to the nearest store and grab us stuff like a tent and sleeping bags, so we can blend in with the crowd.” Jenny suggested. JJ and Lucy looked at her. “What?”

‘Cam, do one more sweep of the area. Then come back here.’

‘Sure Luce.’

Up above the campsite, Cameron jumped out of the tree he was crouching in, and flew upwards, soaring above the trees, looking around and trying to spot any hint of a girl who could fly.

Ten minutes later, Cameron returned. As he landed, Jenny looked at him. He shook his head.

“Nah. No luck. Sorry. What now?”

“Go with roadrunner and grab some camping stuff. We’ll hold up here for a while.”

Major Davis looked at the screen of the computer, at the CCTV images from earlier that night.

“The camera in the boys’ room went down, but I thought it was just a nightmare.” Explained the man who was sitting at the chair in the surveillance room, and who was meant to have been looking out for anything suspicious. “I was going to have someone replace it today, but…”

“But there’s no point any more. Due to your incompetence, our prize specimens have escaped.”

“I’m sorry, Major! It won’t happen again, I swear.”

“No, it won’t.” The Major slipped his hand into his pocket, and a muffled thud was heard as the man fell backwards in his chair, blood splattering the Major’s army uniform.

“Get a replacement for him. And notify all workers to search for any sign of them. We need to make sure they do not get out of the country. Or else…”