The Wolf Girl

Chapter Twenty Eight

  Molly's POV

  "How long have you been looking for Dad?" I inquire. The Dreaming Wanderer has locked Zack up in a magic-proof prison, and she helped me report him to the other camp administrators. Now, we are less than a Mike into the woods, and I already feel like a weight is being lifted from my shoulders.

  "I've known where Jack is for a few years now," she explains. "But I haven't been able to get to him. Now, with his daughter, I may be able to. While I do have very powerful magic, the other camp is teeming with demons. There are too many for my magic alone."

  "I see."

  After a long while of walking in the brisk air, the sun begins to dip under the dark green trees. The Dreaming Wanderer looks over at the orange star melting into the trees and sighs heavily. "I think we should start getting ready for the night," she mumbles. "We really need more energy."

  I nod. My legs ache, and I'm sure we've only traveled a few miles. We still have a long way to go.

  "Why can't we fly to our destination?" I ask.

  "It drains too much energy," The Dreaming Wanderer explains. "We'd end up losing time resting. Plus, Bella can't fly, and Alex doesn't have his wings yet. Walking may take time, but at least we spend more time traveling than sleeping."

  "Oh."

  She stops abruptly, and the rest of us stop just before smacking into each other. She glances around, her eyes lingering on one area. "There's a cave over there," she whispers. The next time she speaks, her voice is louder. "We're not very far into the forest yet. It'd be best to stay hidden for a while."

  "Good idea," Alex agrees. "It was hard to sneak out in plain daylight. If we got caught, that would put all of our hard work to waste."

  "Agreed," I say. Bella nods, and we continue walking forward, slightly faster this time.

  The Dreaming Wanderer leads us into the mouth of a small cave. Alex, being the tallest of the four of us, has to drop onto all fours to crawl in behind The Dreaming Wanderer and I. Bella and I crouch low to avoid hitting our heads on the ceiling.

The Dreaming Wanderer gestures for our infinity pouches, and we pass them up so that she can put them against the wall. We crawl back out of the cave and straighten. Alex stretches his arms to the sky.

  "Should we get firewood?" he asks, dropping his hands. The Dreaming Wanderer nods and starts walking to the trees.

  "Alex and Molly need to find wood," she calls. "Bella, we can find stones for a fire pit and stumps for seats."

  After a long while of crafting strong axes and chopping wood, Alex and I heave the wood back to our cave. Bella and The Dreaming Wanderer have already set up a small area with seats and a stone fire pit. Alex and I drag the wood into a pile near the pit and exhale heavily. The Dreaming Wanderer takes some of the wood, carries it to the fire pit, and drops it in. She flicks her wrist and speaks in a foreign language, and fire shoots from her hand to the wood. It ignites in flickering orange flames, and I stare at them for a moment before grabbing Alex's arm and dragging him to the fire. I sit on the stump next to him, my muscles sore as ever.

  "Well," The Dreaming Wanderer breathes. "I'm going to bed early so that I can build my energy up."

  "Alright," I murmur. "Goodnight, then."

  She waves to us before walking into the cave. She is shorter than the rest of us, so it is easier for her to move around in the cave.

  "Guys?" Bella whispers, and Alex and I turn our heads to her.

  "Hm?" Alex hums.

  "Do the campers and caretakers really think I'm insane?" she whimpers. A cold lump settles in my stomach.

  "Most people do," I admit. "Honestly, after the way people talked about you, I did, too. But now that I know you, I can tell that you're completely sane. You're smart."

  "I just don't know why they would think..." she starts, but she stares into the fire, leaving her words to hang in the air.

  "It's okay," I assure her. "We can get this figured out. They won't think of you the same way."

  "Thanks," she whispers. "I'm going to bed, too." She stands and walks into the cave without another word, leaving Alex and I at the warm fire.

  I cross my arms, rubbing my hands up and down my sleeves in an attempt to warm up. The sun has lowered under the trees already, and the temperature dipped with it.

  "Hey," Alex murmurs, and I look over to see him staring at me.

"Yeah?" I whisper.

"Do you still have that metal container?" he asks, and I nod. "Do you think we should look in it again to see if there's anything in there that could be used for this?"

"Let me see if I can find it," I say before standing and walking to the cave. I crawl inside to see The Dreaming Wanderer curled up in a ball and Bella facing a wall, knees tucked to her chest. I grab the lavender infinity pouch- the one that I chose- and run back to the fire. I gig around in the bag until I find my shorts; the shorts I wore before coming here. I feel something hard in the pocket and pull it out. The compact.

  I twist the cap off and put it next to me, scooting over. Alex walks over and sits next to me, squeezing close so that he can fit on the stump. I ignore the heat creeping to my neck- I've known him for such a long time, so this shouldn't be awkward. It never has been before.

  I turn the container over and dump the contents into my hands. Most of the things are knick knacks that I've already seen; companion pendants, maps, notes about powers, documents about the camp we were at. But one new thing catches my eye. I haven't noticed it before. It's a bracelet with three metal charms on it. I tilt my head when I see a tiny piece of paper attached to it. I fiddle with the bracelet until I can see the paper, and I see words written on it. A note.

  Molly-

  I know you may not find this or pay any mind to it. After all, you must have enough weight on your shoulders. I wouldn't know. But, if you read this, know that I want you to keep this as a memory of me. The three pendants represent a family member- your father, your brother, and I. You should be able to sort the charms out.

  I love you very much, and I'll see you in a few years.

  ~Mom

  Tears well up in my eyes, and the begin to fall down my cheeks before I can blink them away. I rub a tear off of my cheek and let out a gentle sob before looking at the bracelet. A staircase for Cole, representing the times we wrestled on the stairs, despite Mom's scolding. A book for Dad, showing that he told me stories before he left to lull me to sleep. Another sob escaped my lips. And a flower for Mom, representing the fact that she taught me how to make flower crowns. I reach up and touch one of the wilting flowers of my current tiara, and my heart swells.

  I sniffle and let out another sob, and Alex looks down at me. "Are you okay?" he murmurs, his eyes filling with worry. I nod shakily and rub my eyes, sniffing again.

  "Just a very emotional keepsake," I reply in a watery voice. He sighs and puts a hand on my back, rubbing it gently. I stare at my hands, the world swirling in a teary blur around me.

I hear the snap of a twig, and I reflexively stiffen. I dry my eyes the best I can and turn to the trees. My eyes are still to blurry to see anything clearly. I stand, and Alex rises to his feet next to me. We peer into the trees, looking for a sign of a living thing.

  It isn't long before we see eyes peering through the foliage. A taunting male voice rings through my ears, sending shivers down my spine.

  "Well, Addie. We've got some uninvited visitors."
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  Woo! These chapters are getting easier and more fun to write.

  Help. I'm obsessed with Fairy Tail... I highly recommend it... XD

  Thanks for reading, and stay heavenly!

  ~Mabel