colors |isaac lahey ✔

Nine

Louisa Lloyd

Have you ever wondered what having your heart broken feels like? I've never wanted to know, and now that it might be in the near future, all I want to do it curl in bed and watch Breaking Bad.

But no, Allison had to drag me and Lydia across the forest.

Lydia and I reluctantly follow her across the path and Lydia shivers next to me, hugging her own body to provide some warmth. Surprisingly, I don't feel cold. I'm warm, and I wonder if it has something to do with the fact I, a Seer. A creature who sees the future and can prevent catastrophes. I'm used to creating them, nor solving or avoiding them.

"Allison, when you said you need to stop for an errand before we went shopping, a five mile hike in the woods wasn't what I was expecting." Lydia says, shivering.

"It won't take long."

"Can you at least tell us what we're doing?" I doubt she wants to tell us that but I had to ask.

"You'll see."

I knew it. Why? Why? Allison shifts a heavy black bag on her shoulder as she trudges up the path. Lydia starts babbling and I chuckle at how incoherent she sounds.

"You know, the human body only has to drop to 95 degrees to be hypothermic."

"Before I forget, I wanted to ask you if you're okay with something." Allison asks.

"I'll say yes to anything if it includes getting out of here." I answer, nodding my head.

"Jackson asked me to go to the winter formal with him." Oh, this has nothing to do with me.

Lydia blinks. Any real reaction remains imperceptible. "Did he?"

"Just as friends. But I wanted to see if you were okay with it first."

Any emotional reaction still imperceptible, and Lydia smiles.

"Sure. As long it's just friends."

"Well, yeah. It's not like I'm going to take him under the bleachers during lacrosse practice and start making out with him." Now it's perceptible. Oh man, this is getting ugly.

"Oh. Um. About that..

Allison drops the bag and unzips it.

"We should be good here. It's isolated enough."

Inside the bag she reveals a bow and quiver of arrows. Lydia and I look down at it, my eyes flying around to see the three of us are indeed completely isolated. Then Lydia gives a nervous laugh.