Safehaven

Chapter 6

     Framed in the last light of day, a young man stood in the doorway.  A silver sword was propped up at his side, covered with ash.  “Hello, there.”  He beamed, wrinkles forming around his startling green eyes.  “I’m Nathen, and I guess that I’m supposed to escort you all to the grounds.”  There was a pause.  Quinton shifted his weight uncomfortably, brow furrowed.  “What grounds?”  Nathen just kept smiling, teeth flashing.  “It will all be explained later.”  That didn’t help.  Now, I had millions of other questions floating around my head. 

A)     Who was this guy, really?

B)      What was “the grounds”?

C)      When would we get there?

D)     Did I need to check myself into an insane asylum?

Really, my head was spinning so hard that I had to lean on the doorframe to keep myself from toppling over.  “So…”  Nathen cleared his throat, as if oblivious to the current situation.  Shaking my head to clear the fog, I straightened slowly.  “If we do decide to come with you, will you tell us who we really are?”  Nathen glanced up at the sky, now dark and speckled with stars, and pondered the question.  “I can’t tell you.”  We all moaned.  “But I know someone that will.”  At that moment, Antigone walked back into the room.  Upon seeing a strange man at the door, the girl yanked the knife out of her boot and charged.  In seconds, Antigone had reached the doorway.  Without even a flinch, Nathen side stepped her and brought down his hand firmly on the hilt of the knife.  It flew out of Antigone’s reach and into the night.  The girl froze, her icy blue eyes intent.  “You owe me a new blade, mister.”  Nathen chuckled.  “Lots of spirit, I admire that.  You will make an excellent trainee.”  Antigone spun around.  “What on earth is he yapping about?”  Nobody answered.  The man just glanced down at the watch on his forearm.  “Seriously, though.  We need to get a move on.”  He barged straight through Jada and Sage and into the shack.  Glancing at the pile of uneaten sandwiches left on the coffee table from earlier, he snatched one and took a bite.  “Well, are you going to grab your friend?  Let’s move!”  I didn’t even want to ask how he knew about Holly, but the thought did cross my mind that it was a bit odd.  Sighing, Antigone left to retrieve Holly, again.  Minutes later, the two came back.  The scar on Holly’s face had receded a little, but her face was still chalk white.  Dark circles stood out prominently under her eyes.  She yawned.  “This had better be good.”  Her eyes roamed around the room, stopping on Nathen.  She stood a little straighter, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  Just the sight of Holly acting this way in her state made me laugh.  We had been through so much in the last 24 hours, it was kind of hard seeing Holly goggle at some boy.  Before the poor girl could say something embarrassing, like Marry me?, Jada interrupted.  “You did say we were in a hurry, right?”  Nathen smirked and turned toward the door.  “You’re right.  Grab whatever you need and meet me outside.”  I glanced around the small room.  Really, there was nothing here.  Unless we wanted to take a sandwhich or a doily, there was nothing.  I saw Quinton quickly slip something into his pocket, but didn’t say anything.  Together, the six of us left the part of the world we knew behind.  A bitter breeze nearly swept us off our feet as we exited the shack.  There was the scent of rain, the sharp, freeing smell that no one can ever explain.  This was not just some hike.  The sun was setting on our old life.  The new one would begin with the rising of the sun.  Who knew what it would hold?