The Mark of Arella(Book One of the Dragonfly Chronicles)

Chapter Seventeen

Sam, and the group were camped in the mountains trying to find any evidence of Lilly. They had spent the past few weekends traversing different areas looking for anything. They spent the days hiking up and down grids they had established so they wouldn't cover the same spot twice. They were feeling discouraged but decided to stay one more night in the forest. Camping was fun and it gave them time to talk about Lilly and bring up the good times they had together. "Do you remember when we were ten, when Lilly wanted to sneak into that abandoned house?" said Robyn. Sam laughed, "She was so certain it was haunted by ghosts. She made us hike all the way into the mountains in the mud to go inside, we were covered in mud by the time we made it there." They all sat in silence for a moment and Shannon finally spoke. "We need to accept that she might be gone for good, we need to start moving on you guys". Sam's face got red as he said, "Are you saying we should give up on her?" Shannon shook her head, "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying we shouldn't give up on ourselves. You know she would want us to pursue our dreams and be happy. She wouldn't want us giving up our lives to search for her. Listen, I don't think she is dead, but I do think she and her parents disappeared for a reason. You all know she has been attacked in the past and maybe whoever found her will try again. Maybe she can't reach out to us for fear they might find her again? I don't know, I don't want to think the worst so this is the only scenario that works in my mind." Sam said, "So we are to just assume she is gone and we will never hear from her again? I can't do this, I can't believe she would just ignore us." He got up and walked away from the camp.

Several minutes later, Robyn came up beside Sam and touched him on his arm. They stood in silence for a few moments when Robyn finally spoke up. "Shannon has a good point, you know Lilly wouldn't want us to give up on our hopes. Maybe she really is safe somewhere and unable to reach out to us. That makes me feel better." Sam shook his head, "That is nonsense and you know it. Something bad happened to them Robyn, I know it. I just don't want to face that she might really have been," he swallowed hard and with a shaky voice said, "murdered". Robyn squeezed his arm to comfort him and said, "That is also something we might need to face. We all miss her Sam, we all loved her and I know how you felt about her, and I know how much this is tearing you up." Sam looked into Robyn's eyes, they were light blue and her short blond hair accented her features beautifully. He sighed and said, "I just don't know how to be without her. I look out the window expecting to see her coming down the street to get me out of bed, or to force me to do another mountain bike ride with her. Life feels empty now. How do we go on with her absent?" A single tear rolled down his cheek. Robyn squeezed his hand and said, "We do it together, we help each other along the way. Now come on back to the camp, it's getting dark and we need to make some s'mores and tell more silly stories." Sam looked down and said, "Just give me a minute and I'll come eat with you guys". Robyn headed back to the campfire leaving Sam to his thoughts. Sam knew Shannon was right, he knew he needed to get his act together and start focusing on school again. He knew Lilly would want this, but his heart ached so bad he just couldn't forget about her. The last time they were together he had finally got up the nerve to tell her how he felt. He was brave enough to kiss her and suggest they explore being more than friends. He had loved her his whole life and he knew they deserved a chance to try and be something more. He didn't know if they could actually be more than friends, but it was a worth a try. She was worth the try. Tears started to swell in his eyes as he thought about how he would never get that chance and that the person who had been his best friend for 10 years was really gone. He took a deep breath and walked back to the camp.

The sun was barely rising when Rhylan woke Lilly up. He whispered, "Let's get moving before everyone wakes up." Lilly rubbed her eyes and got up. She pulled some clothes out of her closet and started to get dressed as she said, "So where are we going today." Rhylan came over to her and kissed her on the cheek. "It's a secret, but I'll be right back. I need to go to the kitchen." Lilly braided her hair, put her boots on, grabbed her winter coat and stood looking out the window while she waited for him. A few minutes later he came back with two backpacks, grabbed her hand and said, "Let's go". Lilly felt that familiar darkness and nausea set in and a split second later they appeared in a clearing near a forested area. It was warmer here than at the mountain castle and the view was spectacular. She could see mountains in one direction, a huge lake in the other and green fields in the opposite direction. She took in the view and smiled. "Wow, this is amazing Rhylan, where are we?" Rhylan smiled, "This is on the coastal range of Fairhaven. I used to come here when I was a boy." He pointed to her left and said, "If we hike just past the lake and over that hill, we will come up on the most amazing garden. I've never shared it with anyone else. I want to take you there." He grabbed her hand and they started walking towards the path. Lilly was silent for some time, enjoying the warmth and peace of the morning. Finally she spoke up, "Tell me how you found this place? You couldn't portal here yet, you were too young for that right?"