The Unknowns
Chapter 9
“The closest kidnapping was in South Carolina!” Anna yells as we run.
Our bags hit against our knees as we jump over trees, and our feet sink into the snow as we run. We keep running, not stopping to get a drink or anything. I know I have to do one more thing before we start our journey, and as I stop running, Anna realizes. She turns to me, and after a moment, she tells me to hurry. She looks antsy and keeps hopping on one foot to the other.
I grab my phone out of my bag, and dial Trent’s number. Luckily his phone goes straight to voicemail. “Trent, it’s Austin. It’s time. I’m sorry I have to go, especially when we left on bad terms, but I love you, Trent. I really do.”
I hang up the phone, and nod at Anna. We both take off running again. It’s better not to talk while running, but we have to discuss what we need to do. Once we know we have to run straight for several minutes, I turn my head to face her, trying not to break a sweat.
“What are our plans next?”
“Once we get to South Carolina we’re going to book a hotel and do research on all the cases. We’re going to have to guess their next move to be able to catch up to them.”
I nod, and we continue to run. After an hour of running, we decide to take a break and drink some water. The weather is not in our favor, and already I feel myself dreading the days I’m going to have to sleep in the woods.
Anna searches through her bag and pulls out a hair tie. She puts her hair in a ponytail and announces we need to keep going. I agree, and we gather our belongings, and start up again. With every step I think about what I’m leaving behind. Trent, school, Bret, my old life, the home where I last saw my parents in front of me, the house I grew up in with Trent, my past slowly going away.
I now realize why Anna doesn’t get attached to things. It only brings disappointment when you have to leave it. I close my eyes tightly, and one by one, I’m pretending all of my memories are floating away, away from me. They’ll only hold me back, not propel me further into my quest.
We hit the edge of Georgia by ten o’clock at night, our bodies aching with pain. We’ve never run that far, and I’m starting to regret not practicing father distances. I see Anna leaning against a tree, sipping water tentatively as if the worlds running out of water. I take one last glance at Georgia, and then I tell Anna to hurry. Once we’re actually inside of South Carolina, we go to the closest hotel, a shady one if I might add. We pay the man in cash, and then he hands us the key.
“I’ve never been to South Carolina before,” I say as we head up to the second floor.
“I’ve been here twice,” Anna mutters under her breath, glancing behind her shoulder every now and then. “Slept in the woods the whole time since I was too young to get a hotel.”
I wince at the thought of a young Anna sleeping in the woods by herself, tracking Hunters. I can barely handle it with Anna with me, and we’re both much older. The hotel room has only one bed, and there are holes in the sheets. Anna shudders, and then she pulls out papers from her bag and puts them on a small table in the room.
“We’ll sleep until five and then we’ll start researching. Break your phone.”
Break my phone? When I don’t do what she says, she grabs it, and throws it to the ground. She stomps on it for good measures until it’s in little tiny bits.
“What’s the matter with you?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “The Hunters can trace you off of your phone. Do you want my help or not?”
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The Unknowns (Book 1)
FantasyHunters. They hunted down Austin's family when he was a little boy. They took his parents away, leaving Austin with his aunt and uncle. As Austin grew older, he discovered he has powers. He promised to himself he'd find his parents and return them b...
