“How…?” Lily-Rose fumbles over the words.
The storm rages on and Rob smiles despite this as he hurries to the shelter of the trees. “I’m not who you think I am,” he yells over the high wind. He ducks his head under the tree’s canopy of leaves, hanging low and dripping tears of rain.
“Let me down,” Lily-Rose commands Rob, who lies her against the tree’s trunk. She grimaces as she presses the bloodied tissue into the wounded sole of her foot and, barely glancing at Rob, pats the ground beside her for him to sit.
He complies. “You never should have moved to Faith Hill, Lily-Rose.” He stares at the sky, where Faith Hill does its worst.
“I know, but I don’t know why.”
“I know,” says Rob. Finally, he looks at Lily-Rose – really looks at her. He sees the fine contours of her face, her round, owl-like eyes, so dark a brown. “Faith Hill is a living thing.”
Watching her intently, Rob is able to see the different emotions pass over her: first confusion, then disbelief as she struggles to come to terms with what he has confided in her and, last of all, comprehension. Somehow, she understands.
“Faith Hill,” he continues, motivated by her belief, “is a living, breathing, conscious being. Those of us who were born and grew up there are bound to it – we can’t ever leave. It’s impossible; I’ve tried. The – the creature – is able to speak to us in our heads. At first, I thought it was incredible but, after a while, I discovered that it’s malicious, evil. We all have this unbreakable attachment to the village – but not me. I don’t want to be tethered to this place, and I won’t be any longer. You – you were in danger there. I had to get you out.” His eyes soften. “Had to.”
Lily-Rose is breathing slowly, trying to take it all in. “What was that, just then?”
“You witnessed my powers. I’m a transporter but, up until now, I haven’t been able to make any use of it.” He shuts his eyes tight, pain etched into his face. “It speaks to me, Lily-Rose. It’s telling me everything it will do when it finds us. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” it’s saying. Like this is a game.”
Rob opens his eyes, and Lily-Rose can’t help but feel so, so frightened. Her hands form fists around the tufts of grass growing by the trunk of their tree and she clenches that hand, to keep herself from doing something she will regret.
“We will escape,” Rob says with such a determination that his eyes blaze.
YOU ARE READING
Running From Faith Hill
FantascienzaThis story is an (unintentional) tribute to Faith Hill, although I don't mean that she was evil or anything... Also, it is dedicated to my best friend, whose birthday I wrote this for. When Lily-Rose moves to the village of Faith Hill, she can think...
