Superbeing

Chapter 3 - The Girl

After a week of silent discussion between the cloaked men and Grandpa, Richard and his hooded gang stopped coming and Grandpa beckoned me to the living room.

 “Get ready, we’re moving,” he said, as soon as I walked in.

“Moving where?”

 “Where those guys are. Come on, get your katana ready, we’re going. You won’t need a jacket.”

 “Wait hold on. We’re moving?”

 “Yes, didn’t you hear me? I said we’re moving, we’re going to live with the other guys.”

 “Which other guys?”

 A smirk played on his lips. “The other super beings.”

 “But wait, what about the stuff in my room?”

 “Don’t worry about those stuff, you can buy more stuff later. Now hurry up and get moving.” I gathered my things – my katana and a bag full of coins, since they were apparently all I needed, and we set off, through the village centre and out of town.

 We travelled for miles on horseback. Every day we would ride 20 miles to the next town, then stop for the day and rest in the local inns. As expected, the village patrols in the villages were ever so suspicious of us, with our hoods up and our katanas, although sheathed, they still stood out.

 On our way to the third village, about halfway there, we stopped at a little clearing just outside a forest, because Grandpa had to go and get us some passes to the village. The grass was green and fresh, much to the liking of the horses. I sat against a tree and surveyed the area. It was beautiful. Majestic. It was as if we had entered a dream. The sun was still high in the sky, its golden shine a distinct figure against the clear sky, untainted by the white of the clouds. The breeze was gentle and warm, the branches on the trees swaying slightly as the breeze calmly passed by. A stream trickled down the clearing, its water crystal clear, revealing the coloured creatures that inhabited it. The birds tweeted their love songs in their nests, and within this beautiful, peaceful scenery, I fell asleep.

 When I had awoken, the horses had fallen asleep, tethered to the trees. Everything was silent, apart from the stream which continued its everlasting trickling. The sky was a dark blue, so it wasn’t too dark yet. However, the stars had already awoken, twinkling against the darker sky like precious jewels.

 Standing up from where I sat and dusting off my trousers, I looked around. Grandpa hadn’t returned yet. The moon had not come out yet, so I suspected it was only a little passed sunset. I went to the stream and washed my face, then went off into the forest a little to search for Grandpa. After walking a little way, and finding no sign of him, I turned to go back, when I heard someone breathing heavily. Because of the lack of light, I couldn’t see who was making the sound, but I could hear where the sound was coming from. Walking further, I could make out a figure crouched beside a tree. I crept closer, and I could make out a soft sound, almost inaudible even in this vast, quiet forest. A loud snap echoed throughout the forest and I froze, not wanting to scare whoever was there. Suddenly, the person got up and ran, probably because of the sound I made. So I ran after them, our footsteps echoing in the quiet forest.

 Whoever it was was fast. We ran through the forest, dodging trees which were dotted left and right and everywhere. The small night animals which were on the forest floor scatter in all directions when we passed. Eventually, I was able to see another clearing in the distance. A thin path had emerged from the bushes of the forest and we followed it. The moon had come up now, and the moonlight flowed through the gaps in the tree leaves. In the moonlight, I could see that I was chasing a girl, who, judging from their height seemed to be around my own age.