Statera *Chosen At Birth*

Chapter Six

"Well good morning ms. Sunshine." Fiona laughed getting a nasty look from Bestienna.

"Bite me." She scolded with an impressive frown that scared Daniel. She thumped down near the river and waved her hand at the water. A small bush without any leaves rose up from the slow moving water. She held out her hand a green light flowed from it to the plant and it transformed into a smooth wooden bowl that she used to drink water.

"You make it look so easy." Daniel grumbled.

"I was trained while I was so called asleep. I had to learn so much. Felt like a whole week of training. I felt bad when she couldn't hold on anymore." She looked at the water solemnly.

"So that's why you're so grumpy." Fiona playfully splashed her pale feet in the water.

"I suppose I am a bit cranky. It feels like I've been awake non-stop for a week and the only sleep I had in that time was a five-minute nap." She sighed along with Daniel. He wished he got the same training she had gotten and not a riddle.

"Did she tell you anything about what was going on?" Daniel asked hoping that in all that time something was mentioned about their problem.

"Basically we're stuck in an alternate dimension." Daniel felt his chest grow heavy and tried to fight back his emotions. The words "We're stuck" stabbed him in the heart. He had a family to go back to he didn't want to abandon them like this.

"So all this was for nothing then?" He was looking down at the water.

"What do you mean?" Bestienna asked in her usual calm tone that usually calmed him down, but his mind was too flooded with the new reality he didn't want to accept.

"What do I mean?" He blurted out, which scared the three of them, "We could have gotten killed. All those days and hours planning. Almost dying twice." He started, but was cut off by Bestienna.

"We're away from the war are we not?" She asked.

"That wasn't the only thing I wanted. I wanted to go home." Daniel then realized that that the river was now rushing in its path. In many places the water started to splash onto the riverbanks making the others stand up so that they wouldn't get soaked.

"Daniel... I know it's a lot to process." Besteinna shouted over the rushing sounds of the river, "But there's no way you're going to be able to go home. Not from here." The river came to a halt, only his movements disturbed the surface when he decided to leave towards the forest.

"Daniel." Fiona followed and grabbed his arm before he could disappear into the thick foliage.

"What?" He turned around to look her in the eyes.

"You don't need to go in there alone." She still had a firm grip on his arm. He didn't know what to think of her concern.

"And why not?" He asked seriously. His typical collected demeanor was ruined with the anger, confusion, and fear of what to come. He kept his face neutral so that the others couldn't see how vulnerable he really was.

"Because it could be dangerous." He rolled his eyes, "What in the world was that for?" She shouted, obviously offended.

"You didn't seem to care when you were using me as bait the other night." He removed his arm from her grasp. She went to grab it again, but he moved away.

"Daniel. This is not the same situation. We had more control over what could have happened in Germany against normal men. We have no idea what could be lurking in these forests or what the people here are capable of." She was yelling now as her pale cheeks flushed red with anger.

"So you kissing me with guns aimed at our head was having everything under control?" He spat. Fiona's face paled quickly, and she took a step back.

"Daniel." He was starting to get annoyed with her saying his name, and he looked away from her not wanting to hear anymore, "I know where this is going?" His head snapped back to her. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he was hoping that it wasn't what he dreaded for a long time.

"What do you mean?" He asked so that she could clarify. Judging by the look on her face he prepared himself for the inevitable heartbreak that was coming.

"I know that we have history, but that kiss was no more than a distraction. I don't feel that way for you. I know I shouldn't have done that, but it was the only choice I had. I'm sorry." He stood there without saying a thing while it took time for him to fully register what had been said.

"Ok then..." He said with a calm tone in his voice that even he didn't think was possible, "Now I know." That's all he could say before beginning to vanish in the forest.

"Daniel no!" Fiona hollered, but he was tired of hearing his name come from her mouth. He spun around and brought his hands up to erect a wall of water that stretched over the river bank and a few feet into the forest to send a hint that he did not want to be followed.

The whole conversation played through his mind as he walked. Everything was way too much for him to handle. First, he almost drowns in the ocean after being shot at. Second, he learns that he can never go home again. Lastly, he learns that the woman he fell in love with doesn't love him back. He didn't know where he was walking, but he just needed to find a way home. He needed to go back to his brother.

Ever since their older brothers disappeared, Daniel and his younger brother had grown closer than he thought was possible. Whenever his brother would wake up with nightmares, he would be the one to comfort him. Their parents were too busy drowning themselves in work to hide their pain that they neglected to notice Daniel's grief too.

The two of them supported each other. Now that support was not there. They didn't have each other and Daniel felt the guilt well up inside of him, it slowly became overwhelming to the point where he couldn't walk anymore. His legs eventually gave out, and he collapsed to the ground and began crying uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry David, I'm so sorry. For everything." He felt his chest grow heavy as if he was talking to David himself, "I did the very thing that you were afraid of. Now you're all alone." He choked on his words as the dirt under him turned to mud. His body shook as everything poured out of him. At the same time a light rain began to fall as the sunny morning was tainted by light Grey clouds, but he didn't care. Every ounce of sadness, heartache, misery, and regret was draining from him.