Chase sat up straight real quick and started coughing. Ember's eyes widened into saucers, and I was reminded of my grandmother's collection of china. Oh, how I wished I was at her house, listening to her stories next to Hailey, my fingers wrapped around a steaming cup of cocoa. No, that couldn't happen, not when I was stuck in the woods with two people who would slow me down rather than help speed up my search for my parents.
Ember's breath caught, but she regained her senses and patted Chase's back.
"You were joking, right?" She asked.
I gulped. Should I have told her that I mostly wasn't? I mean, would they freak out if I told them about Cana? Speaking of Cana, Chase and Ember are going to have to know that I have a wolf friend. Or else they would get a good scare. I smirked, no one noticing.
"What if I said no?" I asked, and Chase muttered something unexplainable. I got to my feet, looking up at the sky. The clouds up above were clustering together into angry mobs. I had a feeling that I didn't want to wait around until they took their toll on the earth.
"Come on, I'll show you. We'd better be getting to shelter. Those clouds don't look happy." I said, making sure that I had my bow, quiver, knife, and necklace on me. They were supplies too dear to me. I couldn't let go of them, not when they were crucial to killing whoever took my parents. Ember stood up, helping a lazy Chase up to his feet.
I stepped up to a tree, taking my knife out of its sheath and carved a diamond onto the rough bark. I did this with every single tree I came across. That way, I would be able to identify if I had been there. It was a method that helped me search for my parents. My parents had done the same, my mother making circles and my father making triangles. They encouraged the practice since it wouldn't really hurt the trees and it would help me build the strength to remove bark from a tree for a source of food.
"What was that for?" Ember questioned, pulling her face closer to the lines in the tree fiber. She swiped her dainty fingers over the textured bark. I swallowed, saliva filling my mouth. How could I tell her?
"It was something my parents and I did. My mother had wondered how many trees we would come across since we came to the forest. We came up with the idea after that, and it's been going on ever since. It was also a way to figure out where someone was if one of us was lost. The grooves in the bark would tell if the marks were made recently or not. It was pretty useful." I faltered, staring down at my mud-splattered boots.
"It helped you find your parents, didn't it?" Ember questioned. "When they were gone?"
I looked up suddenly, staring at the girl who was too observant for her own good. "Yeah. It still does. I guess I thought if I kept on marking every tree, they'd know that I had been there," I whispered, realizing that it was the one piece of information I kept dear, trying my make myself believe it every day. "Come on, we'd better hurry if we want to stay dry," I said, gazing at the storm-filled sky.
<*>
We trudged through the brown and green expanses, Jumping across roots that made their way in front of me. I was used to the bland grayness that overcame the forest when a storm made way, and fog made its comeback. My mother had taught me long ago not to be afraid of the branches that grabbed at my clothes, the very ones that I had escaped from, tears decorating my face not long after.
"Adrianne, those branches are nothing to be afraid of," she would say, "Isn't it funny how in one light, branches are the things that bring happiness; bearing fruit and leaves that give us the oxygen we are unable to live without? It's only the way you perceive things that can give you a feeling. Good people might have a negative aura, but one might not be able to tell. You have to dig deeper into the situation, find out what is real or not. Think of the situation as the ocean. If you look through the surface, you'll see porcelain utopias, containing people who never had a care in the world. That's what people see, what they choose to believe. When you go deeper, you'll find the truth. But you need to hold your breath, or else what you find can ruin your life. You can take on anything that comes your way, just because you can see what's beneath."
"Adrianne, you have to see the whole picture, not just the perspective you want to see." Her face changed suddenly, and I wondered if she was thinking about our larger than life family- if it had ever been whole.
"Don't trust anyone if your heart tells you not to. Don't rely on someone so much that you'll stumble and fall when they let you go. You're a strong girl, and you must act like it."
I understand, mother. I'll listen to you, no matter what.
I had no idea that I was going to be lying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HULLO! I HAVE A DEDICATION!
This is to veilnebula, who has voted and commented on all of the chapters in this book! Please follow her, she is an amazing person!
Thank you, your comments made my day! Thank you for reading it, and I hope you like this book, along with my others!
<3
- Sree :D
PLZ, VOTE AND COMMENT! I'LL BE GIVING MORE SHOUTOUTS!
BAI!!!! (=^-^=)
-Sree :D
YOU ARE READING
The Huntress Beneath the Stars
Aventura"Addie, darling. Go stay inside of the tent. Lock it. Don't come out. I have to check on your father. He went into the forest and isn't answering. He hasn't even taken his bow and quiver. Something is wrong. Stay here." "But Mum, I-" "Stay. Noth...
