Existence

Chapter 7

Sarah woke up feeling a huge blanket wrapped around her. She blearily opened her eyes only to close them again with a groan as a bright light glared right at her. She figured she was back in her room, tangled in the bedsheets as sunlight streamed in through the open curtains of her window. Any moment now her mother was going to call her down to breakfast.

"You awake, Sar?" A voice that was definitely not her mother asked.

'Casey?' Sarah thought. 'What's he doing in my room?' Turning onto her other side, a rustling sound reached her ears. It was then that she realized that she wasn't lying down on her soft, warm bed.

With a sharp intake of breath, Sarah opened her eyes and quickly sat up, giving herself a head rush. Through her dizziness, she found herself sitting beside a large tree root a good distance away from the dying campfire. Sarah glanced up at the canopy of leaves high above her where small rays of sunlight poured in through the gaps.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Casey was rummaging through a small knapsack a few feet to her left. He paused briefly to give her a bright smile.

Sarah groaned and leaned back against the tree root. Wiggling around, she managed to remove the cloth wrapped around her—a gray cloak that probably belonged to Casey.

"You okay?" Casey frowned, concerned by her lack of words.

"Fine," Sarah muttered with a sigh. "It's just... for a moment I thought this was all a dream."

"A dream?" Casey studied her with what looked like a wry smile. "No, this definitely isn't a dream, Sar. You're in Adventia with me and Alex and Byron and Azazel."

"Mhm," Sarah mumbled, closing her eyes. "Here in Adventia where my brother is being held captive by people who apparently are also after me." She sighed and glanced around. "Where are the others anyway?"

"They haven't come back yet," he replied, sitting down next to Sarah and offering her an apple. Noticing her troubled expression, he added, "Come on, Sar, don't look so down. I told you, we've faced worse. The team's been doing this for nine years."

Sarah took the apple from him and froze just as she was about to take a bite. "Nine years? Nine?! But then... you're saying Jed and Alex have been part of this since they were fifteen and sixteen? And you—"

"Whoa, not me." Casey put his hands up in surrender as he stood to get another apple from his knapsack. "I was only six, too young to join the team. But my brother was eighteen so... I'm kind of familiar with this stuff all the same. Nothing can catch me off guard."

Out of nowhere, Byron dropped down next to him, his dark hair ruffled up and a disgruntled look on his face.

"Holy Felar." Casey took a few steps backward in surprise and briefly glanced up at the tree, as if expecting more people to suddenly drop in.

Byron's rumpled outfit was covered in grass stains, his brown cloak ripped down the middle. He even had a few twigs in his hair, although it could've recently come from the willow tree.

Getting over his initial shock, Casey sighed and muttered under his breath, "Except for Byron, apparently." He offered Byron an apple. "So how'd it—"

The archer pushed past him without a word, unslinging his empty quiver. Sarah noticed that he didn't have his bow anymore. Had he lost it again last night? And where were Alex and Azazel?

As soon as the thought entered Sarah's mind, Alex barged through the curtain of leaves, an irritated expression on his face. His brown eyes scanned the campsite before landing on Byron, who was currently refilling his quiver with arrows. The scowl on Alex's face deepened and he crossed his arms in front of him.