Far from the Sea

The Boys

Liesel packed a bag with enough supplies to last for several days.

She planned to venture into uncharted territory. Lacking her navigator, she needed a way to ensure she could find her way back.

Red berries grew in abundance in the forest. She'd kept her distance from them, fearing that they were poisonous, but perhaps they could be of use. She filled a cloth sack to the brim with them and lugged her haul back to the treehouse. Industriously, she ground crushed them, mixing their juice with soil to create a vibrant red paint. By late afternoon, her hands were sore and stained crimson and her back had gone stiff from hunching over, but the burning resolve inside her had not diminished. She washed, forced herself to eat, and went to bed. At first light, she set off for the unexplored areas where she hoped to find Kai, smearing red berry paint on the bark of trees that she passed.

Her strength held up for most of the morning, but she grew tired from carrying the weight of a full pack. Still, she pressed on. She heard the sound of moving water and knew she was close to the stream. Drat. Her intended path had deviated from the stream's course. How had she come back around to it? A quick glance at her surroundings showed no trees bearing the red mark. She sighed in relief that at least she'd not been walking in circles. Then came another sound - one she did not expect. A voice. It spoke lowly, but it was unmistakably male. "Kai?" she murmured. She broke out in a run, slowing as she neared the water's edge and strained to listen. No, not once voice. Two. Both belonged to men, but neither held Kai's warm lilt.

She wasn't sure who these people were or what they were doing in the forest. Were they associated with the red-haired stranger? She hung back in the bushes to ascertain their intentions. A tall man paced the stream bank. He drug a hand through his hair, making his curls stand on end. Mud caked the bottom of his dark trousers. When he turned, she was shocked to find that he wore the face of a boy not any older than her. She wondered if he'd gotten lost on his travels, but he had no bag in his possession. Perhaps he was from a settlement nearby. Liesel's mind whirred with possibilities. If there was a settlement, then perhaps Kai was there. Maybe he had gotten injured in the forest and was in their care recovering.

Or maybe they were holding him prisoner, seeing his presence as an intruder in their lands. Were the people dangerous? Or for that matter, was the boy himself dangerous? She saw no weapons, but the bushes obscured her range of vision. They could have been tossed behind a rock or tree, easily grabbed to fend off a sudden threat.

One boy stood before her, but hadn't she heard two voices?

As soon as the thought entered her head, her fears manifested into reality. A set of strong arms seized her, one wrapping around her waist, and the other silencing her screams. The boy at the water's edge whirled around. His eyes scanned the tree line and settled on the thrashing motion in the bushes. He ran to his companion, aiding him to subdue the wild girl. Liesel did not make the job easy. Though she wasn't at full strength, she employed every ounce of will that she had: kicking, jerking, and wrenching her body in an effort to get free. The man that was holding her hissed near her ear. "Stop it! Stop fighting or I'll have to hurt you."

"Shut up, Bran," the first boy told his companion. He faced Liesel with wide, sincere eyes. "We're not going to hurt you, but you have to calm down. Just calm down, okay?" His arms reached for her.

Her captor's hand clamped down harder on to her mouth. She jerked her chin, moving her mouth into position to draw in a finger. Her teeth found purchase and bit down until she tasted metal in her mouth. Bran roared and threw her to the ground to nurse his injury.

She spat the blood from her mouth and scrambled onto her feet. Her efforts to run away were thwarted when was she knocked down hard from behind. The other boy, the one who'd tried to reason with her, laid atop her. He pinned her to the ground, apologizing all the while. "I'm sorry but I can't let you go. I'm not going to hurt you. Please stop fighting me."