Secret Silver | hiatus

ii. Silas Bridges

"Run!"

Maya was shouting, her otherwise calm voice dripping with urgency and desperation. Her wide blue eyes darted back and forth between me and the trees behind us, the same trees that concealed imminent danger.

We were in the middle of the forest, each direction seeming to be the same. I trusted Maya; she was skilled at navigating.

"Zara, dammit, we need to get out of here!"

I was frozen in place. Oliver and Maya were pleading desperately, tugging my arms at an attempt to bring me out of my trance.

The image of the warehouse exploding played over and over again in my mind. My mother was in there when the building went up in flames. She sacrificed herself to save countless people, but in that moment, her life mattered to me more than theirs. Call me selfish or twisted or inhumane.

"She's gone, Zara."

Oliver's voice was shaking. His words brought the walls surrounding my trance crumbling down. He was right.

I looked down at the journal in my hand—the last piece I'd ever have of my mother.

And I ran.

The scene was playing like a broken tape in my mind. The building exploding. Oliver and Maya shouting.

Then:

Sirens.

Blaring sirens getting louder and louder.

Heaving, the pitter-patter of rain as it met with rooftops in the distance, and thunder somewhere among the strange clouds.

I inhaled sharply, jolting upwards with the breath.

Confusion settled over me as I frantically searched my surroundings.

The last thing I remembered were his green eyes.

Now, I was sat on the wet grass, in front of a burning building, my chest in pain.

My gaze fell to my left, and there he lay.

The boy from the diner. The one with pain in his eyes and no one to share it with. The one who saved me?

A sudden rush of anger washed over me.

Who did he think he was? I didn't want to be saved.

His curls were now dark gray, covered with soot, which also stained his otherwise clean face, the slight movements of his chest rising and falling being the only indication that he was alive.

I reached out and placed two fingers on his neck. Once I felt his pulse was strong, I loosened the bow-tie around his neck and turned him so that he was laying on his side.

He was going to be fine.

My eyes fell down to his wallet, which was sticking out from his pocket. I didn't know what drove me to open it and inspect its contents. There were a few business cards, a license, and about ten dollars cash.

I wanted to know more about this boy. Maybe that's the reason for why I took one of the cards. Among the other information on the card stood out a name in bold.

Silas Bridges

The sound of vehicles screeching to a stop made me jump into action. With one last look at the person who had changed the destiny I tried so hard to hold on to, I turned and ran. I ran into the darkness, unaware of where my weak legs were carrying me.

Where was I going to go? I had no idea. Oliver and Maya knew they had to disappear after that day, so they did. Part of me was jealous of them. They didn't have to carry the weight of the secrets that I was entrusted with.

All I knew was that I had to leave the site before anyone saw me. My dress was ripped and I was running out of breath quickly, so I skidded to a stop, leaning on a tree for support.

Something didn't feel right. I stared down at the card in my hand and realized that my other one felt empty.

The journal.

Panic.

I spun on my heels, begging my body to carry me back to where I left the boy. Adrenaline pumped through my blood. My body was too weak to be running, but at that moment, nothing mattered more than the journal.

I stopped at the familiar hill. They had put out the fire, and the spot where I had woken up was now empty. He was gone.

Tears brimmed my eyes and I felt blackness nearly conquer my vision. I fell to my knees, screaming into the night.

I looked down at the business card through my blurred vision, tears threatening to spill over.

Silas.

I had to find him.