The Fade

4

Nightfall catches us in the middle of yet another forest. This one is much denser than the last, and not in a good way. It's nearly impossible to go two steps without tripping over a root or lodging your foot in some kind of hole. Don't even get me started on the bugs.

We continue on in a miserable silence, though I'm sure we all have an intense inner monologue going on. I know I do.

Sander curses, flying forward as his foot catches on another hidden tree root. "That's it," he says, springing back up and dusting himself off. "We need to find some place to spend the night. One of us is gonna get killed if we keep going like this."

"So what? We're climbing trees again?"

"My limbs will fall off if you make me climb a tree," Lis says.

"Alright, then does anyone have anything against just sleeping on the ground? As long as we have someone on watch, it shouldn't make such a big difference." When no one complains, Sander throws his bag down. "Fine. Who wants to keep watch first?"

I volunteer, even though I'd like nothing more than to crawl under my blanket and go to sleep. Oh well. At least I get to sit.

My three-hour shift passes uneventfully, but I'm still eager to wake Ori for her turn.

The sounds of crickets lull me to sleep.

It feels like only minutes later that Ori shakes me away. "Don't freak out, just hurry and gather up your stuff," she whispers.

"Why?"

"I... I saw something. Well, someone. They're coming."

How am I supposed to not freak out?

My heart pounds as I hastily wad up my blanket and stuff it in my bag. The others are already on their feet, clutching their weapons and scanning the forest.

I'm suddenly aware of how dark and foggy it is.

Navigating the forest just got so much more difficult.

A twig snaps somewhere nearby, and without warning, my friends burst into a run.

I'm pondering the phenomena of us not tripping over anything when suddenly my feet are no longer beneath me.

My face is down in the dirt before I can even get my arms up to catch myself.

For the briefest moment, I lay still, listening as my friends' feet continue pounding away, leaving me.

And the steps behind me draw nearer.

I quickly scoot sideways, hoping that the undergrowth will be enough to hide me from whoever's chasing us.

The footsteps hurry closer, and I flatten myself to the ground, holding my breath for what seems like forever.

Eventually the person passes me, barely slowing. Their ragged breathing fades as the distance between the two of us increases.

"Thank you, God," I mutter, rolling onto my side.

"Actually, my name's Jamison."

I can't help it; I let out the loudest scream of my life.

The boy grins back at me from behind a screen of ivy and ferns. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"What the hell?" I wish I could punch him, but that's not really possible in my current position. "Are you trying to make that person come back here? Do you have a death wish?"

He laughs, and I hate how much I like the sound.

It reminds me of happier times, of late nights around bonfires, afternoons on the beach, half-drunken parties in Ori's basement.

"No, I just saw an opportunity and I took it."

"Why are you here?" I hiss, trying to inconspicuously remove my knife from my bag.

"Same as you, I suspect. Hiding. The forest is a sketchy place to be in the middle of the night. I don't really care to run into anyone who chooses to be here."

I roll my eyes. "Then why are you hiding here?"

"Well, stupid as it sounds, I've been wandering around in here for probably a day now, can't find my way out. So here I am. Hiding under a bush, probably laying on poison ivy, waiting for dawn."

"You're right. That sounds very stupid."

"Thanks." He's quiet for a while. "By the way, you might as well leave your knife where it is. I've got one too, and I'd rather not have to use it."

Oh, I'd definitely punch him if we weren't stuck under a bush.

"So what's your name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your name. I already told you mine. Seems fair for you to return the favor."

"I don't owe you anything."

"Yet."

"What?"

"Your name?"

I sigh. "Halle. Happy?"

"Your last name is Happy?"

Without another word, I try to roll out from the tangled undergrowth. Needless to say, it doesn't go so well.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I swear I'll stop." His voice moves, first away from me, then toward me again. A warm hand grabs mine. "Here." He doesn't give more warning than that, instead immediately yanking me up.

I gasp as soon as my left foot takes my weight and nearly fall over again.

"Yeah, you probably sprained that when you tripped."

"You heard that?" I ask with a wince.

"Saw it, too. Very graceful."

I give him a good, hard punch, just like Cass taught me.

He laughs, but at least he still rubs at the spot like it kind of hurt.

"Okay, well, nice meeting you, but I need to find my friends. They kept going after I fell."

"Some friends."

I hit him again. "We were being chased. I don't... I don't blame them."

He shrugs. "Your friends, your call."

The forest seems to be a degree lighter, and I take a few seconds to look around. Fortunately, they left a trampled-down path, so it shouldn't be too hard to follow their progress.

I try putting weight on my ankle again and let out a hiss of pain. "Crap."

"Want help?"

"No." I don't know why I'm suddenly so defensive, but something about this impishly cute boy lurking in the forest makes the alarm bells in my head go off like crazy.

"Suit yourself." He stays put as I hobble off in the direction my friends went.

I get a whole nine steps before he says, "Would it interest you to know I have information about the Fade?"

That certainly gets my attention. "What kind of information?"

He offers me another mischievous smile. "See, that's the kind of thing travel buddies might share."

I just can't win with him, can I?

"Fine! You can come along. Just... try to be a little less annoying."

"I'll try." There's a slight skip in his step as he catches up with me, and his smile grows as he slings my arm around his neck. "Ready, buddy?"

I sigh. "Ready."

*** ***

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