The Spirit Guardians Book 1: Enlightened

Chapter 8

The forest was quieter today than normal. Cassie sat on the stump of an old pine tree that had fallen years before, watching as ants scurried across the forest floor. Branches swayed in the wind, creating a cool breeze that tickled her hair.

She laid her hands into her lap and shut her eyes, embracing the scene around her. Training had already finished for the day, leaving Cassie on her own for the afternoon. It had been three weeks now since she had come to the cabin, and while she was slowly whipping into shape and adjusting to her new life, her mind still thought of her family every passing moment of the day.

She had taken a liking to coming out into the woods alone. While Conny and Lillian tried to make her feel as welcome as possible, she still felt lonely and distant most of the time. Out here, she could happily sit in solitude with her thoughts.

Crunch. Crunch.

Cassie glanced down at the ground as the footsteps neared her. She supposed it was just Lillian telling her that the shower was open. But as they drew closer, she caught sight of light blue shoes with dirty white laces. She glanced up, staring at Irene.

Irene's hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she had the faintest bags under her eyes from the sleep-deprived struggles of caring for an infant. Cassie hadn't realized before how beautiful Irene actually was, even in her tired state.

"Hi," she said, a bit surprised to see Irene out in the woods.

Irene rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I could use your help. I'm going to the store, and I left Lillian in charge of Elijah, but she could use some assistance. If it doesn't bother you too much, could you watch him too?"

Cassie was shocked that she had even considered asking her for help, but she slowly nodded.

"Thanks," Irene grumbled. "I won't be gone long."

"Hey, Irene," she said as Irene walked past her.

The blonde spun around.

"Why'd you ask me for help? Wouldn't you as Marc or Conny? Or Miguel?"

"Miguel is meeting me out here and coming with me. Conny is at Cherie's, and frankly, I don't trust Marc with children. As much as I hate to admit it, Elijah hasn't wailed at you yet, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Anyway, I'm off. Thanks."

"Oh, okay. Bye," Cassie said. She paused at the strange interaction. Irene had actually been sort of kind toward her.

She sat up, brushing dirt off her legs, and made her way back to the cabin. Already the surrounding area was becoming familiar to her, and she thought that maybe one day she'd know it as well as the others.

But I'm leaving after my family gets back, she told herself. She'd thought long and hard about it, and it didn't make sense to continue staying with everyone if her family returned. She hadn't connected that closely to anyone, and she especially didn't feel any connection to the Guardians.

She let out a sigh and walked up the porch, the wooden steps creaking beneath her feet. The patio door open, and out came Marc. His hands were in the pocket of his brown shorts.

"Hey," he called as Cassie walked past him.

She grasped the patio door and spun around. "Hey."

"I was going on a walk," he explained. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Oh, uh...I would, but, Irene asked me to help watch Elijah," Cassie answered awkwardly.

"Oh." He glanced down, then shrugged. "It's okay. Have fun," he said as he took off.