Arianna smiled at us as we approached her, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was worried. She handed Sadie a list. “These are all the kids you need to get and bring back to me.” She handed me another list. “How am I supposed to find these kids?” Sadie asked, looking confused. Arianna smiled at her. “you’ll know how to find them like Hanger knew how to find me.” She turned to me. “Now, these are all the boys you need to bring back to me. They need to be unharmed.” She said, narrowing her eyes.
“What makes you think they won’t be?” I asked. “Well, two of them are twins, and boys can get a bit rowdy. My, you have been in the castle a while, haven’t you?” she said, muttering the last part half to her self. She stepped back and looked us over. “Yes, you’ll do just fine. You best be on your way, before….uh, they find out you’re going.” She said, frowning. I didn’t bother to ask. I looked down at Sadie, terrified to let her go. She studied my face and looked down to the feelings she could see so well in my face, that I tried to hide from so many. She smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.
“Have fun. If one of them so much as punches you in the face, they’re dead.” She said, smiling. I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure that would go over great if my girlfriend kicked there butts for me.” I said, leaning down to kiss her. She broke it off and glanced at Arianna, who scurried out of the room. She pulled me down to look her in the eyes, but instead I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. She stroked my cheek and I rested my head on top of hers, savoring her sweet scent. She looked up at me.
“I love you, Hanger, so you better get back to me as soon as possible.” She said. I had never said I love you to any one, but I didn’t hesitate now. “I love you, too. Have a good time with your little rug rats.” I set her down. She smiled one last time, leaving me with that warm feeling inside, and I returned it, then she hurried out the door, leaving me behind. “My job is harder!” I called after her. All I heard was her laugh.
A few minutes later, I had pulled my self together enough to leave. Arianna stepped in my path just before I walked out the door. “You must be careful. Yours and Sadie’s lives are more important than you know.” She hissed, then whisked away down a dark hall. I shook my head. She was worse than Yoda when it came to her fortunes. I wished I had brought that book along with me. Out side, the sun was high in the sky, shining down warmly on my back. That was among my favorite feelings, Sadie’s kiss being the first one. I sighed and wished she were here. I started walking randomly, letting the works of Arianna pull me in the right direction. Rex was gone, and I hoped he had gone with Sadie. At least she would have some thing to at least warn her when danger was near. I shook my head, the feeling of loneness suddenly oppressing me. It was going to be along trip. I pulled out the list of names Arianna had given me.
Liam and Nicco O’Shea was the first name. I could only assume that these were the twins Arianna had told me about. I was going to get. I listened to the sound of the out doors, and found my self comparing it to the stony silence of the castle, the dark passages and smelly corridors, the high spire where I slept and the black gate that was so treacherous. I realized we hadn’t seen any creatures lately. I forgot to ask Arianna about the man that Sadie had injured, and chuckled at the memory. It was foolish to worry about her, I reminded my self, but I couldn’t help it. Especially when she had seven little kids running around all over the place. I sighed again and set my in don the task of walking silently. Anything to keep my mind off of Sadie and what I was doing.
******
By that night, I was completely miserable, and the strong pulling feeling was getting stronger. Arianna must have put them in the order of who was closest and who was furthest, because they couldn’t be far now. I hadn’t bothered to light a fire, and was trying to enjoy the darkness, which normally made me feel better. I couldn’t seem to relax though. It was still hard to be on my own again. It felt like some cruel joke being played on me, giving me a taste of companionship, then ripping it away as soon as it had come and dangling it in front of me. I climbed a tree and leaned my back against the bark and shut my eyes, trying to get some sleep. It didn’t work out well.
After a night of restlessness and almost falling out of a tree, I climbed down and stretched. The first thing I did was look around for Sadie, but then I remembered she wasn’t with me. I opened the strange bag that Arianna had given me, and reached carefully in for bag of cereal on the top. I was amazed at how loud everything seemed when there wasn’t some one else around. I looked up at the over cast sky and started trekking the right direction again.
I would love to tell you what happened next was some epic battle, but it wasn’t. You can’t tell me right now that this part of my story is riveting, but I had to add it in. Anyways, hours later, I was lost in thought about a certain someone when the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I didn’t show that I felt anything. Suddenly, out of the brush, popped a rather large creature with the head of a lion, the legs of a horse, wings, and the body of a…something. A dinosaur, maybe. It was hideous, but I wasn’t that surprised to see it. It launched its self at me, and I have to say, I was glad to have some entertainment. I flicked my hand held one finger up in the theatrical way that I used to love, letting the thing hover twenty feet in the air. It twisted and writhed as it tried to fall to the ground. So I let it. It crashed to the ground, landing on all fours, but before it could do anything else I sent it flying, back and forth until it was disoriented, then sent it flying into a tree. It lied limp on the ground, not moving. I walked past it. Who ever was after us was going to have to do better than that.
After a while, I came to a massive shopping plaza. I couldn’t see a way around it that wouldn’t bring attention to my self, judging by the gang type people on one side and the group of men sorting through a big truck with a sign that said “no entry”, so I simply decided to cut through the wall. There had to be some sort of back door. Unfortunately, I ended up in a small boutique where a tall blonde girl approached me. She blinked at me.
“Can I help you?” she asked in a low voice. She smiled and tossed her hair over one shoulder. I thought of the day Sadie had told me about the girl in that store flirting with e and smiled. The girl looked dazed, and almost fell over backwards. That was first. I wondered what was wrong with her, trying to ignore the constant thoughts on my head about Sadie. She was fine, I was sure
YOU ARE READING
Lonely
Paranormal~c o m p l e t e d~ When seventeen year old Sadie literally stumbles into a thought to be abandoned castle, she discovers it far from abandoned. Inside, she discovers complete darkness, monsters that should never be real, and a strange boy, seventee...
