The Ringmaster's Keeper

Chapter 15: Trick

I run into the wall of trees and and remember about Autumn. I turn to go get her, but find her just behind me.

"Go back to the house. If I don't come back by midnight, tell everyone about what's happened." She nods and runs back to the hatch.

"Hey, wait up." I said, being cautious about where I step. I was walking forward looking down at the ground when I bumped into him.

"You right there?" He asked as he looked down at me. I blushed but I don't think he could see me in the dark. "Come on, my house is this way." He got a torch out and shone it on the ground. I could see the crystal hanging in his hand, so close yet so far. He turned and started walking up the hill, deeper into the trees. I struggled behind him because he took such large steps with his long legs. I had to jog to keep up with him. I was jogging to his side. He must've seen me struggling and slowed to a stop.

"Oh, sorry, am I walking to fast?"

"Yeah, just a bit." I said sarcastically. He slowed to my pace and was swinging the crystal in his hand.

"My name's Jayden by the way.

"What's that?" I said pointing to something that didn't exist. I tried sounding convincing but wasn't very good at it.

"What? Where?" He shone the light in the direction that I pointed. As he did, I kicked him in the back of the knees and he feel to the ground. He dropped the torch and it landed facing away from him. I jumped onto him and ripped the crystal from his hands. He screeched and threw me off him. I flew through the air and hit a tree. I fell to the ground with a thud. I couldn't breath, my face was dug into the dirt. I rolled over and felt a warm trickle come down my face. Oh dear. I was bleeding. He came over to me and picked me up and I was cradled against his warm, breathing chest. He was running with me in his arms. I felt my head bumping up and down, pain shooting through my neck every time it did. I couldn't see much, everything was hazy, and I kept fazing in and out of consciousness. One minute I was still in the forest, sitting in his arms safety, the next I was lying on a table with a woman leaning over me looking at my head, then it all went black.

"- she?" I just woke up and I heard voices talking. I was sore all over and was still lying on the table.

"Yeah, I think she knows."

"How did she get hurt?" a female voice asked.

"Umm, I kinda threw her against a tree."

"What? Why?"

"She tackled me and I kinda flipped out."

"I don't think we can keep her, she knows too much." the female said solemnly. I stiffened when I realised that she was probably talking about me. I moved ever so slightly and she must've noticed. She came over to me and put on a fake motherly voice.

"It's good I know first-aid Jayden, otherwise I don't know whether we could've saved her..." she stopped and started stroking my hair.

"I'm sorry about my pupil, he can't really control his strength." She looked at me and I just moaned in reply. I slowly got drowsy again and fell asleep as Jayden lay me onto a soft bed.