The Hidden | ✅

Chapter Twenty-Three

Victor, who was in wolf form, sniffed around at the ground for a while before he snorted and jerked his head north. We'd given up trying to find a river or stream on our own and had realized that Victor could probably smell water from miles away.

As it turns out, we were going in the completely opposite direction.

Alex glanced back at me to make sure I was keeping up, which I was. Evanora was keeping pace with Victor up in front. Victor shifted back into his human form in the blink of an eye and said. "We're close. I can tell. The smell is really strong now."

Evanora nodded. "I can kind of here it."

Alex jerked his head upwards in recognition and Victor morphed again before prancing off to find the water source that he smelled. Evanora was right. You could hear it if you listened closely.

I smiled a bit as I remembered going hiking with my mom and dad as a little girl. We would trek for hours in woods like these, joking and laughing until we would reach a creek or stream. Then we'd sit, drink from our canteens, and enjoy the view in silence.

But then I remembered why we were out here. We weren't hiking. We were on the run. We weren't going to have time to enjoy the view, lest we risk getting caught. This was nothing like hiking trips.

"Circe, you have to stop telling me that you're good."

I looked up and into Alex's worried eyes. "Something's eating at you. I can tell."

I looked down at my feet. "I swear, Alex. I'm-"

"No you're not. Don't tell me that you're okay, or everything is fine when it's not." I sighed and tried to walk past him and catch up with Evanora and Victor but Alex grabbed my wrist and I stopped in my tracks. "Circe, please."

"Alex I don't want to talk about it, okay."

"But you need to! You can't let these feelings consume you! It's draining you, okay! Just let me be here for you! Let me be here for you right now like you were there for me last night!"

My previous look soon softened up and I looked up at the sky with a sigh. My worries were supposed to be the least of his problems, yet here he was, putting me and my emotions first.

"I don't want to burden you. It's not that serious." I muttered.

He let his hand slip from my wrist and softly grasp my hand. "If it bothers you, it is serious." He said.

I found myself giving a faint smile. Alex rubbed his thumbs across my knuckles softly. "Now let's talk, alright?"

I nodded. "It's just...everything reminds me of my parents now and it's starting to really get to me." I began. "Whenever I look at the trees I see my dad. Whenever I look at flowers, I see my mom. And it's not just those two things either, those are just examples. And then my mind starts to spiral and I start thinking about what they're doing at the moment and what they're thinking and how they're feeling and if they think that I betrayed them an-" I cut myself off as I realized what I was doing.

I sigh escaped my lips. "I know I told you that I don't want my life to change one bit, but, to be honest, I just wish that I at least still had my parents."

He hugged me close before saying, "its fine, Circe. These past two months have been undeniably hectic for you and you want some normality. That's understandable."

It was silent between us for a moment before he said, "I know that the feeling of ordinariness seems so far off and distant, but, if you think about it, it's right here. We are our own ordinariness. Me, you, Vic, Nora, we don't have to give up our powers to be normal."

I sniffled and smiled up at him. "Thanks Alex."

He smirked at me in return. "Anytime."

The crashing and thudding of footprints made us aware that Victor and Evanora were headed our way. The two teens greeted us with wide, smiling faces.

"WE FOUND THE WATER!" They grinned in unison.

Alex chuckled at their enthusiasm.

"Well," I began with a smile of my own, "Lead the way."