Enchanted Hearts

Chapter 1

Delilah

A terrible scream woke me from my sleep. I immediately sat up and looked around the cave, but I couldn't see mother anywhere. Then I remembered that she was gone. Never again would I see her iridescent green eyes or hear her salubrious laugh, which often made me wonder if she were an angel from heaven. At least I know she is there now, I'm certain of it. I was brought back to earth when I heard the scream again; it was definitely female. Without really thinking, I ran out of the cave entrance, past the dying fire and into the thick forest.

I headed in a Southerly direction, towards where the sound was coming from. It was cool out here so early in the morning, but I hardly noticed it as I was too nervous about what I might find. Nor did I notice as my bare feet traveled over the ground, stepping on sharp stones and through thorn filled bushes. Even though I knew this part of the forest fairly well, I probably shouldn't have just run out there like I did, without a knife or any weapon. It very well could have been a set up, but fortunately fir me, it wasn't.  Finally, I came to a small clearing, where I could see a girl sitting in the centre of the grass field. She was still screaming, so I quietly crept up to the edge of the clearing, peeking out from behind an evergreen tree, but I still couldn't see why. 

The sun was just beginning to come up, its golden rays could only just be seen leaking through the trees, but there was enough light to see the young Virago. I couldn't see anything that indicated a trap or ambush. So, I stepped out from my hiding place and slowly approached the girl. She looked a bit younger than me,with dark wavy hair just past her shoulders. When I was only a few paces away she turned and looked at me with tears streaming down her face and panic in her brown eyes.

"It's okay," I said, "I won't hurt you." I had to help her, whoever she was.

When I knelt down to her foot, which she was holding, I saw what she was screaming about. SHe had run into a giant rabbit trap. The Moxie usually set them up around our houses and camps. Then they would come back to see what they had caught. Whenever a Virago was missing they are presumed to be taken by the Moxie.

The metal was clamped tightly around her ankle, piercing  through her handmade leather shoes. I grabbed a thick stick from the ground and carefully pried the jaws off, and straight away blood started to flow from the wound. It didn't look broken, but could easily have been fractured. 

"I have bandages and food and water back at my campsite. I can take you there now." I said to her as calmly as I could manage. 

"No, I have to keep going." The girl pushed herself up, biting her look to stop herself from crying out. 

"But your foot. How will you walk? My home's not far from here." 

"No... Thank you, but... I just can't."

She ripped a chunk of material from the bottom half of her once white t-shirt off and tied it around her foot. 

"Does it hurt?"

"Only a little, but I am fine."

"The Moxie must have set up that trap. They will probably be back to check on it so, so we better get moving," I told her. 

Her face paled at the mention of a Moxie. She obviously wasn't from the Power House region, all they wanted to do was kill the Moxie. They would never express fear when a Moxie was concerned. Considering her age, shes bound to be a Misfit. Misfits are Outcasts who have formed their own groups. They are generally under the age of 20. Outcasts, like myself, are usually younger because they are the offspring of parents who have been caught meeting with the other human species, which is prohibited. If they get caught they are exiled from their group by their leaders, that's if they're lucky. The unlucky ones are killed. Maybe that's why she's here, to spy on the Moxie Misfits. That would explain why there is a trap down this far South. Most traps are around the Power House region, but that's over 25 kilometres away from here. 

Before walking back into the forest, I turned to the girl. "By the way, I'm Delilah."

"Abigail," she said. She started walking towards the forest edge, trying to disguise her limp. 

"Well, I guess I'll see you 'round sometime, maybe."

"Um... Thanks anyway." She went first into the forest gaining speed as she went. Her dishevelled hair trailing behind her in the wind, was the last I saw of her.