Willow

Travel Pilot

There was a slight gasp, and then open eyes.

She was awake, after ten hours of hibernation. Her glazed eyes were rubbed again by her petite hand before she realized she wasn't in the woods anymore.

Or near any trees at all for that matter.

I couldn't take any chances. With her growing power, she was too dangerous to be anywhere near nature. So we were in the least nature like place on earth: a New York airport. Almost no one was here, being one in the morning.

She looked around, her ridiculously long hair moving like a flag engulfed with wind power. It looked good for a person who probably didn't know what a shower was. In fact, it looked like it belonged to one of those hair advertisements. Her eyes almost glowed through the dark. The first time I saw her near the creak, I didn't believe those eyes were real. They highly resembled an emerald, sparkling as the sunlight hit them.

She managed to push herself up to a sitting position on the bench she was on. Her waist was surprisingly thin, even ten feet away. I watched her from a tiny phone charger stall. As soon as my phone gave a reassuring hum, I quickly walked towards her, masking the sound of my footsteps on the mat layed on the tile floor. She must've seen motion from the corner of her eye, as she turned towards me. Her ankle long hair spun in the air as her head quickly turned.

"You!" She said in an accusing voice. "What did you do to me? Where am I?"

"I saved your life." I answered, trying my best to match her cute display of "intimidation". I'm actually surprised she knew how to speak English. I expected her to sing a chorus of squirrel chirps and crow caws when I first saw her.

"You haven't answered my questions." She said in her best mimic of a growl. Apparently, she hasn't met the need to sound angry before.

"I simply put you to sleep so you wouldn't fight when put you in a safe place. As for the second part, you have had your first visit to New York City! Congratulations!"

Her confused frown told me she didn't know anything about what I had just said. In fact, I don't think she knew anything about human history.

"Why did you?" She asked in the most sincere hurt I've heard in years.

I felt bad for doing it for a minute, a morsel of a moment. But then I remembered with crushing truth that if I hadn't, she would have been killed. The world's greatest gift would have been destroyed in a mere second. They had found her and were planning to burn the whole forest, a result from an "accidental" wild fire.

I open my mouth to answer her, but then I realized that something was different. Something changed.

My head instinctively swerved to the left. Right then I spotted it. The security camera that was turned in the opposite direction for not more than a second ago was now staring me in the face. In fact, every cam was turned to look in our direction. We were being watch, but by whom? It hit me with crushing realization; the very man I hoped to never see again was probably observing our every move, looking at us as a scientist would a specimen.

"We have to go." I said as quietly as I could to prevent unwanted ears to hear.

"I'm not going anywhere unless we're going to my home!" She yelled defiantly.

I cursed under my breath. They were onto us. Simultaneously, each of the cams shut down, limply hanging from their post. Clicks of concealed weapons were heard from above, making the message clear: try anything, and you're dead.

"Get behind me, NOW!" I hissed at her.

Sensing that this was not a wise time to object, she tentatively slipped behind my back.