The New Gods

Chapter 5

-A Cottage in the Woods-

Adira awoke to Nicholas shaking her. She gasped for breath. She was covered in sweat and her heart raced like a speeding horse thundering down a slope and slowly coming to a stop.

"Adira? Are you okay?" Nicholas asked, his eyes wide in concern.

"Yeah," Adira responded weakly.

"You were like convulsing. What happened?" Nicholas helped Adira sit up. It was still dark outside. The fire brought heat to her cold chill.

"I...I had a dream-premonition-vision thing. I don't even know. But I saw something bad. I think whatever evil we're supposed to fight...I think I saw it."

Another wave of anxiety washed over her. Fear began crawling up her throat as if whispers in that cavern were trying to get out. Adira gripped the hilt of her sword, turning her knuckles white. She couldn't get the image out of her head. The sounds...

Nicholas stared back at her, not sure of how to respond. Adira didn't even know what else to say. She didn't know how to explain it. She blinked a few times, coming back to the present. She turned to Nicholas.

"It's your turn to rest. I'll keep watch. I don't think I could fall asleep again even if I tried." Nicholas seemed unsure about leaving her alone, but finally his body overtook him and he quickly fell asleep.

Adira sighed and rested her head on her knees. She added a few more sticks to the fire. Time seemed to go faster in the darkness, because soon the sun was rising. Or had Nicholas let Adira rest longer than she told him to?

Adira let him sleep another hour or so. She woke him up and they shared a bag of goldfish and a couple granola bars. And they were back on their feet. Again.

Adira studied Nicholas as they walked. They were side by side now. She wondered if he had had any dream visions while he slept. If he did, he didn't say anything about it. His nice button-up shirt and black tie were covered in dirt. His light brown hair was disheveled and hanging a bit in front of his face. Why did this make him look attractive?  Adira thought, but quickly shook the idea away. She barely knew this kid. 

But she did want to say something. She wanted to get to know this boy she was on a life or death adventure with. She just wasn't sure how to start the conversation. She wasn't sure of her place with him. 

"So," she said, grabbing the straps on her backpack, "what's your hobby?" Adira wanted to smack herself. What's your hobby?

Nicholas smiled. "Uh," he chuckled. "I like to go boating. And I like watching movies and shows. I'm not sure if that counts as a hobby."

"Oh, cool. I would say it does. Since I do the same thing. I mean, the watching movies thing." Adira bit her lip and smiled.

"What else? What other hobbies do you have?"

Adira sighed. "Eh, I don't know. I guess you could say reading? I never really found myself to be a hobby person."

Nicholas turned and put a hand on her shoulder. Adira internally flinched at the contact. She wasn't expecting that. "It just means you haven't found what suits you yet. I'm sure you will."

Adira cocked a brow. "How are you so confident?" she suddenly asked. Nicholas removed his hand and breathed in. She knew she just hit a sore spot. She was about to take back her words when he spoke.

"Look, I-I'm not. At my school, I've always been known as a scaredy cat or weakling. Growing up, I was bullied for being shy and quiet. And I've been stuck like that forever since.