have done something!”
“I told him we should find a way to let you
know. He refused. He said Braw would be watching to see if anyone
looked about to go to you with a message. Brice didn’t want to lead
him to you. He also said that if you thought he was alive that you
might come for him cause you were stubborn like that. He didn’t
want you risking your life by coming to save his.”
Jasper chuckled behind me and I turned to
look at him.
“Sorry. I could just picture him saying that.
You know, he’d have that look where he rolled his eyes? That one he
got every time you would ignore what we told you and you would do
as you pleased?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I remember it. I
also know which look he’ll have on his face when we get him out of
that cell.”
Jasper smiled. “He’ll glare at you, take a
deep breath, then kiss you on the forehead and say ‘Hayden, you
have to start thinking before you do things. You’re just lucky
things worked out this time’. He never can stay mad at you.”
“No matter what happens once we get up there,
we have to get him out.”
He nodded. “We will.”
“Should we head to camp and pack up? We could
get another half day of travelling in before darkness falls.”
Rainen was looking up at the sky.
“Yes, let’s get going. What is it? Another
week until we get to Howel?” I couldn’t laugh at William for
getting lost. I was no better.
Rainen nodded.
“So, Steven, what’s your story?” I fell in
step with him. I looked up at him and took in his light hair and
blue eyes. Appearance wise he couldn’t have been more than twenty,
but the haunted look in his eyes made him look much older.
He looked back at me, his smile less than
cheerful. “I crossed over when I was ten. I was one of the lucky
ones that actually managed to survive long enough for someone to
find me that wasn’t human.” He looked back to the path we were on.
“I was sitting by a river, fishing, when a man and a woman came by.
They introduced themselves and asked me what my name was, where my
parents were. I remember trying to be brave and to act like I
belonged there. When I tried lying and saying that my family was
just a little ways away, I broke down. The woman sat down beside me
and asked me if I had crossed over from a different world. She said
it like it was an everyday thing here. I nodded and she looked at
the man. He nodded and the next thing I knew they had sort of
adopted me. They were Namaels. Cheetahs. They already had a
daughter who was eleven. For a while, life was great. I mean, don’t
get me wrong, I missed my mom and dad, but I got used to the idea
that there was no going back and Charlie and Patty were great to
me.” His eyes narrowed.
“We were out hunting one day. I was seventeen
then. Tess used to bug me because I was so slow, but I always
managed to help put food on the table. I’m decent with a bow and
arrow. We were busy gutting a deer we had brought down when six
beings came strolling toward us. Dad was polite, he always was, and
invited them to stay for supper. Our cabin wasn’t very big, but
they took him up on his offer to stay in the barn for the night.
They waited until we were all sleeping.” He looked at me and back
at the trail.
“I heard Tess scream.” His jaw tightened and
he swallowed hard. “I jumped out of bed and almost tripped over Dad
and Mom when I got to the living room. They were tied up on the
floor. Someone hit me over the back of the head and then I don’t
remember much for a while. Every time we would wake up they would
make us drink this awful tasting drink. It would knock me out every
time. Then one morning I woke up and I was in a cell, alone. I
called out and Dad called back to me. They had put the three of
them in a separate cell. I remember asking if Tess was ok. I could
hear her crying. Mom said she would be fine. That’s when he walked
in, Braw, acting all fatherly and concerned, telling me how I had
been misled but was
“I told him we should find a way to let you
know. He refused. He said Braw would be watching to see if anyone
looked about to go to you with a message. Brice didn’t want to lead
him to you. He also said that if you thought he was alive that you
might come for him cause you were stubborn like that. He didn’t
want you risking your life by coming to save his.”
Jasper chuckled behind me and I turned to
look at him.
“Sorry. I could just picture him saying that.
You know, he’d have that look where he rolled his eyes? That one he
got every time you would ignore what we told you and you would do
as you pleased?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I remember it. I
also know which look he’ll have on his face when we get him out of
that cell.”
Jasper smiled. “He’ll glare at you, take a
deep breath, then kiss you on the forehead and say ‘Hayden, you
have to start thinking before you do things. You’re just lucky
things worked out this time’. He never can stay mad at you.”
“No matter what happens once we get up there,
we have to get him out.”
He nodded. “We will.”
“Should we head to camp and pack up? We could
get another half day of travelling in before darkness falls.”
Rainen was looking up at the sky.
“Yes, let’s get going. What is it? Another
week until we get to Howel?” I couldn’t laugh at William for
getting lost. I was no better.
Rainen nodded.
“So, Steven, what’s your story?” I fell in
step with him. I looked up at him and took in his light hair and
blue eyes. Appearance wise he couldn’t have been more than twenty,
but the haunted look in his eyes made him look much older.
He looked back at me, his smile less than
cheerful. “I crossed over when I was ten. I was one of the lucky
ones that actually managed to survive long enough for someone to
find me that wasn’t human.” He looked back to the path we were on.
“I was sitting by a river, fishing, when a man and a woman came by.
They introduced themselves and asked me what my name was, where my
parents were. I remember trying to be brave and to act like I
belonged there. When I tried lying and saying that my family was
just a little ways away, I broke down. The woman sat down beside me
and asked me if I had crossed over from a different world. She said
it like it was an everyday thing here. I nodded and she looked at
the man. He nodded and the next thing I knew they had sort of
adopted me. They were Namaels. Cheetahs. They already had a
daughter who was eleven. For a while, life was great. I mean, don’t
get me wrong, I missed my mom and dad, but I got used to the idea
that there was no going back and Charlie and Patty were great to
me.” His eyes narrowed.
“We were out hunting one day. I was seventeen
then. Tess used to bug me because I was so slow, but I always
managed to help put food on the table. I’m decent with a bow and
arrow. We were busy gutting a deer we had brought down when six
beings came strolling toward us. Dad was polite, he always was, and
invited them to stay for supper. Our cabin wasn’t very big, but
they took him up on his offer to stay in the barn for the night.
They waited until we were all sleeping.” He looked at me and back
at the trail.
“I heard Tess scream.” His jaw tightened and
he swallowed hard. “I jumped out of bed and almost tripped over Dad
and Mom when I got to the living room. They were tied up on the
floor. Someone hit me over the back of the head and then I don’t
remember much for a while. Every time we would wake up they would
make us drink this awful tasting drink. It would knock me out every
time. Then one morning I woke up and I was in a cell, alone. I
called out and Dad called back to me. They had put the three of
them in a separate cell. I remember asking if Tess was ok. I could
hear her crying. Mom said she would be fine. That’s when he walked
in, Braw, acting all fatherly and concerned, telling me how I had
been misled but was
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