I spread my arms wide, like spreading my wings, as if to prove my point.
“I see,” he nods. He quickly glances at his watch.
“Everything OK?”
“Yeah. It’s just time to wake up Anderson. It’s his turn to take over.”
“Do you want me to go wake him up?” I ask.
“No, you stay here,” he replies. “It’ll be dark soon and you’ll have to come back inside anyway. Enjoy the fresh air some more.”
“Alright then, I will,” I smile, as I take him up on his offer.
“Just, don’t stray, alright?” He gestures at me to stay put, and I nod.
I see him go inside, and I turn away to face the greenery around me. As it’s getting dark, I can feel the chill. I rub my upper arms with the opposite hand. The air is still, but every once in a while, a breeze blows right through me, chilling me to my very bones, like a premonition.
I wonder what is going to happen. I wonder when, and if, I will ever get my life back. I suppose this can’t last forever. Nothing lasts forever. Not good things, not bad things. It’s a soothing thought really.
“Maddie!” I hear Fynn shout, and I immediately turn around.
He looks distraught. There is a look on his face, one I would never attribute to him. It’s cold, relentless fear. His lips a
re slightly parted, and I can hear his heavy breath, as it is let out into the world.
“I know this must sound stupid,” he starts, pausing for a moment, “but, have you seen Anderson? Has he mentioned going anywhere?”
“I…” His question catches me off guard, and for a moment, I don’t know what to say. “I don’t know…. I… no… he hasn’t said anything. I saw him sleeping, and then I went out to you. Why? What’s happened?”
The sound of my own voice frightens me. The look on his face frightens me. My skin has broken out into goosebumps, and all of a sudden, it’s gotten much colder.
“Anderson…” he mutters. “Anderson is gone.”
Chapter 19
Fynn’s words are still ringing in my ear, like an echo of some old song, which your mind refuses to shut out.
Anderson is gone.
I watch as Fynn checks the nearby area, but when he returns with the same forlorn look on his face, I know everything. His silence says it all.
He sighs heavily, like the weight of the world is upon his back. And, it truly is. We are stuck in some God forsaken limbo, with no hope of rectifying this situation. I want to turn to him and ask him what we are going to do now, but I’m scared what the answer might be. I’m petrified that he will tell me the same words that are ringing inside my mind. A bell of three words: I don’t know.
I try to breathe deeply, to calm myself down, but it’s impossible. Anderson is missing. He wouldn’t have gone on his own, without telling us. So, someone must have taken him. And, if someone had taken him, that means that our enemies know exactly where we are, and they are just toying with us. Watching us.
The thought of being watched stifles a scream deep inside my throat. My heart is beating wildly, and no thought can calm it down. A voice inside my mind tells me it’s all over. We’re done for. They know our every move, and are always two steps ahead.
Suddenly, I break down into tears. He turns to me, but doesn’t try to hug me.
“Why are you crying?”
“It’s all my fault,” I snivel, wiping my eyes with my sleeves.
I look at him, and I see the confusion on his face. He knows I’m right. I suggested that damned walk, and maybe, if all of us had been there, Anderson wouldn’t have been taken. Maybe we could have prevented this. And now, Fynn is trying to find a way to be polite about this.
“I know you feel guilty,” he starts. “I know that feeling. It can eat you up on the inside, until there is nothing left. Don’t do this to yourself.”
“How can I not?” I cry out, feeling actual pain in my chest.