“Where are we going, may I ask?” I asked so quietly that I thought she might not have heard. But, sure enough, she turned around to reply. Her expression was tight that it could have been carved in granite, and it was a snarl. But as soon as she saw my reaction to that, she smiled sweetly.
“Not much further. Two miles at the most? What, are you tired?” She sounded generally interested, but there was something in the back of her eyes that made me think that she was putting it on. Maybe I was just being cautious, but that was reasonable when you were being led to an undetermined place by a stranger. Scary.
“No, I’m just curious. Can’t we stop here so we can talk or something? It’s getting dark.” And that was true. It was the latter end of dusk, the orange fading out of the sky and being replaced with a deep purple. I was lying through my teeth about not being tired, I was absolutely exhausted, but I would stay up if she was willing to tell me anything. I was intrigued to find out.
“Okay, we’ll sit and talk. Willing to sit on the ground?” She asked, turning round and saying whilst collecting some dry wood off the ground. Obviously to dull the cold using a fire. After a few seconds of not answering she knocked me on the forearm with her elbow and I nodded quickly. She laughed genuinely, making me smile. It was a homely sound.
“So, how we going to light this? Think I forgot my matches.” I felt inside my pockets and up my chest pretending to look for some and she laughed again, provoking another smile. Maybe I shouldn’t have judged her so fast.
“I think I’ll find a way.” She took her hands and touched them together at the palms, and whispered some fast foreign words into her fingers. Sounded Greek or Latin. Then, sure enough, she touched a single finger onto the middle piece of wood and it set alight, her arm jerking back so she didn’t burn herself. I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop in amazement. Who was she? She sat on the floor cross legged, and patted her knees with eagerness.
“Stories?” She asked, and her voice sounded surprising childish. I walked over to sit opposite her, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the ground next to her person. Maybe a bit too close.
“Want me to start?” She asked after a few seconds of me staying quiet and I nodded. I think she already knew enough about me for now, and I would tell her more when we were even.
“Well, my name is Tempest Kaden and I am 16 years old. I have 7 brothers, all older than me. They aren’t all born of my father, as my mother moved around a lot. Anyway, I’m my mother’s little girl, and I used to make her very proud. All of my siblings, including myself, are named after emotions because my dear mother used to say that if people didn’t have emotions they would be empty. I think that means that she thinks people need us. But, not too long ago, I did something I shouldn’t. My eldest brother, Revenge, and I went out together and he suggested we do something that I didn’t think was right. When he insisted that I helped him complete this task, I did something I shouldn’t. That’s all I am going to say. When I returned home there was blood on my hands, and my mother wouldn’t speak to me again. She out-casted me, never to come back again. That was about 6 months ago. As you can see, I can suitably look after myself, but I needed purpose. So....you, Lexus, are my purpose.” I smiled. I knew I shouldn’t, because she had just been implying that she had killed her eldest brother. But, I couldn’t help it. It was a beautiful moment in the helpless heap of my useless life. Maybe, just maybe, things were going to get a little better from now on.
I'll keep an eye on your stuff, because I really like it! Good luck!
