Young Writers Society

James kept an eye on Eve, and on Elliot, who he could spot from where he was, still tied to the tree. He tried not to let his imagination run away with him again and tried to focus on the present. After scanning the area a dozen times, he finally allowed himself to close his eyes.

It was nice, even for a minute, to be a part of the stream, hearing the gurgling of water spinning in his ears, and feel nothing else.

But numbness didn't feel nice forever.

His muscles started to ache and became stiff in a different way than before. Slow, lethargic, and freezing. He knew it was time to step out.

James swam back into the shallow water and then stood up, walking through the rest of it until he was back on the dirt, just a few feet from his clothes. He sat down on a dry rock and waited until he thawed out, and feeling came back.

His bandages had loosened, a little, while in the water, but now they stuck to him like glue.

He'd have to change them again. They needed to be dry.

He walked past Evaline without a word and brought Elliot over to where they were, and then got out his roll of bandages again. He sat back down on his rock and took them off, carefully, one by one, and waited just a few minutes, uncovered while his skin dried fully.

Then he redressed them, with the remains of a healing salve he'd made two days ago, and finally put on his shirt, his vest, his socks, and his shoes.

His pants were still a little damp, but otherwise, he was ready.

He brushed back his hair with his hands and then grabbed Elliot's reins.

"Let's get moving," he said. "Come on."

Evaline nodded, getting up on her feet. The brief silence and peace was nice. Hopefully enough time passed that Yoen no longer felt vulnerable around her. She didn't know how much more she can handle of babying.

She walked behind him and his horse. "So, where are we going?" she asked. She obviously didn't have a destination in mind, but now that she knew he was not a simple forager but instead a man on the run, she couldn't help but wonder if he had a plan or not.

"Well, since you're with me, I'm going to need to get supplies," he said, looking back at her as he started walking again, following the stream. "There's a small town a few miles from here. It'll take a few days to get there, but once we arrive, I can stock up, and we should be good for a while."

He paused, carefully stepping over a tree root that jutted out of the ground.

"I don't have a lot of money on me, so we'll have to be frugal, but I'm used to living off the land and getting by with very little. As long as you're able to do the same, we should be fine."

"The plan is to keep heading north. We won't be able to bring back home, but you might be able to find somewhere in Lettera to settle down. I don't imagine you'll be wanting to stay with me very long once we reach civilization. I know you're alone out here, but I promise you - it'll be much easier to start a new life somewhere you can settle. As for me, I will always be on the move. So... I'm just letting you know that our parting will be inevitable. Not immediate, but inevitable."

Evaline nodded along with everything Yoen said. A town? Makes sense; she wondered what it would be like. Living off the land? Easy. Eventually letting her be on her own? Well... it made sense. Not like she expected him to actually let her follow him everywhere, especially if he was on the run.

One step at a time.

But one part of what he said stuck out to her the most.

"Why always be on the move?" she blurted out. "A life of running sounds so..." she said, trailing off to find the right word, "...tiring."

James sighed, and looked back at her, with his eyebrows raised a little, and half-lidded eyes.

"It is," he said.

Evaline waited for him to go on, but he didn't. "It is..." she repeated. "...Tiring?"

James blinked. "Yes, that's what I said." He turned forward again, so he could look where he was going.

Evaline waited again for him to say something more. He didn't.

"Then, tell me..." She stopped walking.

"Why do you keep doing it?!" she said loudly, irritation in full bloom. It seems that her lack of patience finally culminated.

James stopped, and looked back at her, keeping a neutral expression.

"Well, there's a few reasons," James said. "And they're personal. But at the end of the day, really, I have no home to go to, and any place I make a home, I'll be found by people who want to hurt me like I'm hurt now. As tiring as being on the run all the time is, I like being alive. And as free as I can be, right now."

He paused, watching her closely.

"Why do you care so much?"

Evaline raised an eyebrow, not buying what Yoen said. He basically said he was on the run because he was he was afraid of getting caught, which was already given and didn't need to be said.

She wanted to poke at him some more and suggest he do something besides run, but she doubted it would do any good. She knew the type. It was hopeless to change their mind.

"No reason," she mumbled back, continuing her pace behind him and kicking a few pebbles along the way.

No reason. Sure.

James kept walking, and Elliot nudged him in the arm with his nose. James gave Elliot a little pat on the snout.

“So. Eve. Is that short for something?” he asked.

"Nope," Evaline said a little too quickly. "Just Eve."

It felt weird to be going by this nickname again; it has been ages since anyone called her that. Of course, it was probably safe to use her real name since she wouldn't be recognized here, but she didn't want to arouse any more suspicion than needed.

"And what about you? Just Yoen?"

"Yoen Kelley," he answered, naturally, unlike Eve's quick no, which only told him that she was probably lying about her name too.

"Do you have a last name?"

Evaline was used to spending a lot of time thinking about an action plan and what she could say if certain questions arose, but she did not plan on Yoen asking if she had a last name.

What the hell even was a last name? A second first name? That's what it sounded like based on his response.

Too much time had passed for her to respond in a natural manner, so she thought fast, saying the first thing that popped in her head.

"Uhhh... no."

James looked back at her, not letting his suspicion show on his face, but keeping his expression relaxed.

There were people who didn't "have last names," but it wasn't because they actually have them, it was because they didn't know them. Those cases were pretty rare, and it was normally with children who lost their families very young, and never got taken in by another family.

He didn't make that assumption with her though. He could tell she was hiding something. A lot of things, probably. But so far, nothing that posed any real threat to him.

At least, so far.

"Did you leave any family back up north?" he asked.