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“Stop taking this as a joke, Cal,” Rock warns him. “This is no place for… her.”
For a moment, it sounds as if that’s not really the word he was going to use, but rather that he changed his mind in the last minute. But… what other word was he going to use?
“Rock has a point,” Cal admits, looking back from the direction we all came. Something tells me that there is a secret there I’m supposed to unearth, but now I’m not allowed to. I’ve been caught doing something I wasn’t supposed to.
“This is not some adventure, Elena,” Rock continues. “The woods are a dangerous place for humans. Any woods, not just these. You have no idea what could happen to you.”
“But you’re here,” I remind him.
“We’ve lived here our whole lives,” he tells me what I already know. “And we can’t run around constantly, keeping you safe.”
My frustration mounts momentarily. “I never asked you to keep me safe, you know. I can take care of myself. I’m not a child.”
“Can you now?” he asks, and I feel like we’re back at square one.
“Whoa, whoa,” Cal interrupts, standing between us with his arms outstretched. “Why don’t we all calm down.”
“I can’t calm down when she purposefully puts herself in danger,” Rock snarls.
“That can actually be solved, but you won’t like the solution I have,” Cal tells him.
“What is it?” Rock asks.
“We could bring her back to our village,” Cal suggests.
Rock’s eyes widen in shock. “Are you insane?”
I frown. “Why is that such a shocking suggestion?”
Rock doesn’t say anything to me, but is still focused on his conversation with Cal. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Cal shrugs.
I notice Rock narrowing his gaze at Cal, sending him crypted messages I don’t understand. To be quite honest, I really don’t understand what the big deal is. It’s a village like any other. I mean, it can’t be worse than Pinehaven, can it?
“You know we don’t like… outsiders,” Rock explains through gritted teeth.
I speak louder so he is forced to look at me. “Don’t tell me you’re like those assholes at Pinehaven.”
“Shhh!” Rock looks behind him, then grabs me by the wrist and we all start walking back in the direction of my camp. “You’ll kill us all, don’t you get it?”
“No, I don’t,” I reply, wiggling my hand away from him. “And I don’t understand the need for all this secrecy.” Then, I turn to Cal. “At least you’re the nice one here, Cal. I appreciate you trying to help.”
Cal gives me a weak smile. It is obvious that in their village, Rock is the one that decides on everything. Not that it surprises me. He certainly has the character for it.
Rock leans over to him and whispers something into his ear, something I can’t hear. A moment later, Cal does the same. I can’t tell what they’re talking about, but I assume it’s about whether I’ll go back with them or not. Honestly, I don’t think I even want to. Then again, all this mystery surrounding their nightly escapades and their village is keeping me on my toes.
I could turn back, go to the camp and leave this place forever. I would go back to the safety of the city, of the things I know, the things I grew up with and I will be the same clumsy, shy Elena I always was. But I will always wonder… what if? Whatif, only this once, I don’t do what that clumsy, shy Elena would do and instead, I choose to be brave?
“Fine,” I hear Rock’s low growl. “But only for a couple of nights, until we figure out what’s going on.”
“Sure,” Cal grins again, walking over to me. “We agreed to take you back with us. Just to be on the safe side. You never can tell with these bears.”
“Thank you,” I smile, as we all keep walking, with Phillip and Rock behind us. “I have my camera with me, but what about the rest of my stuff?”
“Phillip can bring those to the village for you,” Cal tells me, turning around to Phillip, who simply nods in agreement.
We walk silently the rest of the way, with Phillip separating at one point. Rock eventually overtakes us, walking in front, leaving Cal and me slightly behind.
