Page 346 of Nobody's Girl

His tiny arms wrap around my neck. I can feel his heart beating wildly. I hum the same tune Eden hummed to me in my premonition of being killed by that Stiles man.

It vibrates my body. I hope it will help this poor child to not be so afraid. It seems to work. He’s not screaming anymore, at the very least.

The sound of people running through the trees underneath us fills my ears. The voices sound excited, but I can’t understand any of what they’re saying.

A beam of light shines up through the trees. I see Eden avoid letting it catch him. They seem to only be aware of his presence, so my cargo is safe.

‘Alyssa, I have to take them a little off the path. You have to make it back to the house on your own. I’ll be right behind you as soon as I lose them,’ he sends me.

‘Damn, I’m not sure where it is,’ I send to him.

‘Focus, girl. You can follow the smells and sounds. Just remember those things as you get closer,’ he sends and then flies away from me.

The lights follow him and I’m left alone with my precious cargo. I fly in the darkness, looking down, trying to see anything I might recognize. I remember that the house I need to go back to has a small blue light at the back of it. I look for that. The smell of the chicken cooking brings my attention to the fact I’m getting closer to the house.

The little boy on my back is holding tightly to my neck. His head touches mine as he repositions himself on my back. His thoughts fill my mind.

A room appears in my head, a dark room full of small children. Some cry and others stare blankly at the walls. I feel a pain in the pit of my stomach. It’s because I feel hungry.

The child on my back has felt hungry most of his little life. I find that so sad. There’s no reason that any child should ever feel like that. I pray this child grows up to make a difference in his home country.

The sudden smell of laundry pricks at my nose. There was a clothesline in the backyard of the people who will take care of the child.

I move towards the smell. I can’t believe Eden had to leave me like this. I have no real knowledge of where I am.

‘You’re on the right track. Keep following your senses. You are almost there,’ I hear Eden’s voice in my head.

The blue light comes out of the darkness. The little man and lady are standing by the shack in the back. I drop down lower and land in front of them.

The lady rushes to take the little boy off of my back. She has to pull at him as he’s holding so tightly to my neck. He finally releases his grip on me. He begins to cry as the lady carries him away quickly.

The man stands and looks at me. I hear the sound of wings beating through the air and Eden lands next to me. The man bows to us and says something I don’t understand, then he turns and runs into the house.

I walk behind the shack and transform back into my human form. Eden is hurrying as well. We have to hurry. Our driver is waiting down the street for us. We can’t have anyone see us at this house.

“Well, that wasn’t too hairy, was it?” Eden asks me.

“I lived through it, but it could’ve gone a little smoother. I hate that the little guy had to be so afraid. I hope he can forget about all of it,” I say as I follow Eden down a dirt alley.

“He’s alive and safe now. That fact trumps all the negative aspects of it,” he says as he walks up to the waiting car.

He opens the door and lets me get in the back seat first, then slides in beside me. “Back to the real world,” I say as I lay my head on the back of the seat.

“The real world, huh?” Eden asks me.

“You know, the one where we can be just you and me. No birds, no missions, no crazy dream life. Just the two of us, back in our home, alone. I’m finding I’ve missed that,” I tell him.

“I have too. I can’t wait to get you back home, in our own bedroom,” he says.

“I miss my jacuzzi. I could really use it about now,” I say.

Eden laughs at me. “You and your bathtub, Alyssa. Here I am, talking all about how I want to get you back into our bed, and you can only think about that tub.”

I smile at him. “It’s more than a bathtub, Eden. I will be happy to get back to it all. Back to some alone time with my husband. It’ll be nice.”

I didn’t dream about life with Kyle as I slept on the plane on our way here. I made another wish. I wished that Kyle and Laura would be happy and have a healthy family. I guess our dreams would’ve been unhealthy for him and his new family.

I turn my head away from Eden so he can’t see my face. I feel a tear run down my cheek. That part of my life is over and I have sadness in my heart about it.