I am Clara

Camping Out Close to Home

 I waited a good half hour after we returned to the Andrews' home, before leaving again. I wanted to make Andrews thought I was asleep, and I hoped that he would be in his own room as well. He was not. I really chose the worst moment to step onto the gravel driveway. He was casually leaning on the kitchen counter, looking out the window, holding a glass of milk inches away from his parted lips. I stopped dead in my tracks when my gaze met his, desperately trying to find an explanation that would validate my current situation, but I found none. There wasn't anything I could possibly say that would make him feel better. Swearing under my breath, I turned around and jogged down the road. I knew I'd have hell to pay in the morning, but for now? I was running far from him, assuring that he couldn't catch up or find me.

     Head turned backwards to watch the Andrews' fading him, I came to an abrupt halt when I ran into someone. Feeling as though I ran into a wall, my body launched backwards. Xander barely flinched, doing nothing to help my tumbling.

     "Took you long enough," he complained.

     Groaning, I picked myself off the ground, whipping the pebbles off my derriere. "I'm sorry," I bit sarcastically. "I didn't mean to have a life apart from the one your people have forced upon me."

     "It's important that we're not caught at the wrong time."

    "Let's go then." I walked past him, ignore the warning signs blazing my thoughts.

     "Other way," he called, walking in the opposite direction.

    I made no effort to catch up to him, instead I followed from a distance, dreading every step we took. I followed him silently. Twenty minutes following our initial entrance into the woods, Xander turned towards me and warned me to be quiet.

     "I haven't even been making any noise," I complained in a whisper, gut clenching at the idea that not being silent was dangerous. What was he getting me into?

     "You are now."

     "So are you," I remarked.

     He clenched his jaw, looking extremely annoyed and raised his hand as though to cover my mouth. I slapped it away almost as quick as it appeared.

     "Don't," I mouthed.

     Reluctantly, he lowered his hand. He glared one last time, before storming off, again expecting me to follow him aimlessly. I did as he expected but really wished I'd have run in the opposite direction. In the opening of the woods we faced, stood two beige tipis and glowing ashes from a fire ignited hours ago. Nope. He better not want me to do what I believed he wanted me to do.

     "Why do they know where I live?" I asked mostly to myself, but if Xander had an answer for once, all the better. He either didn't have an answer or rudely refused to give it to me. It hadn't occurred to me that Kundanskie's people would be camping out so close to home.

     "Doesn't matter," he shrugged off my statement. "They don't know that you know where they are. Attack first."

     "Not tonight." I sighed. As much as I wished to completely reject the idea of directly walking into the enemy's field, I had to admit that it'd be the strategic option. Whether I liked it or not, I'd end up fighting them. May as well do so when I had the upper hand.

     "Why not?" he demanded, quietly. "There are only two and everyone's asleep. It's easy."

     "If it's so easy, why can't you do it?"

     "I'm not the Terpilih, and they could wake up."

     "Dear God, it's a miracle." My voice was laced with fake enthusiasm. "You've convinced me. I definitely want to do it now."