Caleb heard a rustling noise and quickly moved off the trail and ducked behind some bushes. It was the third time he’d heard the noise. The first time, he’d ignored it thinking it was some random animal. The second time he’d heard it, he realized the sound was not consistent with animal movements. He became more attuned to his environment as he moved through the woods. When he heard the noise again, he’d reacted. Remaining as still as he possibly could, he waited. When a minute passed with no further noise, he assumed he was safe to move. That assumption almost cost him his life—paint gun version, that is. As he raised himself off his knees, he heard something hit the tree behind him. Dropping down again, he looked towards the tree and saw a large black swath of paint. Recognizing it for what it was, he quickly scrambled from his position on hands and knees, looking towards a large rock that could provide better cover.
Reaching it without further incident, he cautiously surveilled the immediate area behind him. The sunlight flickering through the trees played tricks on his eyes. He thought he saw movement, but when he looked closer there seemed to be nothing there. Mapping an escape route in his mind, he raised himself slowly to reassess his situation. Almost immediately another pellet hit the rock sending paint droplets towards his face. He flattened himself on the ground, feeling his anxiety rise. What’s going on? Who’s shooting at me, and why? He was about to call out to his siblings to identify the shooter when he remembered his father’s orders that there was to be no communication between them once they’d begun their mission.
He checked his compass and called up a mental image of the woods. Before his father had sent him off, he’d given Caleb a general sense of direction and distance in which to head. Caleb assumed his father had done the same with his sisters. He had opted for the most direct route, thinking he could beat Alexa to the general area he’d been directed and search for the documents, hopefully finding them before his sister arrived. Now he questioned his strategy. Alexa had obviously had the same plan. It was sheer bad luck they’d intersected each other’s path. On the other hand, Alexa had left twenty minutes before him. Unless she’d gotten lost, if she’d taken the most direct route, she should already be at or near where he thought the documents might be. So maybe it isn’t Alexa shooting at me? But there’s no way Alison could have caught up with me this fast. So then who else is out here?
Caleb suddenly remembered his father’s words at breakfast. You won’t be the only ones searching. He realized that there was much more to this mission than retrieving documents. What had seemed a relatively simple task transformed into a far more complex reality. The noises should have tipped him off. He’d been careless and now knew he was being stalked. He didn’t know who or why, yet, but realized he couldn’t remain in his current position while he thought through this new development.
With painfully slow movements he inched backwards, keeping his body as flat to the ground as he could manage, working hard to not disturb the plants around him as he moved. His pack made things more cumbersome, but he couldn’t abandon it. Not now. Now that he knew he may actually need it to survive the night as his father had suggested. They’d been given four hours to retrieve and deliver the documents. But the documents were not the primary thing on his mind right now. At this moment, in total survival mode, he was focused solely on getting through the next few minutes, knowing that if he got hit with a paint pellet, he’d be counted out on this mission. Somewhere, in the depths of his thoughts, he realized that if the situation were truly real, his next moves might determine whether he lived or died.
From her vantage point in a tree, Sarah smiled as she watched her son inch slowly into the brush behind him. It was obvious to her that he’d finally figured out his predicament. She’d been slightly disappointed at his lack of awareness to his surroundings. Her noisy movements should have tipped him off some time ago. Although she could have easily ended his participation in the mission earlier, she’d used the opportunity to practice some of her own skills. Only when his inattention was too obvious to ignore did she make noise. She watched as he now tried to make the best of a bad situation. Even though it was an easy shot for her, she let him go, allowing him time to feel safe. She would end this shortly, but she was curious to see what his next moves would be. There would be time enough to discuss everything in detail later. For now, she let his mission continue.
She felt a tingle of awareness and became very still. A moment later Alexa came into view. Sarah watched as she crept almost soundlessly forward, keeping just off the trail. Smart girl. Sarah calculated the distance between Alexa and Caleb and realized that one of two things was about to happen. Alexa would come upon Caleb and there’d be some type of confrontation, or Caleb would make good his escape and based on Alexa’s stealth, not even realize how close she was to him.
Suddenly Alexa froze. She looked first in Caleb’s direction and Sarah was convinced she’d heard his movements. But then Alexa looked behind her and dropped to the ground. Surprised, Sarah scanned the area where Alexa had looked. She didn’t see anything. What had alerted her? Sarah watched as Alexa carefully and slowly rotated her head in each direction, focusing again on the area behind her, not in front where Caleb was still making his way through the bush. It was obvious she was searching for something, but as far as Sarah could see, there was nothing there. Then Sarah became aware of the silence. None of the usual forest noises sounded. No birds, squirrels, nothing. Sarah’s senses came alive as she cast her awareness outward. She felt a presence that was different from her two children. She continued to scan the area. There! To Alexa’s left. A movement. So small as to be virtually unnoticeable. To most it would have gone unnoticed. But Sarah had an ability that others rarely developed. It wasn’t that they couldn’t, it was just that most people were unaware that they could. Sarah could feel another’s presence as if their very breathing disturbed the air around her.
She watched as Alexa focused on the area Sarah had just identified. Does she feel it? Can Alexa sense the presence of another? And if so, does that mean Alison can, too?
Sarah watched in fascination as Alexa slowly and carefully drew her pistol from where she’d secured it. Seemingly without moving, Alexa crept forward toward the area where Sarah had seen the movement. Stopping, she glanced once more in Caleb’s direction then refocused on the area to her left. Sarah realized then that Alexa had, indeed, heard Caleb but had dismissed him as unimportant. Instead, she had identified a far greater threat and was preparing to meet it head on.
The silence was suddenly broken by the cawing of a crow. Alexa barely flinched, her attention still focused on one spot and one spot only. Sarah was amazed at Alexa’s ability to remain still. Her own muscles were beginning to cramp, and it took all her effort to maintain her own stillness as she watched the scene below her play out. She glanced toward where Caleb had been retreating and saw he’d made good his escape. The only question she had was whether he’d even been aware of Alexa. Something else to discuss later.
Without warning Alexa stood and fired her pistol. At first nothing appeared to have been accomplished by her action. Then slowly, Samuel rose from his position. A splotch of blue paint coloring the leaves and grass that helped him blend into his environment. Alexa grinned and pumped her fist in the air. Samuel gave her a thumbs up but gestured for her to remain quiet as he shooed her on her way. She resecured her pistol, took one last look around the area, hesitating slightly, then continued her quest for the documents.
Sarah watched as Samuel removed the grasses and leaves that had paint on them. He carefully buried them off the trail, then began reaffixing new bits and pieces to his clothing. Making sure Alexa was out of the area, Sarah slid off her branch, dropping to the ground a few feet from Samuel. She grinned as she saw his startled movement.
“How long have you been up there?” he asked.
“Long enough.”
“She’s good, isn’t she?”
“I think she sensed you.”
“The way you can sense people?”
“Yes. She was alerted long before I picked up on you. And I barely did that at first. It wasn’t until I realized everything had gone silent that I sensed your presence. I think she already had. She just wasn’t quite sure what she was feeling. But she obviously figured it out.”
“Do you think she sensed you?”
“Not at first. But afterward? After she’d dealt with you? I’m not sure. I saw her hesitate before she left. Whether that was just a precautionary look around or something more, well, we’ll have to ask her. But in a manner that we don’t give away that I was here. By the way, how long were you here?”
“I’d been following Alexa for a while. Paralleling her route, to be exact. I just couldn’t get close enough until this area.”
Sarah breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He hadn’t been there all along as she’d feared. While it had taken her longer to sense him than she liked, she hadn’t completely missed him.
“If you’ve been tracking alongside her, I’m surprised she didn’t sense you earlier.”
“To be honest, so am I.”
“Perhaps you weren’t quite close enough. We’ll have to test what her range is. Once we figure that out, I can work with her to increase it.”
“Good idea.”
“Caleb is ahead of Alexa. I let him go,” she clarified. “We’ll need to have a serious discussion with him when we all regroup. Where’s Alison? Do you know?”
“No. She entered the woods on a completely different path than the other two. Took the path I would have, to be honest. But I haven’t come upon her, yet.”
“Then we need to get out of here before she comes upon us.”
“I agree.” Samuel leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “Good hunting.”
She smiled. “And to you.”
They turned and walked away from each other to begin the next phase of their activities.