Chapter Three
Becky said, “Now what?” Looking to Kat for answers, all she received was a blank expression.
The cottage was gone, leaving Becky standing on a field of grass in bare toes. It was warm, so no shivers attacked her. In fact, she had the opposite problem. Sweat seeped from her armpits, causing her pyjamas to stick to her skin.
“I guess… We walk?”
Becky nodded. “Which way?”
A finger rose as Kat pointed away from the blinding sun.
With a shrug, Becky muttered, “All right.” Lifting the trailing edges of her pant legs, she walked.
The field they strode across appeared endless, and there was no certain hope anything of use would be found at the other side. Thirst, tiredness, and an unending sense of bewilderment struck Becky.
Forcing a smile onto her face, she offered, “Should we make a list?”
“A list?”
“A list of what we do know of our situation and a list of what we don’t.”
Kat snorted. “That’ll be a very lopsided list. What we know—nothing. What we don’t know—where we are, what’s going on, whether we are both certifiably insane.”
Becky shook her head. “We know this place is called Oren. We know about how magic on this world flows. In fact, its transfer of power isn’t that different from that of the Greek gods. Of course, Zeus had to defeat the Titans in order to begin his rule on Mount Olympus, not wait until they died, but the similarities—”
“What are you talking about?” Kat snapped.
Becky’s words stuck in her throat. She didn’t enjoy being spoken to harshly, nor was it something she was used to. “I just meant…”
“You’re rambling.”
“I’m not. I just read a lot of Percy Jackson books and—”
“This is not a book,” Kat said. “This is one messed up day that makes me wish I was old enough to drink.”
“Alcohol?” Becky gasped.
“No, Diet Sprite.” A roll of the eyes accompanied the comment. “How old are you again?”
“Ten.”
With a nod, Kat said, “That explains it.”
As her pace quickened, Becky hustled to keep up. It was hard to take quick and careful steps without shoes though. “Explains what?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Your innocence.”
“Innocence?”
Kat turned to look down at her, slowing her stride a bit. Her eyes narrowed perceptively. “You believe everything Enalie told us, don’t you?”
Becky hesitated. Of course she had, but she suspected that wasn’t the correct answer. “Shouldn’t I?”
A bark of laughter erupted from the older girl’s throat. “Lord, no!”
“Why not?”
“You mean, beyond the fact she is far from a credible source? The story she told us, by itself, should raise your doubts. It’s preposterous. I’m a magical something-or-other? Yea, right.”
“But, Kat.”
“What?”
“What other explanation do you have for all this? For everything that happened? As far as I know, cottages don’t normally appear and disappear spontaneously. My room has never been torn apart by a hurricane before, either. And how did we get here, if not by magic?”
“There is a logical explanation for everything,” Kat said, stressing the word logical. “But it has nothing to do with magic.”
“What then?” Becky prompted.
Kat growled out, “I don’t know yet.”
“So nothing Enalie said could be true?”
“No.”
“Not even—”
“No.”
For the moment, Becky dropped the conversation.
Flat terrain transformed into rolling hills, making walking barefoot even more difficult than before. Pebbles found their way between her toes. As well, hunger pangs gnawed at her stomach and thirst made her throat raw.
When she came upon a small stream, Becky stopped and hunkered down to drink greedily. After, she soaked her injured toes in the cool water, then allowed Kat to rub them dry with the sleeves of her red hoodie.
Once her thirst was gone, Becky sat back on her knees. “That felt nice.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to find food,” Kat said, gnawing at her lower lip. “The sooner we find…someone, the better.”
“Let’s keep going,” Becky suggested. “I’m sure we’ll find help soon.”
As she walked, she spied thicker groups of trees and taller hills. The sun shimmered off a distant lake. Just at the edge of her line of sight was a tall structure that dotted a large portion of the horizon.
“Do you see that?”
Covering her eyes with one hand, Kat squinted in the direction Becky pointed. “I can’t really make it out. But a building that large must have people.”
“Can we make it there before dark?”
“I doubt it.” Kat frowned. “Let’s try though.”
Hours passed. With each step, Becky gained an increasing ache in her calves. Stomach pains competed for attention with cut feet. The structure, a dark mass without definition, was still far from reach, seeming to slip further away each minute.
Thoughts twirled through her head. As she reviewed the events of the day, Becky ended up with more questions than answers. When she thought about her parents, a stab went through her heart.
What were they thinking? Feeling? Had anything happened to them? If they phoned the police, what had they said about their missing child? When emotion overwhelmed her, she forced all thoughts from her mind.
The sun eventually completed its traditional arc across the sky and was replaced by a bright moon. Since Kat made no mention of stopping to rest, neither did Becky. Ignoring the signals her body gave her, she pressed on, using the light of stars and moon to guide her hesitant steps.
She was face-down in the dirt before she realized her legs were sinking out from under her. As she examined her scraped palms, tears filled her vision. “I can’t go any farther!” she wailed.
“Me neither,” Kat announced, coming to a stop beside her. “I thought by now we’d find someone to help us.”
“No food,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.
“We’ll rest.” Kat swept a hand under Becky’s armpit, gesturing with her free one. “Can you make it to those trees?”
With assistance, Becky made it to the small thicket of trees Kat indicated. Once there, Becky sank to the ground with a grateful smile. Half-dazed, she glanced at her surroundings. There was a lake not too far off, faint ripples covering the surface of the water. The one I saw earlier?
She slid onto her side, bending her elbow to make a pillow. At the same time, Kat removed her hoodie and swept it around Becky’s shoulders.
Seeing Kat shiver, Becky said, “You don’t have to.”
“Just take it before I change my mind.”
“Thank you.”
Just as Becky was closing her eyes, she realized Kat hadn’t laid down. Clutching the hoodie to her chest, Becky wearily sat up. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“No. Not yet.” Kat wasn’t looking Becky’s way. She scanned the shadows between the trees.
“Is something wrong?”
Shaking her head, Kat said, “No. I don’t know. Probably nothing.” She walked away. “Sleep. I’m just going to take a quick look at something.”
Knowing she should offer to accompany Kat, Becky nonetheless stayed silent. There was no way she could force her limbs to move any further. She’d missed half a night’s sleep already. Her brain was powering down. When she settled again, the position wasn’t even comfortable, yet she didn’t move. As a faint wind breathed through surrounding leaves, her eyes closed.
They flew open a moment later when a noise caught her attention. The snuffling sound reminded her of a dog hunting for a lost scent. It was quick and nostril, and came from somewhere nearby.
Her heart thudded rapidly. “Kat?” A branch snapped to her left.
Rising, Becky took Kat’s hoodie and tied it around her waist. Holding herself perfectly still, she held her breath and listened for other sounds. At an indistinct noise from behind her, she whirled, panic flooding into her system and weakening her knees. Bending, she snatched the nearest rock and held it above her head in a ready-to-strike position.
Kat crashed through the trees. Both her eyes and mouth were open wide. “Run!”
“What—”
Kat cut her off immediately. “Shh!”
“But—”
“Run!”
The horror-filled tone caught Becky’s attention. There was also a warning within it that spoke of absolute terror and desperation. Without another question, she swiveled on the spot and bolted.