Traitor

Chapter 1

She woke up to the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The rich smell of dirt filled her nose, mixed with a hint of rain. Groaning, she slowly turned onto her back, and was greeted by a pair of bright yellow eyes. Giving a surprised shout, she jumped up, nearly butting heads with the person. She then backed up against a large tree trunk, still giving small shouts as she leaned against the tree. The person who had been hunched over her was a boy who had a large mop of black hair, and was wearing the same black t-shirt as her. He even had the same little symbol embroidered on the chest pocket. The only thing they didn't have in common was the small rainbow stone on a leather cord she was wearing around her neck. Feeling the need to have a weapon, she peeled a sharp piece of bark off the tree she was slouching on, and stuck it out in front of her. The boy held up his hands defensively, slightly smiling as he did so.

"Sorry to startle you... Everyone else didn't want - um- well, they said I should watch over you, in case anything happened," he said awkwardly, taking a few steps towards her. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and didn't put down her makeshift weapon even when he advanced closer.

"Why are you smiling? Is there some inside joke about girls with, um, bark knives?" She asked, trying to stay serious. Besides, it was a serious situation. She was in a strange forest, wielding a piece of tree bark. It didn't help that she was stuck with a strange boy that made no sense, and she had no clue where this strange forest even was.

"No, I just found it kind of funny that the first thing you do is get a weapon," he stated. He angled his head upward, staring right into her eyes. Drop the piece of bark. I promise I won't hurt you, I'm just here to take you to the clan. A voice, sounding suspiciously like the boy's, filled her head. She felt her fingers uncurl and drop the piece of bark against her will. What...? She thought to herself.

"How'd you do that?" She asked, genuinely curious. "What clan? I- I can't remember much that happened last night..."

"Figures. You're Mallie, right?" She bobbed her head.

"Yeah, you're going to the clan. You Morphed for the first time last night."

"What? I did what last night?" She stared at him, confusion clearly imprinted on her face.

"I'll explain as we walk... I'm Jackson, by the way," he said, and held out his hand for her to shake it. She reached out and shook it.

"Mallie, but you already seem to know." He gave her a small smile, then gestured to the crudely makes trail in front of them.

"Let's walk."

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"How old are you? You seem to be younger than I thought some forest warrior person would be," Mallie asked the boy walking next to her. He let out a small chuckle.

"Well I'm no 'forest warrior', I'll tell you that. Now, maybe Teresa is.... She scares me," he said, and shivered his shoulders for effect.

"That didn't answer my question, Forest Warrior," Mallie stated, now smiling herself.

"I'm about 15. I've been with this clan as long as I could remember- maybe even longer than that," Jackson replied. He looked distant, as if trying to remember something. He shrugged his shoulders then looked back at Mallie.

"And you are-?"

"17, I think. My brain is still a bit fuzzy, but stuff is coming back," she said. And the memories made quite the entrance when they came back. She tried to hide it, but she was reliving every memory that she was remembering. And the memories started at last night.