The Summoning ~Sleep Token FF~

~9~

I floated around, paying little attention to him. I just stared up at the stars; they were pretty tonight. I never got to take a second and look at them before; I was always too busy to have any time to myself, which was sad. I was always too busy for things I enjoyed; I always put my shop before my happiness.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it; it was the best thing I could do then. Now I wonder if I will ever see it again. If I will ever return to everyday life, this place is nice but not my home. I am just some random girl who showed up on their doorstep one day and couldn't leave.

"How do I leave?" I asked the man behind me; he stopped whatever he was doing and sighed. "There is only one way..." he trailed off before returning to what he was doing. Not looking at him, I shrugged; it couldn't be that bad. Do they think it's wrong to want to go back to my old life?

"Explain," I said simply; I turned to look at him and watched him visibly get tense. It may be worse than I thought. "Do you want to know? If so, we will need to return to camp," he said as he swam to the edge and got out. I watched him closely, my face turning bright red when I saw he was only in boxers.

Not to mention, you can see...the 'imprint'...I shivered and rid myself of the thoughts that lingered around. You would think after everything that happened in life, I wouldn't be this way, but I have had a lot of therapy and personal endeavors. I shook my head as I swam to the edge, getting out.

He handed me a towel; I took it and smiled in his direction, wiping off my body. "You won't like what I am going to tell you," he said sadly. Why does he sound sad? Is he upset that I want to leave and return to my only way of living? I sighed and looked at him. "What?"

I felt another pair of eyes stare a hole through the back of my head; turning around quickly, I scanned the tree line, seeing nothing. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side. "Stay quiet," he whispered, staring at something in the distance.

I am sure it was nothing, just a random thing off in the distance that got him spooked. I stayed quiet, though, just in case he was serious about whatever he was on guard about. "We need to leave now; I don't have time to explain," he said, grabbing my arm and the bag.

I tried to keep up with him but couldn't; his long legs got him further than my small ones. He stopped for a second and kneeled before me "Get on my back," he said. I nodded and got onto his back; he wrapped his arms around my legs while I put the bag on my back.

Before I knew it, he was sprinting through the woods; we were both in very little clothing, so I knew whoever was watching was wondering what we were doing. "What's going on?" I asked quietly; he stayed silent as he kept sprinting.

"We have to go grab our things from camp, then leave; it's not safe anymore. They've figured out where you are," he said before he stopped, letting me off his back in front of camp. "What about the others?" I asked, worried they would get caught in the mess. "They're fine; they were the ones that told me," he said before quickly entering his tent and getting a few things together.

I walked into mine and packed the little stuff I had. Once finished, I walked over to the other tent and stepped inside; a note was on the cot. 'Vessel, they're coming after her. You are the only one who knows how to keep her safe. We are setting up another camp near the garden. Ensure you get her to us safely; your head is on the line if she gets hurt.

Staring at the note, I sighed, shoving it in a bag nearby; I rummaged through a few things, throwing clothes and trinkets in, hoping it was what he needed. Walking out, I was met with III standing near the tent. "he had things already," he said. I shrugged and threw the bag over my shoulder.

"I am following you," I said; I tried to keep my composure as I ran through all my thoughts. Why am I so special? What would someone want with me? I have been nice to everyone I met; I tried to befriend everyone. I made sure to treat everyone with respect...why?

"You'll be fine; we won't let anything happen," he said quietly before leaning over and kissing my head. I knew that already, but I am glad he validated my thoughts, even though I think he can read them. I giggled, shaking my head at myself; if only someone knew how much I talk to myself.

He kneeled before me; I hopped on his back again, getting comfortable. We were still in very little clothing, but he made it sound like we didn't have time to do anything else but grab things and leave. I heard yelling in the distance, turning to the sound, trying to look at what it was.

He took off running, holding me tightly. "Don't look back; we will be at the new spot shortly," he said, breathing heavily. I nodded and stared in front of us, shaking slightly. I'm not going to lie; I was scared for my life. The wind picked up as he kept running; he was in the zone.

I sat my chin on his head and yawned. "I'm sorry," I whispered before falling into a deep sleep. The nightmare that I had before started its endless cycle. Oh, how I wish it would disappear.