The Mind Games

11

"Okay, so what happens now?" Ember asks.

"I don't know," Cole says.

Naomi looks down and looks at her dirty old jeans, "Maybe... No."

"What were you gonna say, Naomi?" Maddie asks. She walks over to the girl in the yellow shirt.

"Maybe, just maybe, we could find our parents?" Naomi says very quickly, "No? Okay, that's fine. Stupid idea, never mind."

Everyone sits down, in a sad circle... Okay, it's a sad oval. A really sad oval.

I raise my hand, looking everyone in the eye, "I thought it was a good idea."

"Me too," Maddie says, she looks at me. I have no idea what that look means. It's like... She... sees me more than a friend now...

"Me three!" Chris chimes in from next to me.

I listen for the rest of the group to agree, and I listen carefully for something that could sound like it wasn't really them, and sounded like Naomi. Not that I think she would do something like that, but she does have the ability to control minds, and that really is dangerous. Well, to everyone except me, I'm fabulous.

"Okay, so it's been decided. We go find our parents. But who's parent do we find first?" I recap, Ember shifts uncomfortably. I can tell she doesn't really like the idea, but she is willing to sacrifice her happiness for the happiness of the group. Boys and girls, that is a real trooper.

I look at Cole, with his slightly overgrown black hair. It kinda looked like soft liquid coal... Haha...

"Well, I think... Well, if its okay with everyone else, I know that you have Kayla, Andrew, so I think we should find our parents first, because we don't have any family," Naomi says,  she looks as though she is fascinated by her own hands. Ooh! Hands! Exciting! She's hiding something. I know it. I'm just not sure what yet.

"If I may interject," Maddie says smoothly, running her hand through her ponytail, "I also think it's important to find out who's parents are the closest, so it would be easiest a) to get to safety and b) to drop everyone off."

The group grumbles as they realize this really is the best, and frankly, most logical answer.

"So who's parents live where?" I ask. I'm feeling rather blunt today. Huh.

Everyone except Ember rattle of the city and street name. Most of them are really spread out and far away. Thank goodness everyone was in Terragorra, and not Favorta.

Wait- where are we? Like currently? I understand we're in a forest, but in a forest... Where?

Where are we...?

"Guys-" I call to everyone's attention quickly, "Where are we?"

"In a forest," giggles Naomi, and the younger children giggle and roll on their backs in an egg like position.

"Ow! I hit a rock!" Kayla gripes, as she turns around to remove the rock from where she rolled backwards.

"Then don't do that. Simple solution for a simple problem," I say. I'm starting to get a little worried because I have no idea where we could even be even remotely.

"Well, clearly we're in a forest," Ember retorts and sticks out her hand facing upwards.

"Clearly, but how does this information benefit us?"

"Dunno. That's your problem."

"Ugh," I spit, "Then maybe a few of us should go see."

I force myself to my feet, and as I stand I look at the strange imprinted patterns on my hands from leaning back on them. There is a particularly nice grove in my right hand about the size of a twig. How did I not feel that?

Ember, Cole, Maddie and I all rise to our feet, all complaining profusely about having to get up.

"Wait a second," Maddie says, and we all freeze on instinct.

"Shouldn't at least one of us stay behind to make sure the others are alright?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Why don't you can Cole stay and keep an eye out for Naomi and Chris and Kayla, and Andrew and I will go to the edge of the forest and find out where we are," Ember demands. Not suggests, the power within her is magical.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with Andrew?" Cole offers.

"Yeah, I could go too, it's fine, really. You don't look like you're doing so well, Ember," Maddie offers.

Ember looks at Maddie for a brief second and clenches her fists, her whole body tenses. She looks like she got punched and is bracing for the next.

"I just need some time away from the little kids, my head just hurts. That's all. Plus, I'll be able to sense if someone if someone is near, and Andrew can help me out. Since he's the most powerful person here."

"I wouldn't say that..."

Even whips their head over to me, "Shut up," They all say in unison. It's terrifying.

Cole's eyes linger longer on mine, and my stomach does a flip. Maddie smiles kindly at me, and turns back around to keep Chris and the other entertained.

Ember and I start walking, passing over loose roots, and ducking under stray branches. We head in one direction, trying our best to go straight, and we both make land marks as we walk.

Thankfully, we weren't too far away from the edge, and as we got closer the amount of trash and garbage increases dramatically. Once we heard a gunshot and threw ourselves down to the ground.

As we hit the edge we look around the city, looking for any information about where we might be so we don't have to go into town and risk getting shot ourselves.

A/N: Hey guys. This book has been really trapped at 964 words, but I finally got it over. I'm really sorry that this chapter is just really a boring filler, I know, I don't really enjoy them all that much either. But sometimes you gotta have them to get somewhere. So hang in there with me!