Concealed

Chapter 18

Ave POV

The Hills, that's what they called them. My heart pounded in sync with my feet, but it didn't really. I had predicted this would happen, that I would meet the girl I spent nights thinking about. Clouds crowded my mind and the sky. I sprinted as fast as I could with the girl in my arms. It began to rain, one drop sliding into the next. Falling, falling from such a height with a speed that would surprise most. The harder I ran, the harder it rained. It poured and the wind wailed in my ears. I could no longer hear any comforting forest sounds but, instead the whistling of the wind and the thud of my feet on the soft forest floor.

The Hills were much closer than I expected, and soon I was panting at the top. The girl was still knocked out and her blood was staining my sweater. It was my only sweater.

"Almost there," I whispered to myself and hauled me and my aching arms down The Hills to our little tent village. I took her straight to the nurse's tent and set her on the rotting mattress.

The doctor inspected her and gave me permission to go. With one swift turn I jogged out of the tent and into my own. I flopped onto the cot I had set up near the small hole in the fabric, I liked watching the stars before I fell asleep. I closed my eyes and groaned, my feet were killing me. I hung my arms limp and rolled onto my stomach, pressing my face into my clean pillow. Which was the only thing clean here. My chin dug deep into the soft, damp, pillow meaning to take a break but, before I know it I am drifting off into a nightmare induced sleep. The rain pattered against the tent, keeping my already soaked body shielded from the storm.

Katherine's POV

I sat up and screamed. A person in a white uniform came up to me and tried to calm me.

"Where am I? And how did I get here?" I shouted in confusion. The person tried to push backwards onto the bed but, I refused to comply. My head ached and I looked around the room for a clue of where I was.

"You are at The Hills." answered the lady who I have now put together is the nurse. "Please lie down Miss. It will only make your head injury worse," she ordered concern laced in her voice. I tried to focus on the threads of sound that tied the words together.

I complied as to not worry her any more than she is worrying now.

"Thank you," she smiled gently at me. "I will explain everything. But first, who are you? What ranks?"

"Ranks?" I questioned muddled.

The nurse gazed at me weirdly, "Oh dear, I may have underestimated how hard you hit your head." She mumbled. "I mean, are you the seventh Soul Gazer we've been looking for?"

I smiled bashfully, "Yes?" She looked at me like I was completely insane.

"Oh, we've been waiting for you! I'll fetch the head commander right away." She explained before hobbling off, through the flap of the tent. A few moments later an old man appears and introduced himself.

"Name's Gordon, and welcome to The Hills." I glance at the shadow of the man. His shadow portrayed as leaves blowing in a circle. It was if his shadow was alive itself. "Let's get straight to the point. So don't even bother saying anything," He barked at me but I opened my mouth in protest. But, the man was prepared.

"Nah, ah kiddo. Listen here. You have questions? Save it until the end and sit down because I'm going to teach you a life lesson." He chuckled and sat across the tent in an old wooden rocking chair.

"You're the Seventh Soul Gazer of our century. Every century the other Soul Gazers die, or have their powers taken away and the seventh becomes the first. New Soul Gazers are born and the process repeats.

"So you are the next first Soul Gazer, but to be the first a century has to pass. Kid, you need to learn how to lead. But to learn how to lead you need to learn how to follow, and to learn how to follow you must learn how to live. The Seventh Soul Gazer, needs to know themselves and which path to take. Seventh Soul Gazers choose their destiny and the other soul gazers have destinys assigned. But beware, if you choose the wrong path destruction will follow. What do you want for this world Katherine?" He drawled, looking at me like I was something special.

I open my mouth cautiously as to not interrupt, "I want peace.And freedom. And everything to be okay for everyone," I answered. I stared at the old man in the rocking chair.

He said to me, "Stop your dreaming kid." I looked at his feet in shame and tears formed in my eyes. I had been through so much and knew it was so little compared to everything else. I knew that, but I just thought that if I could help others I might not pity myself.

But, the old man wasn't done. He continued, "Get your head out of the clouds and start achieving." I glance back at him, and he gave me a grin. His front tooth was missing, I blinked away my tears and smiled. It was the best news I had heard in awhile