The Seekers

Chapter 9

I blinked up at him.

What?

"Take us where?" Connor interjected, glaring at him.

He skipped around us and gave our shoulders a light shove. "Start moving."

Tori followed us as we unsurely made our way across the rocks.

I could feel his presence behind me and okay, it was unsettling me.

"I'm Lev. That's my brother, Rhys, a year younger than me."

"Jean," I muttered in response.

"Tori, and my brother Connor," Tori said.

We reached where Rhys was standing with Kitsu in his arms.

Come to think of it...Kitsu means fox in Japanese. Huh.

Kitsu stared at me. Please don't grab me.

What? My eyes were popping out of my head. Was the fox talking to me? Did that boyish voice belong to him??

"I don't think we should go with them," Connor said in low voice.

Lev and Rhys ignored him, setting off toward the trees.

I fell in step with Connor.

Would he break my face if I put my hand on his shoulder? How should I reassure him?

Tori bumped her shoulder into his lightly. "We don't have a choice exactly. We have no idea what we're doing, or how much longer we can fend off for ourselves out there."

I nodded mutely as Connor sighed in resignation.

We picked up our pace to catch up with the boys.

The trees were thinning. We had left the water streams behind.

Unusual scents were hitting my nostrils. Connor and Tori were walking tensely.

In front of us, Lev and Rhys glanced at each other and casually slowed down. Kitsu scampered by me, swishing his fluffy tail on my leg. As I was about to attempt touching him, Lev suddenly stepped close to me and a sharp sound followed by a sudden pain in my nape, and an angry cry from Tori were the last things I registered before blacking out and crumpling to my feet.

***

"Did you hit too hard?.."

"No, I made sure to avoid that.."

"Why aren't they waking up? Alexis is gonna kill you."

Different voices drifted in and out of my mind hazily.

I blinked my eyes open, unable to make out anything.

Sudden silence ensued, I was sitting on a wooden chair with my hands tied behind the chair, my ankles and waist also seemed confined.

Twisting my head around, I tried to make out where I was. The room was dark, no one seemed to be there as far as I could see.

I could make out two other figures on chairs diagonally behind me.

Connor and Tori??

"Guys..?" I croaked out.

I heard shuffling behind me, Tori mumbled, "Wh..where are we..." she suddenly jerked against the ropes binding her.

"Careful! You'll fall on your face," I said while testing my own ropes. "Is this a prank?"

"Sick one, if so," she muttered. "I'm gonna pound Lev and Rhys."