The Grove (Ravens #1)

xix. odysseus

The masked figure snuck into the Ravens' camp through an entrance hidden in the back. This seemed to be the only escape route left, as many had been repaired. The figure felt almost insulted by how much more secure the camp had become. The stranger had relied on all the holes. It would make their life more complicated; it would restrict their freedom. They had lost their freedom once before, and they refused to lose it again. Perhaps this camp would not be the best place for them.

They hid behind a building they knew all too well. They could describe the architecture with impeccable accuracy. How many times had they crouched behind this building, waiting for the moment to run? There was a slight ditch underneath the structure, built as an irrigation system for rainwater. This was where the figure was situated, a place where only one other person could fit.

"Hayden!" a voice called from across the camp. It was a little girl who they identified as Ellie, "There's an intruder!" The figure cursed under their breath— they had been discovered. But all was going well, the one they wished to talk to would be there shortly.

"Ellie, stand back," another voice warned. It was the protective sound of the person that the stranger loved most in the world. There was more confidence in his voice now than when they'd last heard him speak; it seemed he was getting strong again. "They might be armed." The figure fingered the blade in their sheath. It was relatively small, but it was all they would possibly need. They had a secret weapon that would protect themselves, should it come to that. But this weapon would destroy all of their plans, although in this new world, plans were merely dreams.

"There's a hole underneath B5," another voice said. The figure recognized that it belonged to the boy they'd come to see. "Only one person can fit in it. I'll go, but Yasmin, Seb, you both need to cover."

"Don't get yourself killed," one of the people warned.

The last boy responded, a snicker in his voice, "That's all on you, buddy." Soon, a dirty blonde-haired boy had slid into the hole alongside the stranger. He examined them closely, trying to make out who could be hidden underneath the red bandana and black beanie. Their slim figure told him it was a girl before him, and not his primary foe throughout the forest. But his nemesis had friends in strange places, and this girl could be anyone. Neither her face, nor her hair, was visible.

"Get down, and listen to me," the figure snapped. The boy nodded, recognizing her voice instantly. All he wanted to do was hug her, hold her, know that it was truly this person in front of him and know that she was truly alive, but he was serious now. He understood that she would not have come to their camp in this manner if her message was unimportant. "Mai is with Adrian right now, and she's thinking about leaving your camp. You might not be safe here anymore."

The boy's heart sank, realizing that the threat that came with his cousin was real, and it was spiraling straight towards him. He'd been running for too long, and it seemed his punishment was finally catching up with him. The act that plagued his subconscious was ready to be avenged; Hayden James Barrels had pulled the trigger on his father, the bullet from the victim's very own gun.

Hayden was young, only fourteen years of age, and his father was sick. All he ever heard were the tortured screams as his body convulsed and the pain and illness took him over. Eventually his father had enough. He was sick of being a prisoner in his own body, and handed his son the gun. The son refused, but his father swore that he would never forgive him if he let him live any longer. And so he bit his lips and closed his eyes and vomited as he pulled the trigger. His mother came home, and Hayden ran. Now the rest of his family lived in the sanctuary cities, everyone but his dear cousin Adrian, so Adrian was the one responsible for killing him. Hayden only ever told these details to one girl, and she was standing in front of him now in disguise. He had come to realize that she was the right person to tell; she could provide him with the scariest of details, such as the ones before him now.