Black Feather

Chapter 27

( Arkarian prov)
I stopped to make camp for the night. I sigh as I set down my backpack.
"That was to close," recalling that they almost found me. "I can't stop anymore, I can't take the chance of them finding me," I say to myself. "You shouldn't have left your group," comes a voice that sounds just like mine in a tree above me. I jump up, ready to fight. " who are you?"
"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you,"
"If you're not here to hurt me then show yourself," I say getting annoyed.
"Good point," the voice said then jumped down from the tree staying in the shadows.

"Come into the light, so I can see you," I say.

"That wouldn't be best," the voice replies.

"What's your name," I ask.

"Max," the voice said.
"Okay, Max, why are you here," I ask still keeping my guard up.

"To find you," Max replied.

"So you are here to bring me harm," I say getting defensive.

"No, that's not what I meant,"
"Then what did you mean,"
"I needed to find you to tell you, you need to go back, let your friends find you,"
"...Why,"
"It's the prophecy, you need to make it happen,"
"Okay, Max, why are you staying in the shadows where I can't see you, I know you said it was for the best, but you're being so mysterious," I say.

"Fine, but if you freak out it's not my fault," Max replied. Then she slowly started to walk out of the shadows. She has black pants on knee-high brown boots and a dark green hoodie with the hood up that hides her face.

"I thought you were going to let me see you, I can't because you have your hood up," I say crossing my arms but still keeping my guard up. I hear her sigh with defeat.

"Fine, just don't freak out," She says.

"I won't," I replied. Then she slowly starts to pull her hood off, when it's off, my brain can't process what I am seeing. It's...it's...it's me?! I walk a couple of feet back, I'm back on defense.

" Why do you look like me?" an edge to my voice. She sighs again.

"You said you wouldn't freak out,"

"If I was freaking out you would already be on the ground,"

"You never answered my question," I said glaring. She sighs.

"Let's just say, I'm the real you,"

" What do you mean by that?" I ask taking a couple more steps back.

" How can I put this, you're a clone of...me," she said.

"A clone? Those don't exist," I replied narrowing my eyes.

" Neither should you," Max says crossing her arms.

"How did you find me?" I ask.

" That's easy when you're looking for yourself,"

"Like I said earlier you need to find your friends,"

"Why don't you just go in my place Max, you could be me we look the same they wouldn't know the difference," She shakes her head.

"No, I got out of that mess long ago, so the 'home' made you,"

"What, I don't want to be in this mess either but you are in it now, no changing that,"

"So what do we do now?" Max asks plopping down on the ground.

" I have no clue," I answer sitting down next to her.

( Matthew Prov )

We are walking in the forest again in the direction Emily smelled her in ( turned into a bloodhound).