Unafraid (On Hold)

Chapter 2- Follower

Faith followed the boy for what felt like forever. He didn't even live in her home town in fact; he lived miles and miles away. The boy continuously cut through various forests and made sharp turns. He wasn't aware of Faith's company but he wasn't really focused on that. Faith was trying to keep as quiet as possible but that is quiet hard when you're tripping over large tree roots and breathing hard from running too much.

The strange boy turned left, approaching what appeared to be a long path. It was a bit hard to tell due to the fact that it was starting to get really dark outside. The skies were black with a small amount of stars; the only available light for these two was the full moon that hangs high above them. The boy suddenly stopped running and came to a complete halt, Faith hid behind a tree and watched from afar.

She had no idea where this boy was leading her; the only thing she knew was the fact that in front of them stood a large, ancient building that was made of stone. It looked as though it wasn't properly taken care of; it had many cracks and shattered windows, as well as long, stretched out vines that climbed up its side. The boy walked towards the entrance and disappeared inside the building. Afraid but determined Faith gathered all of the courage left in her and followed the boy inside. She found him turning yet another corner in the building, which led down a long hall.

The inside of the building looked just as bad as the outside. The walls paint was chipping and scratches were forever carved in them. The building had such a powerful stench Faith had to use her long sleeved dress to cover her mouth and nose. After following the boy down this long, treacherous hall and gazing at her horrific surroundings, the boy finally turned and entered into a room to his right.  Not really thinking much about it, Faith walked inside and hid behind one of the two pillars standing in the middle of the room.

It was a bit chilly inside and what surrounded her was quiet frightening. On the ground lay bones and leftover remains of humans. She had to try her hardest to not scream out in fear. The boy stood on the other side of the room and took off the long jacket that covered his body. His back was turned to Faith, and once the jacket was removed it was clear to see a large scar on the middle of his back. The boy had dark short hair and dark eyes that screamed mystery. The mysterious boy then removed the gloves that covered his hands, revealing large claws. It was then Faith knew that this boy wasn't human at all.

She gasped, forgetting the predicament she put herself in. In a blink of an eye the boy had her pinned up against the pillar she was once hiding behind. One of his strong hands held onto her throat and the other covered her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" His deep frightening voice whispered, showing off his small fangs.

Faith gripped his hands trying hard to pry them off of her neck. She used as much force as possible and kicked him hard in his stomach. The boy let out a grunt as he loosened his grip around Faith's neck and crouched over in pain. Faith took that as her opportunity and grabbed his arm and gave it a hard twist. She kicked the boy once again but this time she aimed for his chest, sending him flying towards the other end of the room. His back hit the wall with a hard THUD!

The boy slid onto the hard concrete floor in a daze, he slowly got up and quickly regained his strength. When the room around him came back into view he was surprised to see Faith charging at him. He spun out of the way causing Faith to collide into the wall, he then grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her as he pushed her against the wall.

"What is wrong with you!?" He growled. "Don't you have any respect for your life?"

Faith bit her bottom lip and kicked him in the shin. The boy may have had her pinned up but she was not planning to let him win. She heard the boy hiss under his breath knowing that her kick hurt him. She then wrapped one of her legs around him and sent him falling towards the ground. Faith spun on her heel and put her left foot on his chest, using her strength to keep him secure in place.

"Why were you following me?" She asked with a hint of venom in her tone.

"I can't tell you..." The boy began, but before he had a chance to finish his sentence Faith applied more pressure to her foot. He groaned out in pain.

"I'm going to ask you one more time..." She said glaring into the boys eyes. "Why were you following me!?"

As the boy was about to answer, a loud voice echoed into the room. "Akakios!!" A strong woman's voice yelled.

Faith gasped at the sudden interruption.

The boy grabbed Faith's leg and pulled it, he caught her before she hit the floor. He then stood up and held her tight against him and covered her mouth with his hand, preventing her from speaking.

"I'm coming!" He yelled in response to the woman's voice. He then turned his attention back to Faith. "Look...I can't tell you right now. It isn't safe. If they knew that a human was here they wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I'm trying to spare your life. Now if you'd like to know why I've been following you, then you'll have to find out tomorrow at dawn by the river. Try anything funny and I won't hesitate to kill you. Got that?"

Faith glared at Akakios, the boy whose name she just discovered. She nodded in response to his question.

"Good...you need to get out of here before the both of us get caught. Follow me and make sure not to make much noise."

Akakios led Faith through a back passage way to the entrance of the building. He then showed her a quick way back to her home town and disappeared into the darkness. Faith stood in the middle of the road way and stared at the spot the boy had disappeared. The wind blew causing Faith to shiver a bit. She clenched onto her white, flowing, long sleeved dress and started her way home. It wasn't a long walk but along the way Faith couldn't help but feel as though she was forgetting something.

She approached her home and entered slowly. It has been a while since her mother sent her off to get some potatoes at the grocery store. As she entered the house she noticed her mother sitting at the kitchen table, looking in her home remedies book. Her mother is a woman who goes around town treating those who have fallen ill, or have become injured. It was something women in the Rose family (her mother’s side) were known for, but Faith never found that interesting. Faith was a bit more attached to the dangerous warrior life.

Faith began to walk past her mother towards the living room, but her mother stopped her before she got too far.

“Were you able to get any potatoes?” Her mother asked, without taking her eyes off of her book.

Forgetting what her original task was, Faith quickly came up with a lie. “No, they were out of them.” She answered. She pulled the two coins out of her flats and placed them on the kitchen table.

Glancing up at Faith with a suspicious look, Faith’s mother said “You were gone for quite a while.”

“Yea…I decided to take a walk. You know get some fresh air.”

Her mother nodded. “Alright.”

Faith took a seat besides her mother. “So what are you doing?”

“I’m looking up new home remedies for the woman’s daughter next door. She fell ill of a high fever and nothing seems to be working.”

“Would you like my help? I’m sure I can think of something. You know two heads work better than one.”

Faiths mother laughed at her daughter’s corny saying, “No dear, I think I can handle this one. You look tired, you should go to bed.”

Faith nodded. “You’re right. I have a big day tomorrow, I should get my rest.”

“Ah…more training with your father?”

“Something like that.” At that point Faith stood up and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight mommy.”

“Good night honey.”

Faith made her way upstairs to her room. The minute her head touched her pillow she immediately fell asleep. She didn’t realize how tired she actually was. But she was certainly was  right about needing her rest for tomorrow, because she sure does have a long day ahead of her.