Outliers

Fifteen

"God, how I ricochet between certainties and doubt."

Sylvia Plath

The next day, after our return to Nevada, Nero found me packing my backpack in the early hours of the morning.

"Hiking again?" The younger boy was leant against the doorway to my bedroom, arms crossed against his chest and a frown on his face.

"Alone this time." I shoved my water bottle, the food I had packed early this morning, and my knife into my bag. Ignoring the way Nero eyed the sharp blade. He scoffed and pushed off from the wooden frame to stalk over to me.

"You're absolutely not. You're clearly upset, and I get you might need some distance right now but there's no way you're going hiking on your own with no way to contact the pack if something goes wrong."

"What on earth would go wrong? I've been hiking since I was a child, and I've been researching this territory long before I arrived here; I'm not going to get lost."

"I'm going to get my bag, don't leave without me," Nero warned, a surprisingly stern expression on his face. "I mean it, Emily, I will track you if you leave."

"For goodness sake," I huffed, rolling my eyes. "Go get your damn stuff then, I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Nero took barely five minutes to get ready, meeting me as agreed in the kitchen with his backpack slung over a shoulder and a baseball cap clutched in his hands.

A scowl remained on my face, and I knew it was unfair to be taking out my frustrations on Nero who was doing nothing but trying to help. My issues remained with Alpha Harris.

"Come on then," I sighed, defeated, leading the way out of the main house and towards our usual hiking path. Nero followed along silently, no doubt sensing my need for silence right now. He was being awfully understanding of my terrible mood, even if I hadn't said a word to him since my return from Nevada. And while I didn't say it, I was grateful that he had forced his way into joining me today.

"What's happening with you and Alpha Harris?" Nero finally prompted when we were in the thick of the forest, too far from the main house to run into anyone but patrol. "I thought the time alone would help, at least you'd be forced to talk to one another, clearly not."

"Nothing is happening."

"And that's why he couldn't get away from you quick enough when you returned? What about your morning training with him that you're obviously going to miss, out here with me?"

"I don't know what's wrong with him, okay?" I snapped, glaring into the distance in front of us. "The whole trip back was worse than before; he could barely look at me."

"You really have no idea what's wrong?"

"No," I lied. I didn't know for sure but I sure as hell had an idea.

It took us over an hour trekking through the woodland before we began our ascent up a rocky cliff face. Being able to bask in the glory of the woods and the rich earth, alongside Nero, while lost in my thoughts helped me to unwind and eased the tension that had wound itself through every inch of my body in the past twenty-four hours.

"I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier, as you can tell I'm feeling a little... well I don't even know how to describe it to be honest," I apologised, quietly as we settled for a short break only a short way into our climb.

"You know you can talk to me about these things right?" Nero nudged me with his knee, stood beside me as I sat crouched on the floor. "I know I've given myself a reputation as a gossip, but we're friends, I don't tell anyone what we talk about on these hikes."