Chosen

Chapter Fifty-Four: Julian

I felt the pull of the magic, trying to tug me with the rest, but my hand slipped and I couldn't hold on. There was a sharp pain in my arm like I got stabbed just before I was dragged into a whirlwind that was stronger than the last time we teleported. I didn’t know if I would land with the rest, or how far away I would be, since I lost them.

Then I was falling, falling, and my arm was wet with something, and I couldn't breathe. I blacked out for a moment before I hit the ground hard on my back.

I was in the sun, on a sandy beach. The sand was damp. I laid there, catching my breath for a few minutes. My head ached and swam. Then I opened my eyes, and the light was bright. I sat up. Nobody was nearby, but I could hear voices that I didn't recognize. I looked down. My arm was bloody with a nasty stab wound. Nothing Athena couldn't heal, I thought, and it didn’t even hurt very bad.

The only problem was finding them.

I stood up slowly, a bit dizzy. I supported myself on a tree until I wasn't, then walked to the voices. It was a small chance that they would be helpful, but I thought I should take the chance.

It wasn't far before I saw the smoke of a campfire and the smells of cooking meat. I walked as fast as I could and stumbled into a clearing of laughing people. They all went silent and looked up at me.

"Who are you?" asked a young girl who looked about 13.

"I'm...J-" I paused. "I'm James. I need help finding ny friends-"

"We have a few girls and a guy that came by recently - the dark-skinned one, the fair haired one, and the one covered in blood. And then the redhead boy," said a man close to the young girl.

"I - it sounds like them."

"They're in that tent over there," the man said, pointing to a green and brown tent that I hadn't seen before then. I thanked him and headed over to the tent.

I opened the zipper and crawled inside. It was dark. Jazmine was sleeping in a corner, and Athena and Scarlett were whispering about something in another. Rosalie was cleaned up and curled in a corner, snoring. As soon as I zipped the tent back, Athena's head snapped up and they stopped talking.

"Julian," she said. "I thought you were lost."

"They had to rest," Scarlett added.

"I was lost. I found you, though. I was stabbed and separated."

"Stabbed?!" Athena whispered.

"Yeah, but I'm fine."

"Let me heal it," Athena said, coming over with her jands already glowing. I stuck my arm out and pulled the bloody sleeve up. Athena put her hands on my arm and the wound closed up. She fell back, stumbling to the floor. Her eyes drooped.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked her worriedly.

"Just tired," Athena said. "We need to all rest and we'll leave during the night."