My Kidnapper Wears a Feather in His Hair

Chapter 3

If she went back without the wood she was sure to get an earful from Katie. Ella sighed and trudged forward. Ella tried to ignore Teddy as best as she could, but ignoring him was like ignoring a bird chirping right in your ear. She picked up on a few words here and there in his monologue. With the few parts she caught she knew that he had seven brothers and five sisters who all were rambunctious, which was no surprise. They all loved the summer but told stories and played games in the winter. That’s as far as the story went so far.

The farther they went from the camp the more she noticed the sky. Ella had always been fascinated by the stars. She loved the North Star. She thought it was amazing how the slaves had found their way North using the stars.

Ella felt at home when she looked up at the night sky on a clear night. Countless times she had opened her window at the orphanage and sat up on the roof, staring at the sky, wishing for her daddy to come back to her, wishing her mother were still there to hold her close.

Now, Ella found the Big Dipper and followed it over to the North Star. A slight breeze whispered its way across the sleeping prairie. Ella touched her hand to her face and felt her wet cheeks.

She shook her head to get rid of the painful memories of her mothers death, and even worse her fathers betrayal. She grabbed her skirts and held them up high and she ran across the grasses towards the trees.

“Ella? Wait up!” Teddy called after her. But already she was far away from him.

Ella felt her toe collide with a small rock and fell down with a loud thud. She sat up and picked up the rock. She looked at it in her hand, turned it over a few times. As she stared at it her eyes grew wetter and her heart grew icy. She stood up and chucked the rock at the nearest tree.

The tree grunted and fell to the ground.

Suddenly the sounds of half a dozen coyotes filled the air. The noise was almost deafening. The ground below Ella started to shake. Horses were stampeding towards her. Ella ducked down and covered her head with her arms as the horses speeded past. She stood up and looked over at Teddy. His eyes were wide with terror and he seemed to be stunned in place.

Ella smiled. “Finally, he shut up.” She heard a rustling and turned her attention back the trees.

The trees around Ella all started to move. Each moved towards a horse and climbed on. One flew past Ella. In the moonlight Ella could see the definition of the unclothed chests, the long dark hair, and the dark skin. Now it was her turn to freeze in terror; she was surrounded by wild Indians.

The Indian who fell to the ground got up into a crouch and jumped up onto a horse as it ran past, not even five feet from Ella. She started to back away. The other Indians all leaped onto their horses. Ella, still walking backwards, now started to run.

Teddy was still standing stock still as Ella got closer. “Teddy! Don’t just stand there, RUN!” She yelled as she ran past him.

She was sprinting faster than she ever thought possible when Teddy passed her. “Teddy, wait!” She yelled as he got farther and farther from him.

Ella’s breathing was ragged and her lungs were burning, her throat feeling numb and on fire at the same time. She heard hooves coming behind her. She did the best thing she could think of; she got onto her knees and covered her head. The horses were running circles around her, the sound of their hooves were ringing in her ears. The howls from the wild men were discombobulating.

“Please save me, please save me, please save me!” Ella prayed over and over like a mantra. It comforted her a little.

The horses trotted for a few seconds then slowed to a walk, still making circles around Ella. She looked up slowly so to see dark faces looking down at her. The moonlight reflected off the paints the natives wore; on their faces, their chests, their arms. Some held knives and others had a bow around their backs, arrows  resting in a quiver.

The howling had stopped as the figures kept circling the poor frightened girl. Suddenly the circle broke. A new rider came into the circle. He rode up to Ella and stared down at her. At once Ella recognized the long dark hair and face of the Indian, her Indian. She sat still as the man yelled some strange calls and the rest of the riders imitated the strange calls, kicking their horses and riding off into the plains.

“Thank you God.” Ella thought, relief flooding her. They were leaving, finally. She stood up slowly, and looked up. Her Indian was staring right at her. She felt uncomfortable, exposed. Like she had nothing to hide, as if she were skin bare. She wondered what he was going to do, looking at her like he was dying of thirst and she was a fresh spring.

And then the Indian, her Indian, reached down and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her onto his horse, and riding out into the plains.

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authors comment -- thank you all for being so patient! im really sorry that its taken me this long to post this, id have had it up earlier if my summer wasnt so busy. schools starting monday so ill have a routine and probably more time. to all my fans and readers, you seriously are the reason that this story is still going to continue. i was actually going to trash it but i got so much good feedback it would have been rude of me to trash it! your wanting to read this is what makes me want to write more. you have yourselves to thank for this being up. i promise ill write chapter 4 before november, but idk if i can have it up earlier bc im getting a job soon and school, its a lot. but ill do it for you all, promise. vote, comment, and dont forget to read "Pirates, Kings, and Love. Oh my." if you like this you'll love that one too. oh and i promise, they are going to find land SOON. im as sick of the ship as you are. thanks for reading!!

- Sarah