The Fearless One [discontinued]

Chapter Two

The Southern gates.

The barrier, the line between Steph's comfort zone and the outside world. She feels as if her heartbeat has stopped and the always running time has been frozen. It's just her, staring at those gates to a journey. The air is sweet in the morning, a blue misty look near the forest hills. A hint of lush green blurs out in a thin layer of cold mist, the birds singing in the pale river sky.

It's exciting and frightening at the same time that Steph doesn't know what to feel or how to express her emotions. So she sits on her beautiful, amber-brown horse in silence.

"Hey." she hears someone say.

She turns around to see a dark-skinned girl, smooth skinned with curly dark hair tied in a low pony tail. She has a medic waist bag and another bag hanging on her horse.

"I heard that someone new was coming on this journey with us." she says. Steph could already tell that she is a tough and strong woman, wearing a casual shirt, black trousers and high ankle boots.

"It's Steph." Steph introduces.

"I'm Ana." she says, giving a slanted smile. "Short for Stephanie?"

"It's just...Steph." Steph shyly replies.

"Huh, unique." she says, her emotions slipping off her face.

"Is everyone else here? Where's Steph?" Steph hears Cody's words ring in her ears. She turns her horse around before getting in trouble. She doesn't need Cody's scowl first thing in the morning.

Steph's eyes land on a girl with the same appearance as Jacobi. He's talking to her right now.

"Steph...Steph...!"

Steph wakes up from staring before looking at Cody. From those green eyes, she could tell that his patients is running out. Steph still had a lot to waste.

"I asked, do you have a weapon?" he says slowly, as if Steph really did have hearing problems. She nods, furrowing her brows: "As you see."

Her quiver is on her back, arrows equiped and her elegant bow just beside it. She nearly smiles for indicating that Cody could've been blind for not seeing her weapons.

Cody frowns, face serious: "There are monsters in the woods ready to be killed. If you don't know how to use those weapons of yours, then you better speak up."

Steph's happy mood completely fades away, she pulls a face at him for speaking ill of her.

"Okay, we're leaving!"

She watches Cody throwing himself onto his dark horse and riding forwards with lead. Beside him, his loyal mate Brian follows with the right pace of his horse.

"Don't mind Cody, he's actually really nice, once you get to know him." Jacobi has his horse positioned beside Steph, they were going to be the last in line.

"Thanks Jacobi." Steph doubts that she would like to know more of Cody. Knowing that he has a handsome appearance is good enough.

"Jacobi stop flirting with the new girl!" his twin sister shouts with a wicked smile. They have the same lake blue eyes, except her twin sister Paige's have a rushing wave in them that matches her lively and cheeky personality that Steph has yet to discover.

"I did not!" Jacobi is already having a faint blush on his cheeks as he shouts towards his sister. Steph watches him trying to think of something to change the subject. His lips moving across his lower ones, then the colour fades back.

"Are you nervous?" he asks as they kick their horses gently. Both setting their horses at the right pace and Steph smiles at the order.

"Yes." Steph admits, her heart jumping a little. "I don't really like the outdoors, it scares me a little. The unknown that lurks around, ready to attack you at any second-"