Shadows Peak |✔

Chapter 41: Sydney

"But not by me!" she pointed out, trying to make him see reason.

"It's not that simple. I don't think you could ever understand. Your people have terrorized mine for centuries. Until they've taken from you the way they've taken from me, you'll never get it."

"You have no idea the things they've taken from me!" Sydney shouted, furious now at his one-sided thinking. "Why do you think I was in Yorke, alone, with metal sticking out of my leg!?"

She felt no satisfaction when his eyes widened at her outburst. He shouldn't have been so quick to jump to assumptions. She knew he was hurting, and she acknowledged that she was the cause of some of his pain, but she'd been walking around with soul wounds since she came to the Western Region; he wasn't the only one hurting.

A single, angry tear dripped down Sydney's cheek as she tried to contain her frustrations. Not here. Not now. Not in front of him. People were starting to wake up, and some probably already were, due to her shouting. She didn't like the idea of putting on a show for them.

When Casey lifted a hand to wipe away her tear, Sydney stepped back, not letting him.

"I don't want to take up anymore of your time," she said bitterly before walking away.

Gosh, why do I always have to cry in front of him.

Reid and Brooke were already up, their eyes glued to Sydney as she walked past them, but they didn't say anything or try to stop her from going off on her own. Sydney was grateful for that, needing time to herself. For some reason, a lot of stifled emotions were resurfacing; one in paticular that she thought she had dealt with.

Walking until she was sure no one could see or hear her, Sydney cried. All she wanted in that moment was Jasper. She needed someone who knew her, truly knew her, and would be able to understand the loss she felt. He could relate to her pain...he'd lost the same person. She hoped that as they passed through Galdon, she may get to see him before continuing further east. Right now, she needed him more than anyone else.

After getting herself together, Sydney rejoined the others right as they were ready to leave. The journey on foot had been light for the most part, but now they were beginning to have to deal with an incline. They were at the foot of a mountain, so the steepness would only increase the further they went until they reached a place to camp at the next nightfall.

"Hey," Brooke said, walking in step next to Sydney.

"Hi," she said in return.

"You want to talk about it?"

Sydney knew what Brooke was referring to, or rather who she was referring to. There was nothing Brooke could have been referencing other than the heated exchange of words between her and Casey.

"Not really," she answered, kicking up dirt as she walked. "There's just a lot of...misunderstandings between us. And a lot of pain. I think it gets in the way of what could be, ya' know?"

Brooke nodded her head, not pushing for more conversation.

"Try not to let him rule your thoughts," she said. "We need you here with us. After all, you're probably our greatest chance at survival."

Realizing how right she was, Sydney redirected her focus to their surroundings. Unfortunately, she was a moment too late.

"Stop!" she shouted a second before a loud snapping sound filled the air.

Everyone watched as two people fell into a pit, unable to spot the slight discoloring of the leaves that were manipulated to cover up the hole. Sydney closed her eyes the moment she saw the sharp wooden spears pierce the chests of the young man and woman who fell in.

The loud howling of pain coming from Evan was enough to shatter glass; it was as if he was breaking as he cried out the name, "Bobby." Charlie started to rush over to the pit, which raised alarm for Sydney as she was fearful that wouldn't be the only trap waiting for them.

"Don't move!" she yelled. "Nobody move! There could be booby traps all around us!"

Everyone seemed to listen to her, which took away some of the stress she was feeling, but not much. Scanning the vicinity, she tried to spot any other inconsistencies.

"Will someone explain to me what the hell just happened?!" Evan begged on his knees, his face red as he continued to cry out for Bobby. In that moment, Sydney couldn't ignore the striking resemblance between the two. "Why was there...who did that?!"

A theory was formulating in Sydney's mind, but she was nervous of how the already panicked group would react if she voiced. Turns out she didn't have to worry about that, because Casey said it for her.

"We aren't the only people in Shadows Peak."

That reality scared Sydney. It was one thing to enter into unknown territory, and it was a whole other thing to have to fight an enemy. But...it was nearly impossible to defeat one in their own home.

This just got ten times more difficult.