Tobi's P.O.V.
Josh pressed his finger to his lips, face pale and pinched. The rest of us were frozen. We could hear footsteps, voices around us and I knew, we all knew, if they found us then it was all going to be over. We couldn't be found. So we remained stock-still, hardly even breathing, sharing glances between the group as we all tried not to cry. This was certainly the closest they had ever come to finding us.
Even after they moved away, we remained completely still. Vikk and Harry were struggling, pinched faces as they were cramped uncomfortably on the floor, but they didn't make any noise. They knew how serious it was. None of the boys said anything, they didn't even make to move, until the sun was set below the horizon and the woods were dark. But we still didn't move. We couldn't risk it- they could be waiting for us to do something.
Finally, hours after the sun had set and plunged us into darkness, Josh moved his arm and very careful pressed down on a bundle of dry leaves. The sound it made was deafening in the silent night. But there was no one else around to hear it. No one sprung out to attack us, there was no war cry. It was just us now.
I think it was my gasp of relief that broke the tension between us. Simon leaned over and hugged me tight, chest heaving as he tried not to cry. The other boys were hugging too, maybe someone was crying because I could hear muffled sobs echoing in the other quiet night, but it didn't matter. What mattered most was that they hadn't found us. We were safe for another day.
They had been hunting us for a long time now, just as they had been hunting everyone like us. We were wrong, they told their people, wrong and disgusting and dangerous. We must be killed. So they drove us to the fringes of civilization to the point we were barely living. I hadn't seen any others like us in a few years now, so it was somewhat a miracle that the seven of us were still going. We had to move further and further out each year as they expanded their search. They were really getting desperate to make sure we were dead but at this point there wasn't much we could do. What was left of us were maybe hundreds and there was no way we could group up, so we knew it was just a waiting game now. It was all we could do to survive.
"Come on." I murmured, pushing the youngest two in front of me. "Let's get moving. We need to find somewhere away from here for the night."
There were no arguments. I was the voice of reason here, especially when it came to a situation like this, and the boys knew better than to question me. Even Josh knew by now, although I did defer to him if I needed advice first.
We settled near a quiet brook, and I volunteered for first watch. I knew I would be able to sleep until I was sure there was no one following us, waiting until we were vulnerable before attacking. Ethan ended up with his head in my lap, JJ on his other side with Vikk in arms. Harry, Josh and Simon were in one big pile where, in the dark, I couldn't tell who was who.
I lifted one knee and rested my chin on it, staring off into the distance. Why couldn't we just be safe? Why couldn't we be free?
---------------------------------------------------
Simon was playing with fire. Oh, I mean literally. Sparks and flames were dancing on the tips of his fingers, flitting around him like it had a mind of its own, even though I was aware it was just him. He controlled fire, flames and smoke, manipulated it to his will, bent it like we did to our own elements.
I controlled light. It was powerful, almost a form of invisibility at times, but it also destructive. Vikk manipulated energy, Ethan had earth, Josh, water, JJ, air, and Harry, nature. We were freaks, unnatural, dangerous. Despite having long mastered our abilities where we would never unintentionally harm someone, we were powerful. If we wanted to, we could kill.
All we wanted was to be free. We wanted to live in a society where we weren't ostracized, outcasts, forced to live in squalor. But while we had these powers, it wasn't going to happen. They were afraid of us.
Little Vikk wrapped his arms around my waist, closely followed by Harry. The two youngest were scared, rightly so, and ever since we had come only inches away from being caught both had been super clingy. I didn't mind, neither did the other boys. I was happy to know that they were still there when I hadn't seen them for a little while.
It was difficult to survive in conditions like this. We relied completely on hunting and gathering and because we couldn't risk remaining in one place, we couldn't do any farming. Winter was approaching too, and the cold would be a serious risk to us. Simon and Vikk could help, but it would exhaust them too. It was the most difficult season to get through.
"Alright Tobi?" Josh asked, smiling gently at the two youngest who were still clinging to me. "Stopping for a bit?"
"Not like I have a choice." I laughed, gesturing to the pairs of arms around me. "But yes, I am."
I think it was that that got everyone else to stop for a while as well. I settled down beside the fire with Vikk and Harry, Josh on the other side of the pit, and the other boys quickly joined us. No one had anything to say, we were silent. It was a comfortable silence, a genuine happiness that we were still here and surviving. Maybe not living, certainly not living, but surviving.
Ethan leaned against me. Simon, JJ and Josh lay against each other, Harry and Vikk laid in my lap. I sighed quietly, leaning back and closing my eyes. The only thing I could be thankful for was these boys. God, I loved them so much. If they weren't here I really didn't know where I would be.
It was all I could do to be free- make sure my boys were too.
