Then Hunter stepped out of the void of bright colors and tightness, she opened her eyes and found herself standing in front of the shack. It was the strangest thing to be back in the home she was born into such a very long time ago. It was surrounded by tropical trees and animals hiding out of sight and the sound of waves crashing just a few steps behind her like a soothing lullaby. In light of everything that had just happened, Hunter allowed herself a moment to pretend she was dreaming, that she didn't have to worry about reality, that she could be young and free of problems again. That this was her paradise.
But there was a great responsibility on her shoulders and she couldn't have peace until that responsibility was upheld.
"This is where you were born?" asked Ryo from beside her.
Hunter looked away from the shack down at the small girl. A line of blood was falling from her nose very slowly. Hunter lifted her sleeve and wiped it.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. "That's where you're going? That's where Dr. Wolfe is?"
Hunter followed her gaze. Joshua never allowed her near the volcano. Every time she begged him, he told her that it was too dangerous. She felt drawn to it. She even found herself walking toward the volcano in an almost dream state. Now she understood why. A part of her had already heard the whisper.
Come ...
"Yeah, or he will be soon." She looked down at her. "You should get back. Go to the army base and try as hard as you can to stall the Chinese until more help arrives. But don't put yourself in too much danger and don't overuse your powers. That's what happened to Mikayla."
"Mikayla?"
Hunter nodded and explained Mikayla's escape plan.
"We can become so consumed by power that we forget to focus on the most important thing."
Ryo looked up at her quizzically.
"Love," said Hunter.
"It's funny," she said, "that we were chosen for this."
"I guess it is."
"It just makes me wonder why, of all the seven billion people in the world, it was me who was given this power. I wasn't at all equipped or prepared for it. Yet I find myself in this situation and I have so much potential to change things."
"I think we were chosen because we weren't equipped or prepared." Hunter stared at the shack, wondering how different her life would be if she or Joshua never had powers. But she didn't have to wonder, because it would never change.
"All our actions have consequences and are a part of this huge story that somebody wrote," said Ryo. "I think that somebody knew what he was doing though."
"You think? Even though whoever he is let Benji, Mosi and Fearne die? Let everyone else die tonight?"
Ryo didn't flinch at the thought, and Hunter admired her bravery. "Maybe it's because we can't see a reason for it until the war is won. We can't explain how or why, but when we get to the end, it will all make sense."
"I hope so," Hunter said and she reached down and hugged Ryo. "You should get back."
The young girl nodded. "Good luck."
Hunter blinked and she was gone and the shack stood before her, old and worn down by the sun and the tropical storms but still holding some value in her heart. She decided to search the shack first to find any sign of a trail Joshua may have mapped out.
When she entered the old house, she had an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, remembering the eight months she and Joshua lived there together. When Joshua brought her to the shack at age eight, he left her alone to do whatever she pleased. She saw no photographs, but there was always something womanly around. A pot of wilted flowers on the kitchen windowsill. Seashells in the bathroom. Trinkets in the living area that her mother had made out of the copper wire, the same wire used to make the symbol of fire that hung around her neck. They made Hunter smile and wish she knew her.
Now, everything looked different. Gloomy. As though this were another person's life she was remembering.
Hunter had to brush the moment under the metaphorical rug and run through the house to the back shed where Joshua used to keep all his research and equipment. He'd only taken her once for a tour and told her never to go back in, for everything was dangerous. Curiosity sparked inside her as she pushed open the creaking tin door and found herself in a small space with one side cluttered by junky mechanical equipment and a large workbench, and the other side covered in shelving and paperwork. The moment Hunter swung the door behind her, she felt instantly as though someone was watching her. A chill went up her spine.
She went to the right where a faded geographical map of the volcano was spread across the desk. There were stains on the work, making the lines bleed into each other. She started opening other rolls of paper, panic bubbling inside her stomach. What if Dr. Wolfe had already hurt Will or Joshua? What if they were dead and he'd found a way to Ravenadium, and by the time she found him it was too late?
She was so consumed by her fears that she didn't notice a figure creep toward her from the other side of the shed until he was right behind her and had tapped her on the shoulder.
Hunter screamed and whirled, and there stood her father.