The next morning, I woke up to a loud scream. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and looked around. Lisa and Luna were already on their feet, looking at me with concern.
"What was that?" Lisa asked.
"Get ready, they're coming!" I heard Alex's voice, and he emerged from behind the trees, running toward us.
"Dark Ones?" Daniel asked as he appeared beside me, wielding a sword.
"Yes, and there are quite a few of them. At least ten that I saw, but I didn't have time to count precisely," Alex replied.
"Have they spotted us?" Luna inquired.
"I'm not sure, but I think they know we're here, and..." Another scream echoed, this time very close.
"...I'm pretty sure they're heading our way," Alex finished the sentence.
"Everyone, prepare for combat. We can't run from them anymore," Daniel stated firmly.
I was on my feet as soon as Daniel gave the order. I took my bow in hand and tucked throwing knives into my belt, knowing I might need them.
"Is Lisa going to fight too?" Daniel asked, turning to the two girls.
"Yes, both of us can fight. We can defend ourselves or even you if needed. But if you don't mind, we'd prefer to stay a bit farther back. If there are too many of them, I wouldn't want to get too close," Luna replied.
"Of course, I completely understand," Daniel nodded.
"Lisa can stay with me," I offered. "If something were to happen, I can heal. And they're also afraid of the Light. She'll be safe with me."
"Then you two stay back," Luna said calmly. "I'll assist the others up close."
"They're here!" Sarah shouted from the background. She held a dagger in one hand and her chakram in the other.
Luna pulled a pistol from her bag. Needless to say, I was utterly astonished, and I wasn't the only one.
"My father knew how to use this. He taught us, and he gave this to me when he died," Luna explained after she noticed our shock.
"Do you have bullets for it?" Alex asked.
"I rarely use it, and I've had the chance to collect quite a few rounds when we holed up in a police station."
"Great!"
"Not really. It takes a lot of rounds to incapacitate them. They won't drop with just one bullet," Luna clarified.
As we prepared to face the impending threat, Daniel outlined our strategy. "Let's try to divert them in different directions so they don't all rush us at once. Luna, come with me. Alex, go with Sarah in the other direction. Ana, try to get their attention, but don't overdo it."
Everyone followed Daniel's orders. I raised my bow, ready for the shot. I had to act quickly. I released my first arrow, which pierced the Dark One's neck, and immediately aimed for another, hitting his chest, causing him to fall to the ground motionless. The enemies were approaching one by one, which made my task easier.
Now, there were two Dark Ones approaching us, but I didn't need to worry. I managed to hit one in the heart, while Lisa threw a knife into the chest of the other Dark One.
It was a great throw.
They kept coming relentlessly, getting closer and closer. I had to switch to my sword since it made no sense to shoot at such close range. My hair was in my eyes, and I was soaked, covered in black blood. I was panting and gasping for air because there were too many enemies, and I was starting to get tired.
"Ana, more and more of them are coming!" Lisa said, pointing into the distance where a massive crowd was approaching us. "We can't defeat them just the two of us!"
She was right. We couldn't handle this many on our own. What happened to the others? Weren't we supposed to divert them in three directions? Why were there so many now?
"Lisa, go further away! I'll hold them off."
"How?"
"I have an idea," I said, feeling tense. "But trust me. Just go!"
I heard her running off in the distance. When I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, I closed my eyes.
Lisa
As Ana had instructed, I began to run. I wanted to stay by her side, but I had to trust her. She was the Light, and if she said she knew what she was doing, then I believed her. As I distanced myself from her, I noticed someone approaching me. It was the boy who had captured my sister last night. As soon as he spotted me, he started running toward me.
"Hey, kid, where's Ana?" he asked, panting.
"She told me to go away... I didn't want to leave, but she asked me to trust her," I explained, but Alex wasn't paying attention to me.
He froze completely, his eyes focused on a spot. I turned around to see what had shocked him so much. Ana was standing not far from us, her whole body radiating light. The Dark Ones who were too close to the girl turned into dust simultaneously. The others began to retreat, but they didn't have much luck as a wave of light burst from the girl towards them, and they met the same fate as their comrades.
However, this wasn't all. The girl wasn't standing on the ground; she was floating in the air, weightless, not touching the earth.
"Wow... This is incredible!" I exclaimed in amazement. It was so beautiful, but also a bit frightening to witness. "Breathtaking."
"Yeah," the boy said, his voice so quiet that if I had been a bit farther away, I might not have heard him. His expression had changed completely, devoid of any resentment or anger. He, too, looked at the girl with admiration.
By the time I glanced back at the girl, she was no longer glowing. She slowly began to descend towards the ground. As her feet touched the ground, she collapsed. Alex was already running towards Ana, but the other boy, Daniel, suddenly appeared beside her out of nowhere. He embraced the girl and helped her to her feet.
I looked back at Alex's face, trying to decipher the emotions swirling within him, but I couldn't read anything from his expression. His face was blank.
Sarah and Luna had also arrived.
"What happened? The Dark Ones ran past us. They didn't even seem interested in us. They were fleeing," Sarah reported on their situation.
"It was Ana," Daniel immediately spoke up. "I have no idea exactly what she did, but based on the radiance and the fleeing Dark Ones, I pieced it together."
"There were a damn lot of them. One got too close to me, and I couldn't hold them back anymore. One of them bit into me, but they had no luck, they turned to dust instantly. And I... I have no idea how or what I did, but somehow, I annihilated them."
That's when we witnessed the burst of light.
"This is the first time I've heard Ana swear," Daniel smiled.
"The Dark Ones can think, Ana can swear... yeah, some pretty strange things have come to light," Alex remarked, but he didn't look at anyone, his gaze lost in the distance.
"Ana, can you walk?" I asked, turning to the girl.
"We can rest if you want," Daniel suggested.
"No need. Everything's fine. Let's go instead; I want to leave this cursed forest as soon as possible. I've had enough of it," Ana declared.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Adam
When I arrived at the gas station, I was greatly disappointed. Over the past few days, both the gasoline and the car had disappeared.
I decided to head back to the kids, and maybe I'd try searching for a car again some other time.
On my way back, I walked through the nearby town. I turned a corner and saw two men. Next to them stood two horses.
Both men were dressed in black robes, and one of them had his back turned to me, allowing me to see the pattern on his back.
Two radiant hands held a sword with three words engraved on it: "The Sword of Light."
Of course, they were from the Camp.
As I approached them, the other man, who wasn't facing me, noticed and said something to his companion, who immediately turned and started walking toward me.
"Greetings!" said one of the men. "We're from the Camp, although I assume you've already noticed that. We're here to help if you need assistance. Although you appear to be alone and haven't had an easy time so far, I'd like to offer our help. We can accompany you to the Camp if you'd like." He extended his hand to me after finishing his statement. We shook hands.
"Thank you very much for the offer, but for now, I can't go with you to the Camp. My children are waiting for me at home, and since we're a big family, it wouldn't be easy to look after so many people. However, if you happen to be around another time and come with more people, I'd gladly accept the help."
"That sounds reasonable," said the other man, who appeared to be around Daniel's age.
"Before you go, may I ask a question?" the man I had shaken hands with asked. "I'm looking for a family member, a seventeen-year-old girl who bears a strong resemblance to me. Brown hair, blue eyes... Have you seen anyone matching this description? Anytime, anywhere..."
That can't be Ana, can it? This description could apply to anyone... And this man can't be the girl's father; he's too young, but they really do resemble each other. Could he be her brother? Ana mentioned that her brother disappeared in the woods years ago. I can only find out if I ask for her name.
"I've met a few girls who match this description. Could you tell me the name of the girl you're looking for?"
"Ana," the man replied.
I tried to maintain my composure and not show any reaction.
"No, unfortunately, I haven't come across anyone by that name," I lied convincingly.
Why did I lie? I couldn't even tell myself the exact reason.
"Alright, thank you. If you happen to meet her someday, could you please tell her to come home? We miss her terribly," the man said.
"Of course, absolutely. Good luck, I hope you find her," I replied, then quickly left the town.
"I'm back!" I announced after closing the front door behind me. I took off my coat, changed into indoor slippers, and walked into the kitchen. No one was there. The overwhelming silence in the house was eerie.
Upstairs, I knocked on my son's bedroom door but received no response. He might be sleeping, probably with the girl, resting.
Expecting this, I pushed down the handle and opened the door, only to find the room empty.
I checked Ana's room as well, but it was just as empty as my son's. I went through all the other rooms in the house, but they were all vacant. Most of the weapons were missing, along with the food, and even the medications were gone. Everything had disappeared.
My son left me.
My son took everyone. But why? I knew he wouldn't have done this without a good reason. They couldn't have been attacked. Something else must have happened.
I have to find them. I need to talk to the girl. I hope she doesn't know anything yet.
Christopher
Once again, I stand in front of Ana's house, hoping that she will finally return. Every month, we search the city looking for her. And every month, we return to the Camp without her.
But now we know we must succeed. Ana will return here in the coming days, and we will be waiting for her.
"I'll leave you here for a little while," I told the man standing next to me.
"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.
"I just want to think for a bit. Maybe check out a few more houses. Piper asked me to bring her something from her friend's house if it's still there."
"Is it a good idea to go alone?" He ran his hand through his brown hair and looked at me with his blue eyes. Every time we looked into each other's eyes, I saw Ana before me. Ana, who greeted me every day with a smile. Ana, whose eyes sparkled when we stargazed or petted animals.
"It'll be fine," I replied to his question. "I won't be gone long."
He nodded, and as he headed towards the entrance of the house, I went in the opposite direction.
In the city, very few houses remained in good condition. Most of them had broken windows, torn-off doors, and massive holes in the walls. The fate of the cars was the same. In some cases, it was the cars that had crashed into houses during escape, causing the holes in the buildings. We tried to clear and secure the streets wherever we could, but it seemed like there were an infinite number of Dark Ones. We always found new ones after cleaning up.
Finding people was rarer. The man I had just encountered had surprised us; we hadn't met someone living near the city in half a year. Fortunately, we didn't come across corpses as often anymore. Hopefully, people had adapted to this new world and could survive alone until they received help.
Heading towards Piper's friends' house, I passed by the playground where Ana and I used to spend hours. In the sandbox, we always competed to see who could build a bigger sandcastle faster. We never reached a winner because younger kids joyfully jumped on our sandcastles. But it didn't bother us; we laughed at the kids covered in sand and the angry parents.
By now, the playground was in ruins too. The swings had been torn down, dried blood covered the sand, and the slide was broken. The place that used to bring back memories of laughter and playtime now only exuded destruction and sadness.
Not far from the playground lived my former art teacher. Her house looked just as bad as the others. I had visited her house a few times when we were in the city. I checked her garden, where we buried her. The basement, where she kept her students' drawings. I headed towards the basement.
My teacher, Alice Bailey, had displayed our favorite drawings on her wall. She loved us and art deeply. She not only drew and painted but also had a musical talent, playing multiple instruments, and held literature in high regard. She was in her late thirties at the time.
The room was filled with drawings and paintings. It was the only room that remained in good condition. Here, I found Alice's sister, but sadly, she was no longer among the living. I thought that the Dark Ones probably killed Alice outside, and her sister fled here but couldn't bear the loneliness in this terrible new world. She was frightened, alone, and confused. She might have been hungry, thirsty... but she chose death over this.
In the center of the room stood my last completed painting. Alice had assigned us the task of painting a memory, one of the most important moments in our lives that we would always remember.
I had painted Ana, on the day we first met. I captured the moment she walked into the classroom, and our eyes met. The day I met Ana was truly a day I would never forget.
The vibrating of my phone, the one we received at the Camp, snapped me out of my thoughts.
Piper: Did you find it?
Me: I haven't arrived yet. I'll message you later.
Piper: Hurry!
Me: Relax, if its there, its not going anywhere.
Piper: Please hurry :)
Me: Okay, okay, I'm going now :)
I cast one last glance at the girl in the painting, her face stained with the blood of Alice's sister, before heading towards the exit.
I arrived at the house Piper had mentioned. The door was still in place, but a few windows had been broken, just like in many other houses. I hadn't been to this particular house before. The others had probably already searched it; we had divided this area among ourselves. Stepping inside, I found myself in a kitchen. Some cupboards were left open, and the fridge had been emptied and left open as well. Chairs were toppled over, and dirty dishes were scattered across the table. But at least there were no corpses, no bloodstains, and no Dark Ones. Silence hung in the house, and no one had likely been here since the others had cleared the city. The living room was in perfect condition. There were no signs of a struggle. Not much remained in the room except for a coffee table, a couch, and a non-functional television. Above the couch hung a picture. There were four people in it, two adults and two children. The woman had long, blonde hair tied in a bun and wore sunglasses as she smiled down at the children. The man standing beside her looked at his partner with infinite love in his eyes.
They were still young. Both kids had black hair, green eyes, and their faces resembled each other. They appeared to be the same age in the picture as Ana and I were before the Darkness began. I needed to find a similar picture but with these two kids alongside their friends, as Piper had said.
Finding the kids' room wasn't difficult since their names were written on the door.
Alex and Sarah.
Upon entering the room, I didn't waste much time examining the place. I spotted a long desk, and from a distance, I saw the framed picture. It featured the two siblings along with Piper and Oliver. Piper had told me a lot about all three of her friends, just as I had told her about Ana. She had no idea what had happened to her friends. She wasn't with them when the Darkness began, but she hoped they were alive and in a safe place.
I picked up the picture and headed back to Ana's house.
Ana
We had been walking all day, trying to get out of the forest as soon as possible, but without success. Everyone was hungry and exhausted, especially Alex and Daniel, whose signs of fatigue were evident as they hadn't slept the previous night.
"Alright," I finally broke the silence, my voice weighted with weariness. "I believe it's time to rest."
No one opposed the idea. Lisa and Luna helped me gather firewood so that we could build a fire as quickly as possible. By the time we returned to the others, everyone was seated on their blankets. Daniel retrieved some meat from his backpack and skewered it on a stick, holding it over the fire. I didn't inquire about its source, though the question lingered.
"I have more in my bag. Feel free to do the same," he remarked after a prolonged silence, as everyone stared at him in silence.
With a skewer of meat in hand, I sat down beside him. "I'll take the first watch. I've had more sleep than the rest of you."
"I'd like to help too," Lisa chimed in.
Luna, holding her sister's hand, interjected, "You'll be tired in the morning, Lis."
"I won't stay awake the entire night. Just for a little while. Is that okay?"
Luna turned to me and nodded. "Alright, but please make sure to get some rest."
The next few minutes passed in silence. Everyone enjoyed their food and drink, basking in the warmth of the fire. Sarah had already fallen asleep, with Alex lying close by, his eyes still open. Daniel went to gather more firewood, but by the time Luna was ready to sleep, he had returned. He added more wood to the fire.
"Will you be okay alone?" Daniel asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"Of course, I've had plenty of rest. Go get some sleep, Daniel."
"If you hear anything, even if you're not sure it's a Dark One, wake us up. Alright?"
"Yes, I will. That's how it'll be," I replied as I watched Lisa climb up a nearby tree.
Daniel planted a kiss on my forehead and then lay down on his blanket to sleep.
A long period of silence enveloped us. Lisa observed the surroundings from her perch in the tree, while everyone else peacefully slept. I was in the midst of adding more wood to the fire when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. Among the trees, a shadow swiftly passed by. My hand instinctively went for my bow. I turned towards Lisa, who was also looking in the direction where I had seen the shadow.
"Did you see that too?" she asked. I nodded and quickly moved closer to her. I took the bow off my back and extended it toward her.
"Can you use this?" I whispered.
"Yes, my dad taught me how," she replied, accepting the bow, and I handed her a few arrows.
"I'll go check what it was. I'm concerned that something or someone might be nearby. If it's just a Dark One, there's no need to shoot, but wake the others. If it's not a Dark One... it might be an animal or a person."
I began to move in the direction where we had seen the shadow earlier, my hand cautiously resting on the hilt of my sword. The figure stood next to a tree. It wasn't a Dark One; it had a human shape. Slowly and cautiously, it approached me.
As the person came closer, I saw his face. I recognized that face. I couldn't believe my eyes.
"Adam?" I asked in surprise.
"Hey, Ana," he replied. Although his voice and face were familiar, something about him seemed different, more distant. Something was off.
"How did you get here?" I asked, a hint of tension in my voice.
"I should be asking you that," he retorted. "What the hell were you guys thinking? You left without me! When I got home, I damn near freaked out. None of you were in the house! Why did you leave so urgently?"
"I have no idea," I tried to explain. "Daniel insisted that we needed to leave the house and the forest as soon as possible, even without you. Please don't be mad."
"I'm angry, but mainly because I was worried sick! I was afraid something happened to you, or something terrible occurred... Daniel is my last remaining child, and you're like my own daughter! I can't afford to lose any more members of my family!" he said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"We're safe, nothing happened to us, and we can make it to the Camp safely. Come with us, let's not go back now," I offered, extending my hand toward him. But he didn't move.
"Didn't my son tell you anything?" he asked, his gaze searching my face with a questioning look.
"What are you talking about? What was he supposed to tell us?" I replied, a bit puzzled.
"He didn't tell you anything about me?" He started to chuckle. "He just dragged you out of the house, and you didn't find that strange? You didn't demand answers from him? You didn't want to know why my son was so desperate to get to the Camp? It interests me a lot."
"He said he'd explain everything on the way..." I tried to explain.
"What's the reason, Ana, that he wanted to leave so urgently?" His laughter stopped, and he became completely serious. He looked terrifying.
"Tell me!" he shouted angrily, but I didn't have time to answer or react. In one moment, I was standing in front of him, and in the next, I was on the ground. Dark Ones held me captive.
"What—"
I wanted to respond, but one of the Dark Ones grabbed my face. Its claws scratched my skin, and I felt warm liquid trickling down my face.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't do anything.
Adam approached, leaned over me, and gestured to one of the Dark Ones.
"I'm sorry, Ana, but I have to do this now. It's not personal; I just want to be sure. But if my deductions are correct, you'll be fine. And I'm sure I'm not wrong."
The Dark One holding my right hand released its grip and sank its teeth into my arm.
It instantly disappeared.
Turned to dust.
Adam's eyes lit up.
"This is incredible! It really is you! I found you! You've been right here in front of me the whole time! Unbelievable!"
The Dark Ones let go, and I quickly got to my feet. After that, the monsters ran away one by one.
I tried to focus on the Light; I had to bring it forth. I had to summon it because I felt that there was no other way out of this.
But I couldn't.
I was too confused.
I didn't want to believe what had become undeniably clear.
The Dark Ones obeyed Adam.
The Dark Ones only listen to Dorian's commands.
"I can see on your face that you've put the pieces together," he said, grinning.
It can't be. I don't want to believe it...
"You're Dorian," I said, still in disbelief. "You used a fake name..."
"Yes, and you're the Light," he replied. "See how lucky we are? We've found each other. I found you before those who know who you are. Even now, they're searching for you nearby."
"How did you figure it out? How do you know they're still looking for me?"
"First, I met two men on my way home who were coming from the Camp. They said they were looking for a family member, not just the Light. They mentioned your name. I thought it must be a lie, as far as I knew, no one from your family survived, and what are the chances it would be your missing brother? I didn't pay much attention to the information until I got home. I didn't find you there, and the weapons were gone. Daniel left no message... That's when I knew."
That's why Daniel wanted to leave immediately. He knew. He knew about it.
"I don't want to kill or hurt you, Ana," he continued. His grin faded, and he looked at me gently, sympathetically. "You can stay alive; I just need your power. Give up on it; in your current situation, you can't defeat me. I know more than you do. I'm stronger than you. I don't want it to end badly."
He took a step toward me, and I began to back away. If I can get closer to Lisa, we might figure something out.
I recalled a conversation I had with Daniel.
"How can they defeat each other?" I asked Daniel.
"Dad mentioned something about how their swords can take each other's power. If the Light's sword pierces Dorian's heart, it will strip him of the Darkness, and the Darkness will return to the Darkness's sword, while Dorian dies. The same would happen in reverse. Or one of them can voluntarily give up their power, but then it remains in the sword forever. However, in that case, the person doesn't die."
He can't take away my power without his sword...
"And should I just let the world remain like this? Let them continue to live this way... with people worrying every day whether they'll survive? I can't do it... I couldn't live with it. I don't understand... Why are you doing this?" I asked, desperation in my voice.
"You don't understand this," he replied softly.
"Then explain it to me!"
"I don't owe you any explanations, Ana."
"I want to understand, Adam," I said, my voice filled with desperation. "Dorian," I muttered through clenched teeth.
"What if there is no reason? What if I simply didn't want this incredible power to go to waste?" he asked, gesturing around with his hands.
"You risked your family's lives—"
"My family's? The ones who abandoned me?! My wife took my children away from me! Daniel stayed with me, he didn't care about my treacherous wife and those filthy brats. I couldn't have been the only one going through this. It wouldn't have been fair, Ana! Why did I have to suffer like this?" he asked, his voice filled with despair.
I couldn't move closer to the others now; I couldn't risk Adam noticing Lisa. I stood my ground, not retreating any further, but he continued to approach me slowly and cautiously, not making any sudden moves.
"And then I realized that there was something... something terrible within me, just waiting to be unleashed. It wasn't just me who had to suffer; I brought suffering to the whole world. Everyone could feel what it's like to lose your family and be left alone!" he said, his voice trembling.
"But you weren't left alone! And your wife wouldn't have left with three kids for no reason if she had been with you for so many years! You did something, you're not the victim here!" I retorted.
I hoped that Lisa or someone else had surely heard us by now.
Adam's face suddenly changed, and he looked at me with anger in his eyes as he came to a stop. He seemed about to say something, but he was silenced by the arrow approaching him. He stared in disbelief as it got closer to him, but he didn't dodge it, didn't even attempt to avoid it, and he didn't seem frightened. As soon as the arrow hit its mark, I understood why he hadn't bothered with it.
The arrow passed straight through him. It didn't touch his body. In the brief moment it passed through him, his body faded completely, becoming misty, as if there were only a ghost before me.
"Let me give you a piece of advice for anyone aiming at me. It's pointless; I'm not really here. It's just a waste," he said.
"I don't understand..." I replied, bewildered.
"You are capable of something similar. I believe you've already done it, just not consciously. You must have had strange dreams, like you were really somewhere where it shouldn't be possible. Am I right?"
"But why can I see you, and why didn't anyone I met in my dreams see me?" I asked instead of answering.
"Practice makes perfect. I told you, I know much more than you do. Until now, you had no idea about your power. You still can't control it. Surrender, Ana. There's no point in fighting me, and I genuinely don't intend to harm you."
"You can't hurt me," I said boldly.
"As you wish. I can't harm you in your current state, but I can send as many Dark Ones as I want after you. Your friends' lives are at stake."
"Your Dark Ones fear the Light. They fear me."
I could see from his expression that he hadn't anticipated that.
"Don't think you know everything. You're not as clever as you think you are. We're not finished yet, Ana," he said, and then his body began to fade again, disappearing completely.
I heard footsteps behind me, several of them at once. I turned around and first saw Daniel. He immediately froze when our eyes met. Behind him were Lisa and Alex, but they didn't stop next to Daniel; they headed towards me.
"Ana..." Daniel began but didn't continue after I shifted my gaze elsewhere.
"What on earth happened?" Alex asked.
"The arrow just passed through him..." Lisa said with wide eyes.
"It was Dorian. He knows I am the Light, and he also knows where we are. He will come for me, and it won't take him long since he's already close by. We need to leave, right now," I replied gravely.
"But..."
Alex started, but I interrupted, "I'll explain everything on the way. We really can't stay here."
Daniel was the first to turn his back on me and ran toward the others. Lisa immediately followed him, but Alex remained where he was.
"You don't look too good," he remarked, examining my face.
"You were right," I said, not looking at him.
"Right about what?" he asked, but I didn't say anything more and started walking towards the others, leaving Alex staring after me, perplexed.
After a few hours of walking, we spotted a road that marked the end of the forest. Finally, we had emerged from the forest, which brought a small sense of relief to all of us.
"It's such a relief to see something other than trees!" Sarah exclaimed, taking her first steps onto the road. She quickly sprinted ahead and enthusiastically pointed in the direction of the road. "That way!" she indicated, looking back at Alex. "That's where the city is."
"How do you know?" Luna asked after joining Sarah.
"Look at the sign," Sarah replied, pointing to a nearby signpost. The names of cities were crossed out, and instead, it read, "Avoid larger cities!" However, an arrow still pointed to indicate that the city was straight ahead, not too far from where we were.
Without further ado, we started walking in that direction. Alex and Sarah took the lead, followed by Lisa and Luna, and Daniel and I kept some distance behind. I hadn't looked Daniel in the eye since his father had disappeared earlier.
I was angry with him. He could have told me a long time ago that his father was Dorian. Why didn't he? Why did I have to find out like this?
"Ana, I wanted to tell you," the boy spoke up as if he had heard my thoughts.
"When, Daniel? You haven't said anything since we left the house, and you should have told me something like this. I can understand that you didn't want to talk about it before, but you still haven't explained anything. I trusted you when you said we should leave without any explanation, but you don't trust me," I said angrily.
"It's not like that, Ana! I just... I didn't want... I was afraid that if you found out you'd lived with him for three years, and I knew but didn't say anything, then you'd hate me and run away... I was terrified of losing you too... I'm so sorry!" Daniel replied, his voice breaking.
"That's the worst reason you could have given. I wouldn't have left you alone, Daniel! You could have come with me!"
Pain and guilt mixed on Daniel's face as he said, "He would have found us, just like now! We wouldn't have known where to go, and we were already safe with him..."
"Then we would have stayed, waited, just like now! It wouldn't have changed anything if you had told me back then!" I replied. We had stopped following the others and were facing each other. The others hadn't noticed.
"And how was I supposed to know that? I couldn't risk it! And you know that it's not entirely true, even now," Daniel said with a suffering expression.
"You just had to trust me, Daniel!" I responded softly.
"But I do trust you, more than anyone else..." Daniel tried to defend himself.
"If that were true, you would have told me already! You didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth no matter what. I would never leave you, Daniel, no matter what," I said as I took hold of his trembling hands. He calmed down a bit.
"Are you angry?" he asked hesitantly.
"I'm not angry with you, I just feel a bit uncomfortable... I need some time to think this through. I hope you understand," I said as I let go of his hand and turned towards the others, who by now had noticed that we weren't following them. They looked at us with curiosity. I forced a smile on my face to show them that everything was fine, then started walking towards them, and Daniel quietly followed.