After a long day out with Reid, Sydney was grateful when the humble home that brought her comfort came into view. It wasn't because of the clay brick exterior or lengthy fields around it that touched her heart, but the people inside of it.
She smiled at the thought of what Casey said yesterday, right before dinner. "...however long she wants to stay, she can."
He wasn't even aware she was listening, and he still said what he said. Sydney wondered what she did to warrant such hospitality, and she told herself never to take it for granted.
As she opened the front door, the bold aroma of dinner made her mouth water.
Mmmmm, that smells so good.
"Finally," someone said.
Her eyes instantly landed on the source. It was Casey.
"Oh, um, were you all waiting for me?" she asked awkwardly.
"Noah and I weren't, dear, but Casey sure was!" Elena answered from the stove, gaining her a glare from her older son.
"I was just worried you might have gotten lost," he said, clearing his throat.
"I almost did."
He nodded with a crooked grin, but she felt like something else was on his mind.
"Okay, let's eat!" Elena cheered.
As they ate dinner, Sydney smiled at the way Noah blew his food to cool it off. Deciding to start conversation, she swallowed the spoonful of stew she had in her mouth so she could speak.
"This tastes amazing, Elena."
"Thank you, dear," she said, beaming. "Y'know, Casey caught the deer in this just this morning. He carried it all the way back here and everything."
Sydney's eyes widened subtly as she looked down at her half-full bowl before they flicked to Casey as he spoke.
"It was a buck, but they're basically the same thing. It's just, bucks are much bigger than deer," he pointed out.
Wow.
"That sounds cool. Maybe you'll bring back another and I can see it," she said, showing interest.
Casey just nodded his head and went back to eating, so she did the same.
After dinner, Sydney helped Elena clean up while Casey tended to Noah. She admired the way Elena took care of her sons, and the way she always did it with a smile.
"Sydney, dear, I have a question for you," Elena said.
Sydney looked up at her, acknowledging that she heard her.
"Are you comfortable here? With us?" she asked, leaning against the table.
Worry laced Sydney's face.
"Of course I am. Have I not made that evident?" she asked.
"Well, you certainly have seemed more...at peace the last day or two, but I was just checking," Elena said. "I guess what I really want to know is if you feel comfortable with my son."
Casey?
"Elena, I truly trust you all. I know initially I was very hesitant, but that was not because of any of you," Sydney assured.
You can't change the fact that I'm an Easterner.
"I had some...conditioned thoughts that, thankfully, you've shown me were unfounded. I'm sorry about that," she added, hoping it wouldn't raise suspicion, but also feeling obligated to apologize for her misjudgements.
A smile spread across Elena's face.
"No need to apologize, dear. It was obvious to us that you've been through some kind of hell. We just didn't want you out there on your own. Not everyone can be trusted."
Sydney suspected as much. Just because they were kind didn't mean everyone in this region was. She knew there would always be a portion of mankind that was better off dead, and she felt it was only a matter of time before she encountered them.
"I was asking because I'm going out of town in a few days."
"Really?" Sydney asked, raising her eyebrow in curiosity. "For how long?"
"That's currently undecided. I haven't seen my two eldest children in so long, and I want to spend time with my grandson. I'm sure they'll want to see Noah as well."
"You have a grandchild? But you look so young!" Sydney exclaimed in shock.
Elena's laughter made her feel silly for expressing her surprise.
"That is a compliment I will gladly take," she chuckled. "But, I do want to know, honestly, would you feel comfortable staying here with Casey?"
Sydney stopped wiping off the table to look her directly in the eye.
"Elena, your son has done nothing but help me since I met him. I'll be just fine."
A proud smile spread across Elena's face.
"Good," she said, walking to her bedroom door. "Now that that's out of the way, I can do the laundry. Can you set out any clothes you need washed along with the bedsheets? I'll bring you some fresh ones later."
Sydney nodded her head in agreement as Elena went into her room. Then she headed to Casey's to do as she was asked.
As she closed the bedroom door she heard shuffling coming from behind her.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be in here. I probably should have since this is your room, right?," she asked playfully as she sat at the edge of his bed.
"Right," he answered, scratching the back of his head.
Sydney watched as he walked back and forth across his room.
Is he pacing?
"Something on your mind?" she asked.
This got him to stop walking around, but he still wasn't saying whatever was bothering him. Not being able to take it anymore, Sydney spoke up.
"Casey, just say it!" she pressed.
"What were you doing all day with Reid?" he blurted out.
Sydney's mouth fell open for a second, caught off guard by his question. It didn't take her long to recover, though.
"Nothing, really. He just showed me around LeHorn," she shrugged.
"But I already did that."
"You did, but he came over and offered, so I accepted."
"Why? Did I not do a good enough job yesterday?"
"No, Casey. You did fine. But I wasn't going to turn him down," she said.
"And why is that?" he asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.
"Because I like his company!" Sydney exclaimed. "And I don't see what the big deal is!"
Casey's face visibly flinched at her words, which didn't go unnoticed by her. She stood up from the bed and found herself walking over to him.
"He reminds me of a friend from home, Casey. I like his company because it makes me feel less...homesick," she explained.
Casey's face relaxed as she continued.
"I know he's your best friend, but you're going to have to share him. You can't be my only friend here," she joked, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Very true," Casey said, walking away to put some distance between them.
Sydney started piling the clothes she needed washed outside the door, and it looked like Casey was doing the same.
"Where can I find Reid, if I was looking for him?" she asked as Casey finished putting his clean clothes away, his back to her.
"Why?" he replied, rigidly.
"Because, I am not going back to being cooped up in this house while you go hunting all day; especially since Elena is leaving soon."
Casey turned around, now facing her. Sydney could tell he was, once again, contemplating whether he should say something or not. She let out a sigh right before he spoke.
"Then come hunting with me."
Her eyes widened at his suggestion, but she was also confused.
"Didn't you say I'd just be a distraction?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Yeah, well, I think you'd be a distraction no matter where you are," he said with a grin.
Sydney paused, trying to decipher what he meant by that. She didn't want to assume things, but that statement could easily be misinterpretted.
Casey let out a warm chuckle, drawing Sydney out of her thoughts.
"So, what's it going to be, Sydney?"
"I'll be ready before you're even up in the morning," she said.
He left with a grin still evident on his face, showing off his one dimple, and Sydney imagined what it would be like to go hunting.
As she waited for Elena to drop off the fresh bedsheets, she decided to fill her time by snooping around Casey's room. It had been over two weeks since she'd lived there, and not once had she satisfied her urge to do so; today she would give in.
There wasn't much to look at on the surface; just a dresser, bookshelf, bed, and closet. The only thing that intrigued her was the dark wooden chest he kept tucked away under his bed.
I probably shouldn't open it, but what if there's treasure inside?
She scolded herself for her mental excuse to invade someone's privacy, but it didn't stop her from pulling the chest out from under his bed.
Hmmm, it's much lighter than I expected.
Luckily, it didn't have a lock. She undid the latch that was keeping it closed and pried it open. Peering inside, she saw only a few things; an old watch, a worn photo album, a journal, and a knife kit.
Interesting.
Sydney picked up the knife kit, studying it. They were slender and short, not meant to be used in the kitchen. The knives varried in size, and had different edges; most were smooth while others were serrated. She recognized them instantly, although their design was much more simplistic than the ones she was used to using.
Throwing knives.
In Galdon, she had gone through all kinds of combat training. Her best skill was knife-throwing; it was a difficult skill, but she knew it would come in handy. Bullets eventually ran out, but she could reuse a knife over and over again.
Closing the chest and pushing it back where it was, Sydney packed the knives away in her bookbag. She figured they could come in handy tomorrow when she went hunting.
Can I even kill an animal?
Military training meant she'd have to be ready to kill someone if she made it into the army...but she never passed the eligibility test. In her mind, hunting tomorrow with Casey would be a sign to her. If she got a kill, she knew she would have made an excellent soldier; if not, she didn't want to think of her whole childhood wasted on pursuing something she could never be.
The next morning, she woke up earlier than she thought Casey would. Feeling hungry for action, Sydney quickly got dressed and pulled her hair into one long braid. She pulled her bookbag, filled with her guns, ammo, tracker, and newly found throwing knives over her shoulders.
She quietly exited the room, not wanting to wake Casey.
"Ready to go?"
Sydney jumped at the sudden break of morning silence. Her heart beat rapidly from the startle as she gathered herself before turning around.
"That was childish."
"Maybe, it was, but how could I pass that opportunity up?" he teased. "Come on, let's go."
They walked along a trail headed in the opposite direction of town. The further they got, the rougher the path got. Sydney constantly looked down to watch her step, not wanting to stumble on the uneven terrain. She envied Casey's familiarity with the ground as he walked comfortably with his head held high.
When they finally got to the trees lining the many fields of LeHorn, Sydney admired their vastness. The thick blur of green mesmerized her as she looked up at the towering oaks.
The only time she'd seen so many trees in Galdon was on the ride to Jasper's uncle's property; back then she was escaping false persecution, but now she was free in the forests of the Western Region.
I never thought I'd be here.
"It's pretty, I know. But, we aren't going to catch any game this close to the perimeter," Casey said, urging her to keep going.
She followed him deeper into the forest for another hour. She might have complained, if she hadn't missed the exercise. She also kept her mind busy taking in the surroundings. The forest canopy looked even better illuminated under the sunrise.
"So, do you come out this far everyday?" she asked Casey as he continued forward.
"Pretty much. You seem to be hanging in just fine. Did you do a lot of hiking where you're from?"
"You could say that," she answered, knowing she couldn't tell him about how much she used to train.
It was obvious to her that here, even if woman were active or knew how to fight, they certainly were not going through training to become a soldier. That was something strictly found in the East.
"Okay, okay, shhhhhh," Casey hushed, suddenly gesturing for her to stop moving as he got into a crouch.
Instantly, she froze, keeping her feet firmly planted on the forest floor. Her eyes moved in many different directions as she fought to find the source of Casey's caution.
"Man, it's just a dumb rabbit," Casey complained, standing straight up as he relaxed from stealth mode.
He picked up a rock, tossing it in the direction of a toffee colored hare a few meters away. Before the rock even landed, the animal took off in a sprint to a tree a few more meters away.
"Run, rabbit, run!" Casey shouted through his hands that were now cupped around his mouth to amplify him.
Sydney stiffened at his words, reminded of the dark-skinned boy that always gave her a hard time in Galdon. Baron Rhodes.
Her mouth twitched as she recounted all the times he'd yelled "Rabbit" at her in training. He knew how to get under her skin, and even in a different region he was still able to affect her. It was like she could hear his bold laughter peeling away at her eardrums.
She didn't even realize what she was doing until it was already done; a knife expertly thrown through the air, hitting the innocent target it was intended for.
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Extremely rare author's note:
Thanks for all the reads, comments, and votes. I love you all, even the silent readers. I dedicate chapters to friends up here, and readers I see actively voting or genuinely commenting.
I'm currently editing past chapters as I continue writing, so if you haven't already, check out the new prologue. I've completely rewritten it, all while keeping to the story line, but you'll get a closer look at what happened all those centuries ago.
Lastly, who's your favorite character so far?
Who do you relate the most to?
Casey or Jasper?
I'm interested to know how you all are receiving the characters I've created. Thanks for the support, and prepare for some drama and, obviously, some adventure.
-Mac