CHAPTER 12: WE'RE BACK

I could see the silhouette of our village on the horizon. My heart raced as the little huts and the long white beach grew nearer. Slowly, I turned to Karl and put my hand on his shoulder. "We're home." I whispered, a tear silently gliding down my cheek.

Karl looked back at me and smiled sadly, looking at the village, which was getting closer and closer. "I can't believe I'm really back," Karl replied, his voice filled with awe, "I'm actually, finally back."

"Mother and Henry are going to lose it when they see you," I said, grinning widely.

"I don't even know what I'll say to them," Karl whispered, "Seven years… Everyone thinks I'm dead by now…"

"They will know," I assured him, "They will realize that something's not right, that they've been lied to all these years."

"I know," He replied, "We can beat him. You can beat him."

I smiled, and he put his arm around my shoulders as I put mine around his waist, digging my face into his large chest.

"Hey, guys! We're here" came Chester's voice from the front of the boat. I looked up and saw that we had stopped, and we were back at the very dock from which we stole the canoe all that time ago.

Chester and Tula tied the canoe to the wooden dock as we packed all our things. Karl helped me out of the boat, and as soon as I stood on the dock, I fell to the ground. Once again, my mind began to swirl, and the world went dark.

"Welcome back, Elasssss" came the familiar, spine-chilling whisper.

I closed my eyes, "Not this time!" I shouted, picturing my mother, my brothers, the love we had for each other, the warmth and the light.

"This issss not oooverrrr" boomed the terrible voice, followed by the same evil cackle which echoed terribly in my head.

Suddenly, the darkness began to crack; white light seemed to shine through glasslike cracks that grew and grew. Once again, the air was shoved through my chest as I was thrown back into my body.

"Sela!" Karl was screaming.

"Karl," I croaked, "shut up."

"She's right," said Tula, someone might have heard that, you donut."

"It happened again, didn't it?" asked Morgan, her voice cracking in fear, "he knows you're back, doesn't he?"

I nodded, grabbing Matt's hand as he scooped me up. "We need to get out of here, NOW." I hissed, grabbing Karl and hurrying down the familiar muddy path leading away from the village, our companions close at our heels. We were all wrapped closely in our cloaks, our hoods up so our faces couldn't be seen.

We finally made it over the border stream and out of the village. Ahead of us, the familiar grubby brown building loomed over the path in the moonlight. We had finally made it back to the Jobless Hut.

As soon as we entered, the place erupted with shock and relief.

"Where have you all been?" An old man asked.

Someone noticed Karl walking in and asked: "How can he be here?"

"How long have we been gone?" I asked my Jobless peers.

"A month and a half." A Jobless elder woman replied.

Suddenly, a little brown-haired boy came running into the hut, his tunic flying behind him. "Tula! Tula!" He cried, Tula, overcome with relief, and bursting into tears, scooped up the child and held him close in her arms.

"Oh Tony," She whispered into his bushy head, "thank goodness you're alright."

"I saw you from the shore!" Said Tony, "I was told that you were gone so I waited every day for you to come back, and now you did!"

Tula kissed her little brother on the forehead, her fingers running through his curly, matted hair. Tony was only five, so he could visit the Jobless Hut and leave the village to go where he pleased. Children under the age of 11 had different rules than the rest of us; They had been given more freedom as they were so young.

An idea had just formed in my head, "Hey Tony," I whispered, "I need you to get a message out to the villagers, ok? It's very important." Tony nodded eagerly. Tula put him down so that he could come over to me.

"What message?" He asked. Karl took out his little book and a quill and a little phial of navy blue ink and started writing. He was writing to Mother, telling her to warn the rest of the village about Father's identity.

"Here, little guy," Karl said, "Take this to my mother and brother. His name is Henry, do you know him?"

"Yes, he lives right by my hut." Replied Tony, taking the letter. "He's too bossy."

I turned to Karl, giggling like a little girl, Tony wasn't wrong about that one. Karl chuckled, tears forming in his eyes, "Good to know nothing's changed," He laughed.

"I can do it," Tony assured us, "I can give them the message, I'm brave just like you!"

"Thanks, buddy," I said, grinning at the little boy, "you're doing us a massive favor, you're helping us save the village"

The little boy grinned back at us and took off, the letter safe in his arms.

Soon, my mother would find out that Karl was back home, and that Father was not who he said he was.

Soon Henry would find out that I'd been right the whole time, that he'd been yelling at me and mistreating me for nothing. I couldn't to see his dumb face again, to finally tell him 'I told you so' and get the apology I deserved.

"Henry's going to be so sorry he ever hurt you" Karl whispered, grinning his large mischievous grin from ear to ear.

"Alright guys," Chester boomed loudly, "We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day!"

I took Karl up to the little room in which I had first met my companions eleven weeks ago. Karl grabbed a mat and set it on the ground. I hopped onto the little sofa and tossed my brother a blanket.

"Tomorrow, we head for the village, for Mother and Henry." Karl said, his head resting on his arm.

"I can't do this alone," I replied, "I'm going to need all of you to do your parts and help me."

Karl smiled at me, "Don't worry, sister," he said through a yawn, "we'll be there beside you when you finish him."

I suddenly felt a colossal wave of fatigue wash over me. My eyelids slowly began to droop, and a large, wide yawn made its way out of my throat. I took a deep, long breath and met myself fall into a long, dark, dreamless sleep.