THE THIRD DAY: Chapter XI

We rode at a quick pace for the next two hours. We were heading in the direction of the Canada border, effectively providing distance both from the state and the country. The territory was heavily wooded and wet from all the rain we'd been getting, but we rode well. We'd both been on horses from a very young age, and besides, we were travelling light.

We happened upon a stream and stopped to rest, tying the horses securely and then sitting down on the ground. I passed one of the canteens to Echo who took a long sip and then held it out to help Calix. I stood up with my crossbow.

"I'm going to see if I can get us some food. I'd rather save most of the nonperishable things for when we can't find anything else."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Echo took her cloak off and wrapped it around Calix's shoulders. "Don't take too long. I'd like to go a bit farther yet, today."

I nodded affirmatively and turned to move deeper into the woods, stepping carefully and quietly. Every noise I made had a high possibility of ruining my advantage of surprise, thus lessening my chances of catching anything. I heard the call of a bird and the chattering of squirrels, but nothing moved in my vision. Scoutfield's taunting face and voice entered my mind and I reminded myself how happy I was that he was gone.

I was happy.

I really was.

But how blind had I been not to notice that he and Echo had gotten along? Echo, with no siblings, a dead mother, and an absentee father, didn't "connect" with just anyone. She didn't even connect with me. And yet Everett Scoutfield, the bane of my existence, had managed to secure her trust, loyalty and, dare I say, affections.

Don't listen to everything Everett Scoutfield says.

Then again... maybe he hadn't secured her complete trust.

My head hurt.

I sat down and pressed my forehead into my palm. My sister was dead. My parents were both dead. But I still had my brother... and as long as I still had him, I was still at least somewhat whole.

The snap of a branch made me look up. My crossbow bolt found its mark in a second, and the next found its own. Two rabbits in less than a minute of each other. I trekked over to retrieve the rabbits, examining the bodies to assess my accuracy. One smooth shot to each head and they had dropped where they stood. Two rabbits was a good start, but I wondered if I couldn't find another...

I moved further away from our makeshift camp and into the thicker woods, noting every movement and noise. The wind touched the branches above and around me and set the leaves tumbling at my every footfall. And then the noise of a snapping branch caused me to freeze and look around. At first I saw nothing. Perhaps a deer, or a bird having landed on a weak branch. It was a cold, darkening forest, and I was a jumpy creature. But no sooner had I started to calm myself than I was aware of a genuine movement. My crossbow took aim and I fully intended to pull the trigger. A woman stepped out of the trees.

She looked steadily at me, even as my crossbow was aimed directly at her forehead. Our eyes met: hers tired and mine suspicious. Without a word, she carefully removed a knife from her belt and threw it to the ground. I placed my foot on it, holding it in place as I examined her further. She was young, maybe two or three years older than me, with curly dark hair and ice blue eyes. She was tall and thin, but not by design. Malnourishment, rather. She had the look of a child forced to mature too quickly.

I lowered my crossbow slowly, tucking it under my arm and picked up her knife, slipping it into my belt.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

She didn't answer.

Not that I'd expected her to.

The crossroad was: now that I'd found her, I couldn't just hand her a weapon and send her on her way. I glanced over my shoulder and then relaxed slightly.

"Right..." I breathed in deeply. "Let's go. You're coming with me."

Something sparked in her ice eyes: triumph or amusement. Possibly both.

I tried not to be bothered.

I turned and started back towards the stream, aware that she was following me. I shocked even myself by this strange act of random trust... if it was indeed what this was. If this strange person was only someone who was hungry and lost, we could feed her and send her on her way. If she was important, we could take her captive.

If she was anything else, execution was always an option.

It only took a few minutes to return to our camp, but the minute we left the thickness of the trees, Echo looked up at me. She spotted the rabbits in my hand and a smile blossomed over her face: sweet and bright. She rose quickly from where she had been playing with Calix, but when her eyes found the girl's, she froze somewhat suddenly.

The girl pushed past me, her arms relaxing from their folded position as she arched an eyebrow at my friend.

"Madeline?" Echo whispered.

She opened her arms and, in a blur of blond hair, Echo rushed into them, clinging to her waist as though her very life depended on it. She - Madeline - kissed the top of Echo's head, her face a picture of relief and love. A smooth, white hand ran through Echo's hair before Madeline looked at me. My face was a mask of confusion, wondering what this development meant. Who was this girl?

And then Madeline's face changed. Her lips quirked up, forming a small smile as she said: "Hello, Nova."

I started, surprised, but Madeline said nothing more to me. She looked down at Echo's blond head fondly and didn't even attempt to detach herself from my friend's embrace.

Echo clung to Madeline like a lifeline for several minutes, her face nestled in the other's shoulder. Finally, she stepped back, grasping Madeline's hands tightly in her own. A meaningful expression was exchanged between the two of them and then, with a delighted laugh, Echo hugged her one more time and then turned around to face me, Madeline's hands resting on her shoulders.

This was what I'd seen the mothers and fathers do when they picked their daughters up on the first day of school. This was what I'd seen my own mother do with Melanin.

Why hadn't I deserved the same affection?

"This is Madeline Viscosa," Echo introduced, positively bouncing, looking more like a child than I'd seen her in years. "She's from Nebraska. We met a few years ago while she was on a work trip. She was a-" she cut off, glancing back over her shoulder. Confused or forgetting. I couldn't tell. "Reporter," Echo picked back up on the thought. "She was sent here as a reporter a few years ago, but to me, she's my..."

She hesitated and then turned around to embrace Madeline, the girl, another time. I didn't need her to finish. Madeline treated Echo like a daughter, and Echo clearly saw her as a mother.