Weaving Destinies

We traveled through rough terrain for hours, searching endlessly for something that we might never find. I had no idea whatsoever where Callagroth could be, and there was nothing to guide us. The only thing to keep me entertained was Alec, who had been showering me with compliments for a while now.

“And when the rays of the sun touch your hair, it is like…” he was saying. I stopped in front of him.

“Alec! Will you shut up already? I’m hot, tired, and bored, and you’re not helping!” I yelled in frustration. Alec looked genuinely surprised.

“But my love-” he began to say.

“What did I say earlier about uncalled for terms of endearment?” I asked through clenched teeth. Alec smiled apologetically.

“I am sorry, Faith," he replied and continued to walk. I followed him.

“When are we stopping for a break? We’ve been walking for a long time now!” I couldn’t help but whine. He suddenly came to a dead stop in the middle of a clearing and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. Strange creatures that I would later learn were called swielps were staring down from the tops of the trees at us.

With a screech, they swooped down towards us. Alec drew his sword and began attacking them. Clumsily, I tried to position an arrow correctly next to the bow. Drawing back on the bowstring, I let an arrow fly loose straight towards Alec. Luckily, he heard the whirring sound and managed to jump out of the way just in time.

“Whoops!” I smiled sheepishly. One of the swielps came up from behind and grabbed me. I screamed and kicked it until it let go. Now that I was closer, I saw that it looked like a giant flying squirrel with the face of a horse and the front claws and rear legs of a mountain lion. I took one of my arrows and stabbed it over and over until it stopped moving. Then I noticed blood trailing out of the swielp’s body right where I had been stabbing it.

The head of the swielp rolled to the side, its eyes staring blankly at me. I fell to my knees and starting vomiting. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, unable to breathe.

Alec apparently finished off the rest of the things because he was suddenly by my side, trying to turn me away from the corpse.

“My love, I am so sorry! It never occurred to me that this might be your first kill. I am a fool! Are you feeling all right?” Alec asked gently. I shuddered, unable to answer. I had stopped retching, but my breaths came in short rushes of air. I struggled to clear my mind of the image

“I want you to breathe deeply,” Julia had always instructed. “Hold your breath if you have to, but then inhale and exhale as deeply and slowly as possible. The moment will pass. Think about the relief you will feel after it is over.”

I took a long, shaky breath as Alec rubbed my back. His touch was surprisingly comforting, and I found myself focusing on it. At last, my muscles started to relax, and my thoughts calmed.

I smiled weakly at Alec.

“I guess I need to work on my aim!” I joked feebly. He smiled, although he still looked worried, and helped me to my feet.

“Perhaps a bow and arrow was not the best choice,” he said. “All humans on Torm are trained to use a weapon from the time they turn five years of age. I was not sure about customs on Earth. Perhaps you know how to use a sword?”

“The pointy end goes into the other guy, right?”

“We will work on that later. For now we should find a place to camp,” Alec turned his back to me and began walking again.

Soon we had set a small campsite up in a clearing in the forest. I watched the smoke from the fire work its way up to the stars as I leaned against the trunk of a tree. I smiled to myself and drew my blanket up to my shoulders. I was still a bit shaken from the day’s events, but the night sky was so beautiful. Everything was peaceful and pleasant except for one thing.

“Well, my darling, I suppose it is time to call it a night,” Alec sighed, sitting down next to me.

“Oh no, you don’t!” I exclaimed. “This spell allows us ten feet of distance, and I intend to use every one of those. Get up and go until you can’t go any further or I will!”

Alec obeyed, but I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh.

“What? What did I do now?” I asked, confused.

“Oh, nothing really. I just love being with you, that is all,” Alec said from ten feet away. “Good night, my beautiful Faith.”

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head.

I couldn’t fall asleep. The ground was too cold and hard, and I was scared that despite all his chivalrous manners Alec might try something.

It had been a while since I’d slept on the ground or floor. Whenever Madison and I slept at each other’s houses, we’d both lay in sleeping bags on the floor. We’d usually watch a movie and then turn out the lights and talk for a while. It was more comfortable that way. We couldn’t see each other’s faces, and if I didn’t want to answer something, I could just pretend that I had fallen asleep.

“Do you think they’ve done it?” I asked Madison one night.

“Sophie doesn’t seem like that kind of girl,” Madison replied, immediately knowing what I was talking about.

“But I saw her coming out of his house at two in the morning,” I said miserably. “Twice!”

“Maybe they were just talking,” Madison suggested hopefully.

“In his house?” I asked with a sigh. I had spent plenty of nights talking late with Lucas, but that was on the phone. We hadn’t really talked ever since he and Sophie started going out. She didn’t like him to have any friends who were girls.

“Well, why does it matter if they have?” Madison asked. “They fight all the time. Their relationship is probably just physical then. That won’t satisfy someone as intelligent as Lucas.”

I stared at the ceiling for a moment.

“Have you and Johan done it?” I asked.

“Livvy!” Madison exclaimed, sitting up and staring at me. “I’m not one to kiss and tell, but if I’d had sex with him, you’d be the first one to know! Seriously, I’d sneak off and call you right after.”

“Thanks,” I laughed. “Glad to know you share all your dirty little secrets with me.”

“The only way to find out if Lucas and Sophie have done it is to ask,” Madison said decisively.

“Madison! I’m not going to ask him!” I exclaimed, horrified.

“No, not him. Sophie!” she grinned. “After school, when we’re all changing for volleyball practice, I’ll ask her.”

“Still, that seems kind of awkward,” I said nervously.

“Then I’ll just ask all the girls, sort of start a big gossip group about sex,” Madison replied. “I’ll talk about my first time, and we’ll see if Sophie joins in.”

“But you haven’t had sex yet,” I pointed out.

“I’ll make something up,” she smiled. Madison was the best liar I knew. If anyone could pull it off, she could.

“You’d do that for me? You’re the best friend ever!” I said, leaning over and giving her a hug.

“I don’t care what other people think about me,” she shrugged. “Besides, Johan is the one who wants to wait, not me.”

Madison made up this great story about how she and Johan did it in his basement while his parents were away.

“He has a twin bed in his room, but the one in the guest room is a queen,” she bragged.

“What’s your favorite position?” Kristi Austin asked.

“Doggy style,” Madison winked without hesitation. She kept talking and giggling with the other girls, but Sophie didn’t say anything.

“I’m still a virgin,” I said quietly, smiling at her.

“Well, isn’t that good for you?” she glared at me, slamming her locker door shut. She stormed away, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder.

Madison and I never found out more than that. Madison told me not to worry about it. She assured me that Lucas would realize how perfect I was for him soon enough. I agreed, but I wished he would hurry up.

If I had known then everything I knew now, maybe that entire tragedy could have been prevented.