SWNOVELS Chapter Aria III
She didn’t trust the boy. Edward from Belle Vale.
But seeing as Octavia did, she would at the very least, feign the trust. The two children walked a little further behind the two teens. Every time he looked at her, it gave her an eerie feeling. Like there was more than him watching her.
She had to keep her mind off of it. That and how far away she was from the place she’d called home forever. She climbed over fallen trees with ease and climbed the hills with little to no trouble until she stood at the very top of the biggest hill that looked over the valley.
“Do all the pretty girls have as much energy as you?” a breathless Alex asked as he stopped next to her.
“Pretty girls are weak,” she told him firmly. “They waste their time focused on dresses and boys.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Alex replied. “Everyone has their different strengths.” he paused to take a deep breath. “Besides, I don’t see you fussing over boys and dresses.”
She rolled her eyes. She hadn’t realized that he was one of those boys. She’d thought he was awkward, sure, but that could’ve been due to their differences. She was an Earthborn, he was an Otherworlder. She’d encountered a lot of men, earthborn and not that were like that. Making comments that sounded like compliments but weren’t.
She was eleven when she came to the simple conclusion that boys were weird.
“I know a way to get home, I think,” Eddie spoke up. Aria inhaled.
“All I’m hearing is that you don’t actually know,” the white-haired girl stated. “But I will hear your plan.”
“Maybe if we go back to the cave where you woke up. There had to have been a way for you to have gotten there.” Eddie suggested. Aria scoffed.
“If they go back there, they’ll die,” she told him. “The hyenas are hunting them.”
“I’m sure they’ll have given up by now.” Eddie continued. “They can’t be that persistent.”
“Haven’t you ever seen a hyena attack?” Alex questioned. “They’re too persistent. They’ll attack a lion. They’ll search for the next hundred years if they have to.”
“You’re a boy, Edward,” Aria stated. “You barely know how to start a fire, let alone survive an attack. You’re a stranger in this world, perhaps you should listen to someone who isn’t.”
“It was just an idea, obviously, you’re right.” Eddie spoke. Aria turned to face the valley.
“There’s a river south of here,” she spoke. “If we’re lucky, it’s frozen solid and we can walk across it.”
She started to slide down the hill, casting glances over her shoulder. If Edward was going to watch her, that was fine. If Edward was going to question her authority, that was not fine. She would be watching him more closely from now on. There could be no mistakes. None.
Not if she was going to help Alex and Octavia get back to their life.
If Eddie was a threat, he would be dealt with.
Plain and simple.