She hopped over a fallen log and twirled in the sunlight that shone through a hole in the canopy of golden leaves. Giggling to herself, she whipped her thick long black hair over her shoulder and pushed her hands into her pockets. Kicking the fallen leaves, she hadn’t even known he was there – watching – until he spoke.
“I never saw a girl your kind dance in the woods before.” His voice, cracking with the onset of puberty, made her jump.
The boy was standing on a rock ledge only a few feet from her. He wore a light jacket, his arms wrapped around his thin waist. Dark brown hair fell into his eyes. They were the most remarkable shade of grey she’d ever seen. They matched the jutting rock he stood upon. He wasn’t much older than she was, but she’d never seen him before.
The few times she ventured with her father into town she rarely saw any children. Just adults as old as her dad and some even older than that.
“Where did you come from?” she asked him, wary.
With one graceful leap, he stood on the ground in front of her. If she had tried to make that jump, she would’ve landed in a heap and probably sporting a broken bone to boot. He did it with ease and the confidence that came only with repeated practice.
“You’re in my woods. I should ask where you came from,” he said with a frown. He stood a good foot taller than her and she had to crane her neck up to look at him. He didn’t appear angry at her intrusion, only intrigued. She didn’t fear him even though he was a stranger. Instead, his presence piqued her curiosity.
“These aren’t your woods. Nobody owns them,” she said, tilting her chin to make her point and daring him to contradict her.
“I own them.” He took a step toward her and she thought her neck would break.
“You do not. No one can own the woods. Only the animals have rights.”
“I am an animal.”
He had yet to grow any fuzz on his face and she pegged him to be around the age of eleven or twelve. He didn’t look like any animal she’d ever seen before, even if he did claim to be one.
“We are both animals then,” she said. He frowned at her, shaking his head as if her words were ludicrous.
“You're no animal.”
“I am as much an animal as you are. Have you never heard of Darwin? We are from a common...," she tried to remember what the word was, "a common ancestor. But I think you are more of a monkey than me.”
He snorted. “Maybe. What’s your name? Or should I just call you Darwin?”
“Call me whatever you like but I only answer to Maggie,” she snapped, stepped around him and continuing with her quest.
“I’m Jonah.”
“Like Jonah and the Whale?” she asked, not bothering to look behind her. His shoes crunched on the leaves as he followed her.
She was on her way to explore a cave she had found only a few days before. This time she had come prepared with a flashlight that she had tucked away in the back pocket of her light brown corduroy pants. Before she had only been able to step inside a few feet before the darkness overwhelmed her and she was forced to retreat to the safety of the bright morning sunlight.
“Huh?” When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw his face wrinkled in confusion.
“Nevermind.” She trekked on and still, he followed. Torn between wanting to be alone because it was what she was accustomed to and relieved to finally have someone to explore the woods with, she said nothing to him.
He wasn’t as content with the quiet as she was. “What are you doing way out here anyway?”
“I’m going to a cave I found,” she said, ducking under a low branch.
“No, I mean in New Freedom. Your kind doesn’t come out here.” Twigs snapped beneath his boots.
“My daddy and I stay in the cabin sometimes, especially during hunting season. He says he’s going to teach me to use a bow next year.”
“You’re the Alfieri girl.” He said it on a breath as if it were a revelation.
She stopped short and spun around. Jonah took a hurried step back to keep from bumping into her. She glared at him.
“What’s it to you?” Had people been talking about her and her father? And if they had, what could they possibly have to say? They kept to themselves. They didn’t bother anyone. Why would anyone care if they were staying at their cabin? He stood erect and observed her.
Her face burned once she realized Jonah was just as curious about her as she was about him. She felt as if she had been caught, although she had done nothing wrong. Butterflies beat against the inside of her stomach and she felt queasy and lightheaded.
She didn’t know this boy and she shouldn’t care, but for some reason she wanted him to like her. She had no friends in New Freedom and even having just one would be a nice change.
He shook his head and held his hands up in front of him. “No, no. It’s nothing.”
Relaxing slightly, she took a deep breath.
After a second he put his arms down and sighed. “So where is this cave anyway?” She turned, and this time walked next to him instead of in front him. Maybe they could be friends after all.
“This way,” she said, pointing down a steep slope that began a few yards in front of them.
“We can’t go down there.”
“Why not?”
“That’s No-Man’s-Land.”
“Huh?” she asked, glancing up at him and waiting for an explanation.
“We’re not supposed to go down there. My parents told me so,” he said, planting his feet.
“I’ve been down there before, and nothing jumped out to get me.” Shaking his head, she wondered if he was going to stay there or come with her. Just when she had started to enjoy his company he seemed to be chickening out on her.
“I don’t know about this…”
“It’s fine. Look.” She ran in front of him and made her way down the slope, sliding on her butt a few times but reaching the bottom without so much as a scratch on her.
“See?” she yelled up at him, blocking the sun from her eyes with her hand. She could see his resolve melt away and he followed her down the steep slope. He did it without falling as she had and was much quicker. He probably had plenty of experience playing in the woods, since he was a local.
He stood next to her and looked around as if assessing for danger. Only when he determined there was none did he finally step forward. They made their way around the side of a sheer rock face until they finally reached the crack in the rock that was the entrance.
“This is it?” he asked when they stopped.
“Yes,” she said, pulling the small blue fairy flashlight out of her pocket.
“I’ll go in first and let you know if it’s safe.” He took the flashlight from her and clicked it on. She waited while he squeezed through the crevice. Not waiting for him, she ducked through behind him and stood inside the small cave chamber.
“Cool, huh?” she asked, coming up behind him. He was scanning the room with the dim light.
“You didn’t wait.”
“No. I’ve been here before, not you.”
“But still…I’m the man. I should protect you.”
“You’re not a man. You’re a boy and I can take care of myself.” With a laugh, she grasped his hand and pulled toward the next chamber as he grumbled to himself. It was as far as she had gone before without the aid of her flashlight, but now that she had the light and someone with her, nothing was stopping her.
He let her lead him through one chamber after another. Deeper and deeper they went into the side of the cliff. She was careful to keep track of where they had come from, lest they get lost in the deep recesses of the earth without a way out. They wound their way through the stalagmites until Maggie was sure she heard running water not far off.
“You hear that, Jonah? It sounds like a stream.”
“Yes,” he said, excitement growing in his voice.
He was enjoying it as she was. Up until that moment she hadn’t been sure. When they entered the next cha
mber, they saw it. The water reflected the light, making the clear blue appear to be sparkling with diamonds. Steam rose from the water, meeting the cool air of the cavern. Maggie dropped his hand and raced forward. Kneeling at the edge of the underground lake, she dipped her hands into the warm water.
“Feel it, Jonah! It feels like a bath.” Laughing, she stood up and began peeling her jacket from her shoulders, followed by her pants. Jonah was bent by the water, feeling its welcoming warmth when she went racing past him. Dressed in only her underclothes, she jumped.
“Cannonball!” she screamed as the water splashed up around her and she fell, cocooned in the heated depths. When she surfaced, she wiped her eyes and looked around for Jonah.
He leaped from the side and into the water next to her. The water made a wave and it washed over her face. She was laughing when he came up for air and she immediately hit the water with her hands, showering his face with the spray she created. He was smiling as he splashed her back.
When it was clear that he was winning, she went under the water and felt her way in the dark to his legs. Gripping his ankle, she pulled him under. When they both surfaced, she was giggling, and he had a broad smile on his face. She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun in her entire life. Treading water, she splashed him again. When he grabbed her hand, the smile disappeared from his face and her own smile fell away.
The kiss was innocent. It was the smallest peck on the lips, but it was her first. He pulled away fast, his grey eyes wide when he looked at her. Dropping her hand, he swam for the rock’s edge. She stayed in the water, watching him swim away from her, the smallest hint of a smile on her lips and her heart threatening to burst in her chest.
Touching her fingers to her tingly mouth, she could barely suppress the laughter that welled up in her belly.
“Liam! Boy, where you be hidin’?” The loud roar shook the rock walls. Whoever had yelled wasn’t too far off, perhaps only a chamber or two away.
Terrified, Maggie trod water for only a second before she snapped out of it and made her way as quietly as she could to the rocks and to Jonah.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered as low as she could. He switched off the flashlight and blackness enveloped them.
“Shh. Let’s go,” he whispered in her ear.
They climbed out of the pool and she went to where she thought she had dropped her clothes. Without any light to see by, she did the best that she could and finally found the pile she had left on top of a wide rock. Gathering it in her arms, she looked around for Jonah but couldn’t see anything, not even her hand in front of her own face.
“Liam!” The man’s roar made her brain shake in her skull.
“Jo-Jonah…?” she whispered, trying to find him in the darkness and praying that he hadn’t left her there with no light and no way to find her way out.
“I’m here, uncle,” a boy called. It wasn’t Jonah, but he was close. Too close.
She was temporarily blinded when a sudden flame erupted a few feet away. She shielded her eyes and felt Jonah come up to stand next to her. He was growling.
“What are you doing here? You’re trespassing.” The first thing she noticed was the boy’s thick accent. It took her a second to adjust to what he was saying. He was perhaps a foot taller than Jonah, although both boys were close in age. His thick dark hair hung to his shoulders. He curled his lip, his focus solely on Jonah.
“We’re leaving,” she said, pushing her shoulder against Jonah’s arm to nudge him toward the exit. All she wanted was to get out of there.
“What have you found, boy?” A large man loomed in the space between two massive stalagmites. He was much taller than her father, his body extensive and broad. His grey hair was long and unruly, falling into his eyes. What should have been a kind face was marred with annoyance.
“Trespassers,” the kid spat out. The old man came toward them, his booted feet striking the hard rock, the sound echoing off the cavern wall. Fear tightened Maggie’s throat and she was never as grateful as she was in that second for Jonah’s presence next to her.
“You should know better than to come around here,” the man said as he stood next to his nephew, focusing on Jonah. The torchlight cast large, ominous shadows on the cavern wall. “You could disappear, and no one would know what happened to you.”
Jonah’s chest puffed out. “Are you threatening me?”
“You’re a rude little thing, aren’t you?” The man shook his head and clucked. “You should know better than to go traipsing around in places that are outside your territory, boy.”
Jonah said nothing, and the old man glared at him, his blue eyes dark.
“What are we going to do with them, uncle?” the boy asked, taking a step toward them. Maggie stepped back, but Jonah stood firm. His arm whipped out in front of her, acting as a barrier between her and the strangers.
“They’re going to leave and they’re not going to come back here.” The man stepped forward, his huge hand reaching out and gripping Maggie’s upper arm before she could get away from him. She shrieked, trying to pull herself from his hold. His grip didn't hurt her, but he held fast.
“Let go of her!” Jonah bellowed, throwing himself between them. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
Laughter erupted from the old man’s chest as he dropped her arm and took a step back. Maggie slunk behind Jonah, his larger frame acting as her shield. “Don’t worry, boy. I won’t make that mistake again.”
The man’s laughter died, but the grin on his face remained. She realized he did have a kind face once he relaxed. “You need to leave. Go out the same way you came in and don’t come back. If I find you in here again, I won’t be as forgiving.”
“We won’t come back,” Maggie said, staring at him over Jonah’s shoulder.
“No, you won’t.” His gaze flicked between Jonah and herself. “Now go. Get out.”
When Jonah grasped her forearm, she was overcome with relief. They left the strangers behind as they hurried from one cavern to the next, with Jonah tugging her along behind him. She could barely see where she was going, but he seemed to know the path and she trusted him to get them away. Finally, there was a blast of cold air, making her teeth chatter and then a little sliver of light that showed the way they had come in.
Jonah dropped her arm and began pulling on his clothes as she did the same. The pool was warm while they were in it, but now she regretted getting wet. Having to walk all the way back to the cabin with wet hair would freeze her. She zipped her jacket all the way up and pulled the hood over her head. She stepped out of the cave first and Jonah followed close behind her. She watched as he tucked her flashlight into the pocket of his jeans.
“That was close,” she breathed when they were outside.
“Too close.”
“Who were those people?” she asked him.
Jonah shrugged, but she got the impression he knew. Too shaken, she decided not to pry for an answer. She’d ask him again another time she decided as they made their way back through the woods toward the cabin.
The sun was setting in the sky and she knew she had spent too much time away. Her father would be upset when she wasn’t home in time for dinner and would probably worry, but she couldn’t regret the time she had spent with Jonah.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked her when the cabin came into sight.
“Yes,” she said. “We’re not going home until next week.”
“No more caves,” he said with half a laugh.
“Maggie!” The sound of her father’s voice cut through their exchange like a knife. “Where have you been? I was just about to go looking for you.” Her father came rushing toward them, the front door of the cabin banging behind him.
He glared at Jonah, his green eyes evaluating the boy. “Who are you?” he demanded, standing over them. She had never thought of her father as an intimidating person, but right now he was scaring her and was probably scaring Jonah as well.
“I’m Jo
nah Cowan, sir,” Jonah said, clasping his hands behind his back. Her father shook his head.
“What are you doing with my daughter?”
“We were playing in the woods, sir.”
“Maggie?” Her father turned his head toward her. She had never thought she would be in trouble for making a friend in New Freedom, but now she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t know what it was about Jonah that her father didn’t like, but it was apparent by the way his mouth made a thin line that she had done something wrong.
“We were playing in the woods, Daddy,” she told him. Her father sighed and put a hand on her back, ushering her toward the cabin.
“Go inside and pack your things, Maggie. We’re going back to Cantor tonight.”
“What? Why?” she cried, digging her feet into the ground.
“It’s time to go back. You have school on Monday.”
“But Daddy!” She didn’t want to leave and now they were going a day early. She didn’t want to leave Jonah behind.
“Maggie.” His voice was gruff, and she knew if she protested again, she’d be in trouble if she wasn’t already. Her cries died in her throat. “Jonah, go home to your parents. They wouldn’t like knowing you were out here.”
“Yes, sir,” Jonah said, casting a lingering look at Maggie before racing off through the trees in the direction of town. She watched him go, her face crumbling as tears started to well up in her eyes as he disappeared through the trees.
“You’re not to see that boy again. Do you understand me?” Her father demanded of her once Jonah was gone.
She nodded once before staring down at her feet. "Yes."
Up In Flames (Netherworld Series Book 2) Page 20
