Chapter 3: Company

When the sun hit the stream just right, the water seemed to glow. Adira wasn’t sure if she was seeing things or if she had been neglected of light for so long that her mind was playing tricks on her, unused to its presence. Frankly, she didn’t know which was more concerning. It was easier not to think about it, she decided; what she ignored held no power to stress her out…she hoped.

There was no telling how long this period of sanctuary would be granted to her and she was going to make the most of it, there was no time to be distracted by the sun. Perhaps, Adira thought, ignoring the sun will take it away. Of course, she knew that the sun wouldn’t really leave, she may have been kept naive but she wasn’t stupid enough to believe that her ignorance would cast the sun away completely, but she hoped that ignoring it would make it seem insignificant to her mind and the effects wouldn’t be as bad.

Once she reached the edge of the stream, she paused for a moment. Dehydrated didn’t seem like a strong enough word to describe her right now and the water seemed perfectly clean but she knew she probably shouldn’t drink it. Just in case. She had no idea how long it would be to get to the nearest town or drinking water source, though, and the heat was really taking it out of her. If she could see the land under the stream, it was clear enough, right? This was just one of those things Adira was willing to risk; she would likely suffer either way.

She cupped her hands and dipped them into the stream, sipping at the water slowly to try and prevent herself from feeling sick from the sudden hydration after such a long and intense period of being given minimal water. Relief ran through her when the liquid hit her chapped lips. It definitely had a slightly unpleasant taste but Adira couldn’t bring herself to care much; she finally had water and that was good enough for her right now no matter the quality. She just let herself sip at the water and slip further into the relief while she had the chance. It wasn’t safe for her to stay for too long but a few minutes couldn’t hurt.

“Hello?”

Adira was startled when she heard the voice of a man calling out to her and she spun around to face the direction it was coming from. She knew she was out of practice but she had never expected to be bad enough that she couldn’t keep herself safe; even humans could keep themselves alive after all, and they had no abilities or enhanced senses to help them out. Yet, here was a young man standing at the edge of the trees and watching her with a look she couldn’t quite place.

He was a young man, couldn’t have been any older than twenty five, possibly even Adira’s age. She didn’t know what to think about that. The idea of finding something in common with and relating to a man she may end up having to kill unsettled Adira - it was much better to ignore the fact that he is a person too.

“Are you okay?”

This guy really doesn’t know how to take a hint, Adira thought. She thought ignoring him would make it clear enough that she didn’t want to talk to him but he didn’t seem to get the hint.

“Fi-”

Her voice game out rough and raspy, the attempted words clearly grating her dry throat in all the worst places. The water she had, though partially satisfying for her dehydration, failed to help with the scratching in her throat. She cleared her throat as best as she could and took another gulp of water before attempting to speak again.

“I’m fine.”

The man raised an eyebrow and studied her suspiciously. His gaze was uncomfortable, as if he could stare straight through her and into her soul. Adira wasn’t used to such a penetrating gaze and for a moment she worried that he would be able to read her thoughts, that him just looking at her would expose her darkest secrets.

“You must be the one the guards were searching for. There are a lot of them out here. You must be really important to them, huh?”

Adira tensed at that. He had seen the guards. Of course, she knew that they would have followed her, that they would continue to search for her as long as possible, but him seeing them meant they could be close. If they had seen him or even just his footprints there was every chance that they would follow him and he would lead them right to her. She had to move or this idiot was going to get her killed, she could feel it.

“Relax, I didn’t leave any footprints. No one saw me.”

Once again Adira questioned if this man could read her mind. He looked innocent enough standing there and leaning against a tree as he ran his hand through his chocolate brown hair. Then again, looking innocent and genuinely meaning her no harm were two very different things and Adira knew better than to think otherwise.

“I suppose you want me to just trust you blindly. Too bad. My parents taught me not to trust strangers.”

“Pretty sure they are supposed to teach you not to talk to strangers and you’re already doing that.”

The man smirked as he spoke. Adira hated that about him. She had always found men who smirked when they spoke to be arrogant and self-absorbed, she doubted this man could be anything else. Just the way he carried himself felt like a warning sign, as if he were carrying around a sign that said ‘I’m an obnoxious asshole and I think I am better than everyone else’.

Growing up, Adira was always told that she seemed to have a sense for people’s character. It came so naturally to her that even her time in the warehouse couldn’t dampen those instincts and she had never been so grateful for it. In the past, she had always seen it as a burden; it made her anxious and often cautious of others, overly so on multiple occasions, but this time felt like a blessing. Right now, she couldn’t afford to trust the wrong person and this man was definitely looking like the wrong one of those people.

“Besides-”

Adira internally groaned when he spoke again and fought the urge to throw the rest of the water in her cupped hands at him in an attempt to shut him up. It wasn’t much of a threat, she knew that, but she hoped that the momentary shock might shut him up and distract him for long enough that she could walk off and, at least, get a head start in case he tried to follow her.

“I can easily introduce myself. I won’t be a stranger then, will I?” his smirk widened, making the man look awfully pleased with himself, as if he had won Adira over when in actuality the look only served to irritate her more.

She turned away from the man, letting the water fall from her hands as she dried them on her jacket and straightened up, looking around to try and get her bearings. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk to him and she was more than ready to leave, if only her senses would lock back into place and help her figure out which direction she should be heading. There was nowhere specific in mind she could go to but she needed to stay away from the guards and preferably find a place she could rest for the night - though right now anywhere away from whoever this guy was seemed like a better option than staying at the stream.

The man didn’t seem to get Adira’s disinterest though as he pushed himself off the tree and approached her. Once he was in front of her, he paused and held his hand out. Adira simply stepped back, not wanting to touch the man nor enjoying how close he was to her. Not even that put the man off though. He simply shoved his hands into his pockets again and spoke up.

“I’m Braxton but you can call me Brax.”