Chapter 13: The Scout

    Faye barely ate anything that morning.  Her mind was swimming with all the words her and Cameron had yelled at each other.  Denarius told her that Cameron hadn't been allowed to leave so he had asked to be moved somewhere else.  Denarius had put a person in charge of him to make sure he didn't try and escape back to New Skielie.

    But this didn't make Faye feel any better.  She asked Denarius if she could walk in the forest by herself and he allowed it, cancelling the lesson for that day.

    The wind blew Faye's dark hair into her face so she put it back into a 

ponytail.  The curls she had put in her hair for the parade had straightened out into her naturally straight hair.

    Faye wandered, not caring where she went.  If she got lost she could easily fly up and find the village again.

     But Faye was already lost; lost in her thoughts.

    She sat and tried to think about something other than Cameron.  But nothing helped.  It was her fault that he was now trapped here.  Should she have gone with him once he wanted to escape?  Should she have even been friends with Cameron?  

    Faye wondered what Abraham had done after Denarius had chased him away.  Then she realized that she might have put all of the village in danger.  Faye groaned and sat down by a tree.  She banged her head against the 

tree trunk in frustration.

    "That is only going to give you a headache," said a voice near her. "Trust me, I know."

    Faye turned and saw a possum staring at her from behind a bush.  It came out from the bush and sat in front of her.  It's form changed and a mousy-haired girl appeared, sitting criss-cross. "You look depressed," she commented.

    "Oh, really?  Was it the groan or banging my head on a tree?" Faye said, rubbing her head with her palm.

    "Do you know what I do when I'm stressed?"

    "No.  Because I have absolutely no idea who you are."

    "Oh, sorry.  My name is Donnie.  My full name is Donnie Donna Fite.

My birthday is July 28 and I am nineteen.  Also, because my name has two D's in it most people call me Dede."

    Faye stared at her. "Okay.  I didn't need that much info but that's fine."

    Dede stared at her expectantly.

    "What?"

    "Aren't you going to tell me you name?"

    "Oh, I'm Faye.  Faye Spring.  I'm sixteen."

    Dede's blue eyes flashed with approval and she smiled. "Now, I am a good therapist, or at least my friends say so.  Hah.  Anyway, what's your problem?"

    "I -"

    "Hold!  I know what's the problem!  I have studied facial expressions for

a while now and I think I can guess what your problem is."

    "Go on," said Faye.

    "You just got into a fight with someone you love and now he isn't talking with you."

    Faye's jaw dropped and she stared at Dede.

    "Am I right?  What's his name?"

    "His name is Cameron, and yes, I did get into a fight but I don't love him.  We're just friends."

    "Hmm.  Usually I'm never wrong, but I could be.  Tell me about your friendship."

    "Well, we just hang out and call each other sometimes.  But the thing is that I can change into an animal but he can't.  He doesn't have the gift."

    "Then why is he even here?"

    "He wanted to make sure nothing happens to me."

    Dede smiled and sighed. "Wow, sure sounds like he loves you."

    "Okay, I didn't come here to be bothered by feelings.  I just wanted to be alone."

    But deep inside Faye she had felt calmer as she shared with Dede.  

    "I'm sorry.  Can we still be friends?"

    "I thought you already had friends.  The ones who say you're a good therapist."

    "Oh, they are my imaginary friends.  I don't have actual friends."

    "Okay, fine.  Do you live in the village?"

    "No.  I have my own home in the forest.  It's a small hole in the ground."

    "I'm sure it isn't that bad."

    "No, it's actually just a small hole.  I usually spend more time as an opossum so I can fit inside."

    "Oh, nice.  Well, I need to go talk to someone.  Bye, Dede."

    Faye got up and Dede waved as she left.

    Walking back into the village, Faye was passed by an out-of-breath brown wolf that almost trampled her.

    "Sorry," the wolf yelled behind her back as she raced toward Queen Thalia's home.

    Faye ran after her and once she reached the house she found Denarius talking with the girl who had been the wolf.  She has long brown hair and she talked quickly and loud.

    "They are coming, Captain.  I don't know how many, I was only able to see some from my hiding spot.  But, knowing Anoteros, they will bring many soldiers, and Chasers.  I was almost caught by one because he snuck up on me.  But I outran him, thankfully."

    "Thank you, Kaylan, I will need to ready our own troops.  You look exhausted, there is a tub of water in the next room."

    Kaylan walked off like she was about to collapse and once she was gone Faye asked, "Is this all my fault?"

    "No, it was that boy that threw the phone over the fence," Denarius said with a scowl. "He must have told the authorities what happened."

    "He's my brother."

    "What?  Well, I guess that makes sense, he did look like you."

    "I . . . I was going to ask Thalia if he, well, if any of my brothers have my gift."

    "It's possible.  But I think we need to stop visiting the city just to be safe.  Which means even if some of your brothers have the gift then we can't worry about it until we figure out our current situation."

    Faye sighed and walked out of the room.  She passed the water tub and Kaylan, who had been quenching her thirst, looked up and said, "I think I saw your brother there.  Is his name Abraham?"

    "Yes, how do you know his name?" Faye asked.

    "They called him the new recruit."

    Faye closed her eyes and turned away. "So, he's a Chaser now?"

    "Yes, I mean, I think.  I'm sorry."

    Faye smiled at her and then left. 

    As she was walking down the hallway someone walked out of what used to be Cameron's room.  It was the guard who Faye and Cameron had met.

    Julita didn't see Faye and turned and yelled into the room, "Cameron, Does it take you that long to grab your three clothes!  It's like you're waiting for someone!"

    Julita spun on her heels and saw Faye. "Oh, hello Miss Karate Kick," she said just as Cameron walked out of the room.  He saw Faye and gave a weak smile as he turned his head the other way. 

    Julita grabbed his stuff and walked past Faye.  Cameron followed and as he passed Faye he mumured, "Denarius can't keep me here."

                              Chapter 14: Dede's Story

    Faye stared after Cameron as he walked out with Julita.  He was going to try and escape, but there was no way he could get past Julita, she was quick and, not to mention, very unpleasant once she was angry.

    But, just to be safe, should she tell Denarius?

    Faye thought about this and decided that Denarius should know.  But she had never told on Cameron before, and it didn't feel right.

    Faye looked down the hallway to where Denarius was pacing in the throne room and saw that telling on Cameron wouldn't even be a good idea because Denarius was worried already about Anoteros and them coming 

to the village.

    Faye walked into her room and closed the door.  She sat down and placed her head in her hands.

    "What is Cameron going to do if he does escape?" she wondered aloud.  Maybe he would lead the Chasers right to the village, or he would try and steal the Gemstone of Nature.  Faye didn't know. 

    It seemed as though she needed another walk in the forest.  Talking with Dede had taken some of her anxiety away, so Faye decided to find her and maybe tell her more about her problems.

    Faye was soon next to the tree she had banged her head against and was calling for Dede. "Hello?  Dede?  I think I need a therapist!"

    There was a soft squeak and a rustle of leaves.  Then Dede dropped 

from the branches above Faye, turning human as she fell.  She landed cross-legged, like before, and was looking intently at her. "Yes?"

    "I have another problem, and I felt like talking to you about it," Faye said slowly. "Because the one person I used to talk to all my problems about it gone now," Faye felt her voice rising, "And he's probably going to break out and bring all the Chasers here to kill us all and then it will be my fault BECAUSE I'M HIS FRIEND AND I- oh, sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

    "It's fine," said Dede. "I once yelled a whole day once I lost my favorite acorn necklace.  Anyway, is this the same one you like but don't like, like?"

    "Yes.  His name is Cameron."

    "Okay, but didn't you say that he wanted to stay because he wanted you to be safe?"

    "Yes . . . but Denarius gave him a guard so he couldn't leave.  And then I just saw him at Queen Thalia's home and he said Denarius couldn't hold him there.  So I believe he's going to try and get back to the capital."

    "But if he said he didn't want you getting hurt then he wouldn't go back there and tell them where the village is, because that would be putting you in danger."

    Faye thought about this and realized that Dede was right.  Also, the Cameron she knew wouldn't ever betray his friends.  Unless they gave him a really good reason to.

    "Speaking of danger, do you want to know what I saw last night?" Dee said, leaning forward like what she had to say was a big secret.

    "What?" asked Faye.

    "So I was just walking around in the darkness, and I have very good eyesight in the darkness.  I was looking for acorns for a new necklace to replace the one I lost, so I naturally went farther into the unexplored parts of the forest.  Then I saw a purplely glow up ahead and walked toward it.  I found a beast sitting on a rock!  It was purple and had long wings and a long tail!  It was like something out of a story, a creepy story.  Oh, and it also had long purple horns coming from it's head!  Can you imagine that?  Anyway, I visited the library this morning, wondering what it was and I found that it was a dragon!"

    "Really?" Faye asked.  She had heard about dragons and that they were the most powerful Beasts ever, but also that their kind were feared by the normal Beasts. "But why are you so scared of it?"

    "Have you not read the legends and stories of our kind?  I'll take that as a no.  Well, anyway, the dragons were a tribe of people like us, but they could change into, well, dragons.  But they rose themselves above us and made themselves the rulers of the weaker ones.  Once Anoteros came into the scene, they wiped the dragons all out with a special serum that gets in their scales and kills them from the inside out.  Buy apparently some survived!  Either that, or that thing I saw last night was a ghost, which is to bad because I'm scared of both!"

    "Maybe it wasn't real," Faye said. "Hey, how about you and me go to that same spot tonight to see if there is actually a real dragon."

    "Okay.  But we'll need to be in our animal disguises, or else it might see us and eat us alive!!!"

    "Dede, calm down.  But I will meet you here once the sun has set, okay?"

    "Okay."

    Faye left and knew exactly where she wanted to go.  She had to stop Cameron from leaving, and she had to everything possible to change his mind.  She knew that it was her fault he was angry, and her fault he was in this mess.  But maybe she could make it up to him.

    So she want back to Queen Thalia's home and asked Denarius where Cameron was staying.

    "Why do you want to know?" he asked. 

    "I need to apologize for what I said to him, it wasn't right of me."

    "But he was trying to take you away from your destiny, Faye.  He looked

down upon your gift like everyone does in Anoteros."

    "But . . . he's gonna try and escape!"

    "That's fine," said Denarius, making Faye blink. "It would be best if he's gone.  He doesn't understand us."

    "But he might tell where the village is and then the Chasers will know exactly where to hit us!"

    "If what he said to you in the Gemstone room is true, then he wouldn't dare bring Chasers here, for they will also kill you too."

    "I know, but . . . I . . . I don't want him to leave."

    "I understand, he's your friend.  But you can always make more."

    "No, not like Cameron.  He makes me laugh and sometimes even does silly stuff to cheer me up once I'm sad.  Look, I really messed up once we 

got into that fight.  I sent him away because I was just so angry.  Ugh, I am such a horrible friend.  Please, Denarius, just let me see him once more before he leaves, so that I can at least apologize."

    Denarius looked down in thought and them lifted his head with a stern face, "Okay.  But I will take you there and back."

    So they left the house and Faye followed Denarius through the streets and to a small tree house.  Julita was standing guard at the bottom of the ladder leading up and she gave them both a stern glare before letting them go up.

    "I will stay out here," said Denarius as he leaned against the wall of the house.

    Faye went inside and found herself in a big circular room with a bed and

a table and a small bucket of water.

    Cameron was lying on the bed, his eyes were closed and Faye tip-toed quietly to his side.  She saw that there was something in the pocket of his old jeans strewn on the floor.

    She pulled it out and saw that it was a picture of her and Cameron the first day he had gotten his new phone.  She was making a goofy face and he just stared at the camera with one eyebrow raised.

    Faye sniffed and one of Cameron's eyes opened.  But Faye wasn't aware of this so she pulled the next photo out of the jean pocket.  It was the picture her and Cameron and Abraham had taken together on her first day in New Skielie.  They had already been there for a year but they were with her as she started the new school.