Chapter 2
I had made it. Alaska had been the end goal and now I was in one of the most remote places I had access to. A car hadn't passed me on the road for hours and even though it was fall, the cold was nearly unbearable.
I had hitchhiked when necessary, though I had been careful to not touch. Touching couldn't happen. Even when people had tried to be safe, it was impossible with me. An invisible shiver ruptured through me. I couldn't be discerning. I couldn't protect anyone from me. But enough was enough and I had to put a stop to it.
No one had listened because they hadn't wanted to hear me. Not Charlie, not Jess. Only Jake had listened and I could hear his doubts in the silence between them. He hadn't wanted to let me go … was so sure that I couldn't hurt him. But the fact was, I knew.
I had been a coward before, I knew. I shook my head at the truth and tried to brace myself against the biting wind.
At least, even if he hadn't wanted to, Jake had helped me. Without Jake's help, I never would have made it out.
Charlie would have tried to stop me because he knew the risks to me being along—to me being found out. If the wrong people found out, I knew the testing, the hunting would begin and never end until someone had gotten what they wanted.
Jake had told me he didn't believe me—I was overreacting, I would be fine, he would take care of me. I was wrong. It couldn't be true. But the fact was, he hadn't touched me once in all that time. Not one brush of skin.
And now, I had made it.
Walking along, I realized I had absolutely no idea what to do, where to go, how to survive. I racked my brain, turning on a dirt road, trying to remember those man vs. nature episodes, the ones with the guy named Bear.
I came up short.
The light was fading and while I was used to sleeping in the open in the dark, this was the most isolated I had been and I felt a chill of fear brush my spine as I found an indented tree trunk. It made a tiny shelter and I curled into it. Try as I might, I couldn't keep my eyes shut for more than a few seconds at a time. I could feel the eyes watching me. But what kind of eyes …. Well, I probably didn't want to know.
I must have slept though because suddenly I was awake and it was still dark. I let my eyes open and screamed. It was a piercing shrill trill of terror and I backed into the tree harshly. The golden eyes disappeared into the night. Whatever it had been had been so close to me. I instinctively reached blindly and began climbing. Slipping and sliding I used what little arm strength I had and hauled myself onto the lowest limb. Hopefully he wouldn't get me from up here. The limb was long and thick I had room to sit comfortably. I wouldn't have thought I would sleep again, but then, with the dawn, my lids lowered hesitantly, finally resting.
The next morning I woke early, it had probably been a nightmare, I reasoned, thinking about those golden eyes. I stretched carefully, very aware of my height and so relieved I hadn't turned and fallen in my sleep. Then, looking down, my movements froze.
Heart rate soaring I realized it hadn't been a nightmare. A huge coat was draped over my lap. And it wasn't the one I was still wearing.
A/N: Hey, thanks for stopping by, hope you liked the chapter, there will be more to come. Reviews are highly encouraged, they definitely motivate me in lots of good ways, so feel free to leave a comment telling me what you thought! Thanks for reading!
