This one is short but the next one will be much longer. This is just to introduce the characters.
"Are we going to head out soon?" Kassandra asked. She had just rolled out of her bedroll. Her short black curls stuck out in every direction. "Well? Are we?" She demanded, looking across the campfire. Two boys were perched on a log. One was big and muscular. The large broadsword next to him matched his height and size. The other boy was considerable smaller and more slender. He was hunched over, whittling a stick.
The big guy shrugged, "After breakfast. Jon's making it today. Then we'll choose where to go." He grinned, "Might want to clean up first though."
Kass sighed and reached for a small sack beside the campfire. She shrieked and jerked her hand back. "Nathan!" She screeched, "Move Leroy right now!"
The smaller boy set aside the stick and carefully picked up a small green lizard from the mouth of the sack. "He was just sleeping. Honestly, you'd think you found a scorpion the way you screamed." He perched the lizard on his shoulder and went back to his stick.
"I wasn't screaming." Kassandra retorted, "Stop laughing, Austin!" She glared at the bigger boy before grabbing a spear that was by her bedroll and stalking away toward a bubbling stream.
"Nathan. You know how squeamish she is around any reptiles. They remind her of snakes."
Nathan hung his head sheepishly, "But it's so much fun." He protested.
"Fine, just remember. We know what you're afraid of too." A short girl appeared from a thicket of berries. The baseball hat in her slender fingers was piled high with berries. She sat down by the fire on another log.
Nathan nodded solemnly, "Alright Jon."
"Is your new bow almost ready?" Jon asked in her Texan twang. She wrapped handfuls of berries in large leaves and buried them deep in the hot coals at the edge of the fire.
Nathan winced, "Yup, this will be the best yet. I can't get over how you never get burned when you do that!"
Jon sighed and stirred the pot over the fire, "Obviously my 'other' parent has to do with fire since it doesn't burn me."
"I guess," Nathan dug in his pack and pulled out a bow string, "It would be nice if our 'other' parent gave us all a magical item. You know, some way to hide our weapons." He quickly strung his new bow.
Jon's face tightened and she looked away, "We have the perimeter safeguard." She eyed a small glowing rod sitting by the fire.
"Yeah, that's kind of too late, ain't it? I mean…" Nathan took a deep breath, "She's… gone now."
Austin cleared his throat, "Time to eat?" He grabbed a stack of bowls at his feet. "Kass! Hurry it up! You'd think you're a daughter of Aph…" his voice died out. "Just hurry." He called.
Kass stalked into the clearing, "Can we decide where we're heading next as we eat? Please."
Jon spooned the gruel into the bowls and scooped the roasted berries on top, "Sure. Austin."
Austin dug a wrinkled map out of his old ragged jacket, "'Kay. So… right now we're in West Virginia." he unfolded the map as he ate his breakfast.
"New York!" Nathan shouted.
"Yeah. It's noisy. It'll distract us," Kass whispered.
Austin hesitated, seeing the trapped look on Jon's face. He studied the map closely, "Here" He put his finger down on a small peninsula just outside of Manhattan. "We can set up camp there." He looked at Jon, "Can we get there?"
"Close to it at least." Jon started packing away the bowls and pot, "Time to clean up."
Each grabbed their bedrolls and tied them up. Then they strapped them to their back packs. Jon put the bowls into her backpack as well. "Hey." Austin stopped right before he put out the fire. "How are we going to do this?"
"I'll use the lighter." Jon pulled a lighter from her jean pocket. Austin sighed and put out the fire. Jon picked up the glowing rod and whispered, "Omikron".
"Let's go." Austin said. They crowded around and wrapped their arms around each other. Jon clicked on the lighter and looked into the flame. "Outside Manhattan, Five miles." Nathan winced slightly as the flame grew bigger until it engulfed them. Total blackness filled their vision and a violent wind tore at their clothes. Slowly the wind died down and light resumed. Kass opened her eyes first and gasped.
Yeah I know a cliff hanger in the first chapter. I like them. I don't think there will be another one for a while. Please review!