Chapter 37: Liz
Of all the things that had happened since I met Danny, only two things had ever troubled me. One: Nathanial disappearing from my mind, which I am not complaining about. Two: My mind staying connected to Danny's, even after I had cut the connection.
The one about Nathanial troubled me more, but I somehow knew that the two were connected. It was just too much of a coincidence that Danny would appear in my head only days after Nathanial had left. And I hadn't believed in coincidences to begin with.
The only thing that I could think of was that my fate had changed when I met Danny. It was taught to all Perisians that there was one person destined for you, and you would know who they were when you had your circle. I had known that I was destined for Nathanial, but now I wasn't so sure.
When I had lived at the castle, I had spent most of the time in the library, researching. I liked the idea that, if something ever happened, I might know how to solve it because I had read about it somewhere. Now, I was using what I had learned.
Circles were always composed of people who could easily find each other. That's why I wasn't surprised when Nathanial was in my circle. Also, Jet, Chloe, and Emma were all children of people who had been friends with my parents. They might not have recognized me, but I sure as hell did.
I fell asleep with thoughts like that floating around my head. I kept my mind closed because I didn't want the others to know what I was thinking. It was too personal. Sleep was a long way coming, and when it did, it was fitful. I really hated questions that I couldn't answer, and I knew that this one would be a very challenging question.
I woke up at first light, feeling even more worn out than I had the day before. And I still didn't have an answer as to why Nathanial and Danny had switched places. Or even if they had. I decided that that would be the first thing we did today. Combine minds and see who was in our circle. I was pretty sure Zephyr had a chance, as he had worked for Nathanial when we were children.
I started a fire, cooking some deer that Emma and Chloe had caught last night. I was really starting to get sick of wild game, but it was the only food that we knew was edible. Everyone woke up within the next fifteen minutes, the smell of smoke jarring them from their sleep.
"Wow, Liz is cooking?" Zephyr joked. He had a right to, as I hardly ever actually made the food. He started to laugh, and the others joined him, including Danny. I was glad that they were making nice now. I smiled at Zephyr's joke and waited for them all to calm down.
When it was apparent that they wouldn't, I said, "We have to discuss something after we eat, so eat quickly," in a serious tone. That got their attention. I just stared at them, my face blank. They all ate in record time, and then we got right down to business.
"So, what is this meeting about?" Chloe asked when no one else would. I admired her bravery for that, as she normally didn't participate in these types of discussions.
"I've been thinking about what happened last night," I said. I immediately received confused looks from Emma and Chloe. I had completely forgotten to tell them about what had happened last night!
"Danny got lost in the woods, and found his way back by finding my mind, which he really shouldn't be able to do," I quickly explained to them. They nodded in understanding. "So, I was thinking about that, and I thought we could do an experiment." At those words, Danny's expression grew worried and scared, like I had mentioned fighting a bear or something horrifying like that.
"What do you want to try?" Zephyr asked, concern on his face. They all had so little faith in me! I realized that Jet was being uncharacteristically quiet. I looked over to where he sat, and found him asleep. I quickly grabbed a twig and threw it at him.
"Wha?" he said, jolting up. He realized that everyone was now staring at him, and he coward down. "Sorry about that. I didn't get much sleep last night." He shrugged it off, yawned, and then gave his attention to me.
"As I was saying," I began again. "I want to combine minds, and see if Danny and Zephyr are part of our circle." I was rewarded with shocked expressions from everyone. Especially Zephyr, who thought that there was only one spot left in our circle.
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Jet asked. "Who wants to go first?" The second question was directed at Danny and Zephyr.
Zephyr took one look at Danny's pale face and said, "I'll go first, I guess." Jet just nodded at him, and then closed his eyes. A few moments later he opened them. I saw Zephyr nod, as if he was answering a question. Jet nodded in return, closed his eyes for a moment, and then returned his gaze to Zephyr. Again Zephyr nodded.
"I think Zephyr's in," Jet said. "I severed the connection, and he could still hear my thoughts, and that means he should, theoretically, be a part of our circle." I just nodded, not sure how to respond. I was actually not very happy with that knowledge, but I couldn't say that out loud. I would have to talk to Zephyr about keeping my secret from "accidently" floating up in his thoughts.
"Your turn, Danny," Jet said, turning to face him. Zephyr gave a poorly hidden snort, and I glared at him. Luckily, no one else noticed, as they were all to intent on watching Jet and Danny. The same transaction occurred between them as with Zephyr. Jet gave me a nod after he was done, which could only mean one thing.
We now had a complete circle.
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