Chapter Thirteen
"Do you need any help Beth," I asked as she started setting up the tent we were to sleep in. We had finally gotten to our own tent after everyone else's. Beth was amazing at helping set up. She had memorized how many feet it was to set up a tent and the tools in her pack gave her no chance to ever misplace a tool to help. Every once and a while she'd drop a tool and I'd have to help her find it for her but otherwise she, like everything else we did, was better than I.
"Ah, yes Raina. There's a rope somewhere. Could you get it for me?"
"In a moment," I said. I walked over and picked a coiled rope over the grass and took it back to her. "Will this work?" I asked.
"Yes it should work wonderfully." She attached the rope somehow on a hook-like metal on the top and then pulled it to the ground to pull it tight. A stick was already holding up the majority of the tent. This was the last rope and she stood up after it was finished. "Are there anymore?" she asked me.
"I think we're done!" I said cheerfully. To this she grinned and then yawned. "Good, because I'm dreadfully tired."
"Me too," I agreed. We walked arm in arm to the entrance.
Just as we were walking in I saw someone in the shadows of the trees beyond the tent. Eyes peered out at us and I couldn't help but think that they were peering out for me.
"Um, I shall be right in okay Beth?" I said suddenly. I realize it must sound odd.
Luckily she was too tired to notice the oddity of it all. "All right," she yawned again. " I shall see you in the morning then." She crawled to her knees and went inside the tent. I giggled. She looked so tired I hoped that she had even made it to her tent.
After closed the tent flaps after her, I got up and stiffened. The eyes were not there but I could still feel eyes watching me. I scowled under my breath and walked over to the place where I originally saw the eyes.
Walking behind the few trees and away from the light, I stood a moment, listening. "Where are you?" I hissed. He was here, I could feel it. Waiting a moment in the silence I could hear the breathing. "You know for a someone who seems to be attempting to act sneaky, you're not doing a very good job!"
"Raina?" I heard someone come out behind the trees. It was Calsipher.
"Oh, Calsipher, it's you." I said surprised. "I thought…well, I just."
"You thought you might've heard something or…"
I knew what he was going to say. Or someone. He had seen it too. So it wasn't just me.
"What are you doing out here?" I asked, trying to calm down now.
"I…" he began. "Actually, I don't need to be answering that question," he countered.
"Oh you don't do you?" I replied.
"No." He walked over to me and looked at me seriously. "You do."
I was taken aback. "Just enjoying the night air, why?"
"It didn't seem like that. Or were you talking to yourself just moment ago?" He asked. Argh! I couldn't STAND Cal right now! The nerve of him!
I bit my tongue, trying not to lose my temper. "I don't know what you're talking about." I said and averted my eyes. There was a moment of silence and when I looked back up at him he was still looking intently at me.
"You know what I think?" he said accusingly. "I think you're hiding something."
I laughed, trying not to hide the nervous tint in my voice. "And you're not?" I retorted.
The energy in his eyes changed at my comment. 'Why,' they seemed to ask. 'Why is it you seemed to know the message behind my painting when no one else could ever begin to know what my dream was like.'
His fists tightened in frustration. He locked eyes with me, trying to find something in them as I did in his. His fists were clenched and I held arms behind my back, trying to resist the urge to slap him for his rudeness.
"Well," he said in expectation.
"Well what?" I asked him through gritted teeth.
"You know very well what I'm indicating."
The other night. Yes, I did. "No I don't. Now if you'll excuse me," I began to turn back to the tent.
As I was walking back he called, "That was not a coincidence, what you said the other night." It was about his painting. Nothing more. Just dreams. Just a painting. Nothing more…please dear god, be nothing more. I went back and climbed into the tent and I could feel those eyes watching me, just as I knew, they were listening to my conversation with Calsipher.