Chapter 2
We were finally out of Decepticon territory, but I had mixed feelings about being back on Rogue turf. Especially since we were walking right along the edge of the forest. I kept looking around nervously, barely listening to Optimus, who was talking about the crappy teleports and other equipment they had to use, and low recruitment rates.
"So what's your family like?" he asked suddenly.
I knew he didn't mean any harm by it. It was just an innocent question asked purely out of curiosity. But the way I stiffened must have told him that topic wasn't one I was willing to discuss.
"Sorry." He said quickly, "I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry about it." I interrupted, "It doesn't matter."
Optimus gave me an apologetic look and looked at the sky.
"We're not gonna be getting to Autobot territory any time soon." He said, eager to change the subject, "We might as well stay here until morning."
I shook my head.
"There's a village a couple of minutes walk from here. We can spend the night there." I wasn't exactly jumping for joy at going back to my hometown, but there was no way I was going to spend a night this close to the forest.
It didn't take us long to get there, even though I was trying to delay our arrival. We were closer to the village than I'd realised. I took Optimus to the centre of the village, where one of the buildings was bigger and grander than the others. Optimus could probably tell how reluctant I was as I led him inside, but he didn't say anything. I led him through to the main room, where my dad was having a conversation with one of the maids. He sent her away as soon as he saw us and hugged me.
"Clara! I was wondering when you were going to come back." He pulled away and nodded a greeting to Optimus. "Optimus. It's been a while. I take it Clara brought you here?"
Optimus nodded. My dad did a lot of business with both Autobots and Decepticons, so I wasn't really surprised that they knew each other.
My father looked at me.
"I get the feeling you're not staying here very long." He said reluctantly, like just saying that would make me disappear.
I shook my head.
"We just need a place to stay the night." I said quietly, half of me hoping he wouldn't hear me. But he nodded.
"Of course. But make sure you come and visit more often this time."
I didn't answer. I hated making promises I couldn't keep. I would visit a lot more often if we didn't live in this house, and he knew that. But that didn't mean he actually understood it. If he did we wouldn't be in that situation.
At that moment Kaitlynn came in. She didn't look very happy about seeing me there. Then again, she never did. She glanced at Optimus, and her eyes widened.
"You're….You're Optimus Prime!" She could barely contain her excitement at meeting her idol. Beside me, Optimus face-palmed. I was shaking my head in embarrassment. My father sighed.
"Kaitlynn, please don't start anything here. Leave him alone."
Optimus peered at her.
"You know I'm over twenty times your age right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Kaitlynn." My dad sighed. "Optimus and Clara aren't staying here long, they'll be gone by morning. Please leave them alone. Just for tonight."
Kaitlynn pulled a face and disappeared.
"Sorry about that." My father said to Optimus.
Optimus shook his head.
"I'm used to it."
My father led him out of the room and, now I was alone, I took the chance to look around. I'd been gone a long time, but nothing had really changed. I still found myself wincing at the photos of Luke and Tessa that were around the room. I waited in there for about a minute before I left. I couldn't just stay in that room. And it wasn't just that room. It was the whole house. I couldn't stand being surrounded by so many painful memories all the time. It was why I had left in the first place. This house hadn't been my home since I was 7. I reached the kitchen and thought for a minute. It would be hard, but I had to recharge. According to my dad, Autobot territory was a days journey from here, so we wouldn't be taking any breaks if we wanted to get there by nightfall tomorrow. I had to recharge if I didn't want to slow Optimus down. I pulled a face and headed upstairs. My old room hadn't changed at all. Nobody had gone in there, judging by the amount of dust, but I would be fine, considering I was just staying for one night.
I was woken in the morning by a bright light shining through my window. I thought for a minute and remembered the night before. Just the memory of where I was, was enough to get me out of my berth and tearing down the stairs like a bullet from a gun. I almost crashed into Optimus, who was at the bottom of the stairs, but I stopped myself in time.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." He commented, looking at me curiously.
"Probably," I agreed. "Can we go?"
He frowned.
"What's got into you?" he asked me.
"Nothing. Please can we go?"
He nodded, still giving me worried looks.
Even so, it was still another 10 minutes at least before we left, because of my dad's habit of trying to come up with reasons for us to stay. I was trying to get us out of there as quickly as possible without hurting his feelings. Finally he let us go and we soon left the village far behind.
"What's going on?" Optimus asked me as we walked.
"Nothing." I said, "I just couldn't spend any more time in there. There's a reason I left."
I was probably a bit harsh to him, but I was seriously freaked out at being in the house so long. I wasn't paying attention to what I was saying. He didn't say anything, so I don't know if he was offended or not. I hoped he wasn't. I was, maybe, starting to warm up to him. I may have even been enjoying his company. The part of my mind swooning over him was starting to spread.
"I'm sorry." I said quietly. "I shouldn't have started on you."
Optimus tilted his head, looking at me.
"It's okay. You don't have to apologise."
Soon we were following the forest again. I didn't like it, but I didn't say anything. Much to my surprise, Optimus insisted on walking between me and it, like he was trying to make me feel better. It worked. A little.
"What happened?" Optimus asked me as we walked.
"What happened with what?" I asked, confused.
"You've been in the forest, and now you're afraid of it. What happened?"
I winced slightly.
"I don't really want to talk about that while we're this close."
Optimus nodded like he wasn't really surprised. We walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Why were you in Decepticon territory?" he asked me, "I mean, I just need to know before we get onto Autobot turf."
I shrugged.
"I don't like staying at home, so dad sent me there to cool off for a while." I told him, "He hoped it would make me feel more comfortable being at home, but I guess it didn't."
"Why don't you like being at home?"
"Too many painful memories." I admitted quietly.
He nodded and gave me a sympathetic look, like he knew what it was like.
A few more minutes of silence fell, and then Optimus stopped walking so suddenly I almost walked into him. He was just standing there, staring at the forest.
"Do you get the feeling someone's watching us?" he asked quietly.
He'd kept looking over his shoulder as we walked, which had been ever so steadily raising my 'freak-out' levels until I felt like running away. I didn't though. Something told me that would be a bad idea.
"I always feel like that." I replied, "Never this bad though." I watched him for a moment. "Why is everything so quiet?" I asked suddenly, unable to keep the fearful trill out of my voice.
Optimus glanced at me. Everything was completely silent. There wasn't any bird song, no chirping of insects in the grass, not even the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. I looked up. Everything was still. It was like Optimus and me were the only living things on the face of the earth. So why did we feel like we were being watched? It wasn't an unusual feeling for me. Like I'd told Optimus, I always feel like that. But nobody else ever felt the same way. That just freaked me out even more. Until now I'd always put it down to my overactive imagination, stress, the dreams I was always having, the memories of the night Luke had died, and later on Tessa. I'd never stopped to consider the thought that someone might actually have been watching me all that time. The thought was too crazy. But maybe there was.
"Maybe we should go." I said slowly. I hated myself for being like such a coward, but I was really starting to get freaked out. Optimus nodded in agreement, backing away from the forest slowly.
It was nightfall by the time we finally reached Autobot territory. I could tell Optimus was relieved to be there. It was obvious from the look on his face and the way the tension left his body as we crossed the border. Eventually we reached a small cluster of buildings that must've been an Autobot village. It didn't look like much, all run down and falling apart, but Optimus seemed glad to see it again. I wondered what it was like to leave a place and be upset at the thought that you might never see it again. I didn't have a place in my life that meant that much to me. There wasn't anyone around. The place was a ghost town. I remembered what Optimus had said the night before about not being able to afford anything better, and I felt guilty. The Rogues and Decepticons were well off, why should the Autobots be the only ones that weren't? I didn't say anything as Optimus led me to a small building in the middle of the village that was no bigger or grander than any of the others. There was a leopard-like Autobot curled up outside the door. The first living thing I'd seen since we'd left Rogue territory. She stood up and came over as we approached, looking at me warily.
"How bad is it in there?" Optimus asked, scratching her behind the ears.
"Bad." She replied. "Sentinel is very angry."
"How come?"
She shrugged.
"I don't know. You'll have to ask him."
Optimus glanced at me.
"Sorry, I haven't introduced you. Clara, this is Roxy. Roxy, Clara."
Roxy nodded to me in greeting.
"Nice to meet you." she gave Optimus a warning look and padded off.
Optimus led me inside. It wasn't much better than the outside. The corridor Optimus led me through was dark, with cracked walls and a well-worn floor. I could hear hushed voices up ahead. Although I couldn't make out what they were saying, I could hear 3 voices. All of them were male. I didn't recognise any of them. One sounded angry, like he was close to shouting. One sounded anxious, like he was desperately trying to convince someone of something. The third didn't say much, but he sounded bored, like he didn't really know why he'd bothered to come.
The voices hushed down as we approached the door. They could hear us. Optimus gave me an encouraging look, which was comforting, and pushed the door open, leading me inside.