The Little Scout

Chapter Thirteen

Ben's POV

"Tessa?" Ben shouted for the fifteenth time. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. He was worried, they'd lost Tessa and Sophie maybes half an hour ago and Ben was terrified. He wondered if Jimmy was still in the clearing where he'd left him, that was stupid. Leaving Jimmy for Skitter bait, he was so stupid. There was a rustling in the bushes and Ben jumped, startled. "Tessa?" He whispered. No-one replied. "Tessa? Come on, please. Don't be..." Stupid? Was he really going to finish that sentence with...that? Stupid was exactly what he'd been. "Come on, please. If your here." He stared hard at the bush. "Okay, I guess she's not here."

Tessa could be anywhere by now, Ben never had expected her to stay in the same place. He'd heard her fire, all willy nilly, twenty minutes ago. She'd be long gone now. He imagined her cradling Sophie, trying not to cry. But he shook it off, Tessa wouldn't be like that. She'd be punching the crap out of something. The bush rustled again. "Is anyone there?" He asked. "I'm not going to hurt you, unless you're a Skitter. Then I'll blow your head off." A little girl stepped out of the bush; she was tiny, younger than Matt. She had a wiry bush of brown for hair, tanned skin and deep brown eyes. "What's your name?" She started crying. "It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you, what's your name?"
"I'm...Melisa." She sobbed, she looked about five.
"What are you doing in that bush?"
"They...they took my Mommy." She sobbed.
"Its okay, come here, they took my Mommy too. Are you alone?" She nodded. "I live near here, in a camp, with other people. You want me to take you there?" Melisa nodded. "Have you seen a girl with brown hair, almost black, with green eyes, she smells like vanilla?"
"No."
"Just I'm looking for her. Did you see anyone?"
"I saw a boy..." She struggled to breathe through her crying.
"With brown hair?" She nodded. "Where'd he go?" She pointed to through the bush. "Will you come with me? To find my friends?" She nodded. Ben took her hand and treaded through the bush with her. "Did you have any other family?"
"My Daddy."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't know..." She told him.
"Stop right there!" Someone shouted. "That's my sister." Ben paused.
"I'm sorry, she was just alone. I was going to find my friends, I've lost them. I didn't mean any trouble."
"Melisa, get here." Melisa didn't move. The man seemed annoyed. If you could call him a man, he looked about seventeen. Same age as Hal. "Now." He growled.
"Look, it's obvious she doesn't want to be there. I'll take her with me."
"It's not an option."
"I don't want to..." Melisa whined.
"Look, it's okay."
"Jumbo." He called. Melisa was grabbed and Ben pulled out his gun.
"Jumbo drops her or I shoot him." He threatened. Her brother did a double take.
"Come on, it's three to one."
"I don't care, I'll kill you all." He laughed at Ben.
"Bull." He told him.
"I'm giving Jumbo here five seconds to drop the girl."
"Davie, she's not worth it. She'll just slow us down." His friend muttered. His friend was a girl, about Tessa's age, she looked like an older version of Melisa.
"I don't care, she's my sister."
"Davie! He's a gun to my head. Let him have the kid!" Jumbo shouted.
"Three seconds." Ben muttered.
"Fine! Fine! You can have her. I don't really care." Davie blurted. "Have the kid, do what you want with her." Ben dropped his gun and Jumbo dropped Melisa.
"Now leave." Ben muttered to him. The three ran off and left Melisa on the ground. Ben helped her up.
"Why..." She started.
"Don't ask, you look like a nice kid. And your brother...he looks..."
"He didn't hurt me."
"Then why didn't you..."
"Jumbo did."
"Where did he hurt you?" She pulled the back of her top up to reveal bruises that were a horrible shade of purple. "Well, he won't hurt you anymore. Not while I'm here. Hey, you know if my friend Tessa was here? She'd go back after them and hurt them."
"Even Davie and Jessie?" Ben nodded. Melisa smiled. "That'd be funny." She giggled.
"It would." Ben agreed.