Who Are You

I sat outside, kicking my foot against the stiff, dry ground as I waited for Jinxx and Jake to come get me as they'd said they would. Everything was happening so fast. I'd woken up this morning, been shoved some sort of strange mush to eat, and told to relax until they came for me with some other poor kid.

"You okay?" A woman's voice asked. I looked up behind me to see a woman with jet black hair who I'd only just been introduced to earlier in the morning. I nodded my response. "I know it's difficult." She sighed. "I don't like it here anymore than you do. None of us really enjoy it. We're just, we're stuck here."

"Why?" I frowned.

"It's…I guess the boys didn't explain it to you?" She sighed. "You'll hear from someone sooner or later, but it's not my place to say. I need to go get a group to gather themselves together and head out to get some more water from the spring." Ella patted my head. "There are Jinxx and Jake. They'll take you out of camp at least."

"Can't they send me home?"

She gave me a sad smile but turned her back and left me alone.

"Alyce, this is Xander." Jake said softly, almost cautiously. I turned around to take in the three forms in front of me. Xander was taller than the other two. Probably not as tall as Andy when he had stood up last night, but definitely a close second. His eyes met mine quickly in acknowledgement and I got a glimpse of green.

Bright, spring-grass green.

"Hi." He said quietly. I was a little startled by his darkened tone, almost as if he already didn't like me. Again, again I'm reminded of the fact I don't quite fit in right.

"H-h-hi." I bit my lip.

Jake looked between us and then to Jinxx who nodded.

"We're going to search around for a little bit." Jake informed me. "Here's your canteen."

"Here's your compass." Jinxx handed me a makeshift compass.

"We might split up into two groups. Don't ever forget how to get back." Jake slipped a necklace around my neck and quickly clasped it. "You're one of us now." I gripped the small gold star in my hands so tightly, my knuckles turned white. We had started walking already.

I don't really fit in…

"Yes you do." Jinxx and I were a few strides behind the other two, who were deep in conversation now. I shook my head. "Don't let Xander bother you. Don't let what Andy or Ashley said bother you, either."

"They don't bother me." I disagreed quietly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You're not bulletproof, Alyce. Admit it." He shook his head.

We kept walking in silence for a bit. We were finally at the edge of camp.

"Does everyone here really have some amazing talent?" I asked nervously.

"Yes." Jinxx said softly. "And we'll find yours."

"So I'm not an empath?"

"I don't think so, no." Jinxx agreed. "But you radiate almost the same vibes." He sighed. "I just didn't want you to feel like this, like you don't belong. Of course, Ashley opened his big mouth."

"I'm fine." I promised.

"Alyce," Jake spoke up. I lifted my head as he glanced back at me. "Xander is a shapeshifter. So if you two get lost, he can help you find the way back." Jinxx and I stopped as we reached them. Xander's eyes were still cast towards the ground.

"We're leaving them here?"

"We're leaving them here." Jake nodded, speaking quietly. The two exchanged a look.

"Look for anything or any place of use. We're going to look that way." Jinxx nodded to a stretch of flat, plain, dry desert. "You guys head for those hills." He pointed to the rolling, sandy hills that were God-only-knows how far away from us. "If you can't even get to them before sundown, don't worry, okay? Just meet us back here around sundown." He pointed to the lone cactus beside us, I think it was the first form of life I had seen.

I nodded. "Okay, great."

Jinxx grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him. Xander had already begun walking in towards the hills and Jake hurried to stop him.

"Alyce, if you see anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, you run. Okay? Run as far and as fast as you can." He handed me a small box with a shoulder strap. "That's a piccolo. You play that, someone will hear you, and someone will come as fast as they can. It's a big desert, but I promise. Andy can hear music from a mile away, it's something he's good at. It doesn't have to be any song or note, just play it. Plus, anything with a brain will want to get away from a shrieking piccolo as soon as they can."

I nodded as he slipped it over my head so that it rested like a satchel.

"Be safe." He told me sternly. "Sammi would kill me if you died." He broke a small smile. I smiled, too.

"I will."

"Is she ready?" Xander finally spoke, he sounded irritated. I bit my lip. Jinxx and Jake both gave me empathetic smiles.

"Remember to snatch any of the lost things that Lauren can use." Jinxx called. Xander nodded and looked at me.

"Let's go, princess."

I huffed and followed him obediently as we stalked off in our opposite direction.

"Never give in!" Jake called. I frowned and looked back but Xander tugged my arm to keep walking and simply called back.

"Never back down." And we were on our way. I looked at him with confusion. He didn't even look back. "We say that when we leave camp, usually. They always do it if their girlfriends are there." The way he spat out girlfriends made me almost cringe.

"What's wrong about that? It's a good way to say good-bye, I think."

He made a noise of disgust.

"You don't like their girlfriends?"

"I don't like girlfriends."

"Bad break-up?" I asked softly. I knew how that was, after all.

"No." He snorted. "I don't date."

"Well, I'm sure she would have said yes if you gave yourself an attitude change." My eyebrows knit together as I frowned at his grumpiness.

"Mind your temper, Alyce." He sneered.

"You mind yours!" I snapped back.

"I don't mind mine, there's the problem." He chuckled humorlessly. "It doesn't bother me."

"That's not how I was using that word!" I shot.

"Well, you should have specified."

I groaned out of frustration.

"Lewis Carroll." He said after a long time of silence between us.

"What?" I jogged a few paces so that I could evaluate his facial expression.

"Lewis Carroll." He rolled his eyes. "'Mind your temper.' Where else did I get it from?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it again, at a complete loss for words.

"Here." He stopped. I hadn't realized we were so close.

"That's mountain over there…" I trailed off.

"That must be where the river comes from." He shrugged, beginning the trek up the hill. I scrambled after him.

"River?"

"Where we get the water. It runs a mile from camp." He said simply. "But this, this is hill. Let's get over and see what's there."

It only took a minute or two to climb up the hill and tumble down the other side.

"There's a path through the mountains…" I frowned, pointing while I took a step forward.

His eyes widened and he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back.

"Hold on, we need to go together. We haven't explored this part of the desert yet and there are…not such good forces at work around. It could be dangerous."

I nodded and we made our way slowly towards the path. It was maybe half an hour before we'd climbed up and over all of the dunes and gotten to the foot of the mountain.

"Okay, I'm going to go and see what's between these two mountains and on the other side--" He stepped onto the path that literally climbed between the two rocky peaks. No upward climb involved, it was just a steep hill, but appeared to be right back down on the other side. "Stay here unless I call for you--" I'd been studying the ground when he told this to me and he made an irritated sound. "Princess, are you listening?"

"Xander, these are hoofprints." I said cautiously. "There's life around here."

"We're about to find out." He grimaced.

"I'm coming with you." I said firmly.

"Princess, you're staying here. I promised Jinxx and Jake both that I wouldn't let you get hurt. I really could deal without a scolding from them if you break a nail."

I scowled and climbed up next to him.

"I know more about horses than you, I bet. What will you do if they stampede."

"You can come if you want, but you'd sure as hell better not cry if you get hurt." He growled at me.

He reached the top before me and pulled me up the last stretch of the incline.

"I'm not carrying you down. You can roll." He warned.

I frowned and he smirked.

I think it took us both a long time to realize the smells around us weren't just dry dust and sweat.

"Grass." I breathed.

"Water." Xander blinked.

It wasn't a lush meadow by any means, the grass was only running along the river, which was deep enough down that the area around it didn't seem too prone to flash floods. But, the valley was large enough to survive even with flash flooding, I think. Even still, it wasn't so deep that you would fall in trying to fill a canteen. Plus, there were caverns in the mountains that I could see. We could potentially make one of them our homes in flooding situations.

"We need to tell the others. This is the perfect camp." Xander said softly.

I made a sound of agreement and went down with him to explore what we could.

"We should head back soon, though." Xander reminded. "So let's look around a bit and then head out."

I nodded and ran to the other side of the valley.

"Princess, stop!" Xander called suddenly as I was inspecting a large patch of grass. "Do you hear something?"

I frowned and took a listen.

I shook my head right before the ground started to shake.

"Stampede!" I shouted just as figures made their ways into the valley. They poured down the path we'd just entered like a murky mud slide after tons of California rain. For the most part, they calmed when they got to the bottom, but it was an exhilarating experience nonetheless.

"How many?" Xander asked quietly. He had made his way to me, still unnoticed by the creatures before us.

"No more than fifteen, by the looks." I shrugged. "Probably because of the lack of real food." I counted them up in my heads.

"We need to head out."

"Wait!" I called after him, seeing a mare caught in brambles and looking panicked. The others around her quickly startled and suddenly the few, scattered horses seemed like a million viscous beasts as they had when they'd first arrived.

"Princess, you wouldn't!" He groaned.

I carefully stepped my way to the panicking horse and tried to pat her neck soothingly, but she pulled it away.

"Easy girl, please?" I soothed. I reached my hand down her leg but she nearly struck me with her muzzle, most likely accidentally out of fear.

"Alyce? Alyce! Get out of there!"

"Xander, shut up." I sighed, not breaking my calm, trying to soothe the horse before me. "She's just not used to having her feet handled."

"I'm getting Jinxx, you're actually insane." He jumped and suddenly a hawk hit the air.

"Shapeshifter, right." I was startled a little bit.

And then I was left alone with a small herd of panicking horses.

"Baby girl, easy." I patted her neck again. She froze finally, but watched me wearily. "There we go. Are you listening?" Her ears flicked and I smiled. "Okay, I'm only going to help you, okay?" And I reached down. She stayed perfectly still as I untangled her leg, pulling tiny thorns out of her cannon.

The horses calmed as she did and the circle around me dissipated.

"So…I guess it's just us now…" I frowned, patting the mare's neck. She'd quickly returned to eating.

If Xander seriously thought I was waiting up for him, he was crazy.

Notes

Black-Veil-BridesXXXXXX: Thank you! :) I'm so happy that you like it this far and were waiting for another chapter. I hope I haven't disappointed! :)