INSIGNIAS: THE ABECEDARIANS
CHAPTER XVII: LEI

She was scared. She looked terrified than them. The first thing Lei noticed was the unshed tears, then the quivering of her lips, then the light trembling of her hands. She probably didn’t notice these but Lei saw. She stared back at them with eyes that said ‘don’t kill me’. She had been through a lot. This was on Lei’s mind when she and Skhy were engaged in a stare with the girl with golden eyes and long brown hair.

But Lei was also thinking about her death as she and Skhy were being chased by, not just one, but 13 men sized like football players earlier. They were throwing huge rocks towards them and Skhy tried to block them while she directed the attack using the tree roots.

But it wasn’t enough. These men were trained to take down an army, or monsters. They were trained to hunt and kill.

She remembered what happened the day she and Skhy started their journey. The moment she left her Aunt cottage killed her. Her heart was heavy. Her footsteps were dragging. Her aunt hugged her tightly like she doesn’t want to let go. But she did.

“I’m proud of you. Whatever your decision is, I’m still proud of you,” she said this while crying. Lei felt her own tears on her cheeks.

“I love you, Lei,” her aunt said and kissed her forehead.

“Are you going to be safe?” Lei was more concerned about her aunt’s safety than her own. She lost her true parents and her adopted ones. She didn’t want to lose her aunt too.

“I will be. I’m not going to stay for long,” she replied as she wiped her tears.

“But- ”

“Go, Lei,” her aunt said. She smiled, no more tears, but her eyes showed sadness.

“I love you too, aunty,” Lei whispered. She loved her so much. She was her mother, her best friend. Tears kept rolling as she tried to memorize her features. Her aunt’s short dark brown curly hair. Her blue-green eyes like her own. Her cheery smiles that reach her eyes. No. They were going to meet again.

They were already standing outside the door and Lei felt the cold breeze touching her cheek. Her aunt let go of her shoulders and pushed her lightly away. Her aunt flashed a smile and nodded.

Lei turned and gripped the straps of her bag pack, trying to stop herself from turning back. She reminded herself that she wanted to do this. She needed to do this.

“I hope you won’t too.” Skhy’s statement caught her off guard. Her aunt said that she was destined to be someone who can save the people. But what she wanted to do was to replace the truth about her family. She knew that her aunt didn’t tell her everything. She said that there were things that she needed to replace out herself. These were her reasons for going, not because she was destined to be someone she wasn’t.

What if Skhy expects me to do that?

Then he would be the one to regret his decision.

She closed her eyes tightly for a second then opened them again. There was no way she could be a destined saviour. She knew little about the Mortemians but it was enough to know that they don’t like to play games with an amateur warrior.

She left the yard of the house and went inside the forest. She left when Skhy was in the tree house.

She climbed the tree near the entrance of the forest and sat on the lowest branch. She looked back at the path leading towards her home. My home. Her home for three years. The only home that she wanted to go back to.

She blinked several times to stop the tears from forming when he saw a silhouette walking away from the house. Skhy shoulders’ slumped. He removed his large hat and Lei had a good view of his weary but beautiful blue eyes. He brushed his dishevelled hair with his fingers then placed the hat back on his head.

He should take that hat off. He looks better without it.

Lei frowned at her thought. It felt wrong to compliment him.

Remember Lei, he is the one who insisted that you are in the prophecy.

She shook her head but stopped as she saw him enter the forest and passed the tree where she sat. She stood up and jumped down but he kept walking. Didn’t he feel my presence?

He is lost in thought. What is he thinking about?

She walked behind him staring at his back. After few minutes, he felt her and turned swiftly. He narrowed his eyes at her then widen as he realized who stood in front of him. Lei didn’t miss the pain in his eyes as she said those words earlier. Words that haunted her since he mentioned her sister.

“I’m not the one you loved and lost”, she told him without missing a beat. She knew it will trigger memories but she wanted to see what his eyes will tell her. She got what she wanted. The love and the pain flashed in his blue eyes.

“Wait.” She stopped. She waited what he wanted to say. They had been walking for an hour and it was the first word he spoken.

“Is there a cave here?” She turned and frowned at him, confused.

“Someone, or something, is following us,” he stated while looking at the surroundings. Lei did the same, then she felt it, no, them. The energy came around them. All of them had the same energy.

“We are surrounded”, he whispered. Yes, we are.

She looked to her left to look for that tree.

“Follow me”, she said without looking at him. She walked towards the direction she thought leads towards that tree. She tried to look for the mark she left before but she was getting impatient. Where is it?

“Where are we going?” she heard him behind her. She ignored him and looked around. The enemies were moving towards them. How many are they?

“Ten or more”, Skhy answered her thoughts.

She finally sighed when she saw the familiar mark. A tree with a twisted branch that formed a triangle stood in front of them.

“We are near”, she assured him but he didn’t reply. She moved behind the tree and counted until they found the fourth tree. It was actually two trees but their trunks intertwined with each other. She moved to the small space between them.

“What are you doing?” She looked at Skhy who was frowning at him.

“A secret place.” Lei cupped the trunk of the bigger tree and twisted the knob she carved before. The small door opened to a space inside the trunk.

“That...is unexpected”, he whispered, astonished.

“Come.” Lei moved inside and opened the entrance for Skhy. He ducked but found himself stuck through the door with one foot and arm inside. Lei chucked. It wasn’t the time and place but she couldn’t control it.

Skhy narrowed his eyes at her so she masked the chuckle with a cough. She grabbed his arm and pulled her with all her might. She was able to pull him inside but she tripped and fell on her back. Pain on her bottom immediately followed. She closed her for a moment and found a weight on her leg and chest making it hard to breathe.

“Ow”, someone moaned. She immediately opened her eyes and saw Skhy’s face a few centimetres from hers. She held her breath. She could see his whole face. His hat must have fallen when they went down. His eyes were close. A hand held one knee while the other was on the ground beside her head.

Then he opened his eyes. She gasped lightly. She could see the different shades of blue in his eyes. He stared for a second then blinked.

“I’m sorry”, he said and pulled himself from her. She stood up immediately to mask her blush. She looked everywhere but him.

Why am’ I blushing?

It was just because his face was close. That’s all.

Skhy looked around the small room. Lei used it as hide out and a sanctuary from the rain. She found it three years ago. There was a wooden bed, a table and chair. She brought blankets and pillows so she could stay warm. After sometime, she built a shelf with a few books. A painting of a song birds hanged on the wall beside the bed. The room was big enough for the two of them but it was still difficult to move around.

Lei unfold the blankets and sat on the bed to move away from him while Skhy sat on the chair adjacent to the shelf, still looking around.

“They broke their circle”, he said.

“What?”

“They are everywhere”, he replied, staring at her. She gulped and nodded. She was still thinking about the encounter earlier on the floor but she felt her heart return to its normal speed.

Stop it, Lei. This is not the time for that.

She exhaled slowly and listened. She could hear the chirping of the birds but they were disturbed. Some animals were restlessly running from different direction. Others were hiding underground. She could feel trees and plants dying.

“They are destroying the place”, she stated. She didn’t try to hide her anger. Those evil people would do anything to replace them, even if it cost innocent lives.

Skhy’s jaw tightened and didn’t say anything. His hands were clenched together. He bowed his head, looking at the ground.

What can he say? Sorry?

Lei knew apologizing won’t help them, or anything that weren’t in their priorities. Right now, the most important thing was survival.

“We’re going to sleep here tonight.” Lei’s head snapped towards him. She opened her mouth to protest but she was cut off.

“If we want to live”, he said. And she closed her mouth.