Secrets in the woods, Sophie Gibson [book series for 12 year olds txt] 📗

any Hunters on the way give them one chance to join us.” She turned to leave and then stopped, “Oh, and remember its springtime.” She nodded slightly to us before going back to her room.
I looked at Sophia then. On the outside she was normal. Long dark hair down just past her shoulders. Her skin had not yet gone the sharp pale that came with only being awake at night. But I could see the shadows in her eyes. If I looked past the brown and amber colours, they were there. I stopped myself from thinking about it and we both retired to the cabins for the day. Before I managed to sleep I thought about the war. Maybe if the Hunters that’d joined us could fight with us, the rest would follow. They’d see that together we could win.

(Ash)
I was still annoyed. Not only did I not get to hunt Alaya, but I was stuck going the long way round with my annoying older brother. “Why do we have to go to the barrier again?” Caleb asked the fifth question tonight, and we’d only been up for two hours. “To see if the damage can be reversed. Not a chance if you ask me.” I answered. He pulled a bottle from his bag and took a sip. Looked like we were taking a break. I leant against a tree idly. Looking around I thought how easy it would be for a normal human to get lost in these woods. Everything was the same, it was frustrating. All I could do was stare at trees for hours on end. I focused to use my power in my eyes to see all the trails that’d been through here. There were some light coloured tracks of woodland animals, even some slightly faded tracks from the Chosen, and guessing by the deeper colours of them, they were probably from the Wild. “We should keep moving, we’re too close to their camp.” I told Caleb. He straightened up but took his time about putting his food and drink away. I focused of the black trail of deep shadows. That was where we’re going.
Caleb had gone silent, I could tell he was thinking about something important. Probably his other family. Caleb’s mum never knew about the Hunters or the Chosen. About a year before I was born, my father was sent to a village to collect supplies and find out what’d happened to the last Hunter they’d sent. That was when we first realised the Barriers were breaking down, but we ignored it and hoped the Chosen would sort it out. In that time my father caught the eye of one of the women from the village. Nine months later she had Caleb. He couldn’t be left there, we had to take him.
I focused back in the present. Caleb was lightly in front of me and he stopped. “I have a brother.” He said, “even though he’s fully human I still have a connection with him, just like ours.” I just stood there for a moment working it all out. Some Hunters that are related have a sort of connection, sometimes they can tell what they’re thinking about. As me and Caleb grew up together the connection has become more obvious. We can tell when one of us is within a mile radius and if we want we can use it when hunting to communicate silently. “How long have you known?” I asked. Since we’ve had a connection for years surely theirs would be the same, but if that’s true then how come it’s the first times he’s said anything. “Only a couple of months. It’s weak, probably because he’s human.” He paused and frowned. “He doesn’t sense me, but every now and again I can go into his mind completely. He’s fifteen now.”
(Alaya)
Me and Sophia left fairly early that night. The sky was still quite light and it made being in the woods remind me of when I was younger. I closed my eyes. I could feel the cold breeze pick up sharply, it didn’t feel right. The cold pieced through me and I looked behind me, it had felt like a warning. Someone was watching us. Waiting.
Imprint

Publication Date: 07-08-2011

All Rights Reserved