Hidden, Anaya Phoenix [easy readers txt] 📗

falling before I could stop them,
“It’s not going to help her if you cry” she told me softly, she rubbed my arm and I sniffled. I looked into her green eyes,
“I can’t do anything else Cora, I” I sobbed “I need her.” I let the tears fall free, she shushed me and whispered encouraging words but I could feel her unease. All that mattered was that she wasn’t here but I would find her, even if it kills me.


This is going to kill me! I have no idea which way the town is, or where the closest inn is. Eventually I found a small little pond that is water lily less, I sit down and put my feet in the water. It feels good around my ankles and it washes the grim e off of them. It looks to be noon I feel more tired than I did this morning, I lean back on my elbows and look at the sky. I watch the clouds in the sky until one grey one rolled in. “time to go” I mutter to myself, I force myself up and continue to go on. I find a wolfs den just when it starts to rain, I sniff inside and don’t smell any wolves. I carefully go inside and go to the deepest part I could find. I curl into a ball and my slow heartbeat lulls me to sleep, one last thought pops into my head before my eyes permanently seal close:
What if Michael never finds me?


I have to find her! We spent the whole day driving and we only make it halfway to North Dakota, we don’t go to an inn we go to a motel this time. I sit down on the burgundy and gold bedspread that covers the stiff mattress. My head is hung in sadness halfway to North Dakota, then after that we have to cross North Dakota! Thankfully claren is closer to North Dakota than Wisconsin or I would have gone mad a long time ago. I have my own room so I lay down and stare at the ceiling, it’s beige and has multiple water spots but I don’t look at them. I just stare blankly at the ceiling. John says it’s only 3 more days until we get there but I can’t wait that long. Deciding I can no longer mope around I grab a bucket from the closet and fill it with warm water. I storm out to the back of the motel where a luscious green garden grows, all the smells remind me of her but it’s missing the one thing that makes it heavenly. I dribble some water on it and decide it’s not enough; I keep spilling it until it’s just right and I get on my knees and sniff. It smells so much like her, so lifelike, I pick up some of the, mud and stuff it in my pocket. Tonight I will sleep with the heavenly smells of her. And maybe tomorrow will speed up.


Rain, rain, rain that’s all there was last night. A few hints of thunder and lightning, wherever my mother is she’s really ticked off. Somehow I got to sleep though; I think it was the smell of the foxes that drifted me to that heavenly state. Whatever it was I’m grateful, today is going to be terrible, I’ll have to trek through the mud and the rain. Not that I have a problem with that as long as I reach civilization soon. The mud feels squishy underneath my toes and I giggle a light airy sound that I miss. I walk through the heavy rain; I walk over the twigs and branches that lay down in the mud. I take one break and lift my head toward the grey sky, the water washes away my tears, and I miss Michael dearly. I’m too weak to fly and my heart beat is still at its lazy rate, which means the weather in Alaska is still the same. I get myself together and look straight ahead, for a minute I think I have gone crazy, I hear the faint sounds of a bell dinging. 4 dings, that’s what I count, and it’s 4:00! A town, a town is nearby; my efforts have not been futile! I look toward the sky “take that mother” I mumble. Soon I’ll be among people and they can help me, and I can get back to Michael! I rub my now completely rounded, engorged belly. I hope he finds me, I’m due any day soon, and I need him here with me. Not for comfort or for strength, but just for me, I need him here for me.


“She needs me I can feel it” I rub over my chest; we’ve just made it to North Dakota, like literally right over the border.
“Yes Michael, we understand she needs you,” john says in that stupid calm voice “you need her too but we have to wait until we get there to find her”. I am so sick of waiting, so damn tired of just sitting around while she could be in danger and I wouldn’t even know. The weather hasn’t changed and it’s so warm that some of the mountain caps have started to melt. I lean back in the back seat of the car and blow out a breath. I puff up my cheeks and look outside, for a country to be so bordered near Canada it is very dry. Not desert dry, but dry. Cora starts humming ‘if I die young’ by the band Perry and for some reason that makes me calm. I know I should be frightened that it’s about death but it just gives me hope. Hope that I’ll find her. Alive.


I want to rest, just lie down and rest, but I can’t. Sure my feet hurt, I’m starving and my back is killing me but I’m so close to the town. I can smell the gas, the coffee, the sweat I could even smell the people. Just a little bit closer, I could make it, scratch that, I would make it. I make it to the boundary lines between the woods and the city and see the cars zoom pass me, just my luck. I escape from the death grip of my parents only to get lost in the woods then when I finally find a town I can almost get squashed to death. I look to my right where the cars seem to be coming from, I’m clear, I can’t run or jog so I speed walk to the halfway mark. For the life of me I can’t remember what it’s called, I never had to drive anywhere, so for now I’ll just call it wall thingy. I climb over that carefully and look to my left, still clear, I speed walk across there to the greenery and the town. I want to do a victor dance but I don’t think my body will allow it. I look to the neon green sign in front of me that states
Helen
Population: 356
Not a lot of people, that is amazing. There’s no gate surrounding the city so I just walk right on in, suburban houses surround me but right in the middle I see a town hall. I walk past the beautiful houses and admire them from their beauty but I don’t really see them. I need to get to the town hall then I’ll take it from there. I reach the burgundy building and pull open one massive beige door. There’s one receptionist and she’s banging away at her computer, I move as fast as my legs will allow to her. She doesn’t notice me at first but slowly she looks up
“Welcome to the Helen town-“whatever she was going to say died on her lips, she got up which caused her rolly chair to bump into the wall.
“My goodness! Are you ok?!” she gasps
“No, I was lost and I need medical attention if there is a hospital-“my words stopped as I looked down at the wetness. Really I soil myself!? Is this some pregnancy thing?
“Oh jeez, mayor townfurd we have a woman in labor!” she yells down the hall. I gulp I’m in labor? Surprising I don’t feel any- HOLY CRAP! My stomach feels like it is about to break open. Crap Michael where the hell are you!?


We have just reached Minnesota, a town called Helen when my wolf snaps up. That smell, that wonderful smell I worked so hard to create has sprung up coming from the town.
“STOP THE CAR!” I scream at john and I bust the door open, water slapping my face but I don’t care she’s there. Finally. I race into the city and let my nose lead me, she’s moving closer and closer towards the town hospital. I run there as fast as my feet will let me; I zing zap around the houses and arrive onto what looks like a town square. I look around and what I see almost brings me to tears. There she is her hand on her now bulged stomach and her jeans soaked around the crotch. She peed on herself! Doesn’t matter as long as she’s here, I swiftly jog to her and her head looks up. I notice there are black s=circles under her eyes and sweat creasing her brow, but as soon as she sees me her face is transformed into one of utter happiness. The lady next to her takes one look at me, then her and smiles.
“Glad you’re here, you can help out now” she says kindly, Alex reaches one hand out for me and I take it. I want to smell it and make sure she’s ok but I notice she’s hot, like extremely hot. My face shows some of my worry and with a light smile she nods
“It’s time”
It takes a while for her words to actually make it to my brain, when it does I swoop her up in my arms and run towards the hospital. My nose follows the smell of sick people and anesthetic,
“Michael you came” her breath is a little bit airy, that’s not good.
“I will always come for you, and I will always find you” I tell her, I have to run faster; I have to get her there. She screams a bloodcurdling scream, her hand squeezes with such force I’d think it was going to shatter. It’s probably conjunctions, or whatever it’s called, I can’t really think right now. I’m almost there, I kick up my legs and make them run faster, and we’re there in an instant.
“Help! She’s going through labor!” I scream at I’m not sure who, 3 people with scrubs come and a fourth one with a wheelchair. I look at it skeptically, I don’t want her out of my arms, that is until she bites me
“Ouch!”
“Let me down or I swear I’ll do far worse” she says through clenched teeth. I let her down easily and they wheel her off into the elevator, I start to follow her but a small arm grabs my arm
“Sir you have to fill these out” a very soft voice says, I look at the nurse and take the clipboard. I can barely see what’s in front of me, but I fill it out to the best of my knowledge. She takes it back and gives me scrubs; these damn things are so confusing! I wrap the dress part around my neck and tie on the hat like a bandana; they say I don’t need booties so I take the elevator to the 3rd floor. As soon as