Countd0wn

Chapter 8: Confessions in the Dark

Night began to fall quicker than I had expected. With everything that had happened today, I had lost track of time. I gathered some of the wood that I had in my reserve pile, and lit up a fire with the lighter we had gotten from the grocery store. Soon, the camp was cast in orange and red shadows.

Sparrow had made her bed inside the tent, at the insistence of Ivy, and I had managed to procure her an extra sleeping bag. Before the night came, she had been talking with Ivy, which was good for her. Ivy hadn't seen another girl in months, and someone she could relate to would help alleviate some of the tension. 

I on the other hand, kept a close eye on Sparrow for as long as I could. Even though she seemed to be ok around Ivy, I still didn't trust her. She seemed to have a lot of control over her powers, so she'd had knowledge of them for a long time. I looked down at my hands, and sighed. Maybe I should ask her for some tips on that subject.

I took some of the rabbit that was still fresh and began to cook it over the fire. As I was doing so, Sparrow went over to her backpack and pulled out something. It was a bag of large marshmallows. Ivy's eyes widened and a huge grin went over her face. We hadn't seen a bag of marshmallows in a year. I had to admit, even my mouth was watering.

After finishing our dinner of rabbit, we gathered some sticks and proceeded to roast our treats over the fire. Ivy's first one caught fire, but I showed her how to hold it the right way. When we ate them, my stomach began to rumble with all of the sugary goodness. I had almost forgotten how these things had tasted. But eating them also brought up other memories, like when Dad and I ate them on our first hunting trip...after that I decided I wasn't that hungry.

Finally, after a large meal, I decided to put Ivy to bed. I walked with her into the tent, and zipped up her sleeping bag. "Alright, you know the drill. If you have a nightmare, come get me or Sparrow. Same thing with going to the bathroom, right?" Ivy nodded, and grabbed her new teddy bear, snuggling up with it.

As I was walking out of the tent, Ivy spoke to me. "Wren? Is Sparrow gonna stay with us?" She looked at me with innocent, hopeful eyes. My heart dropped. She had gotten close to her in the past day. The two of us were hard enough to look after already, but with the addition of Sparrow, it might put us in more danger. And if she had a vendetta against the man in black...

I looked at Ivy, giving her my best and kindest smile. "We'll see honey. I'll go ask Sparrow if she wants to stay, alright?" I kneeled down next to her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, just like Mom used to do to both of us before we went to bed. I do it to her every night.

Ivy then whispered in my ear as I stayed next to her, and said it in a voice that made my blood run cold. "If she's after the bad man from the church...I want her to stay...I think he wants to do bad things to us..." 

I stared at Ivy, who was looking at me with solemn and serious eyes, looking far older than she should be. A small chill ran up my spin, and the trees rustled with a gust of wind, that made the leaves sound like a small chuckle. 

I shook the surprised look on my face away, and then ruffled Ivy's hair, returning to my regular smile. "Don't worry, hon. I'm sure he's gone. And if he's not, I'll protect you, ok?" 

My smile didn't seem to shake her out of her serious look. Instead, she clutched her bear closer to her and nodded, then poked my chest with one finger. "Glowman." She whispered softly.

As I walked out of the tent, I saw Sparrow sitting on the log, looking up at the stars, her back to me. I walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Ivy's asleep." I said without looking at her. She turned to me and smirked again, her blue eyes reflected in the fire.