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Chapter 3: Safe Haven

Chapter 3: Safe Haven

"WHY AM I DOING THIS again?"

"You're senior camper, Calida, and one of our best healers." The reply was mild and patient.

"But she's—"

Amber woke with a start. Heat rushed through her veins. She blinked at the light and all she saw was red and gold, encompassing her gaze. And then her eyes refocused that she found herself staring at a fire, flickering right in her face. Immediately she batted it away, launching herself up and out of her prone position. "Get away from me." Her voice was so hoarse she barely recognized it.

Hands rose, palms open in the universal sign of we’re perfectly harmless. They backed away and gave her space. "We won't hurt you."

Her eyes narrowed. She surveyed the faces before her before smiling easily. "Long time no see, Calida."

A wrist flicked and the girl’s hand snapped out. Amber rubbed at the red mark on her cheek, working her jaw. The smile lingered on her face. Calida's hair was longer than she remembered, braided and pinned atop her head with a glittering gold clasp, with a few hazel locks carefully teased out to frame her face. As beautiful as she was, this mocha-skinned goddess with almond-shaped brown eyes, her glare was icy. She whirled around and stalked out of the room. A burly broad-shouldered guy with abnormally big hands shot an apologetic glance at no one in particular before dashing after her.

Another kid with curly brown hair and glasses shifted awkwardly. “Well, that was unexpected. Do you think something happened? I mean, Robert and Calida are together and all, but spontaneous violence is a sign of pregnancy.” He grinned, but when he looked at her, fear flickered in the green depths of his eyes, visible even behind the lenses. The monster in her seemed to smirk in its sleepy, half-conscious state. Before she could figure out the reason why his fear was so familiar, the boy blinked and broke eye contact. He cleared his throat and sauntered out the door, calling over his shoulder, “I’ve got things to do, places to be.” He gave a two-fingered wave before disappearing out of the room.

Three people had left now, out of the original five. Amber fixed her gaze on the remaining two. “Who are you?” She made her wariness clear.

Both of the men were tall and middle-aged with salt-and-pepper hair. They could have been twins, with the similarity between their appearances. The one of the left spoke, “As a matter of fact, we are twins.” She blinked. It seemed as if he had read her mind, but... He studied her reaction, hazelnut eyes gleaming slightly. “I wasn’t reading your mind. It was just a little thing I picked up on.” Angry with herself for the slip-up, she lifted her chin and stared him down, expressionless. The man was the first to look away, diverting his gaze to her bedside table.

“Do you know who this woman is?” The other man, with darker brown eyes than the first, held up a picture of a woman with a tall, sharp nose.

“That’s Emily. She’s my maternal aunt.” Amber frowned. “Where is she? Does she know where I am?” She examined their expressions, feeling suspicious. “What did you to do her?” But the words had barely left her lips when she realized that she was asking the wrong question. No… What did I do to her? Almost immediately, an answering feeling surged through her. The beast inside responded to Emily’s name with a sickening familiarity. It cracked open an eye, but it seemed satisfied, sleepy. Sated?