Between the Cross and the Flame

Chapter 1: Chaya

"Um...I don't really know what to say..." he said.

"Please don't take me to a hospital," Chaya whimpered before he could stop himself.

The boy furrowed his brow. "Why? You're hurt."

"I...uh...I've never been to a hospital before."

To Chaya's great surprise, the boy smiled. "I know, they can be pretty scary-sounding. I've only been to the hospital once. It was for surgery on my ACL – that's my knee – and I can't say it was a pleasant experience. Too many needles." Chaya stiffened. The boy noticed and cleared his throat. "Trust me, it's worth a little pinch to make you feel better."

"Don't take me to a hospital!" Chaya begged, another tear rolling down his cheek.

"Okay, okay, I won't take you to a hospital then," the boy relented. He took a long, unnerving look at Chaya. "Where should we go, then? Do you live close by?"

"No. I– " Chaya paused. Should he tell him the truth? "I don't live anywhere near here."

"Then the hospital is the best place to start," the boy reasoned. "They've got a ton of phones in there to contact your parents."

"Not the hospital!" Chaya reaffirmed.

The boy bit his lip. "Look, whoever you are, I can't just take you home. My parents will– "

All of a sudden, a twelve-point buck jumped directly in front of the car. The boy cursed loudly and swerved to avoid the deer. Chaya gripped the door handle with white knuckles. Instead of panicking with him, the boy laughed.

"That was a close one, wasn't it!" he chuckled. "It's not every day that I get a deer and a human jumping in front of my car. Hopefully third time isn't– "

Without warning, seven deer sprinted across the road. Then, seemingly sprouting out of the darkness, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, and fawns darted onto the road on all sides. The boy's eyes widened.

"–a charm!" he exclaimed. "Hang on!"

The boy yanked the wheel to the side, throwing Chaya against the door. The boy quickly reached over and pulled the seat belt across Chaya's chest. Chaya frantically grabbed it for support, hoping that whatever this boy was playing at, he knew what he was doing. The blonde clung for dear life to the belt, closing his eyes just in case. They veered this way and that, the occasional curse cutting through the chaos, until the tires screeched to a halt. Chaya cautiously peered out the window to see near total darkness enveloping them. All that was left of the animal invasion was a single toad, which hopped off the hood of the car the moment Chaya looked at it. He started with a violent jolt when the boy whooped and hollered.

"Yeah! That is how you drive!" he cheered. He lowered his voice when he saw Chaya crumpled in the passenger seat. "Sorry. That was...the weirdest and best thing to ever happen to me. Are you okay?"

Chaya nodded slowly. "I think so?"

The boy held out his hand, unable to contain a grin. "I've always wanted to have a badass introduction like this...my name's Haniel Samel. What's yours?"

Haniel? I think I know that name! This must be the person I was supposed to find! Chaya shoved down his eagerness and shook Haniel's hand. "I'm Chaya."

Haniel's eyes lit up. "Wow, that's a beautiful name. It suits you."

For some reason, Chaya's cheeks rose in temperature. He imagined his face had turned red. What was happening to him? Was that bad? He hoped not...maybe it was how people introduced each other in this world, saying things to make them blush. Maybe?