The Unwanted Winter - Volume One of the Saga of the Twelves (65 page)

Then Joaquin said, “You
can say that again, Lou. I was just as relieved as you were when
Anthony showed up with his friends. They saved me and Jason from
those awful creatures that had captured us.”

Anthony was glad the other
boy was helping him keep Louis calm. He had obviously been through
a lot. He glanced at Sophie, who was looking at him with a similar
cast to her visage, near comprehension, but not complete. Though,
neither of them seemed to know what Joaquin was talking
about.

“
We were
going to Vons,” began Anthony, mentally shrugging at their
confusion.
We’ll figure it out
later
. “We need to get some food and
supplies for our entire group. You are more than welcome to join us
if you want. Both of you can come with us.” His eyes were bright
with expectation.

Sophie turned her head to
one side, her nearly white hair draping over half her face with the
tilt of her head. “Vons is still here?” She appeared to have
accepted the animals for what they were. She stood there as she
would’ve when talking with a group of friends from school –
nonplussed, nonchalant.

“
Yeah,” replied Jason,
“was here this morning when Joaquin and I woke up inside of it, so
it should be there now… I hope.”

“
Would
you like to join us?” said Anthony once more, his eyes searching
over her face, a vain attempt
not
to lose himself in her eyes.

“
Are you kidding me with
the kind of protection you have with you? I would be insane if I
didn’t come along,” Sophie answered, clasping her hands before her,
a gesture more commonly seen when one was about to pray. A smile
more her own lit up her face.

Anthony nodded toward her
briefly. “Ok then, let’s go.” Anthony turned to look at Garfield.
“Alright, Cat Face, do your thing.”

At that, the great cat
bounded off into the storm. So swiftly, it was hard for any of them
to follow his movement, as he scouted ahead, making sure the path
was clear.

Kenai took the point once
more, while Mr. Patas walked a ways to the right again. His ears
were twitching in the wind. The rest of them formed a group behind
the bear-dog. Anthony had taken a few steps when he felt Sophie’s
small hand clasp a hold of his and give it a brief squeeze as she
said in a low voice, “Thank you,” a soft murmur in his
ear.

He turned, a little
startled at first, but then his eyes found hers and saw the
gratitude within them. It was so real and so raw his initial
reaction was overwhelmed by something else, something quite
different than any notion he would’ve dreamed of experiencing on
his first day in the Melded World. He muttered a quick ‘you’re
welcome’.

She moved away a bit. She
was content to stay at his side, though, as they walked on, through
the snow and the occasional flurry. Every once and a while, one of
them would glance at the other.

Sometimes, they felt the
others’ stare and turned, a warm, silent message would pass between
them. But, it was during those intervals, where only one of them
did the gazing, when the most interesting feelings crossed their
minds, written plainly upon their faces.

Two more of the twelve
were found and safe. Though this marked only the beginning of many
things to come, something new and unexpected was blossoming on this
horrible, mixed place.

It was a
good
thing… a
much-needed thing, indeed.

~~~~~~~~<<<<<<{ ☼
}>>>>>>~~~~~~~~

Provisions

Day One, Thursday, 8:34
am…

They stepped into the
intersection of La Loma trail and Figueroa Street - Figueroa
looking much like Avenue 64 had - no more than a wagon trail and
not the broad, four-lane Boulevard it had been a universe away.
Trudging through snow that had drifted more than half a foot in the
middle of the road, they walked a short distance down what was left
of Figueroa toward a lessening in the trees up ahead. Around them,
pregnant graupel continued to fall in massive sheets. It was still
a slow wafting of precipitation, though the sheer quantity made it
appear it was drifting down in torrents. The wind had dwindle to a
breath of air flowing over the land, now and again, drowsy, as if
it too was weighed down by the sheer volume of snow cascading down
from above. Sophie knew from the topography of the land, Vons
should be just ahead, about fifty yards to the right of the road
from the direction they were traveling. But, she wouldn’t stake her
life on it. Who could be sure in place as strange as
this?

Had it really been only a
few hours?

They walked a bit farther
with the huge cat Anthony had called, Garfield, in the lead. The
huge feline was now zigzagging from one side of the road to the
next, sometimes vanishing into the forest on either side,
investigating something only he knew to be there.

The fantastically bizarre
rabbit-man, Mr. Patas, trotted off to their left, near the very
edge of the way. His ears were constantly twitching and moving. His
eyes oftimes closed as he scoured the area with his ears, noting
every quiver, every vibration and everything else that pulsed or
thumped in the forest.

The hulking Kenai walked
directly before her and the boy, Louis, who walked at her left,
while the tall, lanky form of Anthony, strode on her right. Joaquin
and Jason had taken position behind her, walking two paces behind.
Quietly, they mulled over something she couldn’t hear over the din
of their boots, shoes and paws crunching through the icy surface of
the snow.

She chanced another glance
at the self-assured teenage boy beside her as he plowed his way
through the drifts. His head was nearly hunched into his chest as
he walked, concentrating on the effort it took to walk. Having been
caught on more than one occasion, staring at him like a moonstruck
calf, she let her eyes search over him quickly once more before she
quickly glanced away, biting her lip in consternation.

What is wrong with
me?
she asked herself, wondering,
frustrated. Why she was having such a hard time overcoming the urge
to scrutinize every aspect of the boy beside her.
I’m never like this. I don’t obsess over boys. I
never have in the past, so why should he be any different? Why can
I not just look at something else, be curious about something else?
Why him? He’s definitely not the handsomest guy I have ever met or
even the greatest built.

Joaquin is piled high with
muscle and I’m not all weak in the knees over him. Why Anthony
then? He’s got long hair and didn’t dress like most kids I know, so
what gives? Why him?

True, he is nice, and
talks and carries himself like he is intelligent and thoughtful,
but I’ve met a ton of guys like that…

It was true, she’d never
really cared for boys with long hair on general principle, because,
in her experience, they tended toward sloppy or looked frumpy,
lacked the understanding that a shower a day was actually a good
thing. So, she usually steered clear.

She peered again at the
teen through the corner of her eye, still pondering her reaction to
him. The more she thought about it, being well-built had never
really been a game-changing criterion for the type of boy she’d
date anyway. She did prefer a likely candidate be somewhat fit, or,
at least, look like he took care of himself. Anthony was fit, tall,
trim,
and clean
.
Well, as clean as possible when having to walk the dismal place
without adequate bathroom facilities. Still, he looked groomed.
Then, there was the hair. She chanced a more direct look, staring
at it for a few seconds before she forced herself to keep turning
her head, to glance behind her, covering up her inspection of the
boy.

Jason had caught her eye.
They exchanged a quick smile before she turned back, looking
ahead.

She had to admit, his hair
was beautiful, almost as lustrous and bountiful as hers and she
took great pains to keep her hair looking the best it could.
Moreover, his was longer. Despite being absconded to another world,
with all the chaos surrounding them, it still appeared combed and
tangle free. It was chestnut brown and looped in loose, dangling
curls that bounced all the way down to the middle of his back when
he walked. It never really fell out of place. He appeared like he
was ready for school, ready to go out, ready for something, other
than traipsing about a forest in a snowstorm, in search of
provisions. He wasn’t frumpy or slovenly in any way. To her, he
seemed well dressed in his skinny jeans and waterproof
Chucks
, the very style
she herself was set on buying, but hadn’t gotten around to it. His
clothes fit the contours of his body, even the way he wore his
jacket with the collar pulled slightly back, so it didn’t interfere
with his hair made him appear confident, purposeful. He carried
himself in manner all his own. There was nothing out of place or
ill-conceived with his outfit. It made him look
right
in her mind. She hadn’t known
it before. But she did now, as she peered over at him once again.
She realized she liked boys with a particular carriage, a certain
sense of self, giving the impression of calm,
confidence.

No, she knew, she liked
it
a lot
.

…
And he
is considerate…,
the thought popped into
her head was almost audible and she nearly stopped. Instead,
though, she merely hesitated and continued on, the thought
progressing.
He made me feel comfortable
and at ease. Even when I was about to blow a gasket, he made me see
him - the kind, thoughtful boy. He forced me not dwell on the
terrible images I had racing through my head back then. He made me
see he wasn’t a threat, that he was a friend… His sensitivity to my
fear was… it made me feel warm inside…

She blinked rapidly, a
surprised look erupting on her face. She immediately masked it, not
wanting, in any way, shape or form, to have to explain
it.

…
Warm…
In spite of herself, she felt
a tingle of warmth wash cross the top of her chest, up her neck and
beyond. It seemed to explode from her cheeks with such force it
almost made her eyes water.

She glanced,
self-consciously, at both Louis and Anthony, to see if they’d
witnessed her silent emotional outburst. They were both staring to
the right, peering hard, with mild frowns of concentration, through
the mellow storm at something in the distance.

Instinctively, she
followed their eyes and was surprised to see the forest had ended
abruptly. For the first time in half a day, she stepped onto
concrete. Although deeply covered in almost half a foot of snow,
she knew the firmness of it. She was able to step with confidence,
knowing she could trust her footing. She looked down, picking up
her foot and saw she was, in fact, on a sidewalk - the concrete
began at the exact spot where the forest ended. She had been so
intent upon Anthony, she hadn’t noticed she had stepped up onto it.
She brought her head up, searching for what had to be
there.

Sure enough, ahead,
looming out of the semi-daylight was the great bulk of the Vons
supermarket, standing dark and vacant through the veil of the
storm.

They all exchanged looks
of deliverance. She was certain they all breathed a sigh of
assurance at the time moment. The notion passed through them like
wildfire. They were going to find
some
of what they’d need in order to
survive this cold, heartless place.

They quickly crossed the
parking lot, entirely devoid of cars, and made their way to the
front doors on the right-side, front of the building. As Joaquin
and Jason explained before, they were completely smashed in, as if
something huge had plowed through them with tremendous force.
Sophie noticed as well, several of the large front facing window
panes were shattered too. She let the thought slip her mind and
instead, stared into the inky blackness of the interior of the
store, trying to make out anything substantial, but
couldn’t.

Then, she started, her
breath caught in her throat as Garfield suddenly emerged out from
the murk, carrying a flashlight in his mouth. He promptly gave to
Anthony before he disappearing back into the store, saying: “The
front of this storage place is clear. I am going to check behind
the doors in the back to make certain it is clear back there was
well.”