She moved with her aunt, but she couldn't remain silent. "What's going on? Why should I be taken to a different place than the others?" Kylie asked as she moved through the barn door. The afternoon light had her pupils adjusting.
"Obviously, it is you they search for," her grandfather answered, his voice sounding close, but his form still invisible.
"But I'm a protector," Kylie insisted. "If someone needs help, I should stay close."
"I can feel you, damn it! Where are you?" a voice, a familiar voice that wasn't her aunt's or grandfather's, called out behind Kylie.
Her breath caught and she looked over her shoulder. About fifty feet away, standing in the tall grass, was someone she cared about."Derek," she called out. Then she remembered that no one, other than another unseen chameleon, could hear her when she was invisible.
"We should go." Her aunt gave Kylie's hand a tug, but she didn't budge. Stiffening, Kylie soaked up Derek's image, hungry for anything that was linked to her life at Shadow Falls.
His light brown hair resting on his brow stirred in the wind, giving him a carefree look, but his green eyes, with flecks of gold, held concern. What was he doing here?
"Where are you, Kylie?" he asked, and the breeze whisked his words away.
She remembered what her grandfather had said about who was here. This wasn't the FRU.
"Go to the creek!" her grandfather demanded. "You should not have told them where you were."
His accusation and his tone put Kylie on the defensive. While she couldn't see her grandfather, she could imagine his expression-stern and uncompromising.
She turned to where she heard his voice. "I didn't tell them, and no, I will not leave. You lied. It's not the FRU." The feeling of betrayal hit.
"When I told you it was the FRU, I was repeating what I was told by those guarding the gate. But even still, it is not a lie. They both work for the FRU."
They? Who else was here? She heard footsteps coming from the house. Her first thought was it could be Lucas. Her heart gripped at the possibility of seeing him. The pain of his disloyalty weighed heavy on her heart and still tasted bitter. Yet as those footsteps grew closer, she could not turn away any more than she could stop breathing.
Looking back she saw Burnett James, one of the camp leaders. Not Lucas. Disappointment swelled in her chest, but she refused to believe it was due to Lucas not being there. She didn't want him to come.
Didn't want to see him, not now and maybe not ever. Even as the thought whisked through her mind, she felt her heart race with the lie.
But she knew that at least some of the disappointment she felt was about Burnett. She hadn't said goodbye because she knew he would have tried to stop her from leaving. Now she wanted to go to him and embrace him. Apologize for neglecting the courtesy of a simple good-bye.
"Kylie." Her aunt spoke again, and gave her hand a slight tug. "Your grandfather knows what is best.
Listen to him. We must go."
Kylie inhaled and tried to not let her emotions control her. But it seemed almost too late. Her head spun as too many feelings swirled inside her. Loneliness, regret, and anger at being lied to. "He knows what is best for him, but maybe not so much for me."
"You must trust him," her aunt said, her grip on Kylie's wrist tightening. "Come, please. We only want to protect you."
"I don't need protecting from Burnett or Derek." She spoke calmly. "And it appears my grandfather needs to trust me, as well. I didn't tell anyone where I was. I gave you my word and I didn't break it." She heard the hurt resonate in her voice.
"That's not important," her grandfather said, but Kylie disagreed. Before she could voice her feeling, he continued, "What is important is that they will try to force you to go back. If we leave now, we will avoid a confrontation."
"She's around here somewhere," Derek called back to Burnett. "I can feel her. Seriously, she's here somewhere."Kylie focused where she thought her grandfather stood. "No one will force me to do anything that I do not want to do. Not them ... or you," she added. "My plan all along was to go back to Shadow Falls. I told you that from the beginning."
"A plan that I also told you I do not agree with." Her grandfather's voice rose slightly.
Kylie, lured by the sound of footsteps, looked over her shoulder again. She watched as Burnett drew closer. Proud, strong, a bit too headstrong. In so many ways, he reminded her of her grandfather. Inhaling, she glanced back to where she'd heard her grandfather's voice earlier. "I came here of my own free will and when I choose to leave, I will."
"You are too stubborn for your own good." Her grandfather's voice boomed from nothing.
"And I fear I might have inherited it from my grandfather," Kylie snapped. Then she glanced back at Derek and Burnett.
"Come with me, Kylie," her aunt pled, and she held tight to Kylie's hand.
"No," Kylie repeated, and watched as Burnett drew closer. He stopped beside Derek, only fifteen feet away from Kylie. She longed to run to him and throw herself in his arms.