Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,37

inhale.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” he began. “I don’t want to scare you, but I need to make something abundantly clear.” My eyes widened at him as he leaned in even closer to whisper in my ear. “I will protect our group at all costs. Remember your place here.”

As soon as he said it, Huxley retreated into the hallway and out of sight. I felt cemented to the floor and unsure of what exactly he meant. I knew things got slightly heated with Cyler, but it was harmless, right?

Regardless, I heard him loud and clear, and suddenly, I felt like I was back in my basement at the Stonewell Home. Back where I was a nobody. Back where I wasn’t good enough for Josiah. Despite the freedoms of the Dormas province, I was still the little Walker girl from Galla.

Chapter Fifteen

The next day I made arrangements with the owners of the General Store, Mr. and Mrs. Caverly. They even gave me my first order, which was to complete a giant cake for the community solstice festival scheduled a week and a half from now. I was nervous to start off with such a significant event, but they seemed excited to have a baker on hand.

Once I ordered supplies, I made my way to the gold mine where Patrick and Huxley worked. Although I was anxious around Huxley, I wanted to bring lunch as a sort of peace offering.

The mines were at the far side of town, but it wasn’t a terribly long walk. A ten-foot fence with barbed wire stood proudly around the entrance of the mine. I was worried that I wouldn’t be allowed entry, but the four posted guards seemed to recognize me and immediately granted me access. Although the fence looked intimidating, I felt concerned that they only had four guards stationed out front. What would happen if the scavengers came back?

In front of the mine’s entrance was a log cabin that served as their office. I walked towards it, praying I wouldn’t have to search for them in the mines.

I entered the door and was surprised to find Patrick snoozing at his desk peacefully. I wished I had my tablet out so I could capture his peaceful face in a photograph, but before I could reach for it, Huxley stormed in the door with a murderous expression.

“Is this where you’ve been all morning?!” he roared, causing Patrick to startle and fall out of his chair. I stifled a giggle.

“And what are you doing here?” he added in a growl.

I’m not sure what came over me, but his tone and my tiredness from the week before caught up with me, and to my surprise, I growled back.

“I was bringing you lunch, you giant jerk!” I hoped that at the very least, Huxley would get mad at my outburst, but instead, he merely shook his head, and the ghost of a smile graced his perfectly-shaped lips.

He reached out and grabbed the basket full of meat and cheese from my thin fingers. He peered inside, while Patrick dusted himself off and massaged his jaw.

“Well, come on, sit down and eat with us, or Maverick will get on to us for being rude,” Huxley said in a clipped tone.

I accepted the small win gratefully, and they spent lunch discussing the different operations of the mine. It was interesting to hear about how much coordination and scheduling went into managing the mines, as well as how little help they had. All their talk about the running of the mine made me realize that Huxley was cranky because he was exhausted.

I observed how perfectly the twins mirrored each other but with individual quirks that made their contrasting personalities stand out. Patrick’s movements were fluid and graceful, and Huxley moved with a staccato aggressiveness that seemed out of place for a polite lunch

To my dismay, Patrick left in the middle to address a fight between two miners. He kissed me lightly on the cheek while walking out, and I wiped it instantly, afraid Huxley would notice and get angry again.

“You’ve built up a great mine,” I observed. Without Patrick, the silence made my chest feel heavy. Huxley’s warning still echoed in my mind, and I felt unsure of how to act around him.

“We do fine,” he grunted. We continued to eat, but the silence gnawed at me.

“What have I done to make you hate me so?” I asked candidly. Maybe if I understood why he hated me, we could move