“W-what?” I stutter, and I can hear my voice cracking.
“Oh, it’s nothing only my intuition playing tricks, but it’s just you seemed so sad. You are way too pretty to ever feel that way. I mean unless you are one of the chosen few who know what lies ahead in the future.” The boy with the dreamy eyes answers with a knowing look.
I smile relieved, for a second I thought this guy could read mind's because if he could he would know exactly how I was feeling about the world at the moment. I guess he just assumed because I looked sad I was lost. Still, a very strange coincidence indeed.
“I'm not lost.” I say sulkily. “My dad just died, and I have no other living family members so I'm just upset about it I guess.”
“Well I'm very sorry for your loss, and I'm sure good things are coming your way.”
“By the way where are you headed to? Just curious because I am not sure where I'm going but I know I have to get the hell out of that town there are some creeps living there.” He says with a quick glance in my direction and then behind us.
“Creeps? I thought they lived everywhere now.” I say jokingly.
“Pretty and witty, you're a real winner.” he jokes back. His grey eyes flash excitedly.
He looks at me very seriously, and his eyes begin burning into me. They turn hazy and darker than they were before. It's almost as if he is trying to get inside my head, but I can't stop staring into those big gray eyes. My head burns from the pain and I react to the pain by placing my cool palm against my forehead like a remedy for a migraine.
Alison, Can you hear me?
“What the hell?” I squeak aloud with fright dropping my hand.
“Shhh. don’t be frightened. Please just listen it's my job, I can get inside people's heads just talk to me in your mind, think about what you want to say to me and do not say anything out loud because we are being watched by the seekers.”
“What are you talking about? What the hell is a seeker, and how did you know my name was Allison? Who do you work for?” I say through my mind, my body is being torn in two. On one side is the burning pain from before but on the other is a calm feeling. It hurts like hell at first, it feels like my skull is on fire. It also feels soothing as if a piece of me was missing until this very moment.
“I can't tell you anything important right now. Where are you going? I am your Protector sent to you from the Kingdom of Newhollow in the Deepwood Forest. Your father sent me for you because he knew you would need my help. I promise that as soon as we reach a safe destination I will explain everything to you.” he looks over at me with hopeful eyes, and I try to search for any untruths in his eyes.
“Well you can't expect me to tell my destination to a stranger. First, tell me your name and then tell me your relationship to my father. I promise I will ask no more questions until we reach our destination if you tell me these things.” I look over at him and wait for the tingling inside my head to start as he conveys his thoughts into me. I am enjoying this form of communication to much, but it has been the only human interaction I have had in weeks. I wish I could talk like this all the time, I hate talking but I love to listen to others so this is perfect.
“My name is Theo Veltri, and I am the King's advisor. Your father is the King of Newhollow, and you are our beautiful lost princess.”
I want to laugh but I don't want to seem rude because I knew when I met him that this was going to be too good to be true. This guy is insane, and I am going along believing that we are having a conversation in our minds. What is wrong with me? This guy just told me I was a lost princess, what a joke. The best thing to do in these kinds of situations is to ignore your confrontation so that it goes away. I ignore him, the bus driver calls out, “Champaign, IL.”