Chapter 29
Leaning back against a large rock, I gazed up at the stars. Something I hadn’t been able to do since moving to Haven. I often wondered if there even were stars in the Alaskan sky. My heart ached, causing my throat to tighten as I thought about William. I wondered if I would ever see him again. A single tear spilled onto my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.
I overheard the four of them arguing, again. I felt sure it was about me, and my ineptness to catch and kill the coyote that had gotten away. I wasn’t a cold blooded killer, and something told me the coyote was just like me, thrown into the middle of something that was out of its control. When I had looked into its eyes, I saw only hurt and sadness. It hadn’t wanted to be there any more that I did. I overheard James say my name, which made me listen more closely.
“Gen’s not ready. She couldn’t even track down an injured coyote,” James scoffed.
“You know what grandfather said. Gen is an important part of this journey. We can-not leave her alone and unprotected. At least if she’s with us, we can protect her.” I watched as Joseph got extremely close to James’ face.
“Stop it! Quit fighting,” Luna shouted angrily.
“Shh, she’ll hear you guys,” Joseph said.
“She doesn’t want you Joseph,” Joshua snapped.
“Is that what you think, Joshua? Gen and I are just friends,” Joseph said severely.
I was having a really hard time keeping my mouth shut. They were arguing because of me. I was somehow tearing them apart. I couldn’t figure out what I’d done to make Joshua and James hate me so much. I hoped they weren’t holding my attacking and almost killing them against me. It wasn’t my fault. Nobody had bothered to tell me what to expect. Maybe if I’d known, I could’ve at least attempted to prepare for it.
A noise coming from somewhere behind the trees caught my attention, and I tried to block out their incessant bickering so I could listen better.
That proved to be entirely impossible. I heard Luna say my name, so I turned my attention back to them.
“I just told you, Joseph. You’re wasting your time…she wants William.”
I saw Joseph drop his shoulders and lower his head. It tugged painfully at my heart, but I wasn’t sure why. I thought my heart belonged to William, so why was my stomach twisting into knots?
The siblings grew quiet for a moment, which allowed me to hear the noise more clearly. It was a voice and it was calling my name. It wasn’t just any voice. It sounded strangely familiar and I was over whelmed with the urge to find out where it was coming from.
“Uh…you guys? Luna?” They had started in on each other again, and refused to pay attention to me. “Um…I’m going to go, uh…use the bathroom,” I called out.
Luna waved me off without even bothering to look in my direction. I stared in disbelief, getting more angry by the minute. They were arguing about me like I was a possession not a person. “To hell with them,” I grumbled.
The voice called out again and I followed it in the direction of the trees. I stopped briefly and turned around. Luna had one hand on her hip, pointing her finger in Joshua’s face, and of course, they were still arguing…about me. I wondered why they hadn’t heard it, too. Just before disappearing through the trees, I briefly looked over my shoulder, but kept going.
I followed the voice into a pass made of volcanic rock. The moon cast its glow on trees growing all twisted up with barely any growth on them. I suddenly wondered if I’d made the right decision taking off, but I didn’t feel threatened by the voice.
Climbing down a steep hill I noticed the temperature steadily drop. By the time I reached the bottom the air was freezing cold and I felt a slight breeze.
The voice grew louder as I followed, and eventually I found myself entering a cave where every surface was made from ice. It really freaked me out. I mean, we were in the middle of a desert where the temperature during the day easily hit triple digits, and here I’d only walked about a mile and was surrounded by ice.
When James had earlier mentioned the Ice Cave, I thought it was just the cave’s name. I didn’t know he had meant it literally. I didn’t think about it much… I couldn’t. I was so entranced by the voice, I couldn’t focus on anything but finding it.
It was cold and completely dark. I inched my way deeper inside, feeling my way along the ice covered walls. The voice seemed like it was just in front of me, and when I felt my way around a turn, I saw a faint glow from somewhere up ahead. My heart raced and my breathing came in short slow bursts when I saw a large dimly lit cavern. Even though there was a small amount of light, I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
My heart fell when I saw a woman in the distance, lying on a stone table. It was only when I got closer I could tell it was my mom. I quickly rushed to her side. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep. I watched her delicate chest barely rise and fall.
“Mom?” I looked on in disbelief. My vision immediately blurred from tears. “Wake up!” I shook her, but she didn’t move. The voice came again, soft and clear.
“Genevieve, although she cannot hear you, you can save her.” The voice spoke to me.
“How?” I looked all around. “How can I save her?” I asked with desperation.
“You can save her…you can save them all. But, you must be brave and willing to do things you never imagined. Your path will not be an easy one.” The voice echoed softly.
“You’re lying!” I screamed, wiping away my tears with the backs of both hands. “Mom, wake up,” I pleaded, shaking her hard. “We have to get out of here now!”
“Genevieve, you must listen. Your mother did not die in the fire. Zane has her. Hurry Genevieve, only you can save her.”
“Gen, where are you?” Luna called out.
I spun around and saw a light coming toward the cavern. “We’re in here, Luna. Please hurry!”
Just as the flashlight beam got close, the chamber light went out and Luna rushed in.
“I found her, Luna. I found my mom.” I smiled through tears.
“What?” Luna sounded confused. “There’s nobody in here but us,” Luna said, shining the flash light around the empty room.
I peered at the empty table, and then grabbed the flashlight from Luna’s hand. “She was…just here.” I shined the light on the empty table. “She was right here, and…and there was a voice. It told me how she didn’t die in the fire but was kidnapped by Zane. The voice said he has her!”
“Why did you run away?” Luna asked softly.
“You’re not listening to me! I didn’t run away. A voice led me here, and I found my mom right there on the table.” I pointed at the empty table. “The quest has changed now.” I ran toward the cave entrance, and Luna was on my heels.
“Where are you going, Gen? What are you talking about?” Luna asked.
“Zane has my mom, and I’m going to find her…with or without help from you and your brothers.”