To Bring 13 Home -{Chapter 4. Part 2}-

Part II

The others who teleported were far up stream, the four of them had been walking for at least forty minutes and still no sign of any humans.  Even though it had been quite some time since the strange encounter, Jace and Cole frequently checked bushes and back down the stream in hopes of seeing something interesting. 

            “So what do you do?” Micah asked Tekali.  They began conversing quietly up ahead, while Cole sighed again upon hearing the voice she loathed.  Jace felt it best to not say a word and let her make the first move. 

            “You ever get the feeling, we aren’t really individual people,” she said at last.  Micah and Tekali could almost come off as have a friendly relationship as they spoke. 

            “Like, God controls us?”

            “Ok, maybe I didn’t fraise that right.  I mean.  I feel like there are a bunch of God-like all powerful personalities in the world, and they each control a bunch of people you know?  Putting their ideas, and words into their people’s heads.  Make since?”     

            Jace followed what she was saying, and it sort of made since to him.  It was an abstract way of putting it. 

            “I’m sorry I’m not the most articulate,” she added apologetically.  Jace took this as the first clue into her past.  She did appear to have some troubles with speaking in complex ways.  But Jace didn’t see this as an intelligence issue, he wanted to delve deeper and see if he was right.  But now was not the time for such crusades.

            “It’s ok, don’t worry about.  We all have our faults,” he said kindly.  She beamed.

            “Thanks, I…I wasn’t ever put through school.  Well, I went to grade school through sixth before my mom tried to home school me.” She trailed off.  It was a start, but he was satisfied for the time being.  This new spark of nosiness was definitely not in Jace’s usual comfort zone, but since she was a new face and she appeared to have an interesting background, he felt no shame in eventually sinking his meat hooks deep underneath the skin.  A side though that jumped into Jace’s mind was that if only a select few were stranded in different time period possibly for the rest of their lives, it would be best to get to know everyone inside and out so there would be tight bonds and a survivalist aura around the group.         

            “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to stop talking.  I just…”

            “No it’s fine really.  I understand.  I had a rough life too,” said Jace quickly hoping to stay in her confidence circle.  She only shook her head.  He could have sworn he saw yet another tear trickle down her cheek.  It was confirmed when she spat into a bush from the salty taste as it touched her slightly gapping lips.   There was a pull of guilty eagerness on Jace’s part to take this moment and dig his claws deeper.   He itched for her to divulge more private information.  Almost uncontrollably he reached up to wipe the tear residue from her cheek.  For a split second he snapped back to reality and pretended to swat a fly.  Even so Cole didn’t notice the strange behavior. 

            After releasing all peculiar needs to snoop he realized he was partially in the stream, the bank had leveled off with the water and his shoe was damp.  What came over him?  This was the first time since Sarah Newhart, his Ex-girlfriend that he had been such a snoop, but he didn’t have any feelings for Cole.  He concluded it was a side effect of time traveling, something that might have altered his thoughts temporarily as did it alter his perception when he thought he was upside down. 

            “If I seemed like a snoop or anything, I’m really sorry it’s not in my nature usually,” he said quietly.  She shot him a curious glance.  Tekali and Micah were still conversing to themselves ahead.  Tekali had even stowed his pistol in the holster that was provided.

            “My life was not a good one.  There was never a dull moment, but when I say that I mean…in a very bad way.  I’m actually hoping that I’ll be stuck here so I don’t have to face her again.”  She tipped another bit of information which slightly wet Jace’s appetite, but he quickly snapped himself out of it.  This confusion was making his head throb slightly.  Did he care, or didn’t he?  How could he care without it feeling weird?  Being good friends with girls was probably the most foreign subject he’d ever taken.   He couldn’t tell if it was normal to be this curious or not.