“That would be the really summed up version,” I step in and say.
“Well you guys seem to be in a messy situation,” Zavy says. “Sorry about the arrow,” Zavy apologizes for shooting at us.
“Where’d you get that bow?” I ask, examining it.
“It’s a long story. Come on, I’ll show you back to our camp. Toby and I just moved to this part of the woods.” I recognize the name of her younger brother and wonder why the two of them would be living out in the woods.
Zavy spins on her heels and starts walking deeper into the woods, but Alexander and I share a quick glance before following her. I am still too in shock to have both Alexander and Zavy here with me I can’t even try to decide whether or not going with her is the right idea. It helps she’s moving in the way we were traveling anyway, but I don’t want to get distracted with Paylon hunting us. We follow her for a good mile or so and again I ask her how she has been since I last saw her seven years ago.
“So what happened to you, Zavy?” I ask.
“Well I, like most people, didn’t find out about your family being taken until school the next day. Then questions started to arise and trust me I freaked!” she says, being as overdramatic as I remember her. “As you know my family was in the same situation yours was, financially. We were soon going to be thrown in the prison too. As we had suspected, we were the next ones to go.” Zavy’s voice grows a bit harsh and I can tell she’s fighting to keep her emotions at bay. “Except only my mother and father were taken. My little brother, Toby, and I managed to escape. A search group was never put together for us, I assume, so we’ve just been living out here.”
She stops suddenly and I see the emotions she’s trying to hold down surface. She turns to me slowly and her wet eyes meet mine.
“Are my parents okay?” she asks and I realize she thinks I must have seen them in the prison.
“The prison under the castle is a maze of cells, Zavy,” I start saying and she nods her head, knowing what I’m going to say. “I never saw them. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I just thought maybe you would know,” she says and turns back to leading us to her camp. She wipes her wet eyes and I watch her transform back into her stiff self. “Is your mother and brother out here with you?” she asks over her shoulder and I feel the blood drain from my face.
Her question in sincere, but it makes my chest hurt. Zavy glances back because of my silent pause and sees my ghostly white face. “No,” my voice breaks out through my tight throat.
“Oh, Adaline,” Zavy starts, but I don’t need her sympathy. “Parting day?” she asks and I just nod. I don’t want to give her any of the details. Not because I don’t want her to know, but because I don’t think I can get them out.
After a bit longer of hiking we come upon a clearing. In the center is a fire pit with a small boy sitting next to it. The boy has dark brown hair and is dressed in an overly large white t-shirt and black shorts.
“Zavy. What’s going on?” The young boy asks in a high-pitched voice, obviously curious.
“Toby this is Alexander and Adaline. Both of them are very close friends of mine,” Zavy says, introducing us to her little brother that I haven’t seen since he was just a couple of years old.
Toby stands and moves toward us, hiding behind his older sister not exactly sure if he can trust us. I give him a slight wave and he sinks further behind Zavy.
“He’s usually not this shy,” Zavy says, pausing for a moment. “They used to come over a lot when you were little,” Zavy tries to explain to Toby. He scans us both, trying to remember who we are. He was only five or so when I was arrested so I’m not surprised he can’t remember us.
“You’re a guard,” Toby’s small voice says and he points to Alexander. “You said not to trust anyone. Especially someone wearing navy blue,” he says to his older sister.
“I know, but this is different, Toby,” Zavy starts to say.
“I used to be a guard,” Alexander admits. I watch as he kneels down to Toby’s height. He pulls out his thick navy jacket from his bag and Toby’s eyes widen at the uniform. Alexander carefully unclips a gold pin from his jacket and holds it out to Toby. “I can’t be a guard without my badge, right?” Toby considers this for a moment and then nods, agreeing. “You take this, and as long as you have it you can trust I’m not a guard.”
Toby gently takes the badge in his small hands and examines it. “It’s really cool,” Toby says. I watch as he pins the gold badge onto his tattered white shirt. “I’ll be guard Toby. You all answer to me now.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, kid. I’m still in charge,” Zavy says and ruffles his hair. “But you can give Alexander all the orders you want. Obviously we can’t just leave you two on your own,” Zavy says, turning the conversation back to our predicament. “So, you guys
