Everyone had stopped to look at the three of us gathered in the middle of the formation, curious about what was happening. Quentin, to his credit, shook off the surprise very quickly and took control of the group once again.

“Everyone, keep moving forward, there’s nothing to worry about,” he said with a placating smile. “I’ll pass out the food once we’ve made it further from camp.” Most people shrugged it off and kept walking forward, but some lingered for longer, trying to see if Quentin was telling the truth about there being no problem.

The braided woman, Levi, leaned in close to Quentin. “Is this the route you want to take with this?” she asked him quietly.

“We don’t really have much of an option. If they find out right now, everyone will feel more on edge than they already are, and they can’t handle much more from the look of it.”

I was still walking behind them and could hear most of what they were saying. I was confused slightly by Quentin’s words, though. “Why is he so worried about everybody? They seem fine to me, all things considered?”

I stopped listening to look at the people around me. They were just as I remembered, a bit tired and anxious, sure, but generally good-spirited considering the situation. “Let’s take a look and see if our fearless leader is being a tad overdramatic.”

I tightened my will and flushed it throughout my body and into my eyes. The movement of the energy was much clearer than it was yesterday, and I could already feel it becoming easier. I learned from my tests with Amaya that everyone had a spark of Will inside them. We spent a few minutes walking around the camp and checking people and confirmed that they all had a wisp of blue energy inside of them.

What was really interesting was discovering that the size of the energy could tell you a lot about a person. For instance, one of the scouts who fell and hurt his shoulder on a rock had a slightly unstable Will that would flare up and move in seemingly random directions.

Interestingly enough, I couldn’t see Amaya’s Will at all the night before, despite trying very hard to. She told me she was similarly unable to see mine, and attributed it to a higher level of control when compared to our peers.

Focusing as I had done before, I was able to see the spark of life moving around the others immediately around me. I was surprised to find that the wisps of blue energy looked very different when people were awake versus when they were sleeping.

I looked to a duo who were consistently productive and talked a lot and tried to analyze their Wills. Despite their lively demeanor, the little blue balls of energy were dim and pitiful, staying as small as possible as if they were hiding from the world outside.

I saw a similar sight in those around me, finding that the spark of energy in their chests was more like a dying ember than a lively flame. I turned and looked at Quentin. Surely he was different since he had taken up the mantle of leadership. Sure enough, he had a larger sphere of energy, though something was off about it.

I walked closer to the two, trying not to make my approach too conspicuous. As I got closer, I noticed another shape present next to Quentin’s Will. As I inched closer, I saw a small strand of energy connected to his reserve of willpower. It was small and ethereal, floating like spider silk in the wind as it moved around in gentle waves.

I analyzed the movements of the energy strand when compared to Quentin’s physical movements, and saw that it wasn’t movement aimlessly, but was actually affixed to something in front of him. “Where are you going?” I thought to myself as I inched closer and closer to the duo.

“Do you need something?” A voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and the swirling energies faded away beneath the picture of the physical world around me. I looked up from Quentin’s back and saw that the braid lady was looking at me sternly.

Realizing I had been caught in the act, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I flushed red in embarrassment.

“I.. uh, I was just-“ Quentin turned around to look at me, his face softer than that of his allies.

“You eavesdropping on us?” the imposing man sad, looking at me over his shoulder. It was only now that I was right next to the man that I realized how large he was. His back was strong and wide, I could see a taught layer of muscle hidden underneath his clothing. He always looked small when compared to the human tree he sticks around with, but Quentin had to be over 180cm in height.

Dwarfed by his stature, I felt myself shrink slightly under his gaze. Just as I was about to apologize and walk away, I felt a heavy thud from within my chest. It felt like time stood still as the impact reverberated throughout my being. I waited for the energy to disperse, but was suddenly hit with another blow, the force flowing throughout my being.

With every beat, I felt my breathing calm and my panic decrease. Soon, I put two and two together, and realized that it was my heart, powered by my Will, that was beating so fiercely. Feeling the blood running through my veins, a surge of energy spread throughout my body.

Instead of cowering, I stood up, straightening my back and levelled my eyes at the imposing man before me. Focusing, I sank back down into the tapestry of color hidden from the world and looked one more time at Quentin. As before, I noticed the ball of energy within, moving and pulsing slightly as he moved.

This time, though, I felt inside and looked at myself. If Quentin was a match, flickering in the wind, then I was like a torch, billowing with energy. “He may be big, but I’m no pushover,” I reaffirmed to myself.

With my newfound drive, I looked from Quentin and Levi, eyeing them both down. “Yes, I was listening in.” I said firmly. “I have a right to know what’s going on. I’m not going to let you make decisions regarding my survival without filling me in on it.”

Quentin stayed silent and Levi huffed air out of her nose. “Well unfortunately for you, we all agreed to put Quentin in charge, so you don’t have a say in what he chooses to do.” She said, obviously trying to antagonize me.

I snapped back, “If I recall correctly, I didn’t vote last night, so I didn’t put anyone in charge.” I looked to the dark-skinned man, his eyebrows furrowed as he listened to me speak.

I continued, “I’m not trying to cause problems, but I think I have the right to make decisions for myself. Here, how about this: if you let me in on this talk and I approve of your leadership, then I will acknowledge your authority and listen to you in the future, no issues.”

Levi scoffed, “And why does he need to prove anything more than he already has you little shi-“

“Levi! That’s enough!” Quentin said, switching his gaze over to the woman. She looked at him accusingly but seemed to get the message and backed off. Quentin now turned his gaze to me.

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“If including you in our discussion is all it takes to get your cooperation, then that’s fine by me. No one can survive out here alone, and I’ll need everyone on board if we want to get through this without losing anyone else.” His gaze softened slightly, but he was still deathly serious.

“It’s not like you have much of a choice, since I already know about the missing person,” I said somewhat smugly. Braids got more flustered at my provocation but was calmed down with a raised hand from Quentin.”

“In return for your inclusion in discussions, I hope you’ll be less hostile with other members of the group. Fair?” He finally turned around to look at me, offering his hand to me.

“Fair,” I said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.” His facial expression didn’t change, but I could see in his eyes that he was more relaxed than before.

“While I’d like to get started as soon as possible, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s hungry, so I’m going to start on that. You two get along while I’m gone.” Quentin slowed down and made his way to the two carrying the smoked bird on their shoulders.

I looked at Levi, and she looked back at me like she wanted to say something. To her credit, she didn’t say anything, seemingly content with waiting for her leader in silence.

“Fine by me,” I thought, “I enjoy not talking to people for extended periods of time.”

///

It wasn’t long before all of us had our food passed out. It was a piece of bird generally the size of a chicken breast. I took a bite, tearing into the supple flesh. Unlike what I expected, the meat was potent and flavorful, despite the lack of seasoning and the meat having gone lukewarm over the past thirty minutes of travel.

“Wow, dish is pretty gud,” I said, my mouth full of meat. It really hit the spot after so long without food, causing my stomach to growl every time I took a bite.

Levi, on the other hand, was not enjoying it as much. “What do you mean good, it’s like chewing on leather!” Despite her hunger, she only ate in small, probing bites, seemingly hoping for the taste to improve the longer she ate it.

“Come on Braids, stop complaining and eat it already.” I eyed the piece of meat in her hands. “If you don’t want it, I’d be glad to take it from you…”

Levi tucked the piece close to her body in an attempt to shield it from my gaze. “No, you already got your piece, and we’re splitting rations evenly. Also, what’s with calling me Braids?” She seemed taken aback at my shamelessness.

“You never introduced yourself, so I’m calling you braids. I’m Olivia, by the way.” I smirked as I licked the savory juice off of my fingers, getting a disturbed look from the woman.

“Sure, but you heard Quentin call me Levi multiple times! How could you not remember?”

I grinned mischievously, “That could be a nickname for all I know, and I don’t want to be rude and call you the wrong name.” Braids’ face grew red as I got her more and more worked up.

“What? So you decided to give me a nickname based on my hairstyle?” Her voice got quiet as she muttered, “What’s wrong with you?”

My smile grew even wider, “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t doubt it if I’ve got a bit of brain damage.” Before I could tease Braids anymore, Quentin walked over, seemingly frustrated by something.

“Ready to talk?” I asked curiously, hoping to find out what was wrong.

“Give me a few minutes and I will be,” he said as he pinched his eyebrows between his fingers. I decided to leave him be for the moment while we kept a steady pace through the woods.

Since I was alone with my thoughts for the moment, I was able to focus on the environment around me. The ground was covered in that same carpet-like grass, with the same dark and twisted trees hanging weirdly round structures on their highest branches. The terrain wasn’t difficult to navigate, as the ground in this region was eerily level.

In the past forty minutes of walking, our group didn’t encounter any wildlife. There were no squirrels, birds, or other alien equivalents present, or at least, none that had made themselves known.

I was presently thankful that we hadn’t attracted any predators yet, and wondered how long it would be before that changed. “Maybe a predator took someone away last night? No, that can’t be the case since that alien bastard promised to protect us from the wildlife. That means it was definitely a person.”

Another minute or two passed in silence as the group got into a steady marching order, with a few groups in the front, ours in the middle, and the rest following from behind.

“I’m good to go if you two are,” Quentin said after another minute. “Though, I wouldn’t mind if Carlos joined us for the discussion.” He looked at me, and I shrugged noncommittally.

Braids spoke up, saying, “It wouldn’t hurt to have him here, but he might be better off staying at the front where his height could help him pick out natural features that could help us.” Quentin nodded, and seemed content to leave him as he was.

“So, where do we begin?” I said, gesturing to the other two to start the discussion.

///

We spent a few minutes bouncing ideas around before we came to the big topic: How do we ensure that no one else goes missing? While a seemingly obvious first question, the solution was anything but obvious.

“How does they keep doing it?” was the first question Quentin offered to the group for discussion. “ Olivia, didn’t I assign you to keep watch last night?”

I shrugged in response. “Sure, but I spent a majority of my time looking out into the words rather than watching everyone sleep. I’m much more scared of a dragon coming out of the woods than some underfed psychopath with a big rock.”

Internally, I added, “I probably shouldn’t tell them I was too busy messing around with Amaya to really keep watch. Best to let them think I was on my game most of the night.”

Levi, who was much more focused and insightful during a serious discussion, shook her head in disagreement. “While that may be true, didn’t Master Scalisth say he would handle the wildlife for the future? Can’t we leave guarding the perimeter to him?”

“He’s not our master, so no need to boost his massive ego by acting like he is” Quentin snapped back with a sneer. “ I don’t trust him. Regardless of his individual strength, it would set me at ease to know we have our own agents acting for the good of the group.”

“He might be a dick, but I think he’s more trustworthy than any of our survivors,” I added with a sad smile. “He’s been true to his word since now, and he could’ve let us die at any point.” My case would’ve been stronger if I told them about how he brought me back from the brink of death, but I thought it better if I kept that to myself.

“From what he’s shown us, sure, but who’s to say he’s told us the truth about any of this,” Quentin suggested. “He might be lulling us into a false sense of security so that he can take us out when we’ve dropped our guard.”

“He wouldn’t need to do that to kill all of us,” I pointed out. “I was with him when he killed that giant bird, and he did it without breaking a sweat.”

Braids added, “True, and he could’ve taken out five of us last night when he snuck up on us. I think we can trust him, for now at least.” I found myself agreeing often with Braids, I mean Levi, in this conversation. “Maybe we got off on the wrong foot…”

“That leaves what to do to protect the camp,” Quentin said, his hand caressing his chin in thought.

Levi offered a suggestion, “We could simply direct tonight’s guards to patrol the interior of our camp rather than the outside? That seems to solve the problem rather nicely, don’t you think?”

Quentin and I both nodded in agreement. With four people guarding the remaining seventeen people, that would be four people per guard, with one person watching five. It was the next logical solution and would allow us to efficiently spread our manpower.

“Now, who do we choose to take first and second watch this time? Just recycle the people from last night?” Levi asked.

“I wouldn’t mind going again, maybe for the second shift this time?” While it may have seemed crazy to another person to skip out on that much sleep, it would be nice to have alone time to experiment with my newfound abilities.

Quentin shook his head. “No, we won’t repeat any of the people from last night. Sorry Olivia, but everyone is equally untrustworthy right now, and it would be good to swap out the people on watch so that no one person has multiple opportunities to strike in the night.”

“Rude! I’m not the murderer! Well, I guess they don’t know that, but still!” I huffed slightly but said nothing.

“Leave it to me,” Levi said, smiling. “I’ll choose a good mix of people to keep an eye on things.”

We were about to continue when a man yelled from the front of the group, “Quentin! We’ve made it to the water source!” The man turned out to be Carlos, who had spotted the water before anyone else, except for maybe Scalisth, could see it.

“Good work everybody! Let’s reach the water and take a break!” The news of water reinvigorated the tired group, and we all hurried to reach the life-saving liquid.

///