Free To Choose
1088 Words
Wyatt
We make it roughly halfway to the new base location, and I notice Maddy and Sebastian pulling their carriage over to make a stop in this town we're passing through. I'm not sure what they're doing, stopping here, so I pull this carriage alongside theirs to find out.
"Making a stop here guys?" I ask.
"Yeah. Have all the troops get out and meet over in that tree clearing over there." Sebastian says, pointing to an area nearby.
"Alright." I agree but still have no idea what's going on.
Parking the carriages and gathering all the troops over in the clearing takes a little while, so I decided to have all the troops grab something from the food provisions before heading into the tree clearing. Two birds with one stone.
"Alright, everyone listen up.." Sebastian begins, "Every person here has been through SO much, but there is still a long road ahead. Many of you haven't been given the opportunity to have 'choice' in any area of your life in who knows how long... That ends RIGHT HERE."
Everyone's faces are full of emotion. Voices buzz throughout the crowd of soldiers.
"You are all free." Sebastian continues. "Free to choose what you want to do. We stopped in this town for a reason. This town has access to a train station, so if you want to get out and head towards wherever you came from or know of somewhere else you want to go... Then go. You want to stay here and establish a life here, then do so. You want to leave us and go join The Hunter, then you are free to do that too..."
This kid is full of surprises... I'm not sure this is the wisest move, but the kid follows the convictions of his heart. I'll give him that.
"If you choose to stay with us, then please know you are WITH us and are with us as a free person. We will need your commitment to us and our cause though. It won't be easy, but they say 'Nothing in life that is worthwhile IS easy.' And I believe that." he scans the crowd, giving them a moment to digest what he has just told them. "So, whoever is still onboard with us... Let's load up! Whoever isn't, you are free to go."
Sebastian walks back towards the carriages. Leaving so many people still standing in place, shocked, happy, confused, and so many other emotions that I can't even read at this moment. Then, as Sebastian walked through the crowd, it's as if a switch turned on for everyone. They all started following him. Like a current that Sebastian began, everyone being pulled in with him.
Their faces full of confidence and pride. Some people were even smiling. Amazement and awe struck me. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched every single person follow him and get back onto the carriages.
Every.
Single.
Person.
It was unbelievable. This kid, a 16 year old boy, just moved the hearts of many, and he sparks inspiration in the soul in everyone he meets or touches.
Walking back to the carriages, I catch up with Maddy. She hasn't said anything since we stopped, and her face looks really stricken. Something is wrong.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask.
"I honestly don't know if right now is the time, Wyatt." Maddy replies.
She stops suddenly, her face goes pale, and her eyes widen.
"Maddy, what's wrong?" I try to face her towards me as I ask.
As I am asking her, I barely get the words out and she is turning away from me and leaned over. Throwing up.
"s**t! Maddy... here, let me help." I say softly as I lean over and grab her hair out of her face.
Never in my life did I ever think I would do this for ANY woman, EVER. But it just felt natural to do this for Maddy. I hold her long hair out of her way as she throws up in the grass. When she is done, I offer to take my shirt off for her to use to wipe her face.
"Now you're just trying to instigate something by taking off your clothes, aren't you?" she chuckles, wiping her mouth on the cloth of her fingerless gloves she always wears.
"I got you to laugh didn't I? That's a win in my book." I smile back at her. "Are you okay? Better now at least?"
"Yeah, sort of." she admits.
She still looks a little pale though.
"Can I ride with you?" she timidly asks.
I am caught a little off guard with her asking me this. It's not like Maddy to draw into me in this way, but I do like how it makes me feel needed by her.
"Of course. I'd love for you to." I respond softly.
Everyone loads back up, and Maddy hops up into the front of the carriage with me, sharing the driver bench seat. She lays her head in my lap, and curls up beside me. I take a second to relish in this moment. Feeling her laying against me, looking at her long dark hair cascade across my lap. I touch her face, brushing my fingers against her soft pale skin. Her eyes close and she looks so peaceful resting there.
My heart aches with how much I love her.
"Let's go Wyatt! Waiting on you!" Sebastian's voice calls from in front of me.
I snap the reigns, signaling the horses to go. We quickly fall into line and continue to make our way towards the new base camp.
"I have to tell you something..." Maddy says quietly.
"Anything.." I encourage.
"I found out something shortly before we got to that town, and I need your help going any further with it." she tells me.
"Okay.. What's going on?" I ask.
"My powers are feeling a little strange. There is a hunger that I've never felt before, so I tapped into my powers to feed that need." she begins.
"Oh, Maddy... Admitting that is the first step, and your amount of power must have an insane pull to have to resist. You should know.." I tell her.
"No, that's not what I was trying to say." she interrupts. "It's what I found when I tapped into my powers."
"Oh, um.. Okay. But I still think we need to talk about this hunger that you feel. Continue Maddy.." I stammer.
"It's Jasper..." she whispers, "He's alive..."
Shit...
- Writer
