Chapter Two

Converge

Virginia walked slowly as the sun rose, and was surprised when she saw it. She hadn't noticed how much time had passed since she'd left her (now not so much) home. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and sat on a nearby stump.

Being alone was something she was used to…being hungry and tired was a new experience. After a moment's rest, she stood up and began to walk again. She kept no record of where or of how long she had been walking; she simply kept going.

Virginia's legs shook as her stomach began to growl; she didn't know what to eat or not to eat. She didn't take the chances with the berries, in fear that she would be poisoned and die. It was like an angel had come from heaven when she found a cabin.

The cabin was still deep in the woods, far away from civilization; Virginia stuttered on a decision to keep going or seek food in the desolate place. It was old and withered; like no one had lived there for many a year, but smoke steadily popped out from the chimney.

For a while, Virginia only circled around the cabin. She stayed a far distance, so that whoever was in the cabin couldn't see her, but she them. She looked at the corn stalks in the back, and each time she went around, she slowed more and more by them. Finally, she crept towards the small garden, taking small steps. She made it to the corn, and slowly took one out of its stalk. She was shorter than the stalk so no one could see her; she felt safe.

She peeled it, and tasted the sweet, ripe corn. She rolled the kernels on her tongue, and savored each bite. When she finished, she reached for another, only to find a darker hand on the corn she reached for.

Virginia screamed loudly, and the hand snapped back from behind the stalks. After a moment, two light brown hands separated the stalks. The hands belonged to a young brown skinned boy of maybe thirteen. His bare chest showed both scars and tribal markings, which confused Virginia's sheltered mind, and his eyes bore into hers apathetically. At this she began to weep.

The boy frantically looked at her in confusion, shuffling left and right as the little girl shook her head in apology. Virginia screamed that she was starving; she apologized again and again until the boy nervously petted her head.

The red head looked up, wiping her face as she sniffled. The boy nervously smiled, unsure if it would reassure her or cause another scream. Luckily it wasn't the latter. Virginia wiped her eyes again, though she didn't smile. She moved away from the dark skinned boy, asking why he wasn't mad. He only replied by pointing to the cabin, and nodding his head. She eyed him wearily.

When she didn't move, the thirteen year old took her hand and began to lead her to the cabin. For a moment, she tore her hand away, but when she saw the innocent confusion in his face, she followed him into the cabin.

He sat her down, and after giving her a bowl of water, sat down across from her. Virginia nervously avoided eye contact by swiping the dust off of the table. The boy pointed to himself, and she slowly looked up. "Talon."

Virginia looked at him in confusion before realizing that he was introducing himself. She quickly swung her finger to her chest. "V-Virginia."

The boy, Talon, smiled widely at her and nodded. "Virginia."

She, a bit shocked by his revealing of emotion, dropped her eyes as she smiled, once again, nervously. "T…Talon…"