One is Come

by C. H. MacLean

  Chapter 11

  Ring of Fire

  “Stupid rock.” Haylwen kicked at the stone that had tripped her. It didn't budge, and she hurt her toe. She limped for a few steps, but limping was more bothersome, so she quickly gave up on it. The trail was too narrow and too rocky. She almost tripped again. She didn't try to kick that rock, but glared at it for a moment. It would have to do.

  She had been trudging for a while, and the top was only marginally closer. It had looked like an easy, short walk from where she started. The granola bar was long gone and she was saving the last of her water for when she got to the top, or decided to go home. After getting a few scratches from a few of the sharp bushes along the path, she was starting to entertain thoughts of quitting. Stupid bushes and stupid rocks, nothing else up here. She knew her frustration was mostly a cover for lack of sleep and anxiety over meeting Rivenwake again, not that it helped her be less angry. While she thought about turning around, she knew she never would.

  A crow, or maybe a raven, it seemed rather big, had been following her up the hill for a while now. Every once in a while, it would make a sound that reminded her a little of laughing, like an old person’s chuckle. It had gotten closer and closer since she threw it a little piece of granola bar at it. She supposed the bird could just be asking for more granola bar.

  After a bit more hiking, the trail mixed in some short trees, gnarled, and stunted. Scrub oak, that’s what they were called. They gave the trail some shade, but had Haylwen think someone was watching her, hiding behind the trees. She picked up the pace and time flew. She came out of a stretch of trail that had made a little tunnel going between two larger scrub oaks. There was a flat area with large boulders all around. It looked like the rocks were having a pow- wow. She walked into the open area and looked around. This might be the place. She looked at her watch. It was five minutes to one.

  She set her backpack down near a rock and leaned on it to stretch. The raven boldly came and pecked at her backpack. In the sunlight, the feathers on its head and back reflected highlights of maroon.

  “Scram,” she said, taking a few steps toward the raven.

  It looked her in the eye and did its chuckling sound, but didn’t move. Stupid bird was laughing at her! She glared at the bird, barely in control. It looked at her for a moment, then flew off over a rock, and was gone.

  “What are you doing up here, fat girl?” The voice completely surprised Haylwen and she whirled around. Still furious, she glared at the voice, not caring this could be Rivenwake’s friend.

  The voice was a girl, a few years older than her, wearing a breezy red top and yellow shorts. She was annoyingly thin and pretty, and reminded Haylwen of Amanda so much she was speechless.

  “I said, what are you doing up here, fat girl?” the other girl sneered. “Sneaking off for a candy binge? I guess when you’re ugly you might as well be fat too. I don't understand at all. Rivenwake is your friend? I don't get it.”

  Haylwen lost it. The climb, the heat, the pent up frustration of the day, and of everyone who had ever teased her, erupted. She felt it surge within her, blinding her, and she just reacted.

  She didn’t care if this girl was Rivenwake’s best friend, she was horrible. Without thinking, she took all her mad and let go, all at once. She focused it completely on the girl, everything else blurring—her finger seeming to cut through the air, leaving torn pieces behind it as she pointed at the other girl. She wanted to shout, swear, something to express this fury. Some sort of sound came out of her mouth, low and very angry sounding. If it was words, it wasn’t English. The girl looked surprised, just before she burst into flames.

  Giant leaping flames made Haylwen cringe back from the heat. For a second, she was in shock, trying to figure out what she did, how she did it, what just happened. A hissing, popping sound, getting louder, broke her out of her startled state. Was that the sound of the girl cooking? The enormity of what she had done was starting to flood her with overwhelming emotions. But the flames were shrinking, the heat backing off. Quickly, they were small enough so she could see that the sound was coming from the girl inhaling the flames, sucking them up like spaghetti. With the last one gone, she licked her lips, smiling. She gave a small burp, and smoke puffed from her mouth.

  “Well, that was unexpected. A positive test, if an unusual outcome,” she said, smoothing her shirt. “And I see now what Rivenwake was talking about.”

  Haylwen was still wide-eyed and trying to process what was going on.

  The girl looked her up and down, and Haylwen took another step back. “Yep, you are a mystery. If I hadn’t been here myself, I would have never guessed… well, first things first. Here, I have something for you.” She half turned, muttering to herself, making motions in front of her. Haylwen couldn't hear what she was saying or see what she was doing. It was all too strange, and Haylwen wondered if she was having hallucinations. How would I know?

  Before she could chase the thought more, the girl turned back, holding out her hand. She tilted her hand so Haylwen could see what it was. Sitting there, glittering in her palm, was a ring. Thick, woven in a complex braid, it was gold, with a red tint that was pulsing, as if it were breathing. It was gorgeous. She had never had a real ring before. She looked at the girl, whose eyes were flashing but without a trace of malice. Haylwen didn't move closer, but neither did the girl.

  The girl smiled and flipped her hand, the ring a flying glint of gold in the sun. Haylwen held her breath as it flew in slow motion toward her. She knew if she didn't catch it, it would bounce away and she would never find it. She threw her hands out and clapped them together. She opened her eyes to confirm what her hands told her.

  “Oh, it’s warm!” she said.

  The girl laughed, a throaty chuckle. “Only for you. Put it on.”

  Without thinking, Haylwen slipped it on her right hand— for some reason, her pointer finger. The same one she had used to point at the girl, she suddenly remembered. The ring was huge on her, and she wondered if it would even fit on her thumb. As she watched, it shrunk until it fit perfectly. The red pulsing stopped. She looked up at the girl, or where she had been. She was gone.

  Haylwen whirled around, looking everywhere. There was no sign of the girl. Except for the ring on her finger, she would have sworn she imagined the whole thing. This must have been what Rivenwake wanted, for some reason. A large black bird flew by, the sound of feathers cutting through air. The memory of the girl, the fire, even the reason she had hiked up here dissipated like smoke. She was left with only the vague memory of Rivenwake smiling at her.

  Maybe it was just the thought of him, the thought of making him happy, but Haylwen felt great. She picked up her pack, and started home— fatigue, hunger, and thirst magically gone. She fiddled with and gazed at the ring often on the hike down. What a lucky find! How could someone lose such a beautiful ring? Despite her distraction, she didn’t stumble a single time. She certainly didn't notice the crow above her, circling and laughing.