Free The Fire Starter by Misty Wright, Summer Sauteur Page B

"Spence--"
    "Shh," he closed his eyes peacefully. Evan was still holding his other arm and I could see the mist clearer from where I sat on the floor.
    "Evan, Alice--"
    "I'll tell Kyle to tell her you can't make it tonight," Evan replied even before Spencer could finish his words.
    As Spencer whispered that woman's name while clutching at my hand tightly, I felt white-hot pain deep down inside me, at my heart, specifically. That even though it's me who's here with him, that it's me he's holding on to, he was still looking for her, sad that he can't make it to their appointment, and probably wishing that it was Alice who was here now.
    I took my hand back, which proved easy since he didn't have the energy to fight with me. "Call Alice, Evan. Tell her about his condition."
    Evan looked confused. "I don't think--"
    "Spencer needs her." I stood up, clutching the hand that was burning from Spencer's touch, my shoulders feeling warm too. I tried to hide the pain that was eating me inside, because once again Spencer had tricked me. And once again, Alice had won.
    "Okay…" Evan said, scratching his head.
    "No…" Spencer breathed with difficulty, his eyes opening and closing slowly. "Kayleigh…"
    "Shh," It was my turn to shut him up. "Alice will be here soon. You'll be okay."
    "I want you, Kayleigh," he replied with surprising conviction.
    It took me by surprise with how strong he said those words, but then again, it must just be me imagining things. I shook my head, tears already making it hard for me to see. "No, you don't, Spencer. You don't."
    I left the room despite Evan calling after me or Spencer trying to stand up to follow me.
     
     

Chapter 11 - Dispel the Burning
     
    I didn't go back to my room mainly because I felt that Spencer might ask Evan to go and talk to me while he and Alice spent some time alone together. Instead I crept out of the castle, carefully crossing the bridge with only the light of the full moon guiding me. Every once in a while everything would darken and I would stop, waiting for the clouds to move and for the moon to shine again. Before knowing it, I had come to the back of the castle, at the mouth of the forest I had wanted to explore but had never had the chance to.
    This seemed like a good time to go outside the gate, and to keep my mind off things, I should use this obstacle in front of me. I hesitated, since the forest would be dark, the light of the moon not able to seep through the canopy, but I didn't care. It's not like I have something else to do anyway.
    I stepped inside the forest, touching the cold trees to dispel the burning sensation Spencer had left behind. I had never known someone who burned with fever like that. It was as though it wasn't a normal fever at all. And Evan wasn't even worried for his brother's safety? That was highly unlikely if it was really that bad.
    Various sounds greeted me inside the forest. There were owls hooting, crickets singing, and even various other animals scurrying around. I had nothing to worry about except the cold.
    It wasn't hard to find what I was looking for. All I had to do was follow the path lit by the fireflies. Honestly, it was as though they were doing it on purpose. It wasn't a real path, but there were dead or depressed grass on an almost straight line that made you think that a lot of people had walked through it. This must be it.
    There was a pair of eyes looking at me from upstairs, and when I checked, it was an innocent owl looking over the lands. I continued a few more steps before I heard, surprisingly, another howl. This made me want to continue forward, since it had been nagging at me for a while now, that every once in a while there would be a howl such as this. And if there's one place where it's most likely to come from, it would be here. In this unexplored forest.
    I heard the unmistakable sound of a twig snapping. And another. And yet another. And then, from in front of me, I felt something big move and saw something faint