Free One is Come (Five in Circle) by C. H. MacLean Page A

their prey had escaped. Haylwen, fearful of being trapped against a locked door if no one was home, sped past the porch at the last second to run between houses. As she crashed through the bushes, she heard the boys take up the chase again.
    Arms crossed over her chest, book bag bouncing on her back, she ran for her life. Crying, furious, and frightened, a part of her wanted to just give up, curl up in a ball, and take whatever they could dish out. Another part wished she could lash out, punch them in the face. She compromised by running. She ran across the street and the sidewalk on the other side to crash through the next set of tall bushes as her thoughts crashed around. Oh, if only I would stumble into the backyard of a woman teaching a self-defense class!
    As she tore through the last of the branches, Haylwen's guts clenched and her arms wind-milled. She half-fell, half sprinted down a steep hill, realizing she had run over the edge of the canyon on which the houses were built. Branches of native scrub brush grabbed at her but at least kept her from completely falling headfirst down the rocky slope. Amazingly, she kept her feet until she ran into a small tree at the bottom. The flexible tree bent at first, then threw her back. She bounced off and sat down in the small stream that trickled along the bottom of the canyon. She sobbed, gulping air for a few moments, before hearing the boys breaking their way through the bushes at the top of the slope. Images of what they would do to her, out here, all alone, propelled her up to run again.
    Despite being tiny, the water was enough to have the plants grow thicker, with even a few medium sized trees. Haylwen slipped on the wetness, fought through the cat tails and bushes, and couldn’t make any quick progress. The noise of the boys headed down the slope convinced her she was doomed.
    Then someone grabbed her, pulling her into a thicket of cat tail rushes. Her scream was just a barely audible gasp as she was too winded to do more, and she clearly heard someone say “ssh!” in her ear. She was pulled into the middle of the thicket, where there was a space, strangely clear of all plants, allowing the creek to dance lightly over polished stones. In this odd space, everything was brighter, sparkling. Haylwen wondered for an instant if she was losing her mind. Maybe I'm having a psychotic episode brought on by extreme stress?
    She looked at her attacker. He was a boy, about her age. At first glance, he was very normal looking, in a blue t-shirt and jeans. Second glance showed he was very cute, with dark black hair and blue eyes so light they almost looked gray. He smiled at Haylwen, his bright teeth flashing in the odd light. A finger to his full lips, he then shushed her again, sitting down in the stream that trickled through the middle of the reed thicket. He looked completely unconcerned, as if he were sitting in his living room.
    The noise of the boys chasing her came nearer, and Haylwen was sure they would be found. She tried to keep her attempts to catch her breath as quiet as she could. The rushes around them moved, and then the boys moved on. She couldn’t help staring at the strange, cute boy sitting not two feet from her.
    “Hello,” he said.
    “Hello?” she whispered.
    “Hello,” he said again, smiling.
    “Um…thanks for, well, thanks.” Haylwen said, struggling to make sense of everything.
    The boy shook his head. “Thanks, but not to me. When you flow with destiny, you help everyone by being utterly selfish.”
    Haylwen didn’t know what to say to that. The boy didn’t say anything either, just looked at her, as if waiting for something. “What?” she blurted.
    “I was just waiting until you were ready to introduce.”
    “Oh, my name is Haylwen.” Who was this boy? There was something about him that had her off-balance.
    “I am Rivenwake, honor and peace to you.”
    Californians are all crazy, Haylwen thought, trying to stay in control. Maybe he was