"You don't belong here." I had no idea why that hurt as much as it did. Was this a race thing?
As if seeing the question in my eyes, he simply said,
"You are not part of the pack."
"Of the what now?" I said, even more confused.
"Nothing," Selene suddenly said as she magically appeared. She startled the hell out of me. I should have heard her coming—the ground is covered with dry leaves and sticks. Does she fly? How come she didn't make a sound?
"Sel," the man said as a form of greeting.
"Diana, I'm so glad you are okay." She looked like she was going to give me a hug, which I really wanted. But instead, she just gave me a sweet smile.
I felt as though she understood me without even having to say a word. It was weird, feeling such a strong connection with this girl.
"I'm sorry if I worried you." And I was. I felt extremely grateful to this woman. She had been more than kind. She, her husband, and I guess even that man literally saved my life.
"It's fine." She looked at the annoying man.
"I see you've met Harlan, my brother-in-law." So that was his name... Ugh, even his name is pretty.
He rolled his eyes and started walking.
"You should warn her," was all he said. Selene took a deep breath and started walking as well.
"Warn me about what?" I said.
"Well... you shouldn't go out alone in a forest you barely know. There are a lot of wild animals in the area." She looked worried.
"You are hurt, Diana. You shouldn't even be walking. Your body needs rest to heal." She was right, of course, but for some reason, I had a feeling there was something she wasn't telling me.
"I am really confused," I started. "I don't remember why I got here or anything at all... I need answers."
"What is the last thing you remember?" she said carefully.
And I couldn't believe I didn't think to start there. What was the last thing I remembered? I tried my best to think back, but all that caused was a terrible headache and provided no answers.
"The last thing I remember was I was getting ready to leave work, in Vancouver." It was obviously frustrating. This was the first time my brain was failing me so drastically.
Perhaps noticing my stress, Selene decided to change the topic to,
"What do you do for work?"
"I'm a doctor—more specifically, a psychiatrist."
Harlan scoffed from ahead of us, and Selene just rolled her eyes.
"Ignore him," she said with a smile.
"Gladly," I added, but I couldn't contain my curiosity.
"What do you do for a living?" I asked back.
I had seen the luxury these people lived with, so I couldn't help but ask. Selene, however, seemed a bit thrown off by that question and gave me a simple,
"We run a company."
Which I found strange considering how remote this area seemed.
"I know you have been nothing but kind to me, and I am probably asking too much, but would you mind taking me into town?"
My mind returned to the answers I was seeking.
"Maybe the people there have some answers."
"I wouldn't mind. But although Miracle Village is what is closest, it is still very far away from our community," she replied.
"At least two hours away."
"Community? Are you a religious organization?" That's just what I needed—a fucking cult.
"Oh no, we are a family," she said nervously.
"Our ancestors gave us these lands, and we cherish them. I understand why you find this strange—we are far away from civilization, after all—but we like it up here."
Ancestors? The houses I had seen were extremely modern and quite expensive and luxurious. And hers? It was big enough to be a goddamn castle. I would have assumed they were natives, but the three people I've seen were white.
I surveyed her and noticed something I hadn't seen before.
"I love your hair." The ends of her long braided hair were white.
"Oh, thank you." She turned around and gave me a small smile.
She was beautiful, which was clear to me before, but I saw in her a light that made me feel safe and loved. She was calming and graceful—strong but adorable. She reminded me a lot of my mother.
"I'm sorry," Selene said softly. I looked at her with confusion, as I was sure I hadn't said a word.
"About what?" I questioned.
"About your mother," she said, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
How did she know? I sure as hell never talked about her—about my family in general. I was about to open my mouth when a terrorized scream erupted from the clearing.