Elemental second chapter first draft

Hi everyone, for those who review can you please let me know if I am doing the talking parts right? I'm not I am doing them correctly. Thankyou and please enjoy!



As the panic started to set in she noticed that three others had appeared out of the trees and were blocking any routes of escape.  As she silently cursed herself and tried to think of a way out of their dilemma, J.T started to stir on her back. When he noticed the strangers his arms tightened around her neck.



She looked at the strangers, trying to see if there was a way they could get out of this alive. The man who had appeared first was obviously the leader of the group. He stood calmly in front of her while the others stood ready to attack. His eyes were still fixed on her and although his demeanour was calm his eyes were sharp and calculating. He held himself in a way that said to her, I’m in charge. The man to her left was the largest of the group. His muscles bulged through his clothes and she was certain if he felt like it, he could break a tree in half. On her right was the only girl in the group. Her blonde hair was scrunched up with tendrils falling down and framing her face. She was small but the assortment of weapons hanging from her body showed that she was still dangerous.  At the moment her hand was hovering above the whip on her waist. Great, she thought. Like I haven’t dealt with enough of those. She turned slightly and from the corner of her eye took in the man behind her. He appeared to be very lithe, his eyes reminded her of the hawks she had seen at the compound. They seemed to follow her every movement.



“Did Baron send them after us?” JT whispered into her ear.



She shook her head slightly. Baron wouldn’t have sent humans after them.  He didn’t believe they were capable and she knew he wouldn’t trust them with something as important as catching potentials.  Suddenly she realised she had been standing there for what must have been ages not answering their question. She knew nothing about the outside world and she didn’t know what would be a good excuse for being out so far in the woods. The panic started to build again when she heard JT speak.



“We’re running away from home.”



Her heart felt like it must have stopped. How could he tell them something like that? She turned her head to get a better look at his face but he squeezed her shoulder and just kept talking.



“It’s alright Aella, I don’t think they are going to hurt us.’ He then turned to the man in front. ‘It’s just myself and my sister living with our father at home. He can be really violent and he drinks so much, especially since our mother died.” At this point his voice broke and she silently congratulated him. She had taught him that.



“He would beat us and blame us for her death. My sister was always protecting me but she couldn’t stop him all the time. This morning he was knocked out after an episode, so we took our chances and left.”



As he spoke she had been watching the faces she could see to verify if they believed him. The leader’s eyes had softened but not much so she couldn’t be too sure. The girl and the large one’s faces remained blank. She decided to keep her face neutral, an easy thing to do after so many years of practice. It was the safest expression to have since she wasn’t sure what expression was appropriate. She had never known her father like J.T had. It made her wonder if he was talking from past experience. The leader was looking into her eyes as if trying to look into her soul. Aella knew it was impossible but there was something so familiar about his eyes. They made her feel like she had found something she had been missing her whole life. Before she could figure out what it was, he glanced away and made a small motion with his hand. The others relaxed their stances.



Relief seeped through her body and her legs, already weak from running, gave way and she slid to the ground. J.T slid off her back and came to stand in front of her. He held her hand and looked into her face, concern written all over his. She gave his hand a squeeze and showed him her praise with her eyes.



“Are you alright?”



“I’m fine J.T. Just a little tired from running all day.”



She turned her head away from his worried eyes and jumped when she realised that the leader was kneeling down beside her. “How long have you been running?”



“Since sunrise” she replied weakly.



He started to reach out but hesitated when she flinched away from him. She hadn’t meant to flinch but past experience had generally taught her that when a man reached out their hand, it meant he was going to hit you. She looked up and saw that his eyes had softened again and the amber had changed to a soft chestnut. Interesting, she thought. He started to speak and she quickly turned her thoughts away from his eyes.



“I promise we won’t hurt you or your brother. On my life, I won’t harm either of you.”



She forced herself to nod but his words meant very little to her. She had learned that all promises were false and nobody ever kept their word.  She would never make the mistake of believing anybodies promises ever again.