Smolder by Abigail Livinghouse (best young adult book series TXT) 📕

"At least I know how you really feel. Have fun on your own." I said and then turned my back on her for the last time, all the heat from my blaze completely extinguished as I walked away.

Maybe that was just how she preferred it, being alone. She seemed to be just fine by herself when I found her. Well, she got what she wanted.

I wasn't exactly sure where else to go. Terese had been right about one thing, I didn't have a plan whatsoever. As of now, I was just wandering around.

Trenton's offer came to the forefront of my mind, and I found myself walking towards the horizon where he had pointed me. A few Half Deads passed me as I moved, and I focused more closely on them. They looked no different than any other time I had seen them, completely out of it and walking around without noticing their surroundings. They just didn't seem like, well zombies.

After about ten minutes of travel I came upon a very small civilization, yet pretty full of people. There were cots set up with tents above them, and little fires going scattered all around the place.The people were bustling from one area to the other, some carrying food and others carrying blankets and bags. Even though they seemed grounded here, it was obvious that they were getting ready to leave.

I approached the place with my hands out, not bothering to conceal the small knife I had sheathed at my waist. A few guys were standing on the outskirts of the camp, all holding large hunting rifles. When they noticed me, they all held there weapons at the ready.

"State your business!" One in the middle wearing a baseball cap yelled. He looked no older than fifteen.

"I was invited." I said simply, looking right at the teenager as I spoke.

They exchanged a few words with the middle one before he turned his attention back to me. "Who invited you?"

"Trenton." I clearly stated.

The boys were definitely surprised that I knew one of their members by name, and before they could question me further the very person we were discussing came walking over.

"Siren? You came?" He asked, sounding surprised and delighted as he pushed past the boys.

I nodded. "I didn't plan on it."

He smiled crookedly, and his teeth were surprisingly white. "Either way, I'm glad you're here."

And before I could react, Trenton hugged me. My eyes widened and my arms stayed hanging at my sides. I wasn't really sure how to react, it had been awhile since I was last hugged, especially by a boy. It was a weird feeling, not exactly bad, just weird.

When he released me, something seemed to dawn on his face as he looked me up and down.

"Where's your girlfriend?" He asked, that same innocent curiosity in his voice again.

"I'm alone." I said, and the way I said it should've been enough to tell him that there was nothing more to say. He nodded, understanding.

"Well you're more than welcome here." Trenton turned and guided me through the wall of boys, who were still eyeing me a bit warily before we made our way into the actual camp.

Many people acknowledged Trenton with smiles and hellos, while they either ignored or scowled at me in confusion. We passed by Nathan as we were walking, and while Trenton smiled at him and said hi, the man completely ignored us and stared as we walked past.

"I see you're popular here." I muttered in observation. He shrugged.

"I'm second in command, our leader is Isabella. I'm taking you to meet her right now." He said, smiling proudly at his status.

Trenton stopped at a large tent and signaled one minute with his index finger to me, before disappearing inside. He emerged seconds later with a woman standing by his side who was a few inches shorter than him. She had light brown hair tied back in a ponytail, kind yet assessing brown eyes, and she smiled when she saw me. She seemed to be in her thirties, and looked as if she could be Trenton's mother.

"So this is the girl you told me about." She said, her voice was even approaching and calm. I had never met someone coming from this current world that was so . . . levelheaded.

Trenton's cheeks turned a light pink at Isabella's mention of me, and I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my lips in amusement.

"This is Siren." He said, his blush still evident.

Isabella beamed at me, reaching out her hand which I shook. "Nice to meet you. So, where are you from? Have you ever traveled with a group such as this before?"

The questions came unexpectedly and threw me off slightly, but I answered her the best I could. "I came from Seattle just recently, but I do not know where I'm originally from. Before the Plague started, if that's what you're asking. I've traveled alone for most of my life, so no I've never been with such a large group."

After I was done, Isabella nodded considerately, not bothering to ask for my full name or any other information about my past.

"Well if you're going to be joining us, we expect you to pull your own weight. Sewing, cooking, watching the children, pitching the tents, washing clothes, and tending to the sick is usually what the women do here. The men stand watch and hunt when necessary. They also go into towns in search of supplies when we are running low." She explained. I nodded to show her I was keeping up as she continued, Trenton silently listening along with me.

"We have a fair supply of weapons, when we make a kill using something other than a gun then we always take our weapons with us unless we are overwhelmed. We try not to use guns, only when necessary. Our ammo is limited and it is for emergencies only."

I recalled Nathan shooting all of the Half Deads in the alley way but said nothing. Trenton knew about it too, and I wasn't about to be the tattle tale of the group, especially since I was new. I didn't find it odd that Nathan was going against their standards because he had said himself he was just along for the ride. Why follow the rules if you intend to break them in the long run anyway?

"We will provide you with two sets of clothes, a gun, and a weapon. Do you have any weapons currently on you?" Isabella asked.

I wasn't sure what they would do if I showed them my knife, if they would take it or allow me to keep it. I didn't want to show her, it was an old antique that I had taken from my house-my original house-before our town was completely overrun. It had belonged to my grandfather, and then my father. I wasn't about to give that up.

Although, concealing a weapon would most definitely set me up on the wrong foot here, and at the moment this was my only option. So after only a moment's of deliberation, I went to my waist and pulled out my twelve inch blade sheathed in black leather.

Trenton's eyes widened at the sight. Isabella observed the weapon dubiously, and held out her hand, looking up at me. "May I see it?" She asked.

I resisted snapping at her and saying no, but bit my tongue and handed over my only possession in this world aside from the clothes on my back anyway. Her eyes ran up and down the impressive knife, and she smoothly removed it from its sheath, looking at the black razor sharp blade coming to a precise and deadly point.

My fists clenched and warmed, my fire warning me that it was there. It had been there for as long as I can remember, always protecting me. No one in this world knew about my power, not even my parents had known as far as I knew. I kept it at bay, knowing that if I ever unleashed it in front of anyone then I would be the only one who would truly get burned.

After a few more seconds of examination Isabella once again sheathed my weapon and handed it back to me. "It should protect you as well as any weapon we could provide. But you will be given a gun and a full round, you will be taught how to shoot, unless you already know?"

I shook my head. My dad had been a fisher, not a hunter. Isabella nodded once more, seeming to be jotting things down and checking things off in her head as she went along.

"Billy should be able to teach you. You'll need to be able to properly protect yourself at all costs." She turned to Trenton, her expression soft yet businesslike. "Can you handle showing her around?" She asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Of course", he said with a smile.

"Good, it was a pleasure meeting you Siren." She said and nodded in my direction before walking past me.

"After you", Trenton gestured with his arm to his left, and I wondered if that goofy grin ever left his face.

* * *

"This is the cooking area." Trenton said as we walked past a small tent, upon peeking inside there was a little cooktop with a dismal fire going beneath it. A pot was on top of one of the burners, and steam was lazily rising from it. I pursed my lips, eyeing the small flames. Maybe I could help with the cooking here, with my own little brand of fire.

There was a table opposite it with a woman standing chopping vegetables, where fruit sat in a bowl next to her ingredients.

"Lea", Trenton nodded at her. The woman turned around, smiling briefly before going back to her work.

"We usually try to find a river to wash our clothes so that we can conserve water, but if there isn't one nearby we use as little as possible." He explained as we walked towards another tent that wasn't closed on all sides but open, and girls as young as ten sat threading needles.

"The women usually gather around a particular fire pit to sew, these", he gestured to the tarp above our heads. "Get taken down when we light the fires."

I nodded and we passed the women and girls sewing, coming up to an actual enclosed tent. It was slightly larger than the other tents, and the flaps of the entrance were sealed shut. A girl in a dark purple blouse and dirty jeans stood outside with a boy next to her, wearing a plain T-shirt and jeans.

They stood at attention when Trenton came up to them, displaying the power he did hold over people. "I'd like to check on the patients' progress." He requested, and the boy opened up the tent without hesitation.

Trenton stepped inside and gestured for me to follow him. I did, and was immediately assaulted with the smell of sick. Just straight up sickness, a stale smell that clung to your skin and clothes as soon as you walked in.

"How are they?" He asked a middle aged blonde woman standing at the door.

"Not much has changed." She said in a voice just as dismal as her sentence.

I looked around, there were cots lined up against the flimsy walls and nearly all of them were filled. I didn't get to look too closely at the people before Trenton ushered me out, but I did catch a glimpse of a tiny girl lying down, oozing blood from her head and a person who must've been a nurse tending to her.

Once we were outside, Trenton walked me over to a fire pit area with logs set around them for seating. He picked up one of the seats and tossed it into the pit before producing matches from his jean jacket and throwing one in. He sat down at my feet, gesturing for me to join him. I sat down. I didn't ask him about what I had seen in the