After a few hours of walking with little conversation, Shad’s forced march came to a halt.  He stooped down on one knee, hand hovering inches above the ground.

“What are you doing?” Amy asked.

“We’re stopping here for the night.”  He raked his hand back and forth across the snow.  "Aren't you tired?"

"Only a little.  I slept all day, remember?"

"Right."  Still on his hands and knees, Shad began to gather kindling for another campfire.  "In any case, you won't be able to see anything once the sun sets, and you'll need to conserve your energy for tomorrow."

"I thought you said civilization was nearby, not miles away."

"Relatively speaking, it is nearby."  He sparked the kindling to life, smiling half-heartedly.  "I'm well-accustomed to traversing countries when necessary."

Amy crouched by the fire, arms outstretched to absorb the heat.  "Really?"

He nodded.  "I've already told you that I'm on the run from those weirdos, didn't I?"

"Yeah."  She brushed the snow off the ground so she could sit without getting her jeans wet.  “Where have you been?”

“Hmm?”

“You said ‘countries’.  What countries have you traveled to?”

“Many.”  Shad rested his head on his hands as he reclined backwards, unaffected by the wet snow pressing against his back.  “Though I usually try to stick north since I prefer cooler weather.”

“Any favorites?”

“Russia,” he breathed without hesitation.  “I lived there for a few years.  Lots of snow, good food.”

Shad’s emerald eyes stared into the forest canopy.  He blinked a few times, irises growing darker and darker, until they were a royal blue.

Is the dim light playing tricks on me?

"What color are your eyes?" Amy asked.

For a moment, his eyes widened, but he quickly snapped them shut.  "That's a rather odd question."

"It's almost like they're changing colors."

"Hmpf."  Shad's eyes opened, reverted to their original green.  "That's impossible."

"Aren't you the one who mentioned all your 'impossibilities' earlier?"

His lips formed a tight line.  "You win."

Shad rolled over to one side, a finger holding one eye open.  His irises had returned to a dark blue.

"Yes, they change.  Happy now?"

"But why--"

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own," he interrupted, rolling onto his back.  "In the meantime, you should get some sleep."

"As if.  You expect me to just pass out after all this excitement?"

He shrugged, eyes bright as he gazed into hers.

"I don't see why not."



She swayed a little, as was expected, before she completely lost consciousness.  My arm shot out to catch her before she hit the ground.  After all, it would be pointless for the impact to jar her awake after falling asleep mere moments ago.

I lowered her into a horizontal position, hoping my snow-chilled skin wouldn't wake her up.  The ability to force others to sleep with simple eye contact certainly came in handy.  With any luck, I wouldn't be pestered by questions for at least seven hours, maybe ten at the most.

Heck, I'd given her too many answers in the first place.  I needed to get this girl back to her hometown fast.

My hand snaked around the campfire, fishing her cell phone out of her pocket.  Flipping the lid open, I searched for the time on the backlit display.  

Six-fifteen.  Ugh.  That left twelve hours until I could sleep.  Even then, what would I tell Amy?  There was no need to tell her that I hadn’t slept in almost a week, and there was no need to tell her that I couldn’t sleep while the sun remained below the horizon.  That would only lead to more questions, and more questions would lead to more answers.

My eyes wandered towards her silent, sleeping form, mildly envious.  I’d been away from “normal” society for far too long, and I’d nearly forgotten that I didn’t fit into any aspect of it.  At least I knew how to fend for myself.  Most people I had met over the years didn’t even know how to build a proper fire.  Not that I really needed one...

But Amy did.  She shivered and curled her body into a tight ball, face taut with discomfort.  I blew gently onto the fire, only to flinch when the flame billowed upwards, releasing a wave of heat.  She didn’t seem to notice.  Amy shivered away, proving that my best efforts were in vain.  What to do, what to do…

I could take my shirt off, let her use it as a blanket.  But I cringed at the thought of her awaking to find me shirtless.  Various accusations of indecency and lecherousness would ensue, immediately followed by inquiries as to why I wasn’t even shivering.  Neither of which were particularly desired outcomes.

Oh, well.  I pulled the shirt over my head, shaking it out before draping it over her torso.  Maybe I could steal it back before she woke up, and no one would be the wiser.

Subconsciously, her fingers curled around the sleeves, tugging them until the fabric covered both of her bare arms.  She let out a contented little sigh, and her shivering seemed to lessen.

Sometimes, I’m too soft.

I slipped the cell phone back into her pocket.  Nothing more to do but wait until morning.  My eyes wandered upwards, pinpointing the few stars that shone through the tree cover.  Maybe tomorrow would be my day to sleep.