Volume 1 p5 The Touch

With Alex in the lead and moving fast, Zoe rushes to catch up. They walk along the playground fence, passing the swings and slides that provide Weber Elementary students with a great deal of fun. The corner of the fenced area is next to a ravine carved out by a small stream that winds through the field. It is the stream that feeds Walton Lake. From the fence, you cannot see down into the ravine. Alex signals for Zoe to stop by holding up her hand. Zoe gives her a high five as she walks up to the ravine. Zoe looks over the bank of the ravine, looking for the best way to get down to the stream. She spots thick tree roots a few feet away that has been growing, straining to reach the stream. She turns to Alex, pointing toward them, and says, “We can use those roots to help us scale down the bank safely.”

Alex rolls her eyes and puts her hands on her hips. Zoe responds by saying, “What?” Alex says, “I put my hand up so you would stop. We were unsure if it was safe to approach the ravine. Something or somebody could have been down there waiting for us.” “Wait, Zoe says smiling, are you trying to be my bodyguard?” Alex responds, “Don’t be ridiculous; if you want to walk into danger, then be my guest; I will not stand in the way.”  Alex moved past Zoe and shuffled down the ravine. She walked up to the stream to inspect it. She backed up four steps, took off running, and jumped over the stream, landing safely on the other side. Zoe began clapping from the top of the ravine, “Not gonna lie, she said that was impressive.” Alex bowed deeply, and as she rose back up, she realized she was acting friendly to Zoe. This surprised her; Alex knew she had never been around someone she considered a friend. Most people she was around just wanted to take advantage of her. That was one of the many reasons she was so jaded.

Zoe walked over to the tree roots that she had spotted earlier. She used them to scale down the bank of the ravine. She ran off toward the stream like she watched Alex do. She jumped but knew instantly she was not going to make it.

Her foot landed, barely.

For a split second, she teetered on the edge.

Forward meant safety.

Backward meant the sharp rocks below.

She tipped. Backward.

She began to fall backward instantly.

Fear spiked through her chest. She was going to…

Fear raced through Zoe’s mind; she knew she was about to get hurt. Instinctively, she reached out her arms; this was all Alex needed. She grabbed Zoe’s wrist and pulled her onto solid ground. Zoe’s momentum carried her into Alex. Zoe’s mind was overwhelmed and full of fear, and she struggled to comprehend what had just happened, but she knew that Alex had just saved her. She wrapped her arms around Alex loosely at first; then, her grip grew tighter as she fought through the fearful emotions to express her gratitude. As Zoe’s arms encircled Alex, she instinctively felt the urge to pull away. Alex stiffened, her body tensed to pull away. That was always the rule: don’t get close. Hugging did not come naturally to her; the world had beat the thought of love out of her.

But something about this hug felt different.

Safe.

Real.

The hug was genuine, warm, and loving; Alex went through a progression of rejection and tolerance, making her way to acceptance. She folded her arms around Zoe.

A foreign warmth settled in her chest. It was terrifying… but maybe, just maybe, she didn’t want to run this time. She had only known this person for a few minutes, but Alex had felt emotions that she believed the world had forbidden her to feel.  A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Okay, that was weird,” Zoe said as she stepped back from Alex and looked up at her. Alex responded, “Definitely weird; let’s hope that doesn’t happen again, especially if you keep using that type of shampoo.” Alex felt terrible inwardly; old habits were hard to break and easy to fall back into. Putting up walls so she wouldn't feel emotions came naturally, and Alex was a master at using words to build walls.  Zoe moved slightly to her right to get a better angle for seeing Alex. “Wait, are you crying?” Zoe asked. Alex started to respond; her mouth opened, and her brain formed many responses, but none came out. Instead, she abruptly turned and walked through the small strand of trees toward the field where the deer were standing. Zoe thought to herself that was the second time she had quickly moved away. Situations that create stress trigger her; getting away from the problem is her out.

Zoe watched her walk away. Alex’s long strides quickly brought her to the edge of the grove of trees, and Zoe watched her stop abruptly. Did Alex see something, or was she waiting for Zoe to catch up? Zoe began to walk toward Alex. The trees were not tall, so the sun could occasionally break through, creating patches of sun and shade on the ground. The sun warmed Zoe, but the cool breeze kept her chilly.  Once she arrived at Alex’s position, she saw what stopped Alex so suddenly. From this location, they had an unobstructed view of the field. You could see how still the deer were. They were about twenty feet from the nearest deer. It was showing no signs of being aware that the girls were there. Zoe turned, glancing at Alex, then returned to the deer.

She took a step. Then another.

The deer remained motionless.

Zoe hesitated, her heart pounding in her ears, one more step.

Still, nothing.

This isn’t normal, she thought. Deer do not act like this. How can this deer react in this way? Alex thought. She had seen plenty of deer in this area; they were always on high alert, and you definitely cannot approach deer. Something was happening, possibly something supernatural. Zoe slowly took the final four steps toward the deer. The air around suddenly seemed to thicken, the birds fell deathly silent. Nature seemed to be inhaling. Perhaps Zoe was not supposed to be here. She looked at Alex, then turned back to the deer. Slowly, Zoe reached out her hand toward the neck of the deer. She moved her hand slowly enough, allowing the deer to move away. Her hand stopped one inch away from the short tan hair that covered the deer's neck. She watched as the deer's torso expanded with each breath. She watched its nose flare as the deer exhaled. Its eyes were wide open; it did not blink once. Her mind raced, no signs of paralysis, no collar, no external control devices. Nothing explained this stillness. Zoe took one more step and placed her hand on the deer's neck. The deer did not move.  

As her hand rested on the deer’s neck, the hum returned, louder, deeper.

This time, Zoe wasn’t just hearing it.

She was inside it.

Thank you for reading this part of Volume 1. For fan reaction, follow us on the X at @TeamMAD. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or send some fan mail to one of the ladies, you can email us at TeamMADzakmaj@gmail.com.