Chapter One - The Sound of the Wind

The sun was setting, showering the sky in a beautiful array of colors. The first owl in the nearby grove of trees had awoken and began its evening song, almost as if it sensed the oncoming night. At the sound of the owl, many smaller creatures darted for their homes. Over the hills a pack of wolves could be heard; they howled almost in unison with the hooting of the owl. Those noises combined with the rustling leaves of the trees and the many other created nature’s own orchestra. It was beautiful to those who called the hills their home, and disturbing to those who didn’t.1

    For Xander it was no different. He had lived in the tree covered hills of Lorene for his entire life. He knew every shortcut; he knew every pathway; he knew every tree, animal, and person. He was a watcher, a spectator, a person who understood through observation. Because of it, he always seemed to be a little…out there. That’s what most people called him. He was always wandering from place to place, seemingly aimless in his venture. But what they never realized was that he was collecting information. He was learning who he could trust, and why he could trust them. At the same time he was learning the opposite: Who to avoid, and who to never ask favors from.2

    He knew near everyone that resided in the hills. He was able to call most of them by name. If a new face happened upon his home, he deliberately went out of his way to find out who and why. It made him seem strange, most of the time. But on a rare few occasions, he garnered a new, and usually close, friend. Who doesn’t want someone to approach and be friendly when they’ve moved into a new place? Other than those few, though, his friends were limited.3

    “Xander?” A female voice interrupted his concentration, “There you are. I was starting to get worried about you. We were supposed to meet almost an hour ago.”4

    The only acknowledgment Xander gave the girl was a slight turn of the head to see who was approaching. She saw the sun glint of his forest green eyes, a smile creep upon his lips. The moment was brief, though, as he turned his head back toward the horizon. He looked so lost in thought that the female almost felt bad about interrupting him. But she had to. She was honestly worried. Even though Xander had a tendency to wander off, never did he show up more than fifteen minutes late.5

    “Xander, are you with me?” She spoke again as she stepped closer, having stopped near a tree about ten feet off beforehand, “Xander?”6

    “You’re more than welcome to come sit, Lexi.” Xander’s flowed smoothly as he spoke, in an unwavering fashion that wasn’t unlike the water of a river flowing downstream, “I apologize for worrying you.”7

    He had never apologized for being late or worrying her before, and so it caught Lexi off guard. She stopped mid-step, her tennis shoes snapping a twig under the sudden weight. What had gotten into him? Regaining control of her limbs, she brushed a few loose strands of her golden brown hair behind her ear and stepped forward. When she sat, it was facing him. Her gaze had concern wrapped into it, as well as confusion.8

    “You don’t need to apologize, Xander.” She finally found her voice after a minute’s silence. Singing was her hobby, and it brought strength to her voice that not many could match. At the same time, though, it carried a tone of kindness that was impossible to duplicate, “What’s kept you here?”9

    “The wind.” His reply was short, and to anyone else would have seemed rude. But Lexi knew Xander well. When he was lost in the confines of his own mind that was how most of his speech went. It was short, and to the point. It got rid of the people that weren’t willing to listen, though. That was the big bonus.10

    “The wind? Why the wind?” Lexi answered with another question. She wanted to understand, “Xander, you’re not making much sense.”11

    “Can’t you hear it Lex?” Xander turned to her, his forest green gaze meeting her ocean blue eyes, “The hills are singing again. The wind is responding in kind. Something is coming. 12

He’s always been a strange one. The thought crept into her mind faster than she realized. Mentally scolding herself, she pushed it away. Something was up, and rarely was Xander wrong about the things that he had to say. She spoke again saying, “What song are they singing?”13

    “They sing a song of change.” Xander turned back to the setting sun and pointed through the hills, “Something is coming. A journey is beginning. Lives are going to be changing.”14

    The two sat in a comfortable silence for some time. She couldn’t explain why, but Lexi found comfort in Xander’s words. Sitting there, listening as he had been doing, brought a strange feeling to her stomach. The wind was blowing from the direction that Xander had pointed. It was coming from that direction. Had you not sat and simply felt it out you would never have noticed though. And the hills, she could hear them now. Their song wasn’t audible; it had no words. The hills radiated a strange aura that spoke of travel.15

    “You can hear it now, can’t you Lexi…” Xander cracked a smile, giving her a sidelong glance, “These hills were never meant to be a permanent home. For any of us. Our time to move is coming.”16

    Xander got up once he was done speaking and started walking toward the trees where the night’s first owl resided. It hooted in protest, fluttering its wings threateningly in attempt to scare him away, but when Xander didn’t falter it did. He smiled to the bird. He meant it no harm. And Lexi could have sworn it gave Xander a curt nod in response. What was going on?17

    “Xander!” She called out to him, startling the owl with the sudden noise as she stood up and brushed off her blue jeans, “Where are you going?”18

    He was the one to stop in mid-step that time, turning to face her. His features were completely unreadable, save a small glint in his eye. It was a glint of happiness. Or so she thought, at the very least. He moved toward her, taking careful steps to avoid crushing any of the smaller creatures in the wood. He proceeded so close that many would have considered it a violation of personal space. Once there, he finally spoke again.19

    “Find some place safe to hide tomorrow.” He whispered in her ear, barely loud enough that she could just hear it over the sound of the forest, “Pack whatever you feel you need. Don’t think. Just pack. I will find you. And don’t forget to warn the others. We will need them.”20

    And almost as if she had blinked and he vanished right before her eyes, Xander was gone. Lexi was left alone in the clearing atop the hill. She had been left to her own thoughts, to her own devices. What was going on? Why was Xander acting so strange? But she still couldn’t get his words out of her head.21

    Something is coming. A journey is beginning. Lives are going to be changing.22

    What did he know that she didn’t? Why couldn’t he simply give a straight answer for a change? She had known him for twelve years, and still he spoke in riddles with her. She enjoyed it on most days, and absolutely despised it on days like that. He was never wrong though. In twelve years, his intuition had never failed him. It was reason to have at least some faith.23

    “Xander, I hope you know what you’re doing.” Lexi spoke to the trees one last time before she left the clearing, pulling her blue jacket closer to her body as the wind picked up. It still came from the direction that Xander had pointed. Why? What was so special about it?24

    “I certainly hope you know what you’re doing.” She muttered again, under her breath. She was cold, and he expected her to trounce around the hills and warn everyone. Granted, there were only a few to warn, but they somehow managed to space themselves at the four corners of Lorene.25

    It seemed it was going to be a long night, and Lexi really wasn’t in the mood.26