dandelionWhen he accused her of lying, Riley began to see that the young man was serious. She took a small step back, wondering what kind of crazed neighbors could've moved in while she was away at school and why her parents hadn't warned her about them.
She looked towards the other man when he spoke. And why did they speak so oddly? It definitely wasn't the normal way of speaking around here. Maybe they moved from England or something. Or like New York. They spoke weirdly, right? Riley pushed the thought away. Where these odd people were from wasn't any of her concern right now.
"Um, no, I don't think you're a fool. Maybe a little defensive. Aggressive. Something along those lines," she said, unsure if he had actually wanted her to respond to the question. "Also I'm not quite sure what you mean by wench, but I don't think it's a compliment."
She took another small step backwards, reaching for her pocket. It was Elijah's sweatshirt, and she grabbed the pocket knife he kept inside. Her pocket knife was in her room, but at least this would give her some kind of defense against the strange man. She pulled out her blade, though it was much smaller than his. She may be able to pull something normally, but not when she was freezing cold and soaking wet. She was actually starting to feel pretty miserable.
"Actually, I did get lost. I say we just put the weapons down for a minute and talk," she said, her eyes traveling to his blade. "I'm sorry for trespassing, but I don't know what happened. I thought I was heading towards my neighbor's house," she said, choosing her words carefully. Only now did the realization that she was in danger kick in. If the man decided to attack her, she wouldn't stand a chance. She she took it carefully from here. "My name is Riley. I live in Weston, Wisconsin over on Elm Street. If I could just see a map or borrow a phone, I'll be making my way home," she promised. She paused before adding, "Or tell me where I am. Something besides Witsleigh territory. That doesn't tell me anything," she said, getting the name right this time.
She thought of something, her face brightening for a second. "I wrote the
Meeks Island trilogy." Anyone local would know her books. Even some out of towners. She Was no JK Rowling, but her books had been pretty big. "Or you might know my brothers. Nick, Vince, Link, Finn, and Elijah? Kate? They're pretty local," she said. It was odd for someone not to know one of her family members since it was so large. Luckily, most people knew her as Elijah's sister growing up. She didn't have to deal with the troublesome twins' legacy. Teachers didn't seem to like them very much.
This seemed to be her last hope before she moved onto believing she had been knocked out and was laying in the snow somewhere having a weird dream. She pinched herself. Nope. Not a dream.
