The Pattern

Will pressed his hand to Rosie's fumbling pair. She was beyond stressed, and he was afraid of what she might do if she were left alone. Some people need solitude to come to terms with things. He didn't perceive Rosie to be one of those people.

"Rosie?" Hannah asked, commanding the girl's attention. "We're going to be ok here, and if you don't like it, I'll help you leave."

Rosie seemed to consider that offer and slowly she moved to sit up straighter. Consolation it was a beautiful thing.

Will looked out the window wondering if he could learn anything about the area from the trees. He was too tired to really focus on geographic monuments like mountains but he thought he could get a general area from the trees. His eyes scanned the terrain, but he didn't notice anything he could mark visually.

The helicopter swept through the sky, and he wished he could be on the outside feeling the wind in his hair. He locked in on a fast food joint with a unique sign. He was hungry. Hungry enough that crappy food was appealing. His stomach grumbled.

The scene changed so that they were over a neighborhood, and then a school, and then a mall. He recognized these things and tried to read some of the signs but just couldn't make out. The helicopter flew past the fast food restaurant again and he looked at Hannah. "We are going in circles."

"Yep," Mazen sighed. "I don't know why there's all this secrecy. They convinced my grandparents not to care that I was being kidnapped. No one will come looking for me."

"It's to confuse us." Hagen sneered. "They know we are clever they want to see if we can keep up."

"We can't."

"We could if Rosie's compass had worked." Will said patting Rosie on the back.

"Yeah, but it didn't."

"It wouldn't have mattered." Hagen insisted.

"I think we're moving lower." Hannah observed quietly as the trees came into closer detail.

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