Mask
Author: Angel of Depression
Summary: She had to leave before they found out. They couldn't know about it, not even him. She would have to dodge them for the rest of her life. A life on the run with pure guilt riding on her conscience.
Prologue:
She knew she would have to leave tonight. She only found out a week or two before, but she could not delay her 'escape' any longer. The vile was in her hands; a glass container filled half way to the top with silvery liquid. It would knock them out long enough to make her escape and reach the first town by dawn. Until then, she would savor the security and warmth that she felt with her friends. Calmly, she walked up to the broth she was stirring and stared into it. Then slowly unscrewed the cork and poured the contents in to their dinner for the night. She wouldn't eat it of course; even if she could, her stomach couldn't hold it down.
Suddenly, she heard a figure behind her call out her name. Turning, she saw her lover walking towards her with her other two friends coming up from behind. She barely made out that he had asked if she felt any better than this morning. Answering numbly, she nodded her head and quietly walked over to her previous seat and sat down. The others stared at her as she mumbled her instructions. "Your dinner is ready. I don't feel like eating tonight. So you guys go ahead…" The other two were fast to listen while her lover went to check on her.
"Are you sure you are well? Maybe you should try and eat something…" He looked down at her with concerned eyes. Her eyes almost filled with tears at the thought of leaving, and her mind started to fill with doubt. NO, I've already gone this far and I cannot afford to turn back now! "Don't worry, I am fine, just a little tired…Go ahead and eat."
Not wanting to upset her, he went and got his food, but returned and sat next to her and silently ate. She lay her head against his shoulder and felt him tense a little, but then relaxed. He placed his plate on the ground next to him and then placed an arm around her. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Are you sure you are feeling all right," he asked her once more. She nodded and hugged him back.
They stayed like that for a while just enjoying each other's company. Soon everything around him started to blur as he began to feel drowsy. Slowly, his eyes closed and she finally let her tears fall. Taking her hand, she reached for her hair she pulled something out. Then she placed it in his open hand and closed the finger around it. She gave him a small kiss on the lips and stood up. Gathering her things, she checked on her other two friends and left a letter with them. Saying a quiet goodbye to all of them, she made her way out of camp and headed towards the main road. Once she reached it, she glanced back at the campsite once and said what she should have said before she had ever decided to walk out of there lives, his life, and her own life.
"I love you…"
Dawn
Up ahead was the town she was heading to. She would only stay here for a night and then make her way to Anestef. Halfway down the road she felt the wind pick up around her a little. The young woman stopped dead in her tracks. Turning slowly she saw the empty road, heard the wind and the birds, and felt her heart and the heart of someone else shatter.
At camp
Why had he fallen asleep so suddenly last night? He was normally the one that volunteered for night watch and would end up staying awake half the night. But here he was. Lying on the ground covered by his cloak. With his friends across from him barely waking up as well. Looking next to him, he was surprised to find that his love was nowhere in sight. Feeling something in his hand, he saw he was holding something. Opening his palm, he felt his heart shatter and his voice die in his throat when he tried to cry out.
In the palm of his hand was her wolf hairpin.
End prologue
