"Um, Tarja," Kamell said as she found her reading in the library. "Your not going, Eragon!" "Do I have to?"
"Your speaking to me again," Tarja noted.
"Yeah,"
she said awkwardly. "Look, I wanted to apologize about the other day. I
just don't want Brom to get hurt." Tarja smiled, lowering her book.
"I appreciate your concern, but I do care about him." Kamell paused.
"How old are you anyways? Like 21?" Tarja laughed.
"Try 17." Kamell stepped back as though she had been slapped. Brom had slept with someone who was YOUNGER than her!
"Kamell, I know what your thinking. But you forget something."
"What," She asked, momentarily hating this strange girl again.
"I
grew up in a different part of the world than you did. My life hasn't
been as protected. One does what they must to survive." Closing her
book, Tarja stood to leave.
"I'm sorry," Kamell called after her.
"Its just...I'm 18 and I've never even been kissed." Tarja laid a
gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Would you like to meet Murtagh." Kamell could hardly repress a smile that rose to her lips. Giddily she nodded.
"Alright, meet me at that hick dinner on the corner, Lukes I thinks its called?"
"Ok."
"7?" All Kamell could do was nod as Tarja walked away.
"I'm
not leaving you alone with those crazy people," Eragon protested as
they stood in her room as Kamell tried to find a matching shirt that
wasn't plaid.
"Their not going to kidnap and murder me!"
"You
never know. Their city people," Eragon slumped on her bed as Saphira,
now the size of a large dog, curled up on her bed. "They don't think
the same as we do."
"Eragon!"
"I'm coming, and thats final." Kamell sighed, frustrated.
"Fine, but your not going in that." Eragon looked down at himself.
"Whats wrong with what I'm wearing."
"Eragon, your shirt is brown."
"So, it matches my eyes."
"I use to be white."
"Oh," was all he said. "Well, Garrow needs more help now that Roran is gone."
"He'll come back," Kamell assured him. "Now...lets work on your out fit."
"Oh, Murtagh, stop moping. Shes really sweet."
"Really sweet? Really sweet! Were out here in fucking Georgia Rule and your trying to hook me up with Mary Jo Freebush!"
"Look its good to have contacts, in case something goes wrong, now march."
"No." Tarja gave him a withering glare that caused him to subconsciously shiver.
"Go."
"Fine," he mumbled, as they began walking towards Luke's.
"Hey,
tarja," Kamell called as they approched the dinner. "Murtagh," she
greeted him, batting her eyelashes a few too many times. Tarja tried
not to cringe, rolling her eyes, she noticed the boy standing beside
Tarja.
"Hey, Kamell." She waited for an long moment for Kamell to
introduce them, but she was too busy glancing at Murtagh. He could only
sigh and pretend he didn't see as much as he did. "Hi, I'm Tarja," she
told the boy, extending her hand. He only glared. "How polite," she
mocked.
"Sorry, I don't talk to sluts." Tarja repressed the urge to
slap him. Even though he was a good head taller than her, she was not
afraid.
"Then I see no reason you should find it difficult to
converse with me." He did not respond immeditly. "I'm sorry, you may
not understand. Would you like me to say it slower, but I don't speak
hick." Eragon opened his mouth to retaliate.
"Why don't we just go in," Kamell piped in, realizing they were going to kill each other.
"Good idea," Garrett concured, leading her inside.
Kill me now The thought screamed in Kamell's mind as daggers were glared across the table between Tarja and Eragon, While Murtagh held a constant look of boredom. At least this can't get any worse. For the past half hour Tarja and Eragon snipped back and forth, throwing insults back and forth like they were playing catch. As Kamell thought those words, she was proven wrong. Only here eye caught the blue head peeking into the dinner from a back window. Saphira. She pressed her nose to the glass and looked longingly at Eragon and Kamell, her eyes remarkably similar to a puppy when it begs.
"Fuck." She swore under her breath, shooting out of her seat. "I have to go... erm... feed my dog." She looked directly at Eragon, attempting to signal to him the problem, but he was not understanding her.
"You don't have a dog?" He commented, wondering what got into his friend.
"You know that stray I take care of." She spoke through grit teeth. "I just need to go. I will see you at home Eragon." With that she practically ran out of the dinner, leaving Tarja, Murtagh, and most of all Eragon confused.
"Saphira! What are you doing!?" Kamell almost hissed, pulling her away from the window and throwing her head over each shoulder rapidly, thanking the heavens that no one was around to see.
Storm is coming Saphira placed herself between Kamell's legs, looking up at her with fright in her eyes.
"Lets get you home." Kamell poked her head out of the alley they were in, wondering how Saphira got down here without being seen, and how they were going to get back. Saphira nodded, and flapped her little wings. "come on." The sky had turned dark with clouds, blocking out the setting sun as they made their journey home, luckily helping cloak Saphira from any person's eyes. The sky opened up once they reached Eragon's barn, releasing a blanket of rain. Saphira whined and buried herself in the straw pile Eragon let her play in when he let her into the barn, but as of late, do to her ever growing size, he had her sleep outside in the forest.
"Garrow won't come out to the barn in the rain, so it's ok." Kamell wrung out the rain in her hair and collapsed down next to Saphira, who immediately curled up next to her side, shaking.
"It's ok darling, it's just a storm, it will pass." A clasp of thunder rolled in from a distance.
It has only just begun.
Eragon nearly screamed when he opened the door of the barn, but he most certainly fell over. There, in the corner where he used to let Saphira sleep when she just hatched, laid a mound of blue scales, larger than any van he ever saw, and it was slowly rising and falling.
"Saphira!?" The object picked it's head up, blinking sleep from it's eyes.
Eragon, what frightens you? She stretched her from claws out, and yawned, giving Eragon a glimpse of what she was curled around, Kamell.
Your going to crush her! Saphira tilted her head in confusion, then looked down to see Kamell. She blinked her eyes rapidly, looking at her own size, compared to the girl she used to think as a giant compared to herself.
I grew.
"No shit."
"I'm really mad you," Kamell told eragon again as they tried to find Murtagh and Tarja.
"I already said I was sorry."
"You ruined possibly the happiest date of my life."
"I said I was sorry." Kamell cut him off.
"Tarja," she called when she found them. "Tarja, I wanted to apologize for just leaving yesterday." Tarja smiled, standing up.
"Its alight. I can take a hint," she said and turned to walk away. She had tried, had she not? To be like everyone else? To be normal? She had tried the only way she knew how, but it wasn't enough. Murtagh stood up behind her, standing by his friend.
"No, you don't understand. I can't explain it, but you don't understand," tarja gave her a half smile before turning to walk away again.
"Kamell, Eragon," Horst said as he rounded the corner, his face ashen. "You two should get home."
"Why, whats wrong," Eragon asked urgently. He had never seen Horst in such a mood.
"The raz'ac are here."
"But their not real," Kamell protested, feeling terror clutch her heart. "They are only stories."
"Oh, they are real. Now get home, the both of you." With out another word he was off.
"They found us - "
"They found her -" the four of them said at once.
"Who's her? What would the raz'ac want with her?"
