(A/N): Hello again! Its been FOREVER since I updated this story so I decided to update for my lovely followers! Thanks for everything and sticking with me! Have a great day!
Chapter 9
When I awake from my nightmare, my nose is tickled by the ferns beneath me. They brush my ashen cheeks and pale lips. My fists are clenched into balls beside me. They are stricken white and shaking. Something brushes over my eyelashes and I wipe it away quickly. Crying wasn't like me. When I was younger, I only cried when I was hungry or tired. I was the only Mellark child that never cried. That's one thing my mom loved about me. I was quiet and kept to myself, like her. But now I can't control it. The tears come so naturally that it almost scares me. As my eyes scan my surroundings, I find I don't recognize anything around me.
I'm in a clear field of ferns. The nearest trees lay about fifteen feet away. My body feels strong, and I lift myself up without any pain. My eyes shift over to my shoulder and I find it has been healed and covered with a bandage. Then, two familiar smells fill my nose. One is surrounding me. The other is lingering in the air above me. I look down and find my shirt has been removed and a light brown cotton tee-shirt covers me. Not mine though. It's too large to be mine. I bring the fabric to my nose and inhale the smell of Roan. A lemon and pine needle smell. Soothing. Reminds me of him, how strong he is. It almost seems I'm wrapped in him. This brings a grin to my lips.
My ears have ceased throbbing and I can hear clearly now. A rushing brook lay behind me, its clear water rushes over the mossy rocks rapidly. I find my tee-shirt and jacket on a gray bolder next to the brook. They dry in the afternoon sun. My nose pricks with a lush smell again and my eyes migrate over to my left. A pot is simmering over a small fire. Emanating with a sweet and sour smell. Apples!
I jump to my feet and meander over to the pot. I lift the heavy black lid and peer inside. Applesauce is well blended and bubbling inside. I push a finger inside, scoop out a bit, and shove it into my watering mouth. It slithered around my tongue and down my mouth so swiftly. My body almost forgot what apples tasted like. I'm happy to remember.
I look around now for Roan. I knew he had to be around here. This pot hasn't been sitting long.
A snap beside me makes me jump about a mile into the air. My heart pounds in worry as my eye catches the sound. A rope holds a rabbit by the leg upside down. It hangs from a low tree limb. I watch it as it thrashes around and tries to escape, worry in its tiny eyes. But I knew it couldn't escape. This was one of Roan's snares. And by no means was any animal able to break from its hold.
When Roan was trying to impress the Gamemakers he used his snares to do just so. Seneca Crane's brother, Rayden Crane, was the head Gamemaker this year. Which nettled us to no end. Roan strong up a bunch of dummy's by the neck in a matter of minutes.
Which awed and amazed the Gamemakers. They gave him a nine score the fallowing day.
I wasn't so lucky and got a six. I tried, as my mother did, to shoot at some targets with my arrow. But that didn't seem to impress them a bit. So I went for an attempt to throw knives, but that didn't amaze them either.
With Rayden shaking his head he shouted, "Aren't you going to shoot at us like your mother did?"
I knew he was being smart, but this annoyed me.
I glared at him and grumbled. "Only if I have to. But this time I won't miss any of you!"
He started laughing, a doubtful laugh. So I did as I said. And chucked the knife at him. It sliced though his palm and pined his hand to the nearby wall.
"Don't ever talk about my mom like what she did was wrong! She saved every one of your good for nothing butts."
With only his screams filling the air and people shifting around him help him, I left the room. Without decency to even bow as my mother did.
Roan pushes through some bushes and walks to the rabbit. With one quick movement he sliced through the rabbits throat and it went limp. He looked past the rabbit and found me still standing over the pot.
"Well good morning. I'm glad to see you up." His words are warm, like the apples.
I smile at him and look down. His scent still fills me, and I blush.
"How did you heal my shoulder?"
He walks to me and rests the rabbit at my feet. "I found some healing balm after the tornado. It must of thrown a lot of things. Because the Careers camp is ruined. And I found the balm about a yard from here. I also found most of our stuff. Including the apples." He tells me.
I rest my hand on my shoulder and smile at him. "Well, thanks."
He nods. "No problem Arty. You've been out for two days. I've been feeding you applesauce and water since you blacked out." He says. "How are you feeling?"
I walk to the tree with the snare and begin to hang the bunny back up so it can bleed out.
"I feel good. Thanks to you. You're a great friend." I say.
He sits in the ferns and watches me do my work. "I missed you since you've been gone," He whispers.
My eyes stay on the rabbit I stop. I want to ask him why. Why did you possibly miss me? But he would just smile and ignore me. So I change the subject.
"How is your leg? Since Ridly cut it?" I continue skinning.
"Oh," He snickers. He examines his leg, which is extended in the ferns below. "It's fine. It wasn't deep, so it healed pretty quickly."
There was a silence between us, my throat tightened. I wanted to say something, anything! But it seemed that the only thing filling my every thought…was Flint. He lay behind my sight, blurring it. He seemed to move my fingers and cause my breaths to be unsteady.
"Has anyone died since I've been out?" I ask quickly. I finish and sit next to him.
He sighs and I feel the breath brush onto my arm. "Only two people. Lee from Three, and Beth from Two."
"How many people are still alive?"
He shrugs. "Well, there's you and I. Grove and Isis from One. Ezra from Ten. Terra and Blaze from Nine. Fawn and Adriel from Seven. Gray from Five. Lev and Owen from Three. Sterling and Heath from Two…" He pauses to pull his lips together. He does this when he thinks. "Oh, and Flint." He adds.
My heart beats franticly when he says his name.
My hands shake and I nod. "So that makes…fifteen."
"Thirteen to many," He silently mutters.
I raise an eyebrow at him and he stands with no words. Hours later the rabbit is bleed out and now can be skinned and cooked. Roan handled all that so I walk to the brook and take a quick bath. I scrub my body with my fingernails. Taking all the brown goo off my limbs. Once that's done I grab my shirt and pull Roan's from me. It did hurt knowing I had to take it off, but I needed my clothes back. I gently pull the green tee-shirt over my head, careful not to strain my shoulder. Then I slide on my jacket and march back to the open fire.
It amazed me how intent Roan was when he cooked. He never let anything intrude on his quiet time. His brow furrows and he watches like something exciting is going to happen. We all know boiling water is so exhilarating to watch. Everyone in Twelve loved his cooking, mostly his meatloaf. It was tender and soft, like my dads turkey legs.
I pat Roan on the shoulder and bring him from his haze. "You go rinse off, I'll watch the supper." He looks hesitant, but he leaves minutes later. Trusting me with his perfection.
Yay me!
I try to make it that I don't watch Roan as he bathes. But my eyes linger. His tan skin is covered with tiny brown freckles, mostly on his upper arm and back. Which I can now see clearly with him shirtless. He throws handfuls of water over his short caramel hair, the drops glisten in the evenings pink light. I divert my eyes from him and examine our goods.
Laying in front of me is our supply. A frying pan, which we're using to cook the rabbit in right now. A pair of scissors, a flask, about five more apples, and a bushel of potatoes. A cup from my pack, knife, blanket, arrows, quiver, two jackets, eight of my fathers cookies, a inch of healing balm - most was used on my wound-, and my canteen. I'm satisfied with the amount. Combine, we had enough to help us survive.
Roan walks back to me, only his pants on. I try not to look as he stands ahead of me and flips the rabbit. His body is still damp from the rinse down. The muscles in his back and sides ripple as he sways. Pronounced. As I gawk, I am unaware that he is watching me. When our eyes meet, I blush a bright crimson color and throw my head away. He laughs, shaking his head. Is he mad? Does he hate me now?
"It's okay Wren. You can look at me if you want." He softly says. "Because I kind of looked at you sometimes."
These words burned in the air, and sent fire down my body. My arms pricked with goose bumps. Almost welts. My ears begin drumming again, my heart skipped. I can't speak with the wad of my heart in my throat. I just stare at him, his melting brown eyes. I had nothing to say, and neither did he. He clears his throat and pulls his eyes from mine. I don't think I've ever seen him speechless, or blush. But they both combine today, and this makes me ache.
He finishes the rabbits meat and hands me a leg. I sit on a tree stump and nibble on my meat, my legs crossed like a dainty girl. My cheeks still burn but they are simmering down now. How can I look so weak in front of him. Why did he do this to me?
It's midnight and no cannons have fired yet. I don't know if I should feel relief or worried. Probably worried. We are fighting for out lives after all. The night air is cold, too cold for what the weather was like just this afternoon. About seventy. Now it's a low fifty. I can see my breaths as they secrete from my mouth. I feel my arms shiver and my body ache. I have on my jacket I stole from the fired hair girl I killed. But it doesn't do much. I'm already frozen from the inside. The fire has blew out from the gusts of wind we have been getting. These make me worry too. I never know when there'll be another tornado. Roan hasn't spoken to me since the last words he said. I wish he would. I know that isn't helping my body feel any more warm. It isn't us not to talk to each other. I miss it.
A gush of air from behind me presses my hood to the back of my skull. I hold my knees close to my chest and breath in easy breaths. It'll be morning soon!
Roan eyes me from his sitting spot across from me. I don't know if I should look away or not so I keep his gaze. For a second we just watch each other.
Watch as we breath in harmony, our breaths a white smoke tunneling from us. We both shiver and long for warmth. He quickly stands and grabs the blanket from the pile in the far right corner of our camp. I don't understand why I didn't pick that up before, my mind was maybe to clouded by the thought of Roan maybe liking me. He walks to me now and swiftly throws the blanket over me. He turns without another word but I speak up, my throat tingling as I do.
"You can share the blanket with me…" My cheeks become warm now. "If you want."
He stops walking and stands in place, his back towards me. I hope he doesn't think I'm trying to get at him. Or anything like that. I just want warmth. He has to understand that. He finally turns to face me and readily sits beside me. No hesitation. Which I like. He pulls the blanket over us and rests his back on the tree behind us.
He turns his head and smiles. "Thanks." He says.
I nod and it becomes quiet again.
"Hey listen…I didn't mean what I said earlier. I mean I did…but I didn't mean for it to turn out like this between us." He stutters, I'm not sure if that's from the cold or being nervous.
I swallow. "It's fine Roan. Can we sleep now?" My words sound harsh. I didn't mean them to be.
An hour later I feel his breaths steady, meaning he was in a deep sleep. My right arm burns now, from the linger of his skin. His leg lay atop mine, warming it as well. I want to tell him. About my nightmare. About Flint. How he takes over my every thought. But than I find that wouldn't be wise. If Roan does like me than that might make him jealous. I don't know. I've never really had anyone like me before. This is hard. I sigh and rest my head in his shoulder. I still feel safe with him. But I find myself wanting more. I want to feel the danger I always felt when I was at home in the woods. Or outside playing with our new cat Periwinkle. I want a lot of things it seems. But mostly what I want is to be right here, with Roan. Right as we are. This thought makes me smile. And without another thing crossing my mind. Good or bad. I close my eyes and fall asleep with him right beside me. As I feel it should me.
