Putting Differences Aside
Cynthia, Leon- 18
Hannah- 18
Cynthia and Hannah looked at each other from where they both were kneeling next to Leon. Leon needed both of them to work together to help him, red was already welling between Cynthia's fingers where she was pressing firmly on Leon's thigh where some animal had bitten him, his amber eyes were rolled back, only the whites of his eyes visible. Reluctantly working together they lifted Leon up so his arms were around both of their shoulders and they started dragging him back to their small campsite. The school had decided that a trip to the forest was needed to get the over confident students a taste of danger so all of the students were dropped off in different areas of a forest with the promise they'd be recovered within a week. Despite Leon knowing a lot about survival something had managed to bite him.
Cynthia and Hannah were clearing the ground away so they could have a dry campsite, staying well away from each other until they both heard a shout of pain and surprise from where Leon had disappeared to. Running they ran to that area, kicking up snow as they went to find Leon sprawled on the ground his jeans ripped and torn, blood trickling down onto the grassy ground.
"I'm so going to smack him when he wakes up." Cynthia mutters.
Once they reached the campsite and lowered Leon to the ground Cynthia spoke up, "You stay here with him, do something about the campsite while I find something for his injury." Hannah nodded and started digging through one of the travel packs they'd been given, looking for something to make a shelter. Cynthia shrugged off her hoodie and-and t-shirt before taking out Leon's pocket knife and cutting a wide strip of fabric for a bandage then tying it around Leon's injury, moving quickly before standing up and pulling her hoodie back on over her head over her tank-top and strode off into the woods while Hannah got to work.
Leon opened his eyes a few hours later to the sounds of a small fire crackling, it's shadow's flickering on the wall. He sat up and pushed the blanket and jacket off him and got to his feet, nearly falling flat on his face in the process. He pushed the tarp out of the way so he could leave the tarp tent like thing and found Cynthia and Hannah getting along relatively well, laughing and messing around, Cynthia was tying what looked like sturdy vines together forming a net-like thing, while Hannah was keeping the fire going. Both girls looked up as he came out and smile at him.
"Leon!" Hannah chirped, "How are you feeling?"
"Do you know what bit you, Leo?" Cynthia asked him, "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," He was confused on how and why they were getting along, "I think it was a wolf, I'm not quite sure." He settled down on one of the logs the girls had heaved into a triangular shape, scrutinizing both of them and noticing the strip of fabric wound around Hannah's ankle peeking out from under her tennis shoes, along with the thin scratches and tears along Cynthia's arms and jeans. "What happened to you guys?"
"Long story," Hannah smiled, "I sprained my ankle,"
"And I fought a wolf." Cynthia joked, "Nah, I just fell out of a tree getting the vines." She tightened a few knots on the mentioned vine net thing.
"What're you making?" Leon asked curiously.
"A hammock," Cynthia replied, getting to her feet and demonstrating by sliding a loop onto a branch and pulling on it to tighten all the square knots and give a demonstration of its strength. "I'm working on one more."
"Only two?" He asked a bit amused.
Cynthia gave him a funny look, "You wish. I already have one finished, it's just not hung up yet." He pouted slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
Hannah laughed, heather blue eyes twinkling with amusement, "I'm sure that if we only had two you'd flatten Cynthia in your sleep."
"I wouldn't doubt it, he's done it before during a sleepover with the whole basketball team." Cynthia snorts, taking the hammock back down. Leon was stunned, both of them were getting along without any issues at all, no fighting, arguing, or glaring at each other. "I heard a river near here, I think I'm going to try my luck," She continued, putting the vine hammock down next to another one that he hadn't noticed before. She pulled a switchblade from one of the packs along with some twine, throwing it into a small bag and slinging it over one shoulder before disappearing into the darkening forest.
"Have fun!" Hannah called to her, a smile on her face.
"I think I'm going back to sleep." Leon murmured, his head spinning from the shock at the two girls getting along, he got to his feet and disappeared into the tarp tent, curling back up on the sleeping bags that he'd been asleep on earlier and going back to sleep.
Hannah giggled before throwing a few more logs onto the fire and making sure it wouldn't die out.
Cynthia returned carrying an armful of wood and helped Hannah haul Leon into the tarp tent the latter had set up when she left. After he was asleep rather than being half conscious Cynthia got to work stacking up all the wood near a circle of rocks Hannah had made earlier. "We need to get more if we want a fire most of the night." She commented.
"Well we should probably get more then right?"
"Yes."
The walk through the forest was silent and uncomfortable, both girls collecting wood as they went but avoiding each other. Until Cynthia heard Hannah gasp and heard the branches she'd been carrying tumble to the ground. She turned around to face the blonde, "Are you ok?"
"No," Hannah gasped, her face paling slightly. "I think I twisted my ankle."
"Seriously?" Cynthia groaned, but she went over and checked her ankle. She could feel Hannah's ankle starting to swell at a fast rate. 'Great.' She put her wood pile down and crouched so her back was facing Hannah. "Get on."
"What?!"
"Get on my back, I'll give you a piggy back ride back to the campsite." Cynthia explained, half expecting her to refuse, "If you don't I'll just drag you."
"Oh, okay." Hannah staggered over to her and got on the taller girl's back. Cynthia got to her feet and started weaving her way back to the campsite. "Sorry," Hannah apologized meekly, "I'm not used to this thick undergrowth."
"I know," Cynthia replied with a sigh, she seemed at home in the denser undergrowth, the branches of bushes gently whipping at her legs, "You're used to the fields and meadows. It's what you grew up in." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "It's not your fault." it was quiet for a few more minutes before Hannah spoke kindly.
"I'm not taking him from you you know that right? I don't like Leon like that anymore." Cynthia didn't reply, keeping silent, "He's more like an annoying brother then a good looking guy." Hannah told her, "I'm not here to take him away from you, I didn't choose the groups."
"No, you didn't," Cynthia sighed, "But Holly did and boy did I have bad luck."
"What do you mean?"
"Leon and I were originally going with Isabella before Holly begged firen to change it, the only other person with a flexible group was you, so Holly got it changed."
"I can't be as bad as Isa," Hannah laughed a bit nervously.
"Of course not, you're not half as bad, but I'm not fond of people trying to take Leon from me." Cynthia replied, shifting Hannah slightly and ducking to avoid getting a branch to the face.
"It's been a full year since you two got together, I'm not hung up on him Cynthia, besides," Hannah speaks a little shyly, "Besides, I like someone else."
That was music to Cynthia's ears, at once her wariness and cold shoulderness disappeared and she smiled cheekily, "Who is the lucky guy?"
Hannah laughed, "So you like gossip?"
"Sometimes," Cynthia relents, "Usually when it involves the ability of teasing the person for it."
"I can see that," Hannah giggles before answering her question, a bit pink in the face, "Well you know that Harry guy you introduced me to after you and Leon got together?"
"Course I do, light brown hair, nearly my height, and hazel eyes right?"
"Yup, spot on. Anyway, so that day Bree gave me a letter that she told me someone wanted her to give it to me, that was before you introduced me to him, when I got home I opened the letter and found it was an invitation to a blind date."
"Really? Did you go?"
"Course! Didn't want to hurt the guy's feelings, so I went to the date and the guy turned out to be Harry!"
"Awe!"
"I know right? And I've learned my lesson from you two," Hannah smiled at the black haired girl, "I'm taking it slow, I don't want it to end up being a train wreck."
"Don't go as slow as we did alright?" Cynthia rolled her eyes, "Leon and I took nearly seven years just to clean up the drama we were causing eachother."
"I won't go that slow," Hannah giggled as the campsite came into view, "I hope you'll help me if something happens."
"Sure, why not?" Cynthia replied genuinely. Hannah was surprised, she didn't think she'd actually agree to help her.
"Thanks Cynthia."
"No problem Hannah, why don't you start a fire with what we have here, there should be cloth strips in the bag next to that tree," She pointed as she let her down, "you can bind your ankle with them, I'll come back with some water and it can act like a temporary icepack."
"Right, I'll get to it, thanks again."
"No problem," She turned and started leaving before she turned around, a sheepish look on her face, "Sorry about the whole paint thing."
"I'd forgotten about that actually," Hannah smiled, "Leon got you back for me and you've got mud right here," She mimed where mud was streaking Cynthia's left cheek, "so we're even."
Cynthia rubbed the mud off before she stuck out her hand, "Friends?"
Hannah grasped her hand firmly, "Friends." She agreed.
Leon watched Cynthia hang up her hammock. 'Screw it.' Timing it so she'd be climbing up into the hammock he lunged, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling backward, lifting her feet off the ground and moving back towards his hammock before sitting on it with the struggling Cynthia. Hannah giggles and rolls over in her hammock, giving the couple privacy while she laughed.
