For a moment, I was frozen. Fear halted all thought, and my eyes stared, unblinking, at Hunter's serious expression. Imminent death had always been a constant in my rather unusual lifestyle, but there always had been a way to fight back. For a second, I thought Jeb – Jeb, of all people – was going to coming in save me. That his cry of, "Stop!" Would resound through the trees.
But I was pinned to the ground, my breath quicksilver in my lungs. I couldn't fight. I could only feel Hunter move his hands to my neck as his prepared to give me a quick, painless death.
And I couldn't fight back. He probably weighed double what I did. My arms were pinned at my sides. I closed my eyes and whispered a final goodbye to the world.
"Get off her!"
Hunter's weight lifted. I jerked to my feet and scrambled back. Sounds of a fight met my ears. I felt around on the ground for the lighter, and when my fingers closed on the cool metal, I flicked it, illuminating the clearing.
Clue had his stupid sweater wrapped around Hunter's neck. He pulled back, choking Hunter. Hunter growled, and slammed his back (and Clue) against a tree. He groaned, but held on.
Hunter shook his head, and his shoulders. Clue went flying, the sweater torn from his grasp. His head smacked against a tree, but it obviously didn't do him any damage, because a few second later, he pushed himself to his feet and glared his defiance at Hunter.
Hunter's eyes focused on me. A tremor crawled down my spine. I knew that he would do anything, anything to kill me. Because I was the only threat to his precious Ravyn.
Yes, I really am that lucky. Note sarcasm.
Hunter disentangled the sweater from around his neck, threw it to the forest floor in a fashion that managed to appear menacing, and started for me with a low growl.
"Don't touch Tiny!" Clue yelled. He had no weapon, nothing but his fists. He raised his hands, as if he couldn't see that Hunter was double his weight.
"I don't have a fight with you. You're not going to kill Ravyn," Hunter said to him. Like the average, way-too-perfect hero, he seemed unconcerned with his own safety.
Clue picked a rock up from the ground, keeping his eyes on Hunter's face. He threw the rock. It hit Hunter in the chest and fell to the ground. Hunter looked at the rock with disinterest, sighed, grabbed Clue, and threw him.
He hit another tree. This time, he didn't get up.
Hunter advanced on me. My fingers sticky with sweat, I slipped my hand into the pocket of my jacket, feeling the sharp blade of the knife. I pulled it out, but held it behind my back.
Hunter's eyes glowed amber. The forest seemed to violently shatter, and half a second later, a huge wolf stood in Hunter's place. It bared its teeth at me.
That was when I dropped my lighter. The clearing became dim again, lit only by stars.
A single cry tore itself from my throat. My eyes widened in shock. Damn it, stupid freaking werewolf! I clenched the blade of my knife so hard that it pierced my skin, drawing blood.
Hunter's wolf was probably two, three times larger than the average wolf. Its deep eyes seemed almost sorrowful. But it still gathered itself up and sprang.
I tripped. My back hit the ground, and my head slammed to the earth. Dizzy spots formed in my eyes. Somehow, I found the strength to shove my knife through the air just as the Hunter-wolf's teeth snapped at me.
I felt a shunk! As my knife pierced its skin. Teeth chewed at my face, and I screamed in pain. My face felt like it was burning, felt like it was ripped to pieces. But the huge weight rolled off of me and I heard the wolf's footsteps race away.
I curled up into the fetal position. I dropped my knife to the ground, and my fingers didn't miss the weight. I heard Clue's soft breathing echoing through the clearing, but I couldn't pry open my eyes to see his limp form. The adrenaline of the battle melted from my veins, leaving me to face the agony that consumed me.
Blood leaked down my neck, and I felt it stain my shirt. I knew that I needed to tear my jacket to bits, I needed to bandage my face, but I couldn't focus on anything but the wounds on my face.
I was shaking. The clearing, the forest, the world-wherever we were-was achingly cold. But I couldn't bring myself to move, because that would mean that the pain would grow worse.
I opened my eyes. I couldn't see anything. At first I thought that it night still consumed the world, but I heard bird's twitter. I'd huddled the whole night away. And it was day.
No!
"Clue!" I shrieked. I needed him. I needed him bad. I needed someone besides myself.
"Huh?" He mumbled.
"Clue! Help!"
It hurt even more than the wounds on my face to ask for help. Because it meant that I'd become one of the weak again.
"Huh, what? Tiny?" Clue swore. "Ah, Tiny, you're hurt bad!"
I felt his footsteps. He knelt next to me.
"It's not fatal," I breathed out. "I would've already died . . ." He touched my arm. I was trembling. I couldn't stop myself. If I was blind, I would die. The school would kill me. Ravyn and Hunter would kill me. And, worst of all, Clue wouldn't kill me.
"Your face . . . " He muttered. I heard a ripping sound. "Tiny, it's okay. Okay? I'll make it better."
Tears dripped down my face. My eyes could, at least, still cry.
"Tiny, Tiny! Don't cry! It'll be okay!"
"I can't see anything, Clue!" I wailed.
"It's fine, it's fine," He told me. "You're fine. Your eyes are caked with blood."
Relief flooded me. He stood up. The relief was quickly replaced with panic.
"Clue, where are you going? Don't leave me!" Instinct caused the words to be torn from my lips, even though I knew better. Clue was currently stronger than me; he should go on by himself. He should go kill Hunter.
"Hey, it's okay, Tiny. I'll be right back. I just have to go get some water," Clue assured me.
I clenched my fists. The pain in my face had mostly faded, but I didn't want to know the damage. I would probably be scarred even worse than Clue was.
Clue returned. With a bit of cloth, he slowly wiped the blood from my eyes. And slowly, my sight returned.
My first sight was his smiling face.
Fury churned within me, "You . . .idiot!"
He looked confused, which was not unusual for him. "Huh?"
"How could you come back for me!" I shoved him, he didn't stumble from his crouch, "You have to go! Go kill Hunter! They could come for us any moment, and you've got my dead weight slowing you down!"
Clue shook his head, "Nuh-uh. I go beddy-bye for a moment, and look what happens. I need to stay and look after you." He'd ripped his shirt into bandage, and these he wrapped around my cheek, and one across my forehead. "With our super-cool recombinant DNA powers, you should be all healed by tomorrow," He joked. "Heck, it might not even scar."
I stared at him. How could he be so . . . facetious about something like that! With the scars on his face forever changing how I viewed him. The thick pink tissue that covered his face, forever imbedded with guilt . . .
No! It was not my fault! It was his own goddamned fault for coming back for me!
Anyway, it wasn't like I actually needed his help. I was perfectly fine on my own. I shook my head vehemently. "Clue. Go look out for yourself. Because we're going to get each other killed." I was perfectly fine on my own. I was perfectly fine . . .
He slid his arms around me in a comforting hug. My head ended up being pressed against his chest. He seemed so peaceful, so happy that I was all right, okay, that I couldn't help but close my eyes and just . . . live . . . just live for just a moment.
I opened my eyes and shoved him away. He staggered and I stood up, glaring, "We do not need each other! The only way to survive is to be on your own and look after yourself! Why won't you get that!"
"We both would've died without each other when we took on Hunter," He pointed out.
"No, I would've died," I spat. "He wasn't going to kill you, idiot! And you could've been seriously hurt, Clue-less!"
He gave me that Tiny's-gone-crazy-again look, "Yeah, you would've been dead. Don't see why you're so happy about it."
"I'm not happy about it, you idiot!"
"Then you admit that it was a good thing I saved you," His face now sported a broad smile. Obviously, he thought he'd proved some kind of point.
I gritted my teeth, "No, shut up! That's not how it works. It-"
I heard a noise. A crashing sound. I spun and started in horror as Ravyn hurdled from the trees and slammed into me.
My face ended up being pressed to then earth. I saw Clue reaching for me out of the corner of my eye. Hunter pinned him down. I hadn't even heard him coming.
"Now," Hunter panted. "Now we kill you."