a couple hours, she could be free of the Arena, free of the wolves...
Lila stopped the train of thought short. There were far too many “ifs” to get excited just yet. It might not be a way out. There could be wolves on the outside as well. Or hostile people. No, this was something that needed more preparation than launching herself through the hole in the ceiling without a second thought.
Swallowing back the thrill of hope in her throat, Lila reluctantly turned away from the sunlight and the breeze that smelled of honeysuckle and pine. She listened to the wind sighing through the trees, steeling her heart as she turned around and set off running back the way she had come.
So Lila ran. She ran so fast that her feet ached from pounding against the hard concrete, and her breath was sharp in her chest. She ran, despite the sinking in her heart at every step that she took away from the sunlight, until the bobbing beam of the flashlight was the only illumination to guide her way. She hit the first branch, and then the second with barely a pause, tossing the backpack through the grate before sliding through. Seeker danced through in front of her and licked Lila's face. Lila managed a laugh and swatted at the dog playfully, switching the flashlight off and sliding it back into the pack.
Katie was sitting by the fire, her face blotchy from crying. She jumped up as Lila approached, wiping her nose with the back of one hand. “I thought you got lost or something,” she said, managing to make the sentence sound accusatory.
Lila was torn between sympathy and irritation at Katie's tone. “I haven't been gone that long,” she replied, dropping the backpack in the pile and walking over to the stream to gather more meat too cook. She could only ignore the complaints of her stomach for so long. She grabbed the pot, which she didn't fail to notice was now empty, and refilled it with the same ingredients as the night before. Setting the pot back on its rock, she crouched down next to the fire and poked it with a stick to coax the embers back to life. She sat on her heels, regarding Katie through the newly awakened flames.
“I guess I should apologize.” Katie sniffed and swiped at her nose again. The words were so quiet that Lila barely heard them.
“I guess you should.”
Katie had opened her mouth, but shut it at Lila's tone. “I shouldn't have hit the dog.”
“Seeker. And no you shouldn't.”
“Seeker?”
Lila gestured in the direction of the dog. “Hey!” She yelled when she saw Seeker in the stream near the deer meat, head half buried in the water. At the shout, Seeker's head popped up and the dog skipped away to the other side of the stream with a shoulder of venison in her mouth. Lila sighed and waved her hand at the dog. “Seeker. The dog is named Seeker.”
Katie swallowed hard and nodded. “I shouldn't have hit Seeker. I wasn't really mad at her...”
“She didn't know that.” Sure seemed like it to me, Lila added silently.
A fresh tear rolled down Katie's cheek. “You have no idea what it's like,” she sighed.
“What what's like?”
Katie's head shot up, her eyes red and swollen. “Being betrayed!” She cried. “Having your own friends and family turn on you for no reason. You, with your freedom and no one to tell you what to do―you have no idea what it was like.”
Lila thought back to how she had felt just a few short moments before. “I might have some idea.”
“Oh? How's that?”
“ Nevermind.” Lila poked at the fire again, a little too vigorously. The stick she was holding cracked and she threw it into the middle of the flames.
As quickly as it had come, Katie's anger disappeared and her shoulders slumped. She wiped her nose with one hand, cradling her belly with the other. “I'm all alone in the world, I'll never find my husband, our baby will be born in some primitive camp with no medical attention,
Lila stopped the train of thought short. There were far too many “ifs” to get excited just yet. It might not be a way out. There could be wolves on the outside as well. Or hostile people. No, this was something that needed more preparation than launching herself through the hole in the ceiling without a second thought.
Swallowing back the thrill of hope in her throat, Lila reluctantly turned away from the sunlight and the breeze that smelled of honeysuckle and pine. She listened to the wind sighing through the trees, steeling her heart as she turned around and set off running back the way she had come.
So Lila ran. She ran so fast that her feet ached from pounding against the hard concrete, and her breath was sharp in her chest. She ran, despite the sinking in her heart at every step that she took away from the sunlight, until the bobbing beam of the flashlight was the only illumination to guide her way. She hit the first branch, and then the second with barely a pause, tossing the backpack through the grate before sliding through. Seeker danced through in front of her and licked Lila's face. Lila managed a laugh and swatted at the dog playfully, switching the flashlight off and sliding it back into the pack.
Katie was sitting by the fire, her face blotchy from crying. She jumped up as Lila approached, wiping her nose with the back of one hand. “I thought you got lost or something,” she said, managing to make the sentence sound accusatory.
Lila was torn between sympathy and irritation at Katie's tone. “I haven't been gone that long,” she replied, dropping the backpack in the pile and walking over to the stream to gather more meat too cook. She could only ignore the complaints of her stomach for so long. She grabbed the pot, which she didn't fail to notice was now empty, and refilled it with the same ingredients as the night before. Setting the pot back on its rock, she crouched down next to the fire and poked it with a stick to coax the embers back to life. She sat on her heels, regarding Katie through the newly awakened flames.
“I guess I should apologize.” Katie sniffed and swiped at her nose again. The words were so quiet that Lila barely heard them.
“I guess you should.”
Katie had opened her mouth, but shut it at Lila's tone. “I shouldn't have hit the dog.”
“Seeker. And no you shouldn't.”
“Seeker?”
Lila gestured in the direction of the dog. “Hey!” She yelled when she saw Seeker in the stream near the deer meat, head half buried in the water. At the shout, Seeker's head popped up and the dog skipped away to the other side of the stream with a shoulder of venison in her mouth. Lila sighed and waved her hand at the dog. “Seeker. The dog is named Seeker.”
Katie swallowed hard and nodded. “I shouldn't have hit Seeker. I wasn't really mad at her...”
“She didn't know that.” Sure seemed like it to me, Lila added silently.
A fresh tear rolled down Katie's cheek. “You have no idea what it's like,” she sighed.
“What what's like?”
Katie's head shot up, her eyes red and swollen. “Being betrayed!” She cried. “Having your own friends and family turn on you for no reason. You, with your freedom and no one to tell you what to do―you have no idea what it was like.”
Lila thought back to how she had felt just a few short moments before. “I might have some idea.”
“Oh? How's that?”
“ Nevermind.” Lila poked at the fire again, a little too vigorously. The stick she was holding cracked and she threw it into the middle of the flames.
As quickly as it had come, Katie's anger disappeared and her shoulders slumped. She wiped her nose with one hand, cradling her belly with the other. “I'm all alone in the world, I'll never find my husband, our baby will be born in some primitive camp with no medical attention,
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