me made me feel better for some
reason.
Would I ever get used to
physical contact? Because of the years of rules that had been pounded into my
brain, perhaps not. Contact at my compound had been merely about producing
offspring. But here we were free to touch, cuddle, kiss, as I’d seen many of
the couples do at night. As much as I’d always craved closeness, it made me
uneasy.
I rolled my eyes skyward,
mentally shaking aside the thoughts. This wasn’t about romance and friendship,
it was about learning to survive.
Will released his hold. “Go!”
I took off, darting through the
trees, leaping over patches of weeds and fallen branches. As children we’d
played hide and seek, but this was an adult version, a version I needed to win
in order to stay alive. But within moments I was breathless, my weak body screaming
out in betrayal. Determined to win, I stumbled on.
For days we’d been walking,
headed toward that elusive meeting point where we’d connect with the children
once more, hoping we didn’t run into any beautiful ones. And every evening, as the
others rested, Will and I trained. Trained so hard that my muscles constantly
trembled with exhaustion, trained so hard that at times I didn’t think I could
go on. At least I slept well at night. One small consolation.
When we’d take breaks during the
day hikes, Will would give me what books he had been able to carry with him. I
was currently reading a novel on the history of the world. Interesting, yes,
but there was nothing about the beautiful ones, and at the moment they were all
I cared about.
I ducked under a low-hanging
branch. In the days I’d been with him I’d grown to respect Will. I might not
have liked him at times, but I trusted him. And I could even say that Kelly was
becoming a friend. The others weren’t so easy to figure out, and were obviously
leery about letting me into their tight group, even if the sudden appearance of
newbies, as Tony called us, was common.
I darted left, headed downhill.
But my untrained body gave out, propelling me forward and I ended up sliding in
the damp earth. “Damn.”
Coming to a rest at the bottom,
just inches from a small creek, I took a brief moment to suck in some much-needed
air. Surely Will was already after me. I glanced back up the hill and saw the
deep grooves my boots had left behind in the mud. Will would see those tell-tale
marks and he’d follow. With a groan of frustration, I stood. Mud covered the
side of my trousers, caked into the material. I wanted to curse all over again.
Clothing was limited, and I had only two pair of trousers to my name. But I
didn’t have time to lament my bad fortune.
Although it was only Will
chasing me, it might as well have been a beautiful one. My heart hammered, urging
me to continue on, but I needed to remain calm. I studied the forest, taking in
each shadow, every nook. Hide or run?
Run.
But where to go? Will had told
me to head downwind, so the beautiful ones couldn’t smell me. But I wasn’t
running from a beautiful one. Will would easily follow my tracks down this hill,
and he’d assume I was listening and I’d run downwind. I glanced up the steep
slope. I didn’t just need to know how to protect myself from the beautiful
ones, I needed to know how to protect myself period, no matter who the enemy.
And at the moment Will was the enemy.
“Uphill it is.” I gripped a
branch and pulled myself back up the hill, this time making sure not to leave
any prints. Sweat trailed down my neck and back, as my muscles screamed in
protest. So weak that my head throbbed with each step I took. But I couldn’t
give up. I wouldn’t.
Hopefully Will would think I’d
headed downhill, giving me a few minutes to catch my breath. But most likely
not. We’d been doing this for three days and every time Will had found me
within ten minutes. At the top of the hill, I took a moment to glance around. Where
was he? Where was I? Pressing my hands onto my thighs, I
reason.
Would I ever get used to
physical contact? Because of the years of rules that had been pounded into my
brain, perhaps not. Contact at my compound had been merely about producing
offspring. But here we were free to touch, cuddle, kiss, as I’d seen many of
the couples do at night. As much as I’d always craved closeness, it made me
uneasy.
I rolled my eyes skyward,
mentally shaking aside the thoughts. This wasn’t about romance and friendship,
it was about learning to survive.
Will released his hold. “Go!”
I took off, darting through the
trees, leaping over patches of weeds and fallen branches. As children we’d
played hide and seek, but this was an adult version, a version I needed to win
in order to stay alive. But within moments I was breathless, my weak body screaming
out in betrayal. Determined to win, I stumbled on.
For days we’d been walking,
headed toward that elusive meeting point where we’d connect with the children
once more, hoping we didn’t run into any beautiful ones. And every evening, as the
others rested, Will and I trained. Trained so hard that my muscles constantly
trembled with exhaustion, trained so hard that at times I didn’t think I could
go on. At least I slept well at night. One small consolation.
When we’d take breaks during the
day hikes, Will would give me what books he had been able to carry with him. I
was currently reading a novel on the history of the world. Interesting, yes,
but there was nothing about the beautiful ones, and at the moment they were all
I cared about.
I ducked under a low-hanging
branch. In the days I’d been with him I’d grown to respect Will. I might not
have liked him at times, but I trusted him. And I could even say that Kelly was
becoming a friend. The others weren’t so easy to figure out, and were obviously
leery about letting me into their tight group, even if the sudden appearance of
newbies, as Tony called us, was common.
I darted left, headed downhill.
But my untrained body gave out, propelling me forward and I ended up sliding in
the damp earth. “Damn.”
Coming to a rest at the bottom,
just inches from a small creek, I took a brief moment to suck in some much-needed
air. Surely Will was already after me. I glanced back up the hill and saw the
deep grooves my boots had left behind in the mud. Will would see those tell-tale
marks and he’d follow. With a groan of frustration, I stood. Mud covered the
side of my trousers, caked into the material. I wanted to curse all over again.
Clothing was limited, and I had only two pair of trousers to my name. But I
didn’t have time to lament my bad fortune.
Although it was only Will
chasing me, it might as well have been a beautiful one. My heart hammered, urging
me to continue on, but I needed to remain calm. I studied the forest, taking in
each shadow, every nook. Hide or run?
Run.
But where to go? Will had told
me to head downwind, so the beautiful ones couldn’t smell me. But I wasn’t
running from a beautiful one. Will would easily follow my tracks down this hill,
and he’d assume I was listening and I’d run downwind. I glanced up the steep
slope. I didn’t just need to know how to protect myself from the beautiful
ones, I needed to know how to protect myself period, no matter who the enemy.
And at the moment Will was the enemy.
“Uphill it is.” I gripped a
branch and pulled myself back up the hill, this time making sure not to leave
any prints. Sweat trailed down my neck and back, as my muscles screamed in
protest. So weak that my head throbbed with each step I took. But I couldn’t
give up. I wouldn’t.
Hopefully Will would think I’d
headed downhill, giving me a few minutes to catch my breath. But most likely
not. We’d been doing this for three days and every time Will had found me
within ten minutes. At the top of the hill, I took a moment to glance around. Where
was he? Where was I? Pressing my hands onto my thighs, I
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