“Maybe they’ll tell us one day, we have to be prepared though. It'll be one day soon.” Sophie was about to continue when I hear heavy footsteps come up behind me. A strong peppermint smell engulfs me.
“Good evening ladies. Good soup?” Xavier asks from behind me. I look over my shoulder at him. He is wearing a pair of loose-fitting black jeans and a dark green sweater, his hair hanging damply around his head.
“The soup is actually great. God, I can't remember the last time I had a real meal,” I say as I shove another spoonful in, emphasising my point. Everyone laughs as Xavier sits beside Vivienne. The chatter between them flows, but I stay silent most of the time. The day was finally starting to wear me down. I finish my bowl and sit back and yawn.
“Well, I think I'm going to get some sleep. Thanks for letting me sit here.” I stand as I say this, grabbing my bowl. Sophie and Vivienne give me a smile and go back to chatting.
Xavier eyes me. “Did you want me to walk you back?” he asks. Vivienne shoots him a look I couldn’t place before quickly turning back to Sophie. I suck my bottom lip nervously.
“Do you really think I need protecting from here to my room? I'm good. Thank you though.” He shrugs his shoulders and goes back to listening to the girls. I quickly dump my bowl at the canteen and make my way to my room.
I peel off my sneakers. I pull the thin sheets back and take off my tracksuit before climbing in. I reposition my pillow a few times before finally resting my head. My whole body aches from the events that had unravelled today. I could only imagine what tomorrow was going to be like.
CHAPTER 11
Trying to get my legs to cooperate with me was the first challenge of the morning. Who knew a small jog would cripple me so much? I throw on a pair of shorts and my sneakers before I make my way over to the food tent. I wonder what time it is, everyone around me seems to be busy with some sort of task.
I’m handed an apple and banana; I smile thankfully and walk back towards the embers of last night’s fire. I eat them slowly as I plan for the day. The layout seemed easy to memorise so I wouldn’t worry much about that, but what I did know is that I needed to get in shape. Reluctantly, I decide to head into the arena. I was almost certain I'd be here long enough to memorise the place inside and out. Tomorrow, before dawn, I was leaving to meet Zeke. I am greeted with a warm smile as I enter the arena. Luke is standing shirtless in the sand ring, a boxing bag standing up in front of him. Sweat covers him, head to toe. I stop in front of the ring and lean against the wood.
“I'm glad to see you're fitting in well. Has Xavier been useful?” Luke asks, wiping sweat from his brow. I stride over to the treadmill and set it on a brisk walk.
“Yeah, he’s been great. The patrol nearly killed me yesterday so I thought I’d better try and get into better shape,” I call over my shoulder. I hear the thud of fists hitting the bag before Luke says anything else.
“I'm glad. The patrols are the best. If you ever get sick of the bikes you're always welcome to run the perimeter. I know how boring it gets when you have to stare at the wall for hours on end,” Luke calls gruffly, the thudding begins again. I contemplate this. I could easily ask for the combination to the gate now.
“Oh, thank you. Where does the bathing river lead to?” I ask curiously. The thudding stops.
“It heads behind the camp but it’s too far to walk just for a drink so that's why we installed the wells. Easier access and saves multiple trips in the hot weather.” Luke's footsteps thud on the ground as he comes up beside my machine.
“Oh, okay. At my old place there was one directly behind the house. It was my only source of water.” I keep the conversation light, not ready to get onto the subject of anything unusual. I increase my speed so I’m sitting on a light jog. He jumps on the machine next to me and goes at the same pace.
“That's pretty cool; it's like your own personal bath.” When he laughs lightly, I can’t help but join in. My calves and thighs start to burn, so I bite my lip to keep myself focused on a different pain.
“How about we train in here until lunch, then you can join the meeting with me to figure out what group can go and trade in two days’ time?” Luke sounds like he hasn't been jogging for the last fifteen minutes, while I'm over here on the brink of death.
“Sounds good,” I rasp, which just caused him to laugh. I focus on my breathing instead of the pain that’s coursing through each leg, I couldn't remember how far away the tree was that Zeke and I had stopped at, but I really hope it isn't that far. No one will believe I've gone for a run if I'm practically dragging myself everywhere tomorrow.
“Have you made many friends yet?” I had to think about his question. I wouldn't say I've made any friends, but I would say they've become acquaintances. Xavier would probably be the only person close to a friend.
“I really only know Xavier, Cassius, Sophie and Vivienne. I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone else yet. I didn't realise how busy it would be here.” I wasn't super keen on the idea of making more than a handful of friends, but I needed everyone to trust and vouch for me if I was going to execute this plan correctly and not get killed in the process.
“Cassius is a good kid. He's only been here for a few years, but he’s really proven himself,” I wonder what he’d be up to now. Maybe I’d be able to catch him later.
“He seems lovely. He told me a lot about the patrols and stuff, which was nice. He's easy enough to talk too.” I wipe my brow with the back of my hand. Wearing this hoodie had been a huge mistake, it feels like an oven. I slow down to a slow walk and try to catch my breath, rolling the sleeves of my hoodie up.
“How about we go through the simple motions of how to use a knife?” I stop and look at Luke; he stops his and pulls out two medium sized hunting knives.
“Yeah okay, fine let’s do this.” I follow Luke to the sand ring and climb through the gap in between the wood. We walk into the centre, he passes me a knife.
“Okay first things first, make sure the knife is always pointed away from your body, and keep a firm grip on the handle.” I do as he says, the knife feeling foreign in my hand, he does the same.
“Alright good. Now get in a defence stance, like this.” He steps one foot back and holds the knife up; guarding his body. I do my best to copy.
“Now I want you to try and stab me.” I eye him warily but do as he says; he hits my arm away and draws his knife on me.
“Again.” We repeat this over and over, until I finally land a small knick on the top of his arm. He smiles down at me proudly; the midday sun beats down on us. Sweat drips down my forehead. I felt like I was on fire.
“We’ll call it a day. Go and bathe, then meet me at the fire pit when you're done. I'll wait for you there.” Luke gives me one last glance before leaving me alone. My legs quiver like jelly as I climb out of the ring. All the vampires were lying down. The least they could have done was given them some shade. I was in desperate need of a bath. I walk as normally as possible back to my room and collapse on the bed, exhaustion settling into my bones. I wasn't a tough girl; I wasn't used to hard work like this. I rummage through my things and find a pair of black shorts and a brown singlet, I'm sure they'd do the job perfectly.
Sure enough, Luke is waiting at the fire pit as I walk over twenty minutes later. He’d changed into a light blue cuffed shirt with a pair of black jeans. I follow him past the food tent; he peels open the front as we step inside. A red mat covers the dirt floor, a large rectangle table sat in the middle of the room; a worn down brown chair empty opposite where everyone was standing.
Luke gestures for me to stand with the crowd while he takes the empty chair. Andre, Xavier, Sophie and Vivienne are the only faces I recognise at the table.
“Now, let's talk about this trade. What have we got to offer and how many should we send for the next run? It's in two days and we need to be prepared,” Luke says firmly.
“We have an endless supply of books in the school room, why can't we get rid of some o
f them?” Sophie asks, my heart begins to speed up. They had books here. I could sneak one into my room and finally read.
“Words are knowledge and knowledge is power. We would need to be very careful what books we traded. They're fairly valuable these days,” Xavier answers, tapping his fingers on the table. Sophie grumbles.
“Xavier has a point; we don’t want those books getting into the wrong hands.” The voice came from a heavily built male, his voice rich with a Russian accent as he enters the room, filling the spot across from Sophie, directly next to Luke.
“God, okay, I get it…bad idea.” Sophie throws her hands up in the air before crossing her arms over her chest.
“You young girls will never understand the true value of books,” the Russian man says gruffly. I rest my hands on the table. His name finally clicks. Artur.
“Excuse me?” I ask, annoyed he would put me in that category without knowing me. Sophie looks at me surprised. He rubs his hands together while he looks at me.
“Did I stutter? You young girls don’t know a thing about books and I doubt you know how to read. You did come from the slums,” he comments. I take a deep breath and try to calm my increasing temper.
“You have no idea who I am, you only know vague information. So instead of being a judgemental bastard, I would advise you to keep your comments about me and Sophie to yourself,” I say coolly, leaning back and taking my hands off the table. He slams his fists onto the table.
“Enough! Far out Artur, calm down and give the ladies a break,” Luke snaps. Artur scowls at me as he stands down. Sophie smiles at me.
“Now, what do we need?” I ask, looking around the table. Luke taps his finger on the table, debating this.
“We need more seeds to grow crops,” a middle-aged tanned woman says from the end of the table.
“Also, more washing up cloths, we’re on our last pack,” I recognise this voice; it was from the guy that had served me last night.
“Ah yes, the food tent also needs some more hands. It’s out of control trying to feed everyone here and then us, as well as the washing up,” the tanned woman mentions, motioning to the kitchen boy.
“Maybe if we didn’t accept strangers into the group we wouldn’t have this problem,” Artur scoffs, still not impressed with what I’d said. Luke shuts his eyes for a moment.
“If we have no people, we have nothing. Numbers are our strongest asset at the moment,” Luke replies, rubbing both his temples. He must have this conversation regularly.
“Fine, what about putting more members on to help train everyone? We are running ourselves ragged with it,” Artur counters, leaning into the table.
“Hey dude, chill. I know it sucks ass at the moment but it’ll get better. Give Luke some slack, he’s doing the best he can,” Xavier chimes in, leaving Artur to sulk.
“Seriously, this happens every time we have a meeting,” Sophie points out as she looks around.
“It’s not my fault our needs aren’t being met,” Artur looks at her angrily, scrunching his face up.
“Did you not hear what Xavier just said?” Vivienne asks as she taps the table.
“Viv, it’s alright,” Sophie coaxes, reaching over the table and giving her hand a quick squeeze.
“Okay, enough. So, we need seeds and cloths so far. What about weapons? You can never have too many blades,” Xavier asks; keeping his eyes firmly on Luke. Luke stops tapping and runs a hand through his hair.
“It wouldn’t hurt to get some smaller hunting knives. We need to start teaching the newbie’s how to fight and defend themselves,” Artur speaks up, his eyes narrowing at me. As if waiting for an objection. I raise an eyebrow at him, tempting him to say more.
“Okay, so weapons, seeds and cloths. Soap also needs to be added to that list. I’ll lead the patrol and I need five more willing to come. We’ll leave tomorrow, in the early morning, so whoever is coming has to be ready.” Luke eyes everyone, waiting for volunteers. Sophie reluctantly puts her hand up.
“Fine, I’ll come.” She pouts as she puts her hand back down. I didn’t take her as a morning person, not that I blame her.
“Yeah, count me in,” Xavier chimes in. He winks at Sophie which causes her to scowl at him before looking away. Vivienne, the farm lady and Artur all volunteer. This could be my chance to get back up to level three without getting caught by anyone important. This could be my only chance.
“Alright, it’s settled. We’ll meet at the front gate. Be ready.” With Luke’s dismissal everyone starts chatting amongst themselves, the tension from seconds ago dissipating. I quietly slip out of the tent.
I didn’t have any plans for the rest of the afternoon, with Zeke coming so early in the morning I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep through the night. I would need a nap sometime before dinner.
I decide to head over to just past the farming section was a small area of shaded green grass. I prop myself against the farm shed and watch the world move forward around me.
*
It was late afternoon by the time I finish daydreaming. I shake myself as I stand up, my legs constricting with pins and needles. The sun has started to set, casting a warm orange glow over the area. I dress in my black tights and dark blue sweater, letting my hair flow around me. As I’m making the last adjustments to my look as I leave my tent Vivienne walks out of Xavier’s. She stops and stares at me fixing my hair. I lower my hands.
“Hey, Vivienne.” I watch her; she keeps her head down as she heads past me.
“Hi,” she mumbles as she passes me. I look between her and Xavier’s tent.
“Are you okay?” I turn. She seemed smaller than I am which surprises me considering she’s been here longer than me.
“Fine.” She leaves before I have a chance to ask more questions. I stand there for a moment; I was torn between staying and pestering her more and leaving to give her space.
“If you ever need to talk, I’m here. I know we don’t know each other, and I’m a complete stranger, but I hope I haven’t done anything to make you uncomfortable.” I call out to her, I doubt she’ll take me up on the offer to talk, she had Sophie after all. I stopped suddenly, realising that I’d not once seen the girl that was with Luke the first since I’d joined the group. Where had she gotten to? As well as the rest of his team?
I stroll into the food tent, quickly grabbing a bowl of what looked like soup again. I scan the fire area looking for an empty space. Cassius catches my eye and waves me over. I sit beside him and smile apologetically.
“Gosh, I probably look like a lost puppy all the time.” He laughs lightly as he stirs his spoon around in his bowl.
“Oh, you know, just most of the time.” I laugh at this and he grins up at me; he has a cute dimple on his left cheek when he grins. I have to restrain myself from touching it. We sit by ourselves; I wonder where all his friends are.
“So, how was your day?” I ask, slowly working the soup around in my bowl. He shrugs as he has a mouthful.
“It was alright. I helped farm for most of the day. It’s not the best job to do, but it has to be done I guess.” I look up at him; he was staring down at his bowl. What was with everyone being so moody today?
“Oh, alright. That’s nice of you then.” We eat in silence after that. It was nice not having to talk. Slowly, others join us and chat amongst themselves. I stay quiet as Cassius joins into their conversation. In this moment, I feel like an intruder so I excuse myself and leave my empty bowl at the canteen.
I barricade myself in my room and take out a candle, lighting it and sitting it beside the bed. I lie down and stare at the ceiling. What the hell was I meant to do for the next few hours until I had to sneak out? I could join the night patrol, although I think my legs would give out. As if answering my prayers, a soft knock sounds outside my room. I sit up.
“Come in.” I readjust my sweater as Xavier strolls in. He arches an eyebrow at me, surveying my room.
“Are you doing some sort of ritual?” he asks, smirking
at the candle. I roll my eyes at him.
“Wow, looks like you’ve caught me. The sacrificial human has just arrived.” We both laugh at this. He gestures towards the empty space next to me on the bed and I shuffle over to give him room to sit down. His thigh and shoulder press against mine, I find the warmth welcoming.
“So, what’re you up to for the rest of the night?” he asks, giving me a lopsided smile, his wavy hair falling over part of his face. He licks his lips as I sit there, stunned. I hadn’t realised how attractive he was. We’re in my room...alone. My heart kicks into gear as my skin tingles where our bodies are connected.
“Oh, nothing. I was planning to just spend the night in here relaxing.” I brush my hair behind my ears, looking at him from under my eyelashes.
“Yourself?” My voice comes out softer than I intended. I was letting my guard down.
“I was just thinking of having a quiet night. Are you ready for the patrol tomorrow afternoon? If there’s anything trapped, the boys can take it back and we can finish the course so you’re at least familiar with it.” He laughs softly, the vibration flowing into me. I chuckle with him.
“Yeah, I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Hopefully, my legs can keep up. I didn’t realise how out of shape I was, honestly.” I stand and tidy my room up, keeping myself distracted.
“Yeah, everyone is surprised at the amount of exercise that needs to be done when they first get here. Like, it’s crazy, right?” I hear my bed creak and sneak a glance in his direction; he’s sprawled out on my bed with his arms behind his head. It was just big enough to fit him.
“It is. Honestly, my life before this was so easy. No one knew where I lived, I had my own river behind the house, and the trade market was in town. Everything was easy.” I place the shirt I was folding down beside the bed with the others.
“It may have been easy, but you’re so thin. You weren’t eating enough, you’re like a stick. I don’t mean to intrude, but I’m glad you decided to come here. I think it’ll do you some good and get you healthy again.” Xavier keeps his eyes focused on the ceiling. I look down at myself; the few days of eating well had already had a positive effect on me. My face didn’t look so hollow and my eyes seem brighter; the red ring around my pupil had expanded slightly. That’s what my reflection in the river had told me anyway. In a few weeks, I doubt I’d recognise myself.
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