Hello everyone reading! I decided to rewrite the last of chapter 11 because it wasn't really going anywhere, and I didn't like it much. It was kind of a warm-up since I haven't been writing much recently. This is completely re-written, so I hope you enjoy it!(:
“Elle? Are you awake?”
I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“You need to eat something.”
Through my eyelashes, I see Lyra looming over me. I stretch out my legs, not fully awake. Stiff, I try sitting up some. Once Lyra thought I was ready, she set a tray of fruit like before. I begin to pick through the display of colorful foods. Once my mind clears from sleep, I remember what Trenton said to me. I am not hungry anymore.
“Elle, what’s wrong? Is it your wrist?” Lyra’s hands darted to my wrist, scanning for any sign of pain or infection.
“No, I am fine.” I keep my voice steady.
Lyra studies me for a moment, then nods her head. “Alright.”
Just as Lyra begins to walk out, I ask her, “When will I be able to walk again?”
“Soon enough. You just need to regain strength,” she replies, her back already turning towards me to leave. I let Lyra leave, the door closing softly behind her while I pick at my food. In almost a state of fascination, I watch my long, white fingers poke at the colorful display of different fruit. Then I look at my right arm, seeing the horrible bruising shade of purple cover my skin. How could something so delicate and innocent turn into a monster?
This feeling of loneliness was horrible. In the cell, I knew that I still had people who care about me, wanting to free me. Now, I had no one. My grandmother was imprisoned, maybe even killed. The only person I had was Trenton, now he was gone too. I don’t even know what I did to make him go. I will stop fussing over it. I will let him be. Maybe it’s for the best.
I lay my head back on my pillow, closing my eyes, soaking in this moment. It has been a while since I felt safe and secure, in a warm bed. I almost forgot how nice it felt. All this worry, regret, how can someone survive it? Not even trying to fight against it, I felt the drag of sleep pull me down.
The heaviness of sleep was still pushing down on me when I open my eyes. In seconds, I turn from confused to frightened. The whole house was filled with footsteps, whimpers and voices all unfamiliar to me.
Across from my bed, Lyra is standing over a man who was severely injured. I could see mass amounts of blood dripping from a gaping wound on his upper leg. I had to look away to prevent nausea. What’s going on? What happened? I search my surroundings.
“Elle, everything will be fine.” Lyra notices that I had woke, but doesn’t leave the man’s side. “Trenton!”
At the sound of his name, Trenton comes running in. He says, “There are too many of them. We need more help.”
Frustrated that no one is telling me anything, I say, “What’s going on?”
“Please take her out,” Lyra begs Trenton, almost seeming irritated with me.
Trenton come to my bedside and helps me out of my sheets. Why is he doing this? What’s going on? Instead of forcing me to stand, he picks me up by wrapping his arm under my knees and back.
“What’s going on?” I ask, wiggling in Trenton’s grip.
He steps out of the room that I had occupied for a while now into a chaotic one. People, all sharing similar wounds, were crying in pain, scattered about. Others tried to care for them, only to seem to give up.
“Trenton, what happened?” I ask, more forcefully. “Trenton?”
“I just need to get you out of here.” Trenton didn’t seem to struggle with carrying me.
“Why are you carrying me?”
“You can’t walk.” Trenton gets me out of the house, out a back door into a dense forrest of trees and brambles.
“Let me down,” I order.
“No.” Trenton doesn’t let go. Instead, he carries me further into the woods.
I fidget in his arms, hoping he will let go. I don’t want him carrying me after what he said to me.
“Just leave me alone. I thought that’s what you wanted,” I say, purposely being cruel about how I say it.
“Won’t you let me explain?” Trenton asks. Soon as he says it, the trees thin to an open area, only large enough for a small herd of deer. Across from me was a stream, light reflecting off of it.
“I think you explained enough. I get it. You don’t want to associate with me. Just leave me alone,” I say with finality.
Trenton drops my legs and sits me down in the grass. He says something quietly to himself.
“Go.” It pains me to say it, but I knew that it would be said eventually.
“Just let me explain-”
“Explain what? The reason why you hate me so? Please, explain.” I nearly scream at him.
“You don’t understand, Elle.” Trenton tries defending himself.
“Then let me understand.”
“Fine, if you want to know so badly, this is why. I didn’t want to hurt you again. I thought that maybe, if I distanced myself, you would be safer. But you know what? It wasn’t easy. I couldn’t do it. Obviously it didn’t work so well, did it?”
That can’t be the reason, can it? What have I caused?
“No. It didn’t. Maybe just the opposite.” Trenton throws a rock off into the distance. “Now you have nothing to say?”
Everything went quiet. My voice broke through it, saying, “Did you really think that I wouldn’t get hurt if you distanced yourself?”
Trenton goes silent. His silence telling me “yes”.
I sigh and look up, saying, “Well, you thought wrong. I am a target. Always have been. Either way, I am going to get hurt somehow. It is never your fault. Tell me, do you believe in what I say?”
Trenton looks back at me, a look I missed. Friendship. Unable to stop myself, I throw myself at him, locking my arms tightly around his neck. I feel him do the same around my back. I feel good again, happy that this didn’t matter anymore. I wasn’t hurt anymore.
I break off, able to look at him again. An uncontrollable laughter forms, and I can’t stop. The feeling is amazing, the feeling that someone cares for me. As soon as my joy comes, it goes with a single thought, a single question. I turn serious, my body going cold. I ask, “What happened? What happened to those people?”
Trenton’s happiness faded. He says slowly, “The city of Erelle was attacked. Many were wounded, sent up to Abell. It is safer here. Some stayed to defend, others fled to neighboring cities. The people you saw stayed to defend. That’s not nearly as many as they started with.”
How could this happen? Why did this happen?
“The King knows you’re here and won’t give up until he has you.”
I hope this is somewhat better than my last post. I am still kinda rusty.(:
