Young Writers Society

Lucius had never wanted to punch someone in the face more than currently with Wila. It wasn’t worth a knife to the gut, though, so he refrained. “First you show us knives, then you don’t inform me about danger until the last second. I’d appreciate it very much if you walked off right now. That way.” He gestured to a random direction.

“Luc, you gotta believe me when I say I don’t mean you guys any harm.” Wila held her hands out, palms facing upwards. In Lucius’s opinion, it was pitiful offer of peace. “Besides, isn’t it really cool to have a badass knife-wielding teenager on your team?”

“Not when said teenager is not loyal,” Lucius replied. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving his bangs bent backwards despite the slight comfort it had given his forehead. The cool temperature was bearable now. “What’d you think Claud would say?”

Wila’s amused façade crumpled and her lips drew tight. She eyed him to see if he was joking. He wasn’t. She shifted her weight onto her right leg. “He won’t say anything if you don’t word it like that.”

“How else could I put it?” Lucius let the corner of his mouth lift into a smirk, knowing that he held the upper hand. Having a goblet to swish in front of her face like an aristocrat or even king would feel great right now. “You don’t seriously think I’m going to keep this from him?”

The girl rubbed her fingers against each other. She had pulled back her sleeves after revealing her knives, and Lucius noticed the white lines and scabs of cuts lining her hands and the visible parts of her arms. It didn’t look like she was very skilled with those blades. “… C’mon, have some pity? Someone as young as me wandering around alone would be bad-“

“For you.”

“Yes. For me.” Wila managed an exasperated roll of the eyes. “And hey, I’m not the best with these weapons. Surely you can overpower me if it comes down to it. Mikhail’s here, too.”

“You were the one telling me how much I sucked at fighting, and even if I was a karate master, I can’t do anything about it in my sleep.” Lucius crossed his arm and relished the chance to throw her words back at her. His knuckle bumped against the lighter and he was reminded of the assassination attempt that had taken place not too long ago. The things he could forget were amazing. While Wila struggled to come up with a convincing point, he twisted his head to scan the surroundings. There was nothing but rows of trees and bushes, none of which dense enough to hide a person wearing anything short of army camouflage. It could not be said that he didn’t learn from before, because he checked the screen of branches overhead for opponents as well. Not even a bird resided, which Lucius found a little strange. That is, the part about no birds. He was more than relieved to find no people.

Mikhail had sat down at some point and was peeling bark off of a tree, body slouched and legs crossed. His face was turned away. Lucius made a mental reminder to apologize to him later for excluding him. Then, he remembered the private conversation between Mikhail and Wila earlier. Never mind, Lucius thought, not petty at all. Nope.

“Hello?” Wila waved her hand inches from his nose, bringing his attention back to her. Her face was still pale, but a pout sat on her face. One hand resting on her hip, she pointed to herself. “We were talking about my fate? Life and death, you know?”

“I doubt it’s that serious,” Lucius grumbled. Thinking about it, it probably was. They had encountered two attacks in such a short time span, and a lone target like Wila would attract even more. Even she was more skilled with the knives that she claimed, she would be overcome rather quickly. Lucius blinked. Wait, he was sympathizing with her. He hit himself on the head, ignoring Wila’s confusion, and frowned. This was his own life he was risking. Furthermore, he hadn’t accomplished anything yet… Now he was considering murder again. What would Arianna say? For all that he said when  joining the group, he hadn't thought the prospect through, and things suddenly felt a lot more difficult once he had.

His sister would scold him. Tell him not to drag others into their situation. She would beat her hands on his chest and prod his cheeks until he agreed to her pacifistic demands with a sigh. If she were here, she’d take along Wila quicker than a hummingbird could flap its wings.

But she’s not here, Lucius told himself. He was doing this for her and would go to lengths a child’s mind could not comprehend. What mattered here was not what she would want him to do, but what he knew would help her. If the voice was correct, then Arianna would not remember him anyway.That twisted his heart like clay in a convoluted manner that the greatest poets could not express, but rationality proved it right. It was the right path, the right decision, through and through.

“Luc! Stop forgetting about me!”