Page 24 of Entangled in the Woods
“Nothing we can’t handle. I’m sure it’ll get worse over the next two weekends as teams get more desperate.” Everett finished his food and began scooping seconds onto his plate.
“Well, we had an interesting day.” We all looked at Kleio as she spoke, and my face turned red as she beamed at me. “Elise saved a rare tree today.” Everyone but Gavrill stared at her with a blank look. “She used Gavrill’s blood to fertilize it.”
Kleio smiled before she popped a piece of steak into her mouth and chewed. Then everyone turned to look at Gavrill. He continued to eat his food, unbothered by the sudden attention.
Everett stopped eating as he turned to where I was sitting. “I thought I told you to keep a low profile.”
Kleio quickly stepped in, saying, “It was just us, Everett. No one saw. We were deep in the woods. Gavrill didn’t even cry when his finger was pricked.”
Gavrill stabbed the food on his plate violently, grumbling something unintelligible. Everett shook his head and continued to eat.
“Well, I thought it was fun.” She smiled at me.
The meal was finished in silence. Jack and I picked up the dishes and stacked them next to the bucket of water we used for washing. I could feel a prickling sensation on the back of my neck as I placed the last dirty plate on top of the stack.
Rubbing my neck, I turned around to see Everett and Gavrill talking quietly to one another on a purple floral couch. Gavrill glanced at me quickly before looking away. Something told me I was the topic of their conversation.
Kostas broke my line of sight as he stepped in front of me. I sighed. “I wash, you dry?”
Halfway through the dishes, Kostas bowed his head as a gesture of goodbye to Everett and Wilder as they exited the back of the tent. I looked up to see Everett staring at me, but he turned away, leaving me to stare at the flap of the tent he left fluttering in his wake.
“Are they headed back out to hunt?” I asked.
Kostas turned to me and nodded. I couldn’t believe they had energy to keep going.
“They’ll be out there all night and most of the day tomorrow,” he answered. One more sleep and one more day until I could go back to my cabin and restart.
Everyone retired early to their tents. Jack chased Kleio to their tent, and I could hear her giggles across the campsite.
Maybe someday, after I had completed my schooling and gotten a job that could support myself and help my parents, I would allow myself to find someone. Kleio and Jack seemed sohappy together. Their love was contagious and made me want some for myself.
Lying on my side in the bed, I promised myself I would get there one day. I just needed to follow the path and not stray like I had this weekend.
No more distractions.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
On Sunday morning,I woke up surprisingly refreshed from last night’s sleep. Maybe it was the fresh air or maybe it was my head injury, but I had slept soundly. Not being woken up by pounding doors or with a headache made it easier to roll out of bed reenergized.
I reached my arms above my head, stretching and groaning loudly as my muscles released. I could smell myself. Not taking a shower for the last two days had taken its toll. I no longer smelled of the cucumber soap I used during my showers. First thing I would do when I got back was jump into the shower and get all the sweat and grime off my skin.
Unwrapping the bandage around my head, I cringed as I felt some follicles pull from my scalp with the tape. The wound was almost healed. It barely hurt when I felt it carefully with my fingers. There was no need for more paper-towel bandages.
Next, I rubbed some of the bottled water under my arms. It wasn’t the best, but it would work for now. I made a mental note to put a small stick of deodorant in my purse moving forward.
Thinking of my purse, I reached and pulled out the red-mulberry leaf I had stowed there yesterday. When I got back to the cabin, I would press it into my journal. The sap was stillsticky on the end of the stem. I made a mental note to harvest that before I pressed the leaf. It was interesting that it had sprouted near a stream. Maybe it was an undocumented species of red mulberry? One that tolerated waterlogged soil? My body tingled with the possibilities.
Tossing my bag over my shoulder, I exited my tent and made my way to the large one. I could smell bacon even before I lifted the flap to enter. Gavrill was finishing dishing up breakfast when I sat down at the table. I thanked him as he set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.
“Today’s the day,” he said, sitting next to me with his own plate of food. “Everett will drop you off at your cabin once the wards lift at noon.”
A sense of relief came over me at his words. Everyone here had said I would be returned home, but having an assured time brought me comfort. My cabin couldn’t be too far away from here. I should be home by one o’clock. Enough time to shower and get my life together before Monday.
A worry crossed my mind. Having only learned about the wards two days ago, I didn’t know enough about them. If they were going to lift the wards and hadn’t caught all the rogues, would they just run free? I would not be running alone in the woods if that was the case.
When I asked Gavrill, he didn’t make me feel like I was asking a stupid question when he answered. “The True Alpha’s pack is large, with a bunch of trackers and hunters. They go out and clear the forest of the rogues before the wards get lifted. They throw all the loose ones into a cage until next weekend.”
I was relieved I wouldn’t run into any of the rogue wolves. Gavrill’s answer solidified the ridiculousness of the tournament. If the True Alpha’s pack could just catch all the rogues quickly, it really was just for his own sick amusement.
