What The Wildflowers Know

Chapter Seven

Cahello was hurting. Really bad. The fire in his leg was making its way up his body, into his head. His heart was beating, and his head ached along with it. He could barely make out Kvetina leaning over him, and he tried to refuse. "Fine. Fuss over me like Mom." His breath rasped in his chest, and he only felt a little tugging on his knee, and other than that, the plain darkness that was opening up from the gash in his flesh...

***

Kvetina was scared when she cut open his jeans to see the scratch, but she was more terrified when she realized it was more than a scrape. From in front of her, Cahello let out a painful sounding breath and fell limp. She ran up and checked his pulse.

It was still beating, but he was unconscious. Kvetina thought wryly, this was the second time he fell unconscious in three weeks. "Alright, stay still." She calmed herself and grabbed a paper towel, wetted it, and slowly dabbed it on the cut. Blood was still trickling, but some of it was scabbing. Cahello groaned, but Kvetina gritted her teeth and finished cleaning the cut as best as she was able to. Cold dread filled her as she realized there was no one to help him- except her. Taking deep breaths, she walked purposefully towards the medical cabinet. Rooting through the medicine, she pulled out a painkiller. Grimly setting it aside, she pulled out a package of gauze and a roll of white bandages. She walked back to him and placed a pill on the table. She wasn't going to use it unless absolutely necessary. Then, she washed her hands again and pulled up her sleeves.

She started by dabbing at the cut and cleaning it again, then when the bleeding seemed to stop, gently placed a clean square of gauze on the cut. She then wrapped the bandage around his leg, and finished her work. Just then, Cahello started to moan. "...wait! No! Don't! Give me back... my dandelions! Please! Don't, Kvetina. Don't hurt my flowers..."

Kvetina knew she should wake him up, but she listened for a while. "Kvetina... I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you but you can't dig those up. No! No..." She felt tears in her eyes. She pitied him. Suddenly all the things Cahello was saying made sense. The very first time they had met, she was weeding the dandelions. He had called her a murderer for doing her job, and he had led the boys to annoy her and make her stop weeding. And when he was about to tell her something on the porch that day he fell unconscious, and on the day she arrived at their house, he had tried to tell her that he loved the dandelions, that he didn't want them uprooted. She stepped back. And turned away.

Somewhere inside her, a voice uprooted itself from the painful memories of her parents. Never give up on someone just because they gave up on you. Her mother's voice rang so clearly, and she knew what she had to do. She made herself face Cahello, and slowly, slowly, brought her hand over his shoulder. "Wake up." she whispered in his ear, tapping on his arm. He grunted, and his eyes opened. They were red, but he gazed up at Kvetina for a second, and before she realized what he was doing, pulled her down into an embrace. "I... I thought I was going to- to die. Thank you so much, Kvetina. Thank you." Those last two words aroused something in Kvetina. "You're welcome." Kvetina returned the hug, while she felt Cahello sob once into her shoulder.

***

Cahello wasn't going to cry. No way. But he couldn't help but release a small cry into the shoulder of Kvetina. Kvetina, who he had dreamed about. Kvetina, who saved his life. Kvetina, who he might like. But he felt Kvetina stiffen as she pulled back. "Cahello. I need to tell you something. I... I know what you were trying to say to me. I heard you in your dream."

Cahello was confused. He didn't know what she meant. He hadn't cried aloud, had he? Oh no. "You mean... About the dandelions?" Kvetina nodded tersely. Finally, his secret was out. Cahello didn't know whether to panic or yell in triumph. He just let himself do whatever he needed to do. He closed his eyes. "Kvetina, I'm really sorry that I kept it a secret. I know, it's silly, but I didn't mean for-" Kvetina interrupted. "Cahello, I hope that you don't think this will affect us. Because it won't. I never liked working for that Slefersman, anyway." She grinned. Cahello relaxed. She hadn't thought him a loser for caring about flowers! "Thank you. Again. But thank you." he said it this time, with a real good meaning.

"Ha! My turn!" Cahello squirmed under the gaze of Kvetina's intense eyes. They were playing Two Truths and a Lie, and it was Kvetina's turn to say her three things. "Once I almost drowned because I couldn't swim, a bird pooped on my head, and my mom told me there was a hidden chest in the field of dandelions." Cahello frowned. All of these sounded like things she would do, or would happen to her. "Um, I'm gonna have to guess... The last one? About the chest?"

Kvetina smirked. "Nope. Wrong! It was the one about the bird." Cahello shook his head wistfully. He usually could tell when someone was lying, but not Kvetina. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Wait. You mean to tell me that there's a hidden chest in the field?" Kvetina nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know where-" Suddenly, a realization hit him in the head. Kvetina also was frozen. "The chest!" Kvetina exclaimed. Cahello nodded. "The one that you threw at me- it was really heavy! That must have been it! Let's go see!" Kvetina jumped up- then sat back down.

"Too late. It's too late." She gestured toward the sun, which was starting to go down. But Cahello was determined. "It'll be quick! Come on, please?" He begged. He was aching for adventure. His leg had already stopped hurting, although it pounded a bit, but he wanted to go outside. Kvetina rolled her eyes.

"Fine. But let's make it fast. I'm hungry."

"Yes!"

Cahello pumped his fist and jumped up. They gathered supplies, which only included gloves and a flashlight. Cahello was first out the door, checking to see if the wolf from before was gone. There was no sign of it. He helped Kvetina down, and they started their journey toward the field. "Now, where was it?" Cahello muttered to himself. It was more than two weeks ago, but the memory was still fresh in his mind.
Kvetina glanced at the place where she had started weeding, and traced an invisible line toward the place she had been. "Hey, I think it's over here! Come on! Let's go!" Kvetina sang. She looked glad they had come. Cahello waded through the grass, and they finally reached a place where a few pieces of wood and a dandelion covered in seeds was. Kvetina looked back at the house worriedly. "It's getting dark." she said.

"We're so close! Please, Kvetina?"

Cahello was eager to find the chest, and see what was inside it. He stood where Kvetina had stood, a while ago, and looked in the direction she was standing when he got hit. "There!" he cried happily. "Yes!" The old box was still on the ground, smashed on one side, but still intact. "Let's bring it to the house. We'll be able to see inside there." Kvetina said. The light was fading, and Cahello turned on the flashlight. Kvetina heaved up the broken side, careful to make sure it didn't break anymore, and Cahello grabbed the other side.

The two made their way to the house, when Cahello glimpsed something moving from inside a window. "Shh!" he shushed Kvetina, and turned off his flashlight. Sure enough, light was coming from inside, and he could make out two figures, at least, creeping around. Kvetina's eyes widened. "Burglars!" she muttered. "Oh no." Cahello motioned toward the back door, which was open. "Let's go."

His heart was beating fast, but they had no choice but to find out who dared to intrude in their house. The two sneaked up onto the deck and leaned inside. Cahello gasped, and three faces found them.