In My Time of Dying

Chapter 2

                                                             Chapter 2

                                                      "Hunting Lesson"

Our ‘learning period’, we found out after we’re given cheesy matching bracelets, consisted of two weeks before the initial game began.

Lucca proved to be an entertaining individual and I tried my best to be friendly as we made our way to the lunch period we now shared.

"Weird, isn't it?" Lucca said, his fingers brushing mine nonchalantly as we walked side by side.

I took a moment to answer as I couldn't find it within me to focus.

“I guess... People aren't as willing to fight for their country when they don't know what to make of it. All I know is that I don't want to be shipped off to fight." I mumbled the last sentence and Lucca pretended to not hear me.

We turned into the cafeteria and waited in line together. It seemed odd to see everyone standing with their assigned partner instead of in their usual groups. I amused Lucca by pointing out the people who looked happy with their new best friend and then the ones who looked like murdering someone.

"Do you want to learn about me now or later?" Lucca asked, feigning seriousness as he set his tray on the table beside me.

His playful tone extracted a memory from my brain and suddenly I could hear my father's voice playing in my ears.

"Do you want the surprise now or do you want it later?" His voice was just a whisper and I resisted the urge to put my hands over my ears.

All the lightheartedness and happiness I had felt moments ago left along with the blood in my face.

"Evangeline, are you alright?" Lucca was now very serious, and he stared intently at me. His eyes were bright blue.

"The surprise was a puppy. True or not true?" I whisper, my eyes staring at a spot on the wall just beyond Lucca's head.

"True." he whispers back, lightly touching the back of my balled fist resting on the table.

This contact snaps me back to the present and I apologize. Lucca and I eat in silence and even though he stares down at his tray, I catch him looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

When the day finally ends, I crawl into bed and shut my eyes. I didn't care that I hadn't eaten dinner, I didn't care that I hadn't bathed. I just wanted to sleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The spinning always made me wonder if this was what it was like to be a tornado. Around and around, never able to make sense of the chaos dancing around me. If this was what it was like to be a tornado, I was glad I wasn't one.

I was spit out into the forest and I got up quickly, surveying the trees before making my way to the clearing.

The sun hadn't come up yet so I sat on my rock, quickly putting my long brown hair into a braid. It was times like this that I thought about the things I didn't understand.

Sometime later I heard the unmistakable sound of leaves rustling and I sat up quickly, not having realized that I had drifted off.

Killian stood unsmiling only a few yards from me, his bow in his hand.

"Hi." I was disappointed that it was I who had to be the first to speak but I brushed that feeling aside.

"Hmph" was his response and he started doing something that made me uncomfortable: he started walking around my rock, around and around until I was starting to get dizzy.