How Do I Love Thee?

First Battle

We trained non stop for days. We would rise when the sun did and wouldn't go to bed until three in the morning. Every person there was exhausted. Carolina was running us ragged. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. After a week I thought every part of me was going to break down. I spoke to Carolina that night.

"Listen Carolina. I know your worried and all but you can't keep doing this." I sighed. "At the moment there is no way any of us could fight if we had to. We're exhausted."

Carolina's head shot up with a furious look on her face. "We have to do this. None of us are ready for an attack."

"All of those people out there are more than capable of fighting if someone attacked us. You and I both know that." I could hear my voice get louder as I got angry. "But you are draining them. They can barely train right now. You have to give them a break."

Carolina huffed and went to her room. I groaned and pushed away from the table. I decided to take a walk to clear my head. I went out the front door and just walked. To be honest, since I had been here I hadn't been anywhere other than the training field, Carolina's, and the Elders house. I went exploring.

I walked past the Elders and into a new set of bungalows. Unlike the other side where all the girls were all the lights were on and I could hear laughing and talking coming from them. I jumped behind a tree when a door opened and a man walked out. It was Keith. He was laughing and stumbling. Drunk, no wonder all of them always looked so tired in the morning. After him stumbled out Aaron and then Ian. I was shocked to see Ian was laughing and drunk as well.

He must have seen me peeking out from the tree because, he stopped laughing and looked right at me. I saw him wave at Aaron and Keith to go on and start walking towards me. I turned, planning on walking back to Carolina's, but there he was already behind me.

I gasped when I almost ran into. "How did you-"

"Why are you over here?" His eyes were brooding even though I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Your not allowed over here. You know that."

"I was only taking a walk. I just kind of stumbled upon it." I waved my hand over my shoulder.

"Your not supposed to be here." He grabbed my upper arms and pushed me against a tree.

"Let me go. Your hurting me Ian!" I tried to squirm my way out from under his hands.

He laughed and let go, only to entangle his fingers in my hair. "You are so beautiful." He looked over my face and down my body.

"And your drunk." I tried to push on his chest but he only came closer. Pressing his body against mine, I could feel his every breath as his mouth searched for mine. He settled for the hollow of my neck.

He mumbled something into my neck, it sounded foreign, before he spoke up and said, "I want you. Tonight. All of you." His hands scaled my body down to my waist and pushed their way under my shirt and up to my bra. He fumbled with the clasp as I tried to push him.

"Stop it. You. Are. Drunk. Get off of me Ian!" I pushed harder and he finally stumbled back. He shook his head and stared at me. "Go home and go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I went to walk past him but he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the tree line against his chest. "Ian-" he slapped his hand over my mouth and shushed into my ear. He seemed to have instantly sobered up. There was something wrong.

I looked around, scanning the trees but couldn't see anything. I looked harder and saw black figures coming toward us from deeper in the trees. He grabbed my hand and started running off in the direction where Keith and Aaron had gone. When they looked up at us, me gasping for breath, a look of alarm passed their faces before they sobered up and looked attentive.