Little Organization Mix: Book 1; The Beginnings

Chapter 10: Reunion

PERRIE'S POV

I'm not sure I could actually tell what was going on very well but I was pretty sure that it had started to rain really heavy.  I was being carried by Jesy on her back to wherever this friend of hers was.  It was weird —since everyone in here was supposed to be competing with each other —that she would help me . . . And even weirder yet that she had a friend in here.

I was in proper agony but trying to stay awake because I was actually afraid that I'd die if I became unconscious again.  I'd never experienced dying obviously but I was pretty sure this was what it felt like.  It felt like my organs were slowly shutting down starting with my stomach.  The cold rain was not helping and that combined with the sharp pains that coursed through me made me shudder.  I felt like crying but did not want to alarm Jesy who seemed really focused on where she was going.  I don't know how she was seeing anything with this rain and fog.

"Oh darn it." She started mumbling curses to herself.

"Is something wrong?" I questioned her attempting to keep myself distracted from all the pain I was in.

She sighed and I'm pretty sure she was choking back sobs when she said; "We've hit a dead end.  I think I made a wrong turn somewhere."

I lifted my head from its resting place on her shoulder and placed my chin there instead as I tried to get a good look at where we were.  I realized that there seemed to be a gigantic rock wall in our path.  Certain parts were covered by leaves of low hanging trees and bushes.  There was something suspicious about the parts covered.  I could have sworn I saw inside of the rock around the corners of the leaves.

"Jesy," I breathed out trying to sound like I wasn't in pain, "I think this is a cave . . ."

She gasped and moved towards the wall, pulling away one of the low hanging branches and sure enough there was a cave where we could be sheltered from this terribly cold rain.

Jesy crouched into it and set me down gently.  It was not a very large space but a lot bigger than I expected.  Too big actually because our combined body heat was not enough to warm it.  It was still freezing in here.  There was a bit of light coming in from somewhere but I really couldn't tell where.  When I looked around I actually noticed that besides the main part we were in there seemed to be a sort of narrow tunnel that went quite far back.  It was kind of ominous and I would not want to have to go through there by myself.

"How do you feel?" Jesy asked as I curled into myself.  The pain was less excruciating if I was in the fetal position.

"I feel like I'm dying.  And I'm cold . . . and I want to go home.  And I'm tired." I answered honestly.  I didn't mean to sound grumpy or ungrateful but I felt like I needed to say how I felt out loud as if it would somehow make me feel better.

"You've got to hang in there Pez.  Just until the rain stops then we can start searching again." She had crawled close and was lying next to me, her body heat warming me some.

It was only then that I noticed she was calling me Pez.  It was cute.  I tried to smile at her.  That's when I really made up my mind to live through this.  I didn't know what came over me but I felt like I had to be there for her.  Screw the competition.  I was going to get better and live.  And then I was going to walk right out of this whole forest of a place with Jesy whether whoever was in charge liked it or not.