The Dark Curse

•The Hearth•

The chapter is shorter, fair warning.

Song: Disenchanted by My Chemical Romance

I just realized that none of the songs I put here have to do with the chapter :/

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Apparently it was an everyday thing to gather around one big fire and sing songs.

To me it seemed like a satanic ritual, but I bit my tongue and went along with the happy go lucky nonsense. It really appeared to be that environment. Everyone sang and acted as carefree as possible, not even thinking about what possible dangers lay just outside their camp and in the forest. It was idiotic, really, that they didn't have at least someone watching guard.

Or maybe it was just my nerves talking. Betweem the incident from earlier and the constant feeling of being watched, I felt uneasy and wound up. So actually, I had a reason to snap at Nathaniel.

I was minding my own buisness when he approached me, his usual smirk plastered on his face. I sat away from the big fire at my own bonfire where I could dwell on my own thoughts. When Nathaniel sits besides me, I say nothing to him, hoping her will just leave me alone for once.

But unfortunatly, he doesn't have that in mind. "Hey, Lily," he calls. I look up at him in annoyance.

"Could you just bother Blake?" I ask. To my horror, there seems to be a whine in my voice.

Nathaniel sighs dramatically. "I could... but I don't really feel like it. Besides, why wouldn't I want to hang out with my most favorite person in the world?"

Nathaniel lifts his arm up and for a second I think he's going to put it around me. My shoulders tense, waiting for him to move so I can snap at him. Instead he brushes a strand of blonde hair out of his eye.

"Are you just over here to annoy me?" I question and try to relax my shoulders. It doesn't work well.

"Yeah," Nathaniel admits.

"Why must you only bother me?" My voice sounds frustrated so I try to calm myself down. For some reason, Nathaniel knows how to poke at my nerves. He makes me have to make sure my emotions are in check more times than not.

Nathaniel grins at me, eyes brightening with mischief. "Because it's fun."

"Fun for you, perhaps. I beg to differ."

After a lot of convinicing, Nathaniel finally leaves, letting me drown once again in silence. Before I wished to be able to think, but after diving back into the thoughts constantly nagging at the back of my brain I felt like throwing my stubborness off the cliff and talking to Nathaniel. Of course, he would take that as an invitation which was wrong in every way possible. So, I stayed put by my own bonfire and tunned out the laughter and chatter coming from around me.

The glow from the huge bonfire- the Hearth, they called it- centered near the middle of the camp castes a glow, ever where I sat away from most of the camp. Our own miniature camp was set at the edge or the forest, much like the one Midnight was at earlier. The isolation soothes me despite the fact that it's easier for someone to attack me from here and go unnoticed.

Leezard had ended up setting us up three different tents. Apparently you must be at least age 16 to get your own tent, much to Blake's annoyance. Of course Raven was older than 16 due to angels aging slowly. Because she looks and acts eight, though, she shares a tent with Blake while Nathaniel and I get our own tents. The water proof "caves" as Nathaniel had called them circle around a slab of stone where we decided to build our own campfire. I didn't want to, but Blake forced me to so we could "fit in".