Counterfeit ✓

Chapter 18

THE LONG WAIT worked on Mila's patience. Her leg wobbled back and forth. At times, she even pushed down a branch. Until now, she hadn't noticed a single trace of Oliver.

It worried her. The gunshot had sounded several hours ago. Mila could tell that on the sun, which was slowly sliding down. Still, she didn't dare to take the risk of clambering down, it took too long to climb back up when necessary. Breathing in and out, she softly hummed a song so as not to draw attention.

She looked down, blinking. The pack of wolves stood near her tree. Mila hid behind a thick branch, held her breath, and waited for the animals to continue. Mila looked relieved once she realized they had no blood on their beaks. Had Oliver survived after all? Or had they already licked themselves clean? Swallowing, she pushed those horrific thoughts aside, pushed her back against the stump, and wished the animals were out of sight.

Luckily, the animals didn't look up. Sniffing, they passed Mila's tree and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Luck was a bit on her side today. She leaned against the stump with the back of her head. Oliver still had given no sign of life. For a moment, it even seemed as if he had never existed.

Her breathing quickened. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten. He couldn't stay away that long after all. He knew she was somewhere in this forest and she wasn't going to make it on her own. Her stomach turned. She still remembered Amy's words as if her friend were sitting next to her and for some reason, she was sure Amy would effectively kill her if Oliver didn't survive.

Her throat thickened. Mila tried to push the bad thoughts away with happy thoughts from her past. Her mother made a painting. Her grandparents danced through their small living room. Life in the city wasn't easy, but at least she knew the way home through every obstacle. Over here, home seemed endlessly far away. Did they remember her or had she been just a shadow in their existence?

Mila clenched her hands into fists. Her family remembered her, of course. They were her family after all. Her everything. Swallowing, she sat up against the tree trunk and stared down. Still, no one to lend her a hand. Did anyone even care that she was gone that long?

Perhaps this was the punishment she deserved after stealing the medication. Perhaps this was fate's way of telling her she was a monster and deserved no better than a lonely death in a forest.

For a few minutes, Mila thought it might be better to climb out of the tree, but then she changed her mind. The night already cast a dark slide through the forest. During the day she could barely find her way, let alone at night.

She closed her eyes for minutes. She dozed off only to be woken up again by the surrounding noises. Mila already understood that it was going to be a hellish night without too much sleep. While waiting for a miracle, she scanned the ground for a sign from Oliver. Was he in another tree waiting for it to be safe or...

Mila shook her head. It didn't help her cause to be doomed. Oliver had many years of experience in this world and a new breed of wolves certainly wasn't going to stop him from returning to his people. What if he had already returned and abandoned her? After all, she hadn't even been in his camp for a week. Why would he take all those risks? Sweating, Mila switched positions.

The seconds seemed to last for hours. The minutes days. Mila was startled by every sound. She hoped there were no mutated creatures in the trees, she didn't feel like jumping out of her hiding place now and imagining herself prey for the wolves. There was a scraping sound from the back of the tree. Mila broke off a branch and thrust it in the animal's direction. She breathed in and out, in and out...

Oliver.

"What?" Mila patted his chest once he was also on the thick branch. "I thought you were dead."