My opposite - a story about Elsa and Red

Chapter 7

Towards the end of the afternoon, the women were back at the camp to prepare a place for Red to sleep. Red didn't like the idea of sleeping in a wooden hut. So she consulted to sleep alone in a hut so other people would be safe. All agreed even though it was more for her reassurance. Elsa moved her bed to Honeymaren's hut.

For dinner, a couple of women cooked stew with reindeer, potatoes, onion, and carrots. For hours, the scent of this dish hung in the camp, so most people longed to eat the meal. Red wasn't that hunger because she still didn't feel really comfortable. Although, with Elsa being around, it was bearable to her. The people ate in smaller groups around the fire pits, which had already burned because it became cooler outside. It looked cosy to Red, seeing the families eat together. The stew tasted really good because of the herbs, even though her appetite wasn't that big. What struck Red was that Elsa barely touched her food, and that wasn't the first time. Didn't she need that much? Was she used to these childish portions?  Red also noticed that Elsa had been a bit quiet since that moment that she startled and froze the ground around her. Something was going on on her mind.

'What is it with you?' Yelena said to Elsa after dinner when most people were busy again. The older lady sat down beside her, placed a hand on Elsa's arm, and looked at her with sympathy. Elsa humbled.

'Nothing much.'

'Does your magic feel something?' Yelena asked. Red looked curious at the two. This woman knows Elsa pretty well. Or maybe Yelena has much knowledge of human nature. Of course, she is the leader of the tribe for a reason...

'Yes, something is going on, but I don't know what, yet.'

'Follow it, don't push it away, even though it scares you.' Advised Yelena without questioning what she experienced. Maybe that's the right thing to do for now.

Honeymaren walked towards Red.
'Hey, do you want to come with me?' She asked. 
That's nice of her, Red thought and tried to relax by taking a deep breath.
'Sure!' Red agreed, trying to pretend that she felt completely fine. Actually, the question made her pretty nervous. I have to try. So she followed Honeymaren.
'Here.' She stopped at the edge of the camp. Honeymaren took some poles and branches, rope, and the metal part of knifes. 'We need to make spears for the hunt tomorrow. Do you want to help?'
'Yes, I would like to.' Red responded, being happy that someone of the tribe paid attention to her. She actually didn't care they were going to make spears. On the contrary, she felt nervous, not knowing what her powers could do while being around someone. She remembered the times it went wrong. Suddenly, an image flashed by where she set the house of her parents on fire. Red felt pain and fear in her heart, and she sat there with a frozen face staring at the ground.
'Okay, first we need to clean the limb.' Honeymaren explained and started to trim one branch and knobs off the limb. She then easily made a clean handle. Red turned from her thoughts and reached for a limb too. How would Elsa be doing? Slipped through her mind. She started to clean the branch with a metal part of a knife. Something is wrong. Is it because of me? Am I  going to cause trouble? Will I hurt somebody? What am I doing here risking  other people's lives!? All suddenly, she felt a strong energy flowing through her arm. A burst of fire came of her hand and set the branch on fire. Quickly, she threw the burning wood away, stood up, and tried to put the fire out by stamping on it with her foot. The fire went out, and the branch laid half burned and smouldering on the ground. Red felt very embarrassed and looked around. Some people stared at her and watched a little shocked. After they saw the fire was out, they turned back to what they were doing. Red took place again beside Honeymaren, was still wearing a surprised face. 

'I...I am so sorry.' Red apologized with a soft, crying voice and stared at the ground. She held her hands together, afraid of what could happen. Her hands started to form a small ball of fire again, and frustrated, she shook her hands.  Then she felt a soft and warm hand on her arm. It stopped the energy that made her hands form the fireball. Honeymaren looked at her with compassion.