Reluctant

Chapter 4 Carter's POV

"You didn't sleep." She says straight-faced with a bland expression. I laugh slightly and shake my head once, "I did actually. I kinda...rm...dozed off while you were sleeping." I reply. I bow my head and focus on the cooking meat. I somehow find a spatula in my makeshift backpack. I flip the piece of meat and glance up at Jess.

She sits there and plays with her hands and fingers. Glancing up, she blushes as she sees me observing her silently. She tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear and averts her gaze from me. I move my eyes over to the fully cooked slab of meat and curse under my breath. "That was literally the only plate I brought." I say motioning to the piece of silver over the fire.

Jess shuffles through her bag and pulls out a few plates and some silverware. She smiles and hands them to me. "Had a feeling we'd be stuck as companions for a while." She shrugs her shoulders. A smile appears across my face then serve her the first hunk of meat; throwing a second one onto the fire. It sears loudly but quiets down after a few moments.

Once the both of us have out fill, we begin to pack up all of out supplies. After everything is packed up, we head out of the cave and continue our hazardous trek North. Shortly after we start walking, Jess and I reach a small waterfall. Her and I stare at each other until I break the eye contact.

I grin widely, "Ladies first." I say bowing slightly. Jess laughs loudly which is accompanied by a loud snort. Surprised by the sound, she covers her mouth and blushes brightly. She stands there; frozen in place, awaiting my reaction from her sudden outburst. I stroke my mouth and try to conceal my smile. I bite my lip to try and suppress my laughter. Jess looks at me with a frown and pushes my shoulder. "Shut up." She says blushing brighter.

"I didn't say anything." I reply with a slight chuckle. She huffs and walks to the edge of the small river/stream. She sets her backpack down next to the nearest tree. Next, she takes her shoes off. I suddenly realize I'm still watching her and turn around. I sigh and listen as she jumps in; splashing loudly. I lean against the tree and rest my head against it. Shutting my eyes, I listen to the sounds around me. I focus on the rustling in the bushes to my left.

I spring up suddenly; cutting myself on the tree's trunk. I hiss at the stinging sensation. Well, that hurt. I shake my head and take my machete from the holster on my right hip. I rush over to the bush and pull the branches and leaves back. I stand there a second,completely frozen. snapping out of my daze, I put my machete away and slightly bend down.

I girl sits about a foot away from me, just staring. She whimpers and scoots away slightly as I sit in front of her. I watcher her carefully as her caramel eyes pour into mine. "Are you lost?" I ask. She nods and I continue; treading lightly. "What's your name?"

"Z-Zoe," the girl-Zoe- says. I smile and watch as she visibly relaxes. "I'm Carter." She smiles gently, and that's when I notice her teeth. I look down at her nails. Damn it. My Heart drops and I reach for my knife. Her eyes dart to my hand and she quickly pounces on me; pinning my hands to the sides of my head. I curse loudly and she digs her nails into my wrists. Blood seeps through the gashes.

She suddenly freezes and the grip she has on my wrists loosen. I wince slightly and push her off of me. taking the opportunity, I pull out my knife and spring to my feet. Jess comes into focus when I look up. She has a smirk with her arms crossed. I look over at Zoe's body- if that's even her real name. A knife sticks out of her back as she lays lifeless at my feet.

I pull the knife from the shredder's body. Reluctantly, I walk until I'm directly in front of Jess. I peer down at her and she wrings out her hair. "Thanks." I say with no hint of emotion in my voice. She shrugs her shoulders and walks back to the tree. I follow closely behind and kick my shoes off at the base of the tree.

I slowly pull my shirt over my head and catch Jess looking over me. I smirk, "No staring remember?" With a huge grin, I look at her with my scarred up face. She blushes brightly and turns around; walking behind the tree to dig through her bag. God, such a cutie.

Wait, no. No. Don't think that, what's wrong with you? My mind reminds me. I shake my head and quickly finish getting undressed. I jump into the cool water and swim towards the small waterfall. Quickly, I resurface and sigh deeply. God, this feels good.

I feel a stinging sensation on my wrists. I try to ignore the feeling as I reach the small waterfalls after enjoying the coolness of the river. I dunk my head under the water and scrub my hair to get the dirt and dust out as best I can without any soap. I finish and swim towards the edge of the river where me clothes lay, folded. Huh, thanks Jess. I quickly get dress and stumble on my way over to Jess.

As I reach her, I see her sitting with a knife in her hand, completely immersed in her thoughts. Suddenly, she snaps out of her daze as I look at her with a questioning gaze. She waves me off and puts her dagger up without speaking a word. I shake my hair out, getting water on her. She laughs and swats at my chest playfully, hitting it lightly. She makes me so happy....No Carter, don't do this to yourself. Not again.

I blink away my thoughts and laugh loudly, grabbing her hands and pulling her closer. She smiles in return and pulls away from me. We both turn and grab our bags so we can continue our trek North.

What seems like hours pass, though it was only about an hour and a half. Jess had pulled out her dagger and has it at her side as we walk. Her blue eyes are focused in front of her, occasionally darting through the grass and the high inclines of the mountains surrounding us. "You alright?" I ask. She nods, "Just thinking; listening." I shrug and nod once; silently agreeing with her.

Silence. That's all there ever is with us. Just, silence. God, this silence is literally deafening. I honestly don't know what I hate more: This silence that always settles between us, or that she hates me with every cell of her being.

Suddenly, Jess stops mid-step and turns to me. She puts a finger to her lips and silently tells me to 'be quiet.' I nod my understanding and she ushers me behind a rock, where we watch the path silently. A girl appears and Jess growls. Then, with momentum, she leaps.

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Hello my lovelies. I'm sorry I haven't been on in a while. Been so dang busy.

I'm posting today and Don't know when I'll be able to next. My eye is giving me a lot of trouble. There's some type of gel-like substance in it and I'm going to see what's going on with it later on.

I'll post more when I can.

Stay perfect my lovelies. I love you all :)))

- Lani