Dangerous Charm [2]

03

|IN THE RUNNING|

Ignoring the sound of footsteps approaching from the roadside, Knox pushed the heavy wheelbarrow out of the cow barn without so much as breaking a sweat.

The weeks leading up to the dreaded games were passing too quickly and the closer they got the more paranoid her father became. His worries made it difficult for her to qualm her stress about them so she'd been spending more time alone on the farm lately.

Other times she spent with Lenox, practising defending themselves per her father's request to ease his mind just in case. This had been his routine for years, he had always been paranoid about the games, rightfully so, and to help ease himself the smallest bit he'd been teaching Knox the best he could since she was young.

It was no career district training academy but it was better than nothing at all. She could at least break her attacker's nose before they stabbed her to death. Small victories.

An obnoxious scoff came from somewhere behind her as she placed the wheelbarrow down beside the field. She was alone on the farm so she already knew the visitor wasn't friendly.

"I knew I smelt manure," the all too familiar voice drawled.

"This is a farm Benson," Knox said dryly turning to face the trio of intruders, "it's going to smell like manure,"

Knox didn't allow herself to look in Linara's direction as she stared at the group that, despite all being a year above her in school, made it their mission to make her life more miserable than it already is.

Linara, despite having a random change of heart in her attitude towards Knox recently, always acted differently around her friends.

"He wasn't talking about the cows," the girl hanging from Benson's arm, Becky, giggled like it was the funniest thing anyone could have said.

Knox smiled sarcastically, "thank you for clearing that up Becky,"

"Your welcome," Becky condescendingly blew a kiss at her.

"Reaping day tomorrow," Benson announced, "nervous Codie?"

Seeing no point in denying it, Knox nodded, "A little. What about you guys?" She questioned as if they were friends having a casual conversation. It was better to let them antagonise themselves than do it for them.

"It would be stupid not to be," said Linara, speaking for the first time since they'd gotten to the farm. Becky nodded in agreement.

Finally letting herself look at the girl, Knox noticed her eyes were scanning around the farm, particularly the rugged farmhouse which had a wheelchair ramp built leading to the door.

Benson folded his hands in front of him and leaned against the wooden fence separating them, "I'm feeling quite hopeful this year actually," he informed, a glint of malice in his eyes, "heard you're in the running sixty-seven times Codie. I'm excited. Maybe this year the games might be entertaining to watch instead of depressing."

Knox's eyes snapped to Linara who was already staring at her.

"How many times is your name in now?"
"Uh, like sixty-seven, I think,"

Of course, she couldn't keep quiet for more than a few weeks. Knox didn't know why she was so surprised.

Becky detached herself from Benson and smacked his arm, way too hard to be friendly banter "That's disgusting," she shrieked, "you know we don't joke about that. my cousin..."

She turned around and began to storm down the road away from the farm leading Benson to hurriedly chase after her, "Becks I'm sorry!"

Knox rocked awkwardly on her heels, "Um, I'm going to get back to work. Guess I'll see you tomorrow or something," she said shortly when Linara remained by the fence.

"Knox,"

"Yeah?" Knox snapped coldly, absentmindedly stepping a little closer to the fence.

"I'm sorry,"

"Nothing to be sorry for," Knox dismissed. Yes, there is. "It's fine," it's not fine.

Linara glanced down the road in the direction of her friends before clinching onto the fence and reaching over to grab Knox's hand, "I know you asked me to keep quiet, I just got caught up in the moment and it slipped out."

"It's fine."

"You're not mad at me?"

Knox shook her head, "no, you're fine,"

Linara glanced down the road towards her friends, who had travelled a decent distance without noticing their missing friend before she leaned over the fence and pressed her lips to Knox's.

Knox let her lips move against Linara's for a few seconds before pulling away, disconnecting their hands, "you should catch up to your friends. I'll see you at the reaping, maybe after,"

Linara sent her a small smile before hopping down off of the fence and hurrying off towards her friends, hoping to catch up to them.

⚔️

That night Knox lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep. Her tired eyes traced the patterns in the wood on her bedroom ceiling as unease swirled in her gut.

Her mind and body were tired yet sleep felt like a unreachable fantasy. She couldn't rid herself of the overwhelming dread hanging over her like an omen waiting for her to succumb to vulnerability so it could snatch her up.

Hours rolled by and by the time night turned to day Knox had gotten barely any sleep at all.

Her body felt as if it was encased in cement as she dug her head further into her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut as the morning sun seeped through the gaps between her curtains.

Her hope for a little more sleep disappeared via a light knock on her door, "Knox? Are you awake sweetheart?" her father's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," she called out, pushing herself up to sit cross cross on her bed as her father rolled into the room.

He opened the curtains letting the light into the room. She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the bright light.

"I brought you your clothes," he placed the small pile of clothes on the bed beside her, "did you get any sleep?"

"Not much," she dragged her hands down her face, "couldn't sleep."

"Don't think about it too much, Knoxy," Eli pulled her hand from her face and held it, "in a few hours the three of us will be walking home from the square to start another day of work like usual. Your name can't be in more than twelve times max,"

Little did he know, Knox thought guiltily.

"By the time I was eighteen my name was in that bowl eighty three times," He squeezed her hand comfortingly, "the year I aged out the bowl was nearly empty because I'd filled it out the past six years,"

Knox couldn't help but laugh lightly at her fathers attempts to cheer her up, even though he was dreading the day more than she was. His cool and collected manner was masking his terror at the thought of watching either his daughter or son be killed on live television.

"I love you dad,"

"I love you too," Eli squeezed her hand once more before letting go and backing up out of the room, "now I've got to go wake up the princess and deliver his clothes."

And with that Knox was alone in her room again.

She dragged her heavy limbs up out of bed and out of her room to clean herself up in the bathroom. After brushing her teeth, cleaning her face and tidying part of her hair back to look mildly presentable she went back to her room to get changed into the clothes her father had given her for the reaping; a pair of neat navy blue form fitting trousers and a cream long sleeve button up blouse with a pair of cream ballet pumps for shoes. It was an outfit reserved for occasions where she needed to look put together.

It was nothing like what she usually wore for the farm, it was the kind of outfit you'd bury someone in.