Crashing In To You ( Freen x Becky)

Chapter 18

Freen woke up alone the morning after the storm, curled up in a corner of the cave they'd sought shelter in with a blanket over her. She winced as she sat up, her body protesting even the simplest of movements after spending the night sleeping on the hard earth.

The cave was quiet, with only the soft sound of the others' breathing and the crackling of the dying fire reaching Freen's ears. Freen coughed in to her hand as she stood. The air inside the cave was thick and hazy with the smoke from the fire, and it stung Freen's eyes.

She glanced around at her surroundings and spotted Charlotte hunched over Engfa's prone form on the far side of the cave, close to the fire. Freen crossed the cave and took a seat on the ground beside Charlotte.

Dark rings framed her eyes, which were red and watery. Freen doubted it had anything to do with the smoke from the fire. Charlotte looked like she'd been up all night, keeping vigil over her unconscious girlfriend.

"Hey, phi." Freen said, wrapping her arms around her knees as she drew them up to her chest. "How's she doing?"

"She's sleeping." Charlotte answered in a low murmur, her eyes fixed on Engfa as she brushed sweat soaked hair back from Engfa's brow. The other girl's skin looked pale and clammy, with beads of sweat clinging to Engfa's brow despite the frigid chill that hung in the air.

"Did you get any sleep?" Freen asked. Charlotte shook her head.

"I couldn't... Engfa... She might have woken up and needed me." Charlotte rubbed at her face and Freen felt her heart break for her. Charlotte could do nothing for Engfa, and the usually confident girl looked so lost and unsure of herself because of it.

"You should sleep, phi. I can watch over her for you."

"No." Charlotte shook her head firmly. "Thanks, nong, but no."

"Okay." Freen squeezed the other girl's shoulder. She understood Charlotte's desire to keep watch over Engfa herself. Wild horses wouldn't have been able to drag her away if it were Nuch, or even Becky, lying there.

"Have you seen Becky?" She asked, glancing around at the sleeping teens littering the floor of the cave.

"She went out earlier... maybe an hour ago?" Charlotte scrunched her face up. It was hard to keep track of time when she was so tired. Charlotte was running on empty, her body and mind both exhausted. She reached for Freen's arm as the other girl stood. "Can you check on her for me? I don't think she's doing that good... none of us are." Charlotte sighed, dropping her hold on Freen's wrist.

"Of course."

Freen left Charlotte and the others in the cave and ventured outside. It was early morning and the sky above was clear, with not a single cloud in sight. The only sign of the storm from the day before lay in the uprooted trees and the still damp sand under Freen's feet and far from the water line.

Freen found Becky a little way down the beach, standing knee deep in the water by an outcrop of rocks and holding another spear she'd fashioned out of a stick and her knife. The other two spears she'd made were lost to the waves the night before.

Freen kicked off her sneakers and waded in to the water beside her. Becky didn't acknowledge the other girl at first. With her eyes closed, she stood motionless with her face turned up to the sky, sunlight shining through her hair. As she grew closer, Freen realised the spear she held was broken, one end jagged and splintered and the other floating in the water beside Becky's knees.

"Hey, you okay?"

Becky flinched as Freen touched her arm, jarring her out of whatever daze she'd been in. Becky stumbled back, almost falling in to the water until Freen caught her and steadied her on her feet. "Beck, what's going on?"