Reluctant

Chapter 5 Jess's POV

I straddle her, knowing full well I possessed double the strength she did. The girl thrashed beneath me with a snarl etched on her face. I hate her. Her, and her people. "Hello Natalie. Long time, no see." I growl into the space between us. She stares up at me and hisses in response. 

"I wish it would've stayed that way. Truth be hold, I'd hoped you were dead." She replies. I chuckle slowly and press my dagger to the center of her throat. She lifts her chin and gulps slowly. "Go back to your camp and tell little Danny I said 'Hi,'" I laugh slowly. "And tell Jason that I'll be seeing him soon enough." I chuckle lowly and release her. 

Natalie scrambles from under me and runs off. I watch  after her, then turn towards Carter, "C'mon, we gotta find the nest." Carter nods and jogs over to me. I nod my head in the direction Natalie went and we both take off in a sprint. 

Before long, Carter and I enter a forest. Always the forest isn't it?  We follow Natalie's tracks until they end suddenly. I curse loudly and grip my dagger tightly. I look around for more tracks. Instead, Carter finds a trail of matted grass. I smile darkly and creep to the side of the trails. Carter takes the other side as make our way through the forest. 

We reach the end of the trail to and open field. Tents and shacks were everywhere. People wandered around the camp. Surprising I had they would've killed one another, not start a community. I scan the camp in search of the red-headed girl I had pinned not 30 minutes ago. Unfortunately, she's nowhere in sight. Carter stands behind me.

"Let's climb the tree for a better view. Get a better scan of what we're up against." Carter whispers in my ear. I nod and turn to the tree on my left. I hoist myself onto the first branch, then the second. I continue higher until I get a good view of the "nest." Carter, in the tree to my right, reaches about the same height and settles against the trunk of the tree. A flash of copper catches my eye and I focus on the curvy waves of my former friend. 

Natalie, known as the devil, stops in front of a petite brunette. You could almost see the tension between the two girls. Natalie shouts at her and smacks the girl across the cheek and storms off into the tent closest to the trees we sat in. Carter quietly shouts over to me. I look over and he motions for us to go into the tent. I nod once and and begin to climb down. 

I slowly creep down the trunk of the tree.  CRAAACK! I stop suddenly and look at the branches above and beneath me. Nothing. I hear a thud behind me and crane my neck to peer in that general direction. Quickly, I scurry down the rest of the tree and over to a crouching Carter. He's curled up slightly cradling his left arm in his right. He peers over at me and looks down at his arm. "Still got that Aloe?" he asks through his teeth.I nod and set my bag down in front of me.

I pull out some peroxide, bandages and the Aloe plant and lay them out in a line. I gently pour the peroxide over the gash when I notice more on his wrists. "What are these from?" I ask pointing towards the slowly healing lesions on the sides of his wrists."From the shredder girl you killed back at the stream." He says and shrugs slightly. I  shake my head and scowl at him. His eyes widen and he looks down at his lap as I tend to the wounds.

I finish cleaning them both with peroxide and start applying the aloe. He winces but stays still nonetheless. He swears under his breath as I finish and start to apply the bandage to his wrists and arm. He tilts his head up to look at me with a huge grin adorning his slightly scarred face. "Thanks." I nod once and pack whats left of the materials back into my pack. 

I swing the pack onto my shoulder and look up at a smirking Carter. The smirk turns into a smile as he helps me up from the damp ground. I nod over to the tent slightly and he tilts his head in agreement.  Slowly, we make our way to the first tent. Carter goes in through the front as I make my way to the back entrance. The voices in the tent cease as I unzip the back of the tent. 

As I enter, I see a bloody lifeless body at Carter's feet and one securely wrapped in his arms. Copper hair. I smile at Carter and he moves his hand from her mouth; keeping her secured in his arms. "Hello Natalie. Where's loverboy?  Call to him, I dare you." I hiss. She gulps and clears her throat. "I wont let you have that satisfaction." She growls back. 

Carter presses his knife to her throat and she visibly becomes tense. Her lips turn white as she presses them together tightly. "ERICK! ERICK, HELP!" She screams. I grin widely and wait by the entrance of the tent. Sure enough, a boy strolls through the front. I swing my arm and he's on his knees holding his neck in seconds. Erick struggles for words as he falls to the ground. He completely collapses to the floor; a puddle of blood engulfing him. 

Natalie screams and falls to her knees. She sits there in a sobbing heap; choking on her own salty tears.  Slowly, she crawls over to Erick's lifeless body and cradles his head in her lap. She looks up at me with tears and hatred filling her glossy green eyes. A growl escapes her lips as she slowly stands up. Natalie hurls herself at me, only to be pulled back by Carter. 

She tugs at his arm and manages to grab the knife from his grasp. Natalie points the bloody knife at Carter, then to me. She stands there for a few moments before dropping to her knees once again opening and closing her mouth; struggling to find her words. She starts shaking as the sobs surge through her body. She chokes on her tears and gasps for air with each breath. 

Once she had caught her breath, she stutters to form a simple sentence. "Y-you know what? I am so done. I'm done with you, prince not-so-charming and everything overall." Carter begins to cackle, causing me to smile.  Natalie becomes infuriated and picks the knife up once again. Carter's laughter is soon replaced with surprise. She turns the knife towards her own body and plunges the knife into her chest.

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Hey guys :) sorry I haven't posted in a while. Been sooooo busy. I will update ASAP.

Stay perfect my lovelies <3 xxxxx

-Lani