To Kill A Gladiator

Chapter Eight: Cami

Sorry for the wait. But finally, here it is!

The long wooden pole hits me hard on my side.

Gasping under my breath I stumble back, trying to keep my balance. The pole comes round again. Too late I remember my own pole which is lying on the side beside me, knocked of my grasp by the blow. The pole knocks into me as I desperately scrabble for my pole. When I get a hold of it I triumphantly jump back to face my opponent. But Felix is standing leaning on his pole, looking bemused.

"You know, I think I killed you at least six times there."

I say nothing, his blond hair is swept back on his head, golden in the evening sun.

We had been at this for days now, Felix's wound had healed but my poor body is black and blue from the endless hits and jabs inflicted by Felix's pole. 

"Maybe we should stop for the day." Felix says, dropping his pole.

The poles were made from slim branches, cut down to size and shaved with Felix's knife; they were blunted at the ends and quite short. They didn't look like much but used correctly they hurt... A lot.

Felix lies out his clock under an oak tree while I push some leaves into a pile a little way off to sleep on.

"Will you go find some kindling? Remember only small things like twigs and bits of bark." Felix calls over.

I look at him in annoyance, I know how to build a fire, I don't need him to tell me how. But I want to help so I wander off looking for scraps of wood whilst Felix checks his rabbit traps. Being alone in the forest gives me some relaxing time to think. 

Things haven't been the same since he kissed me. 

He kissed me! 

He actually kissed me...

We haven't talked much and there has been an awkward silence between us for days now. I don't know how to act; at home people didn't pay much attention to me and some even avoided me all together. Lucius would have girls fawning over him but the boys in the nearby village ignored me completely. My mismatched eyes acting like an inbuilt repellent. I've had absolutely no experience before now and I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do.

But he kissed me...  

That must mean something, right? 

Sighing I start back to camp with the kindling.

When I get back I find Felix gutting an unlucky rabbit that had got itself caught in one of his snares. Methodically he skins it then slices it open, the slimy innards slide onto the floor by his feet, I look away disgusted. Felix looks round.

"You must have seen worse in the arena." He says noticing my distaste.

"I looked away at those bits..." I say pathetically.

"Well a weak stomach will get you nowhere in the arena." He pauses then gestures with the knife. "Here come and have a look."

Timidly I walk over to him. Felix scoops up the rabbits innards off the floor and dumps them on a rock.

"Here," He says, pointing to a red, swollen, thing...

"That's it's stomach, and here..." He smashes the rabbits head with his knife revealing a pink, squishy...

"Is it's brain."

"Right I think that's quite enough!" I say standing up suddenly.

"Okay." He says, laughing slightly. "But you're going to have to get better, things get messy when you're fighting."

"Okay, okay, but I prefer rabbits when they're cooked so I can eat them."

"All right, did you get the kindling?"

I point to the small pile on the edge of the camp.

"Good. Hungry?"

I nod, my stomach rumbling. 

***

After we finish eating the (now cooked) rabbit we sit around the fire as the sun goes down in silence. When the fire dies down to glowing embers we try to go to sleep, Felix under his tree, me on my pile of leaves. The rabbit had been plump with lots of meat leaving me with a warm, full feeling inside. Curling up into my bed of leaves I drift off to sleep.

I am rudely awoken by a cold dripping on my face, in fact all over me. The skies have opened and now the rain is crashing down.

I curl up even tighter, trying to keep warm but very quickly I am wet through. The warmth of sleep is now far, far away.

"Cami..." 

I roll over to face Felix.

"It's a bit better under here..." 

I blink.

"I mean..." He continues pointing at the tree above him, "It's dryer under here if you want to join me..."

I blink again.

"Oh come on!" He exclaims laughing slightly, "I don't bite, and if you don't you'll catch you're death!"

Smiling gratefully (also a little nervously) I go over to the shelter of the oak tree. Felix is right it is a bit but better but I'm drenched and shivering.

"Here."

I look over to Felix, who is holding out part of his cloak.

"Get warm under this." He says softly, beckoning me over.

"Are you sure?" I say, "I'm wet through."

He shrugs, "We'll keep each over warm."

So that is how I ended up curled up next to Felix with his arm around me in the pouring rain.

And strangely enough I've not been this happy for a long, long time...

Hey there! Sorry for the wait but I've had a lot on recently:) Now for those of you who were expecting something more from this chapter I'm sorry, but this chapter is just getting me back into writing again so I promise the next chapter will be full of action! So what do you think? Please remember to vote and comment and I promise I'll be updating soon!

:D