Simamukele

5

Making a fire proved to be a difficult task. Simamukele's decision to be of no use wasn't helping either.

"Aren't you going to help." Mandla impatiently asked her whilst he was trying so hard to create friction with a stick.

He had already garnered a few cuts and bruises from the action.

"No. I think I'll just do what I'm very good at. Being useless." She sat on a huge log and poised herself.

"I... I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "I'm sure Mfutho has already conjured up a fire for the others." He thought to himself.

"Fire is dangerous." Simamukele told him.

"It's dangerous for you." Mandla rolled his eyes.

She was about to speak but Mandla held up his hand to stop her.

"You struggle with control over your own mind, how do you expect to control an element?" He asked her.

"No offence though." He added on.

"I don't conjure up water, I teleport through it." She said.

"My point exactly. The strongest of the gifted, who have learnt how to Master control know how to teleport through and conjure up the elements." He said proudly said. "They are only limited to one though."

That statement managed to quiet down Simamukele. She avoided the topic by offering to help.

"Must be hard being the princess who's kept out of the loop." He said sympathetically.

"Can we just drop it." She focused her anger on what she was doing. Sparks flew and the dry grass caught fire.

The fire burnt low because the only dry 'woods' they could find were tiny twigs.

They didn't have any food or shelter but atleast they were warm and had each other for conversation. Hunger wasn't a new feat for them. They had gone more days without eating and in isolation. What was one day going to do to them?

"So how did you survive the forest?" Simamukele asked curiously.

"Well as you already know, the forest tests your mind." He breathed out heavily. "I've always been teased about my mind being empty. All brawn and no brains. That's what helped me, the first time and these few days. Walls in my mind." He pointed at his head.

"Days?!" Simamukele looked shocked.

"Yeah, days. When I got out the first person it was night, the next it was day. So on and so on." He explained.

Simamukele's shock kept her mute.

"So why do you hate Royals so much if you're one of them." Mandla asked to fill the silence.

"I only found that out a few days ago." She ignored the main question.

"That's some self loathing right there." He laughed.

"I'm not one of them." Simamukele hissed.

"If you say so." He spoke in a condescending manner.

"It's just that I hate how they treat us. We're better than them and definitely more powerful. It's just so annoying that we have to live like commoners and peasants." She ranted.

"Insignificant." He simply said.

It was the truth and she knew it.

"Well I want to be significant!" She roared.

"Insignificant." He shook his head.

She groaned in annoyance.

He kneeled infront of her and held her face.

He breathed out heavily as if he was one defeated soul.

"The universe will take and it will give, if we try to dictate it, it will show us it's wrath." He spoke softly.

"I know." She looked at him desperately with glistening eyes.

He leaned into her face. Even though he was kneeling he was still slightly taller than her.

"What are you doing?" She leaned back, confusion written all over her face.

"I thought we were having a moment. I'm sure you felt it." He raised an eyebrow.

"I only felt repulsion." She said sincerely.

"Can you atleast sugar coat it, I'm sure you did it for Mbuso."

"Don't you dare!" Anger exuded from her like a scent. "Mbuso has never touched me in any way. What we had was beyond physicality. I'm still a virgin." She felt the need to defend herself.

"We all are. You're not so special." He stood up and went to the other side of the fire.

It took a while for Simamukele's anger to subside. When it eventually did, she fell asleep besides the fire and fell into a dreamless sleep.