The Lamb and the Lion

Chapter 7

- End of the test, everyone! - Melissa shouted after a few minutes, as soon as Robert blew the whistle hanging around his neck. As they approached the tree and the stone tables built by the teams, they noticed the different expressions on the kids' faces.

Some were elated with their work, happy to have completed the structure with all the stones from each member of the group. Others were breathing a sigh of relief, because although the table wasn't finished, the seven stones that belonged to them were there. But if Melissa had paid attention to Abigail at that moment, she would have realized that her reaction was not like that of any other kid. Although her team had finished building the table and her colleagues were celebrating, Abigail was secluded in the corner, distressed by what she had done.

Who am I becoming? Why am I doing this?

But watching the burning tree, which lit up the room and the faces of all her colleagues, Abigail remembered. She needed to meet her mother. She needed to see that her grandmother and her uncle weren't right. Her mother may have left her when she was a baby, but things have changed now. She does want to get to know her daughter, but she doesn't have what it takes to do it. For her, Abigail was willing to risk so much, even her honesty. For her mother's sake, it would be worth it.

- Kids, you did well, it was a very close call. But I'm sorry, the Five Adventures Championship is over for you now. - Hugging the eliminated children, Melissa consoled them. Paying attention to the scene, Abigail realized that it was precisely the three children who were looking for the last stones at the same time as her.

- As for the five of you, by finishing first, you've guaranteed yourselves a head start in the next round. Congratulations! - Roberto sai, congratulating the winning children. Nicolas was not among them, but patted the backs of those who had been eliminated. They all belonged to his group.

Wait a minute... they were from Nicolas' group. All three were from Nicolas' group. I disrupted his group! From the boy who not only offered to abandon the test for me, but who helped me complete it. From the boy who had been helping me from the moment he got on the bus.

This painful realization was too much for Abigail. Without the courage to face Nicolas after what she had done and holding back tears from rolling down her face, Abigail left the unlit torch on the ground and slowly moved away from the group, hiding behind the burning tree, where there was no stone table. Seeing clearly thanks to the fire in the tree, she slipped into the darkness that the others would see when they tried to spot her running towards the woods. Hidden by the branches, Abigail ran as fast as her legs could carry her and her heart would allow. With no one else to see her cry, she allowed her face to be flooded with tears of disappointment with herself.

She didn't think about where she was going or how she was going to get back. She just ran. But no matter how far she went, she couldn't run from herself. A voice of condemnation screamed in her mind, accusing her of the evil she had committed. It instilled guilt in her chest, sentencing her to punishment.

Advancing much faster than recommended in the woods, Abigail tripped over a branch and crashed to the ground. The emotional pain was now matched by the physical pain of her bruised arm from the fall. But Abigail's greatest horror was not the fall or the wound. It was the figure she saw between the trees.

- What is that? Who are you? - The trembling voice showed the fear Abigail was feeling. In the middle of the woods, in an unknown place, completely alone, she realized the folly she had committed. What would she do now? - Please don't hurt me. Have pity, I feel weak, I'm hurt. Who are you?