Just the Start. (The Clovers series: Book 1)

Chapter 17

Eulogia and I sought shelter under a tree with big leaves, hugging our knees together to keep warm. The rain was still relentless but at least there was no lighting or thunder.

"You are?"

"I'm For..." I paused as I remembered that my mother shouldn't know that I'd been here.

"Forry," I extended my hand out to Eulogia amiably and he shook it.

Pain exploded in my palm and I winced. I had forgotten all about my injury.

"Wait for me here," he got up to his feet and barreled into the trees before I could get a word out.

After five minutes, he came back out with a gigantic leaf and a branch. As he sat down beside me, I peered over and spotted some small leaves collected in the middle of it.

"What are you doing in the woods?" he asked as he pounded the tiny leaves with the branch.

My face fell as I thought about my sketchbook which was swept away by the river. It had all my favorite drawings inside. "I was drawing when it started to rain. Then I slipped and fell into the river. What are you doing?"

"These are herbal leaves for your wounds. Your hands are badly scrapped. These will help to relieve the pain and kill the bacteria."

Warmth blossomed in my chest when I heard his words. "Thank you," I nodded gratefully.

He flashed me a boyish grin before reaching out for my hand gingerly. I placed my hand in his with my palm facing upwards and he started tending to my wounds. I took that opportunity to study him. His short hair was dark brown and dripping wet from the rain. His skin was slightly tan and carried an olive hue to it, making his eyes seem even brighter. His cheeks were chubby, giving him an adorable look and his lips pursed in all seriousness as he dressed my wounds. When I jerked from pain, he muttered a 'sorry' before continuing his task.

"Done," Eulogia released my hand and glanced up at the dark sky.

"The rain is not stopping anytime soon. You'll have to wait for the clouds to clear before you can make your way back."

"What time is it?" I squinted my eyes at his watch. The surface of it was too watery for me to make out the time.

He swept the collected water away in one movement. "It's seven."

"Oh no," I stood up in alarm. "I have to get back by seven thirty!"

He grabbed my hand before I could make a move off. "But it's slippery now. What if something happens to you again?"

"I need to leave. I'm not allowed in the woods," I explained urgently.

I'm fine with being lectured but I don't want my mother to go into a panic mode. She had a weak body.

He eyed me for a moment and sighed. "Okay, where do you live? I'll come with you."

"You don't have to. I promise that I'll be careful," I smiled at his goodwill. He had already saved me once and I don't want him to risk his life again if anything happened. Not that I wanted anything to happen to me again too.

"Incidents happen even when you are careful," he pushed himself up from the ground and slipped his hands into his pocket. "Come on, lead the way."

Seeing the determined look on his face, I broke into a grin.

"Okie dokie."

*end of flashback*

******************************

*The next morning*

I turned up at the battle courtyard super early in the morning. It had already became a habit of mine. I slept relatively well last night. I wonder how my mother is doing now...I hope that she's alright all by herself and won't still be frantically searching high and low for me. Would she perhaps guess that I'm here in Idris?