The Five [COMPLETED]

Part Nineteen

Three weeks had passed since that last confrontation. Tensions were running high between us all as we trekked alongside the stream that would lead us to the Jade Valley. It's hard to believe that we were so close once. This battle was supposed to bring us all together, and now look at us. Lawrence hadn't spoken to me once since our break-up, while Matthew couldn't keep his eyes off me for a second. Why is this so hard? It wasn't long before the sun started going down. 

"We should find a river," Matthew announced suddenly.

"Why?" Lawrence asked, rather heatedly, I might add. "Why should we listen to anything you have to say, you traitor?"

"Don't," I warned. Lawrence only glared at me before turning a bored expression on Matthew. "Well? Come out with it already!"

"I said don't!" I snapped. Lawrence's nostrils flared, but he kept his mouth shut.

Matthew didn't seem the least bit fazed by Lawrence's challenge. His voice was filled with careful indulgence, like he was explaining something to a small child. "Well, I think that if we follow the river, we should be able to find the Valley much quicker than if we followed the path. I mean, every village or town or whatever with people in it has a river in it, to provide water."

Violet nodded carefully. "I agree," she said. 

"Of course you do," Lawrence muttered.

 Violet stared at Lawrence, hostility glowing in her purple eyes. "What did you say?" she asked him. 

Lawrence met her eyes and repeated, "Of course you agree with Matthew. You helped him betray us."

Violet's eyes narrowed. "For your information, you don't know my motives as to why I helped him, or his to join Dragon Eye, for that matter."

"Then why don't you tell us?" Lawrence came closer, looming over Violet. "Huh?" She and Matthew exchanged a long look before Violet let out an impatient huff and seethed, "This isn't the time or the place, Lawrence. Skylar's right." I stared at Violet for a long time. I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten that she'd helped Matthew betray us by pretending to be dead. What could have motivated her? What did Matthew tell her? What did he promise her? Alarm grew as another chilling thought filled my mind: Does he love her? I gave a quick glance at Matthew. He was looking at Violet through the corner of his eye, watching her carefully. As his gaze shifted to me, I looked away quickly, staring at the ground. Composing myself, I said in a calm voice, "We will follow the river. They're right when they say that most towns and villages need water to sustain its' residents."

We started to head deeper into the bamboo forest, with me leading the way along the thin path through the tall grass until we came to a dirt track, in which we began walking in our normal formation: me in the front with Violet and Matthew just behind me on the sides, and Lawrence and Mark bringing up the rear just a little behind them. We followed the path downwards, along the bottom of the wide hill, watching for any signs of enemies lurking about. 

And then we were stopped.

Right ahead of us, was a massive clump of thick, tawny brambles.

"There is no way -" Lawrence started.

"We are going through it," I interrupted him, moving forward until the tip of my nose was touching the edge of the thicket.

Taking a deep breath, I started to push through the brambles.

Instantly, I could feel them tearing through my flesh. The others began to follow me, one by one. I tensed my limbs to the point where they began to shake as I pushed through, feeling bramble after bramble upon my skin. They made a horrifying rip sound when our skin was left behind on those torturous hooks. Yells and groans of pure agony filled the air. We had no breath left to encourage one another. The fact that we were doing it together was enough encouragement in itself.