Romaine is to the right :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time Kale was finished showing Saraphine around she was absolutely exhausted. She was not used to being the one lacking physical endurance. Kale had told her not to worry about it, that her stamina would build. He had been in this enviroment his whole life after all. She came from a world where using the bathroom was considered a workout.
She had gotten to see the garden, where she was to spend most of her days. Saraphine was possitive she would like it there. That is where those delicious apple things came from, she had found out. She had learned that apples were grown in trees. She had also learned that different trees grew different foods, and some grew nothing. This world seemed so strange to her. Mystical, and amazing but strange nonetheless.
The sun was beggining to set on her first day in her new life. Saraphine was enamored by the way the shades of pink and yellow ribboned into the darkening blue sky. Kale was taking her to something called a bonfire now. Apparently tonight was a special night. Kale's little sister was to have a ceremony for her and a couple other kids. The ceremony was to celebrate their coming into adulthood and becoming full members of the tribe. In the tribe you were considered an adult at the age of fifteen. Growing up in the wilderness caused you to mature at a younger age, Kale had informed her. Saraphine could see how this could be true, considering you were literally in charge of your own survival. The necesities of life weren't just handed to you by the government, like she was used to.
Saraphine saw an orange flickering light a short distance in front of her taht was surrounded by the majority of the tribe already. She hadn't realized how many people one hundred and fifty really was until seeing them all in one place. She began to feel mildly intimidated. Especially by the ones who had chosen to adorn their black war paint for the ceremony.
"You don't have anything to be nervous over." Kale whispered to her as if he had been reading her mind. He held his hand out to her, much as he had on the street during their first encounter. Unlike that day it was a gesture of comfort rather than help and she did not hesitate to take it. Kale led her through the crowd to one of the unoccupied logs that encircled the gathering. As she sat there she was overcome with a sense of belonging. Her eyes scanned the area around them. The fire was glowing brightly on all of the smiling faces of the tribe.
Then her eyes met another pair. Saraphine followed the face downward to the mouth, expecting to be greeted with another smile. Instead she was taken aback by an intense scoul. The scoul pulled her out of her daydream like state. Saraphine took in the face as a whole this time. It was a handsome face and was surrounded by long wavy deep brown hair. The eyes were almost the identical to the hair color. His jawline was strong and serious. The look he was giving her was intense and angry. It made Saraphine squirm in her seat. Kale felt her uneasiness and followed her gaze.
"That's Romaine," Kale said leaning into her "he's not so pleased about your arrival. No worries though. He won't act on it. He's under strict instruction of the elders to leave you be." Saraphine noticed the bow in Romaine's hand and the arrows strapped to his back and was immeaditly less assured of Kale's satement.
"Why is he against me being here?" Saraphine asked returning her eyes to Kale.
"It's because you're an outsider. He's afraid that you will betray us." Kale told her nonchalantly as if the thought didn't even cross his mind. Saraphine was glad that most of the others didn't seem to have this problem with her.
"Are you hungry?" Kale asked her rising from the log. Saraphine nodded an enthusiastic yes. She was starving for the first time in her seventeen years of life. With that Kale dissapeared into the crowd to the right of them. Saraphine tried her best to keep from looking towards where Romaine was, but that was near impossible when you can pretty much feel someone's eyes boring into you.
