Termination

Chapter 6

I had to stop passing out. My head was probably suffering trauma and my back hurt. As I came to, my hand hurt badly and my arm ached. I opened my eyes and was met with the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves leaving a dappled marks across the forest floor. Birds were chirping loudly telling me I had slept in passed my usual waking time of 7:00 in the morning. I tried to sit up, but was stopped by my hand. It ached so bad I wanted to make a noise, but didn't. I held it above my head and scrunched my eyes against the still rising sun. I inspected the leaves wrapped in bandages and pocked at the burn tentatively. The whole night came rushing back in a bundle of images as the leaves, cool, brushed against my hot skin. "Morning sleepyhead." A voice I quickly recognized as James registered in my head. I leaned on my side and rolled towards the middle of the sleeping pad. I was met with a startlingly close face with sleepy looking eyes, dark solid cheeks, and a tan, slightly crocked nose. My instincts told me to flinch and bend backwards but my back was so stiff I couldn't. I was stuck with him an inch or two from my face. I opened my mouth then quickly shut it. What would I say? Would I reply with a nice compliment about how pretty his eyes were in this light? I had never had much contact with boys besides Coby and he was pretty lax about it. Instead I smiled and said, "How many fights have you been in?" And flicked his nose with my good hand, as I slowly scooted away from him and towards the edge of the thin mat. Smiling he sat up with his legs crossed and gave me what seemed to be an honest answer, "Exactly 5 and I won 4. The one I lost gave me that." And he pointed to his slightly crocked, but adorable, nose. Wait, adorable? Was he 3 now? I had to get away from him I was going insane or mentally deranged, same thing right? It was then I noticed he had taken his shirt off and blushed and looked away. But, not after I had seen his chiseled torso an obvious muscles on his arms. He must have worked out more than me. Well, he had lived out here longer, how long did Niki say she had again? I'd ask later, now I needed to focus on getting back to Chloe, Mazy, and Ceaser. I reached off the edge of the mat to find a stick but was instead met with a furry muscled mass of fox. I snapped my head and looked at the fox forgetting about it being stiff. Snap was sleeping peacefully and just scooted closer to my hand laying on his back like my moms house cat did at. Not bothered at all by this James came over and stroked Snap as I had begun to do admiring the flaming copper of his coat. "He slept over here last night right next to you. At one point he was even laying over your legs but you must have moved, little traitor." He muttered affectionately to the fuzzy creature. I laughed softly. "Animals used to fallow me in the forest back home, like I was a magnet." I said with a twinge if longing. I wanted to be back in my woods with the dove that lived in Mazy's barn. My fathers dog choosing an adventure I was on over laying at his feet while he did his endless paper work. They didn't miss me, at all I was betting. Mother would be sad, and father would be disappointed but they would get over it. They could start over with a boy if they wanted to. In the new society, if you had a male first you could have me more child, but if you had a girl, you couldn't. It was the law. Any violators would be killed or orphaned. My father always wanted a son more than a daughter that's why he liked Coby so much. Coby would put up with his endless lectures about the government and how it was so perfect now, like he cared. It was kind of him to do that for me. He took the sharp end of the knife and gave me the blunt end which consisted of me being in sports which wasn't so bad.

Snap shifted drawing me out of my thoughts. "I can see why, you are so kind to all." I herd in my head. Wait, I wasn't supposed to hear that, was I? I must have thought this at the front of my head also because I was answered with one simple phrase. "You can." I stared at the now sitting Snap and said out loud, "Why can you hear me and, better yet, how can I hear you?" I babbled quickly.

James looked stunned at my question but Snap must have filled him in for me because the look soon turned to awe. He looked down at Snap and smiled, "I told ya so." He then grinned and looked at me. "Welcome to the whisperers." He stated simply.