Mirror, Mirror {#Wattys2016}

Chapter 11- Hideout

One week later.

Cassandra and Liam sat around a small fire in the middle of the woods. After the broadcast, they had run past Sector D and into the forest beyond. Each noise coming from the trees made Cassandra jump, as if the Queen and her guards had just found them.

Just then the sky cracked open and water poured from the heavens. Fat drops of water fell gracefully from the dark clouds above.

"Come on Cassandra, we need to get under our shelter." Liam began packing what little supplies they had into a worn cloth bag.

After leaving in such a hurry, Cassandra and Liam hadn't been able to buy much in terms of food. They had managed to scavenge a small assortment of rotting fruit but not nearly enough to sustain them both.

Thinking of food, Cassandra felt her stomach growl. It had been so long since she had eaten a full meal.

Boom! Crack! Thunder and lighting exploded across the sky. Cassandra hurried underneath the small canopy of leaves serving as shelter and began to shiver. Their hideout hardly offered any protection from the raging thunderstorm. Huge drops of rain had already begun to soak into Cassandra's robes and hair. A fierce wind whipped everything in its path, a sharp blade of ice.

Finally Liam joined her under the shelter. "I'm sorry for taking so long, I had to make sure nothing got left behind."

"It's okay, I survived without you," Cassandra teased.

Liam tossed her a crooked smile that made his eyes twinkle. The rain ran down his face, pasting his hair against his forehead. When Liam's hair was damp it became a rich chestnut colour instead of tawny brown like usual.

Liam looked at Cassandra's shivering. "Are you cold?"

"I'm freezing, but there's not much I can do." Cassandra rubbed her hands down the length of her arms as an attempt to regain heat.

In response Liam scooted closer to where she sat and put his arm around her. Cassandra leaned her head onto his shoulder so she could finally relax. Pressed against Liam, the cold barely seemed to exist. It was the most relaxed she had felt in days.

When the rain eventually passed, Cassandra and Liam emerged from their dwelling to set forth once more. No matter how far they had travelled from the palace, capture seemed imminent.

After walking for a half hour, Cassandra's surroundings seemed to blur together. Each stretch of silver birch trees looked identical to the last. Cassandra had never seen so many trees in one area. Trees in Sector C were few and far between, complete opposites from this maze. Cassandra hoped that Liam knew where he was going because she certainly did not. For all she knew they could have been walking in circles.

Eventually the sun set, streaking the sky with brilliant golds and reds. Day faded into night and Cassandra lay atop a pile of leaves, wondering how long they would be forced to hide from everything they had ever known.