Fighting for Power (Howl of the Elements: Book One)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Layla woke up cold and sore. The old cot that she was laying on had to have been the most uncomfortable thing she had ever slept on in her life. She felt as if she had a million knots in her back and neck. She groaned and leaned forward to sit herself up as she rubbed at the back of her neck.

"You get kind of used to it after a while," a soft voice said beside her.

Layla turned to look at who had spoken to her, and her neck made a loud cracking noise with her quick movement. In a way, that crack actually made her neck feel better, not as stiff. She noticed a small girl sitting just a couple cots away from her. She looked as if she was barely five feet tall and very slim. She had dark brown hair that only reached down to her chin and her tan skin was covered in smudges of dirt.

"How could you possibly get used to this?" Layla asked.

"After a while your old life just becomes a distant memory and this becomes all that you know. Then when they start having you work, your body becomes so sore and exhausted that anything feels comfortable when you can finally go to sleep, but from the looks of last night you won't have to do any of that," the girl replied as she stared at the floor and shrugged her shoulders.

"That is horrible! All of this is. Nobody should be treated like this and forced to live in such terrible conditions," Layla shouted and bunched up her fists at her side.

"Please don't shout. They will hear you," the girl pleaded.

"I really don't care if they hear me or not. I'm not afraid to speak my mind, and if they don't like it than they can go jump off a cliff!" Layla stood up from the cot and began pacing back and forth.

"They might not do anything to you, but it will make things worse for the rest of us."

That response was all it took to make Layla stop in her tracks. She looked down at the floor and rubbed her temples before going to kneel in front of the girl.

"I'm sorry. I will stop for now, but believe me when I say that I will do everything in my power to get you a better life. What is your name?"

"Gabriella."

"Well, Gabriella, my name is Layla and I think I have a plan," Layla responded and a grin started to form on her face.

***

An hour later and Layla was wandering down a steep path a couple miles from the warehouse. One of the pack members had brought her a fresh outfit to change into. She was now wearing a yellow sundress and a pair of tan sandals, not the perfect outfit to decide to go for a long walk in. She could already feel the start of blisters on her feet and the sandal straps were digging into the top of her feet with each step.

She noticed a tiny trail to her right, hidden between some trees and bushes. She would have missed it if something shiny hadn't caught her eye. She knelt down on the ground and squinted her eyes. Next to a stone on the side of the trail was a thin silver object.

Layla reached down and gently lifted it up to see that it was a small heart shaped pendant attached to a thin chain. She brought it closer to her eyes and flipped it over in her palm. She noticed a name engraved in small cursive writing, 'Natalie'.

Layla scrunched up her eyebrows and stood up. She glanced around her trying to see if there was anyone nearby who might have dropped the necklace, but the area around her was still and quiet besides for the soft rustle of the leaves as a breeze brushed past.

She shrugged her shoulders and gripped the necklace in her palm before ducking under a low branch to walk down the tiny hidden trail. Maybe this Natalie went down this way, she thought to herself even though it looked as if this trail was rarely ever used.