Survival 101: With Vivian Bell

Chapter 11: Gobble Gobble, My Sanity.

Sorry for taking so long to publish this chapter. It's extra long so I hope that wins my forgiveness :D

Thank you so much for all the follows and favourites. Please dont be shy to comment/review I really want to know what you guys think :)

So this is one of the many turning points in the story, I had fun with this chapter and I hope you guys like it too because things are about to speed up if you know what I mean ;)

xxx

SSC

And I dont wanna dance

Dance with you baby no more

I'd never do something to hurt you though

Oh, but the feeling is bad,

The feeling is bad

-Lady Linn

So things have been weird...well, weirder.

Ever since this one incident between Daryl and I on one of our usual hunts.

It was a pretty ordinary day. It wasn't like we haven't been on hunts before. It was filled with the usual sarcastic responses to one another and Daryl had gotten into this annoying habit of referring to me as, Twinkle Toes.

I don't know where he picked it up from, and it's probably in reference to my fighting style, but it's all I hear now and quite frankly. I preferred Vivi-anne.

Believe me; the name came with an entire list of different abbreviations.

It was always an "Aye Twinkle Toes, get yer ass over 'ere and help me wit dis."

Or "Oi double TT, whatcha got over der?"

There were a few more, which I can't recall right now, but they will come up eventually. I would always respond with an eye roll or a sigh under my breath, the worst part was the other adults loved the new nickname too.

That wasn't the strangest part, Daryl finding an excuse to degrade my existence was practically second nature. It was everything apart from that. I sometimes found him staring at me in the oddest way. I don't think he even realized it at times, like I would literally be standing miles away and those clear blue eyes of his would find me and watch at me.

Maybe he wanted to kill me, brutally and gracelessly? I wished he wasn't so painstakingly slow about it, just get it done already.

He was probably abiding his time, waiting for us to be alone. But that's ridiculous, he's had plenty of chances out in the woods, he could make it look like a complete accident.

These were of course exaggerations of my mind. I don't think he actually wants to kill me. Despite his peculiar looks every now and then, things between Daryl and I are peaceful. I would never admit this to anyone—and if anyone did ask I would totally deny it— I actually like being around him. I never have to work hard to act normal and I wasn't self conscious around him, it was quite liberating.

Besides, I have plenty to learn from him. He was like an encyclopedia of all things tracking, hunting and skinning related. I had used to rely on spoors to hunt down an animal but Daryl taught me how to use my surroundings, making predictions for the air or smell, even from moss—freaking moss?!

It was all new and pretty amazing to me, I think he found it hilarious each time I demonstrated my amazement from my ever so expressive face.

As I was saying, we were hunting that day. The deer we were pursuing was a turning out to be disappointingly fruitless. Not to mention, Daryl was strangely distracted that day. Maybe he had some 'council' related issues that were bothering him, who knows. I had suggested we find some other form of sustenance and Luna had spotted a squirrel.