Survival Book 1

Chapter 3-The Battle

  I yawned and stretched, rubbing my bare, itchy ankles. I could see my breath as I warmed my cold hands. Lena and Warren shifted next to me and stretched too.

It was a cold, foggy morning and already I was filled with anticipation. Zora had taken my shard and pack and threw it a few feet away from me to torture me. I smiled deviously. I shook Lena awake. "Wha-"

I pressed my finger against her cherry red lips. "Shh." I cupped my hand behind my ear and pushed it forward, making my ability to hear 2 times stronger. After about 15 long seconds, I declared the coast clear.

"Lena, untie the knot." Lena looked at the knot calculatingly and pushed her eyebrows together. She cursed.

"How the hell did she manage to make a knot that tight?" She bit her nail, but then quickly drew her nail away. "I'll need these if I even manage to loosen the knot the tiniest bit." I nodded.

She spent the next 30 or so minutes loosening the knot, and the last 10 minutes untying me. I flexed my bare ankles in relief. "Thanks." I grinned and ran over to my pack and pulled out my shard. I cut everyone free after they sweared not to betray each other or fight each other once I set them free.

We set off fast, heading toward the main campsite like a mini army. As soon as we came close, I heard shouting.

"YOU!" I heard Alex shout. The rest was garbled speech as others shouted.

We cautiously walked out into the clearing, and I gasped.

Nicole stood bravely with about half of the tribe behind her. She said something about a fight, and Alex stared her down loathingly. "Fine!" He spat.

Suddenly, everyone was fighting. We quickly scattered and I silently agreed to fight for Nicole's side. A boy with blonde, short hair and blue eyes ran over to me, shouting, and I pulled out my shard. Without hesitation, I engaged in battle.

I grabbed a long stick in my right hand. Being left-handed gave me an advantage, because he didn't know I was. I feigned an attack and jabbed his side, which he blocked and landed a blow to my side. He grabbed my stick and snapped it on half. I cursed, switching to my shard. As he tried to pelt me with rocks and knock me off the hill with a slender branch, I dodged the rocks and cut clean through his stick. I saw him dig his nails into his hands, leaving little white crescent-shaped marks. Without thinking, I cut him on his elbow and thigh. He fell down.

"Dammit," the boy hissed and grabbed a few leaves to serve as bandages. His eyes bored into mine. For some reason, my mind told me not to run away. I was human. Besides, no one would think I was a traitor. I was concealed by the trees.

"Sorry," I muttered and pressed a real bandage from my emergency pack into his damp palm. He thanked me hesitantly and wrapped his thigh with the first half, then ripped the extra and wrapped his elbow.

"You have luxuries in that pack, don't you?" he said after a while, his voice thick with jealousy.

"If you count stale crackers and a First-Aid kit." I stood and walked in the corner of the opening, the shadow covering my face. He cracked a grin. "I do."

I crept a bit closer to him. "Name?" His eyes darkened. "Why?" I shrugged. "Just wanted to know." I sat next to him. The boy looked down. "Draco."

I was silent. Draco looked at me and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Well? What's yours?"

I smiled. "Sorry, that wasn't part of the deal."

Draco's eyes turned dark. "Fine then." He stood, nodded, and started walking away. "Wait!" I shouted.

"What?" He turned around, looking at me. "Do I owe you eternal gratefulness now or something just because you gave me a bandage? I appreciate it, but you're my enemy. Good luck out there." Draco turned back toward the fight, stopping only once to collect a sharp rock.

I exhaled and slammed my fist against a tree when he was out of sight. I couldn't make allies. I was stupid to give some of my slim bandage supply to Draco. He was the enemy, not my friend.

My face hardened. Today, I would not be an ally. I would be a fighter.

I faced the large tribe. I saw a flash of blonde hair. Draco. "Join me," I said to the tribe. "This is an injust system. I care about people, and I can lead better than Alex, I can assure you." I had never felt so powerful. My eyes were stormy and gray, and my voice echoed in the valley. Wind blew in my hair and pasted my shirt to my stomach. The tribe rustled.

Alex strolled forward and stopped. He stood only a foot away from me now. "I have kept these people alive. EVERY ONE OF THEM!" The dampness of his breath made me gag. "You, Victoria, and the girl, Nicole, are just nuisances. My tribe is done with you."

I stood still for a moment before replying, "Let's have your tribe decide that." I faced them. "I promise to treat you fairly, feed you well, and

lead you with good decisions if you come to..." I thought suddenly of my sister. Smart, clever, kind... "....Makena." I smiled. I knew Makena's name would bring luck to our tribe. Makena was the luckiest girl I knew. If she looked at the game I was playing, I would win. She looked away, I would lose. Her goodwill was very important to me, and so is this tribe. I had a certainty in my voice now. "The tribe Makena." I placed my palm over my heart in salute, then lowered my arm slowly.

After a few stifling seconds of nothingness, Lena limped over and stood behind me. Following her came Melanie, tugging Ryan behind her and smiling the first genuine smile I had seen on her. Then came a girl with black hair with a streak of red through it who was clutching her arm, Jet with a black eye, a girl with waist-long jet black hair and skin the color of an oak tree, a girl with red hair and electric blue contacts who grasped a sharp rock in her left hand, and a boy with navy blue dyed hair and tattoos snaking up his muscular arms. I felt a shiver as I realized all of them preferred me.

I waited for anyone else, and after a few seconds, I could tell no one else would come. I turned and faced my tribe.

I placed my palm on my heart, and they followed hesitantly. I faced Alex. "Best of luck to your tribe...." I made it sound like I was asking what the name of his tribe was.

"Nimah," he replied in a steady voice filled with hatred. Alex bore me down. "Lay a foot on our hill and blood will be shed. We hunt on the hill over there." He pointed to a fourth hill.

My eyes narrowed. "Makena will hunt there too. If we run into each other on the hunting hill, no bloodshed will happen. That hill is free territory."

Alex grabbed a stick from nearby and drew a rough sketch of the valley and hills. On the one nearest to him, he wrote NIMAH and underlined it. Then, on the hill next to that, was the hunting hill, where he wrote HUNT. Then, across from Nimah's hill, he wrote GAMBA, and finally, next to Gamba, he wrote MAKENA. Alex tossed the stick away.

"These are our terms," he said quietly. "If you break out terms, we will take over your hill by force. If you want to keep your tribe safe, I'd suggest abiding the laws." I nodded and turned to face my tribe.

"Let's go," I commanded.

Together we walked away to the hill where we would start a new life. I heard Alex call: "HEY! THAT'S THE HUNTING HILL!"

My face flushed in embarrassment as I turned around to face Alex. "I know," I replied, lying. "We were getting breakfast. But fine, I guess we'll just go to our hill." Lena stifled a laugh and I glared.

Then together, we walked away to the actual hill where we would start a new life.