Constant

Chapter 6

(LYDIA)

I used the dagger to slice the shirt off of the bleeding man at my feet. The fabric stuck to the warm sticky blood that was oozing from the wound that I had inflicted. With each breath that he took his chest moved up and down which caused more blood to ooze. I squinted at the wound and I knew that I had missed anything major. I knew that my brother would be disappointed in me. I was just a hair away from nicking the major vessel. This man in front of me was extremely lucky. If my aim had been true he would have bled out in just a few seconds I tore off a section of my skirt and used it to mop up the blood so that I could see. Once I found the major source of the bleeding I tore another section of my skirt and dipped it into the stream. I folded it up and placed it on his wound. I knew that pressure would help stop the bleeding. I knew that he would probably need to have it sewn up if it was going to heal properly. 

I looked down at my skirt which was in an awful state. There were so many holes in the dirty fabric that it was difficult to find a piece that would work as a bandage. I found a relatively large chunk that wasn't full of holes and I tore it free. I hooked my arms around his chest and pulled him into a sitting position with him leaning heavily on me. I nearly lost my balance. Falling would pin me underneath him. I managed to grab the wrap that I had made and slid it around his torso. It went around twice and I tied it tightly to hold his bandage in place. 

He hadn't regained consciousness which was probably for the best. If he was awake he would only be in a lot of pain. I eased him back down to the ground laying on his back. The man's horse nickered and I hoped that the animal would cooperate with me. I slowly approached it with my hands held out at my sides. With a twitching nose the horse watched as I approached. It took a step towards me and I slowly held my hand out to it and scratched its nose. Reins hung down from a bridle so I took them in my hand and led the horse back to the man laying on the ground. It leaned down to smell its master. 

"I need your help," I whispered and the silky ears twitched. 

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(LYDIA)

I held tightly onto the reins. The injured man was laying behind me across the back of his horse. I had to remove the saddle and lean forward to make room for him. I pointed the horse in the direction of home. I knew how to get there but I was afraid of getting caught again. I followed the road closely watching for hidden trails that would take me home. 

I stopped to check the man's wound. The bandage seemed to be holding. I glanced around to make sure that we weren't being followed. We had ridden for most of the day and I knew that we were getting close to my town. I wondered if anyone would notice that I was gone. When my father went outside he would see that the animals hadn't been taken care of. It wouldn't matter that I had been abducted. All that he would care about would be my chores not being neglected. I sighed and swung back up onto the horse. I could worry about his reaction later. 

After a few more minutes of riding my town came into view. First, it was the well kept house of Eliza. She had a kind heart and often looked out for me when my father got out of control. I knew that I could slip over to her house and find a fresh cake. Eliza would listen to me and ease my worries. Many times she had offered to let me move into her home with her. The offer was tempting but I knew that she would be putting herself at risk. I made an excuse by telling her that we would be too cramped in her little home. She had pursed her lips as she shook her head slowly at me. I didn't want her to get hurt. I could handle it if my father hurt me but if he hurt Eliza because of me I didn't know what I would do. 

I looked around at the other houses as I approached. I could imagine the shutters on the windows locking tightly. I could imagine rain falling down from the sky drenching me and making my thin clothes stick to my body. The reason for me being outside was always the same. I could remember the way that my father had roared at me shaking his fists when he was in a drunken rage. My neighbors always slammed their shutters tight when they saw me coming. It didn't matter the season of the year. It could be sweltering hot outside and they would slam their shutters and close their doors. Many times I imagined their houses as little ovens and I hoped that they would bake inside them. My only neighbor and friend who was a refuge from the storm was Eliza.