Running With the Wave

Chapter 13

Era:

I take the shells off of the peanuts and drop them in a bowl with some lettuce and other fruits and vegetables while Hunter and Sebastion skin and gut the squirrels. I hand them the salad bowl and tell them to get some syrup from the factory across the street to put on the salad. The surprise that I can even cut a strawberry on Hunter's face is evident. He doesn't even try to hide it, but I don't really mind. How should he know what I can and can't do? Once they're out at the factory I quickly run outside and grab some herbs, well aware that only a girl would do this kind of thing. I look at a clock on the wall. Hunter's father should be back in an hour. We need to pick up our pace if we're going to have dinner ready in time for him to come home. I look around to make sure that no neighbours are out of their houses then sneak to each of their lawns and grab whatever wild herb is growing there that's not on Sebastion and Hunter's lawn. I run back inside and crush up the herbs, sprinkling it on the meat to act as spices. I run around outside getting stones and twigs and arrange the stones in a circle and dump the twigs inside. I skip up the stairs and grab a lighter from a cupboard. After a few minutes of trying to figure out how to turn it on I manage to get a fire roaring on the twigs. I strip a stick of it's bark and clean it. Grabbing the meat I stick it on my home-made spit and sit there while the fire does all the work. The boys come back a few minutes later with my salad dripping in syrup. Their eyes light up when they smell the meat cooking and laugh. They put the salad on the table along with some forks then lean back beside me as the meat cooks.

"We're going to have a feast tonight!" I laugh.

Hunter grins.

"You bet we will."

"This is going to be the best meal we've had in a long time." Sebastion agrees.

We all exchange grins with each other, but guilt grows in my chest. I shouldn't be playing around and grinning, having this amazing meal while all the other women are either dead or suffering in the cells. My smile melts away as abruptly as it came.

"What's wrong, Erad?" Sebastion asks, looking concerned.

"Nothing." I say quickly, "Everything's fine. I'm just... Tired."

Hunter knows what's wrong. I can tell by the way he stares at me and I quickly look away. How does he know me so well already? How do I feel so attracted to him when he's a man, never mind a Keeper?

Hunter:

I saw the look in her eyes, the look of guilt. I knew that she would feel bad, would punish herself that she's having fun while the women ae still in the cells. But that doesn't make the pain of seeing her so sad disappear. Era quickly looks away from me and I do the same.

"The meat's done, guys." Sebastion hints.

"Oh! Thanks, man." Era says quickly, taking the spit out of the fire.

I hide my grin at her attempt to talk like we boys do. It's good, but it's still funny to hear her say that since she's really imitating Sebastion and me.

"Sebastion, can you get a plate for the meat?"

"Yeah, I'll be back in a minute."

Sebastion runs inside the house and I inch closer to Era.

"How am I doing?" she whispers, leaning in closer so that I can hear her.

"You're doing great, Era." I smile at her.

She really is doing great. As far as I can tell neither Sebastion nor my father suspect a thing. She grins and the world lights up around me.

"I like Sebastion." she murmers thoughtfully.

My heart falls. She likes my brother? This isn't happening!

"He's nice and cheerful. Plus he's good looking." she continues.

"He thinks what men are doing to women is right." I blurt out, not wanting to listen to her go on about how good my brother is.

She looks at me, surprised.

"So you've given up hope on him seeing what's wrong, then?"

My face heats up.

"No! No, that's not what I meant." I mumble.

"Then what did you mean?"

I stare into those piercing blue eyes and want to cry. I love Era so much, how can she love Sebastion?

"Just forget I said anything, okay?"

She cocks her head at me but Sebastion comes back out then so she just nods to end the conversation.

"For now." she whispers before turning back to Sebastion.

My little brother skips over with a plate in his hands and gives it to Era.

"Here, Erad. This good?"

Era smiles at Sebastion and nods. I narrow my eyes at Sebastion enviously.

"Stop that." I mutter to myself, "You can never have her. You decided that remember?"

Sebastion taps me on the shoulder.

"What was that?"

"Oh. Nothing, nothing. Just talking to myself."

"Okay."

Together we take the meat of the spit and set it up on the table, but the whole time I can't stop looking at Era. Images pop into my head, all of them involving Era and Sebastion. By the time dinner is on the table and my father has walked through the door I feel sick to my stomach but I don't dare try to excuse myself from dinner. Judging by how my father wants me to see him when Sebastion and Era are asleep I'm in enough trouble already.

Trouble I'm not looking forwards to.

All too soon, dinner was over and Sebastion and Era were in their beds falling asleep. I was standing in my fathers office with him snarling over me. I know he's had too much alchohol, I saw him down it at dinner. I wince, this isn't going to be a pleasent night. He stands a meter or two away from me, dead drunk and a baseball bat in hand.

"You didn't ask me about bringing Erad home." He says, his voice slurred.

"Yes, but-"

"Enough said!" he roars.

I cringe as the bat comes down on my back. I swallow my scream and go limp. It doesn't last as long if I don't fight back, don't scream. It makes him more angry when I do. The bat comes down over and over again on my body, splitting open already black and blue bruises. I wince with each blow and pretty soon I'm crying. These are not going to be easy to cover up, and it hurts so much... So, so much... I lie there for what seems like forever as the pain comes over, and over...

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes." I moan.

"Now go!"

I limp out of the room and collapse onto my bed, sobbing in pain. I'm bleeding but I don't care. I squeeze my eyes shut as if that could make anything better. I curl under the covers, knowing that they will be stained red with blood by the end but in too much pain to think to change them. I fall asleep to the sound of Era sleeping thinking only one thing. Why me? Why me?