Don't fall

Chpt 41 - The Stones

I open my crusty eyes, sitting up. I must have fallen asleep.. and I haven't taken care of the Nathan issue yet. I let out a sigh of morning breath, changing into a clean pair of clothes (all of my clothes are the same. A dark midriff, dark military jacket with the angel wing symbol, dark leggings, and black combat boots. Then my belt with the knives and small items. I brush my teeth, then glance in the mirror, putting my dark brown hair up into a messy high ponytail. My blue eye is still highlighted by dark makeup, and my lips still plump and red —though they're chapped from lack of enough water.

I spin around, grabbing a trowel that we scavenged before. Then I make my way to a nearby tree, and I start to dig. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, but no one comes to help. Not that I care.

When it's a good 5ft across and 5ft deep, I stand back, wiping sweat off of my brow. I must stink really badly. I've only been able to wash myself off with a cloth, plus no soap, and that doesn't do the trick. My hands sting from sweat and the effort.

I walk over to Nathan's stuff, that he left on shore when we went to the island, and I grab his pack that is full of his personal things.

I take it over to the hole I dug, tossing it in, along with some beautiful blue wild flowers and then I proceed to bury it all.

Because that's all we can do. Bury the thoughts, bury it all. We can't afford to lose our cool, one mistake and we can die. My hand is bleeding again, but I don't care. The burnt one is near healed because of that awesome salve that Henry rubbed in.

Once I'm finished with my little funeral of sorts, I make my way to the group and tell them to pack up. We need to move, we never know who or what's out there and we have been here for far too long.

•••

By dawn the next day, we make it to a river to sit and catch our breath. Everyone eats, but I don't have much of an appetite. I can't help but notice how everyone's depressed and Brianne hasn't stopped crying. I glance down at my hands and plan.

So far we have 3/6 stones. Which isn't bad, but it's not good either. We've been in here for at least a week.

"Alright," I start, getting everyone's attention. "Here's what were gonna do. We're gonna ask Ealdun to play a game. The last three stones being the prize" I say, gauging everyone's reaction. No one rejects my idea, but no one looks too happy about it either.

"What kind of game?" Xander asks, casually playing with his hair. It's dirty, but somehow it still looks flawless. Damn boys. They have it easy. My hair is all tangled and greasy.

"I'm not sure.." I trail off, thinking. What's a game that's 50/50, or that we can win easily? I bite my lip, staring at a single pebble.

"Ah! I got it!" I exclaim, snapping my finger. Then I stand up, looking up at the sky. "Ealdun!" I yell. Get down here you piece of shit.

It takes half a second before the bright light appears along with Ealdun's glowing form. He looks slightly confused. It's the most emotion I've seen in him yet. "Yes?" he asks, standing right in front of me. He doesn't pay anyone else attention. We could assassinate him right here and now.. Can you kill a god?

"I challenge you to a Staring Contest" I say, smirking softly. His eyes flash with amusement, as he snaps his finger. Two chairs appear and we sit down. He can't refuse, it's against the game world we're in. My group growls and complains that it's a terrible idea. Good thing I'm usually not a crowd pleaser.

"If I win, then we get our last stones. And if you win.." I think for a moment.. before sighing, "if you win then I have to stay in the same room with you for three days" I state. He must get lonely, and he sure does stare at my chest a whole lot, so I think he has the same urges as normal boys. Although.. he is a god so he probably has concubines or some random girl whenever he wants..

He coughs before smirking again. "You're on" he says simply. I smile, "then it's a God damn Dare" I say, imitating what he said to me that first time.

"First things first.." I say, taking off my eyepatch. I keep my eyes closed for now. "Alright, if you're both ready.. let's begin.. 3...2..1.. GO!" Xander says, and my eyes shoot open, staring right into Ealduns glowing ones. It kind of stings. But I won't lose..I can't. I hear a few gasps, but I don't think about it.

2 minutes pass, and my eyes are starting to really burn. But from the looks of it, so are his. Good, I was praying that he actually had to blink —I wasn't sure.

My eyes cramp. "Shit.." I whisper. My eyes force their way closed, and I hear a low gasp.

"It was a tie.." Xander says, shaking his head. A tie? "So, we both win" Ealdun says, a smirk plastered onto his face. Shitttt..

Ealdun snaps his fingers, and we all watch as the three stones appear. A Green ring, for Xander. A Gray chain necklace, for Quinn. A White bracelet, for Derek.

"Wait.." Brianne whispers, rushing to my side. "Don't take her!" She yells, latching onto my arm. My eyes widen as I realize fully what this all means. I'm gonna have to stay in the same room with this guy..for three days. This power-hungry God.. "how about a remat-" I start but it's too late.

Ealdun snaps his finger and I appear under his arm, which is casually thrown across my shoulders. My eyes are wide. "You guys had better start making your way towards the gateway to the other side of the world. It's about three days away. We'll meet you there" he says smirking. My breathing picks up.

Then he snaps his finger again,
"No! My princess!" Xander yells, I catch a glimpse of him right before I get teleported to a small room. He's got cat ears. Possessive.. of me??! Shit, that means he'll be stressed that I'm gone. Hopefully he can pull himself together, I'm sure Henry will take charge..lead them.. hopefully. But what's Henry gonna do about blood? There's so much bad in these results.

I open my eyes, Ealdun brought us to a beautiful room. It's got a balcony with a gorgeous view of a lake, a master bathroom with a huge bathtub, a closet of soft looking clothes, and a huge bed. But, only one of them..

Ealdun turns to me, and I get nervous. He won't try anything.. right? He won't. I look up right as he appears in front of me, one of his hands caressing my cheek, the other around my waist. Butterflies fly in my stomach. What..no! I can't..feel, why am I feeling things? My breathing is heavy. I try to push him away but he's too strong. My body is betraying me.

Ealdun leans in close, his lips almost touching my cheek. His hands trail down my back, gently caressing my ass. My cheeks heat up, and I squirm. "W-wha.." I struggle, flustered. But he doesn't let me shy away.

"You can go take a nice bath, enjoy cleaning yourself. I'll be out here, reading" he says, pulling away finally and heading to a chair, that's facing the entire room. I run into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I can hardly breathe.

What..was that? What the hell did I get myself in to?