Inexperienced Heart

Chapter 3: Abandoned

After a while, Landa saw no use for screaming, so she stopped and slept. When she woke up, she did not know for how long she had been asleep for. She felt very stiff, sore, and in pain. She assumed she would soon die.

As she was about to give up hope, she heard footsteps and the rustling of leaves being stepped on. She wondered if she should speak up, but it didn't matter because the person was coming right towards her. Next thing she knew, she saw Elliot's face above her. He was wearing clothes she was used to seeing him wear. She closed her eyes. She did not want to see Elliot, even if this was the 'real one'. "No," she thought, "it must be another trick."

"Go away," she whispered hoarsely.

"Are you okay, Landa? Why are you here?" asked the boy.

"Are you the real Elliot?"

"What do you mean by 'real'?" The boy wrinkled his forehead in confusion.

"Are you the one I know from school?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"I had a calamitous, horrible experience."

"Tell me about it. What happened to you?"

Landa did not know if she should trust him. She did not want to have another awful experience. She wanted to somehow test him to find out if he was the 'real' Elliot, but she could not think of anything. "I do not know Elliot that well," she determined. She decided to risk it and told him the whole story.

After she was finished, Elliot did not know what to say, so he said quietly, "I guess I'll go now."

"Wait! You can't leave me here! I've already been abandoned once. I don't want to be left again. At least, can't you untie me, Elliot, please?" asked Landa uneasily.

Elliot looked thoughtful and then shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid I can't, Landa," he said.

"Are you serious? Why?"

"I'm not supposed to help you."

"Have you been threatened? Why can't you help me?"

"I have not been threatened."

"If you can't help me, I'll die. Get Mira, at least."

"I can't face her," he stated. He blushed.

"Why not?" asked Landa, getting annoyed every minute.

"Because...because I like her," he stuttered.

"That's not a reason! If you like her, you can face her. Please, Elliot, get Mira. She would want you to help me. If she ever found out you refused to help her best friend when she was near death, she would not like you."

Elliot just looked at Landa, not knowing what to do. Then, he turned away and dashed away. Landa was outraged as she yelled, "Elliot!"

Landa thought for a long time. "Why did he run away like that? He could have told me something, even one word like 'okay'. He doesn't like me. I know that for sure. He likes Mira Hibers, like everyone else. She's so lucky! But when Elliot was here, he could at least have untied me. His excuse was so lame. I'll never like a guy again. First, I was lied to by who knows what guy and then I was abandoned by Elliot. Oh Mira, I wish you were here." She sighed.

She breathed deeply. She prepared to die. "This is the worst way to die."

But wait! She heard a noise behind her. She was scared. She almost stopped breathing.

"Oh no," she thought. "This will be a disaster! Who's there now?" She decided to risk her life and started screaming, "Help! Help!"