The Admin's Reign: A Spark of Hope

Chapter 16

Calm. That's what she felt at first, just an overwhelming, relaxing calm. Then warmth. A soft orange light flooded her eyelids as if trying to coax her to open her eyes. The ground beneath her felt warm and comfortable, making her not want to get up.

Birds could be heard twittering deeper within the forest, leftover droplets of water dripped from the leaves and branches.

A small, single drop fell right onto Petra's temple, causing her hand to reach up and wipe it away. A moment later her eyes fluttered open.

The sun had just left the horizon, greeting the hills and trees with its warm smile.

The first thing, however, that Petra noticed was Jesse, lying a few feet away from her. He was still asleep, using her arm as a pillow. The sun lit up his face, giving it almost an innocent glow.

She wasn't sure why she found herself staring. He looked so peaceful as if all that they knew had never happened as if he was now living in a world where everybody lived happily.

Maybe that's what gave him hope, looking to one day make that dream a reality. She smiled softly, hoping that she'd live to see it happen.

It was early, and she felt rested enough, a perfect time to get moving and not waste a second of the day.

Sure that's what she thought, but actually putting those thoughts into actions was a whole other thing. Petra found that she couldn't will herself to move from her comfortable position.

Maybe she could stay here for a bit, they had time after all.

She sighed contently and closed her eyes again, letting the calm wash over her again.

A few moments later she heard movement but knew it was only Jesse moving in his sleep. Despite this knowledge, she opened her eyes, her heart froze when she found his emerald eyes watching her.

It wasn't just that, it was the look in his eyes. She was used to him being wary of her, beholding her with a look of distrust. But now he looked at her almost curiously, as if he saw her in a completely different light. A good one.

It took a few seconds for them both to realize that they hadn't said anything but rather had been staring at each other in awkward silence.

Jesse cleared his throat and began to sit up. "Ready to go?" He asked.

She didn't respond but rather sat up as well, quickly mourning the loss of her pleasantly warm resting place. She then saw the condition of the bandages on his back and remembered that they needed to find the others.

"How are we going to find them?" She asked.

Jesse didn't look up at her as he pulled apart the fire to erase the evidence of their presence. "I'm not sure, but if that storm had been here or arrived when they made it over, they probably took cover."

"Maybe in the forest? They might not be too far." She suggested, prompting him to shrug in reply.

A few moments later, she noticed he'd begun searching for something, but she didn't know what. Soon he came back with a few branches and some vines. He sat down not far from her with his materials and began to search his armor and clothes for something. His brow wrinkled in confusion, obviously not being able to find it. He turned to her and asked.

"Do you have your knife?"

She blinked, then looked at her left gauntlet, pulling her knife out of a small pocket inside. She offered it to him and he took it with thanks.

She observed him curiously as he proceeded to strip the branches of their bark, rounding off jagged edges, and shaping them to be a bit straighter. When done, he handed it back to her and then began to tie the sticks together with the vines he'd snagged.