Glade

Rain

Glade and Luke were both beginning to panic. It was dangerously close to nightfall, and neither of them had found shelter. Luke was still unsure if he was heading in the right direction at all, and Glade had finished the last of her water. If they weren't killed tonight, both of them would still be in trouble in the morning.

Things weren't looking good.

Glade, for one, was angry with herself. What kind of survivalist doesn't properly close a water flask?

Luke, on the other hand, was close to completely giving up. In a fit of rage, he'd taken off without a second thought. Now he was lost in the wilderness and was probably going to die.

At that moment, as they were both desperately scanning the darkening forest, a ray of hope arrived;

The cave Glade had stayed in the night before.

As they both ran at full speed, they heard the crack of thunder above them. Time was running out. Without seeing the other, each crashed into the cave, barreling into each other and rolling inside just in time to avoid the rain that slammed down from the sky right as the last bit of light from the sun faded.

It should be mentioned that the rain was red.

Glade quickly pulled herself up and drew away from the person she had crashed into. She was disoriented, and relieved, and annoyed. She wasn't dead, so that was a relief, but she didn't exactly enjoy people. Correction; she hated people. Her gaze softened a bit, however, when she saw who had crashed into her. It was a kid. What the fuck is a kid doing out here?

Luke, on the other hand, was only feeling one thing: panic. He'd gotten to safety in time, but the anxiety still hadn't worn off, and he could feel himself physically shaking. Not to mention the girl in front of him, who, while unreasonably short, looked like she wanted to kill him. "Who... who are you?" Luke managed to spit out.

The girl narrowed her harsh green eyes at him. "My name's Glade. How old are you?"

Luke swallowed. "Ten."

Glade sighed. "What's a ten year old doing out in a forest so late at night?" she said, suspiciously eyeing his small backpack and sandy hair.

"I... um..." Luke started, "I'm lost."

Glade stared at him for a moment, then let her guard down. She set her bag on the ground. "Alright, lost boy. I've decided I'm not gonna kill you." She sighed and sat down. "What's your name?"

"Luke," he said, deciding it was better to be compliant with this girl instead of keeping secrets.

"You got a lightsaber?" Glade asked, smirking at him.

He frowned. "What?"

Glade groaned, pulling her hair over her shoulder. "I can already tell that tonight's gonna be rough."

Luke cautiously sat down as well, not taking his eyes off the girl. The sound of the heavy rain outside echoed throughout the small cave. The air smelled like vinegar. Now that night had fallen, it was a lot colder than it had been during the day. Luke tried to ignore the goosebumps that were rising on his arms.

Glade was more annoyed than scared. She didn't like that she was stuck with another person for the night, and she really didn't like that that person was a kid. He should be... well, Glade didn't know where kids should be in a world like this, but they definitely shouldn't be here. "Where are you from, kid?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Wyoming," Luke said nervously. He didn't like telling all of these things to a stranger.

"Did you hike your way down here?"

Luke nodded.

Glade narrowed her eyes. "By yourself?"

He hesitated for a moment. "No, I came with my dad."

After staring for a little longer, Glade shrugged and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes. "Was it the rain or did he get killed?"

Luke opened his mouth in surprise, then closed it. How did she know? "Someone... killed him. I found him outside of a bunker." It was probably better not to talk anymore. He pulled in his knees and huddled down a little, trying to stay warm.

Glade opened her eyes. Fuck. "What are you doing out here, then?" She asked, trying to sound apathetic as possible.

"I..." Luke hesitated again. Was it really a good idea to just tell this girl everything she wanted to know? "I don't know," he lied.

Glade didn't even have to look at him to know he was lying. He was probably on a murder spree now. The smart thing to do would probably be to just push him out in the rain now and be done with him. Vengeful kids tended to become big problems.

She knew from experience.

Glade sat up and looked him over. He was a scrawny, little thing. His hair was too long, hanging in his eyes, and his clothes were tattered and too small for him. He was shivering uncontrollably in the cold.

Glade felt something, then. Was it... sympathy? Whatever it was, it was stupid, and it was dangerous, and she should probably just push him out in the rain and be done with it.

Instead, however, she crossed her arms and laid back down. "I'm going to sleep," she said, "don't move or say anything tonight, or you won't wake up tomorrow."

Luke gulped and drew in his knees, trying to pull away from her. Little did he know, Glade's stupid emotions had just saved his life.

For now.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading! What did you think about Glade's reaction to Luke, and visa versa? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also, please always message me or leave a comment if you find a mistake!

Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love,

Eden