fire starter | l.s [1]

seven

Again, I've forgotten how refreshing it was to get a full nights sleep. I awoke the next day feeling even better than I did yesterday. The tent was silent apart from Chubs' snores, who was sleeping next to me, his face pressed deep into his pillow. His glasses were sitting next to him, he looked so different without them. Not like Chubs at all.

I rubbed my eyes and pushed my hair behind my back, letting myself wake up. Scanning the tent, I noticed that Ruby was gone, and the others were sleeping soundly. Ruby and I being alone was probably the best chance to ask her about what I saw last night so I pulled my flannel over my shoulders and silently crept out of the tent.

Ruby was sitting in one of the camper chairs, reading a book intently. Her brown hair was sticking out in different places and she wore a frown upon her full lips. Carefully, I walk over to her and sit in the closest chair. Ruby looks up from her book and offers a small smile before returning her gaze back to the book. After a long silence, I finally got the courage to ask her.

"Ruby, can I ask you something," my voice was still thick with sleep and she glanced up from her book.

"Course," she smiles softly and closes her book, placing it in her lap.

There was a beat of silence and staring before I sighed and sat up straight, "Are you an orange."

Ruby's brown eyes widened and now she was sitting up straight. I felt bad, I hope she knows I'm not mad or scared of her. It certainly looks like she's afraid of me. Her mouth opens and closes, and her hands are wrapped tightly around the armrests of the chair.

"It's okay if you are, I'm not mad," I reassure, and I see her body relax slightly.

The brown-eyed girl pressed her lips into a thin line and dropped her gaze to the floor before looking back up at me and nodded. I sat back in my chair, rubbing my chin with my hand. An awkward silence hung in the air for a long time, neither of us really knew what to say.

"Please don't tell them," she muttered into the back of her hand.

"No, I'm not. You're my friend, Ruby," I replied, giving her a small smile.

Ruby let out a deep breath of air and ran her fingers gingerly through her hair, "It's not that I'm bad or anything. I just didn't want you guys to assume that and kill me or something."

"Yeah, I totally get it," and I do. That's why I have never told anybody what I did, back when I was twelve before I got sent to the camps. I wasn't a bad person but I just didn't want people to know and think I was bad. "I'm going to go get changed and stuff."

Ruby nods and thanks me. I crawl back into the tent quietly, they were all still asleep. Grabbing my bag that was sitting next to where I had slept, I set off on the journey to the bathroom. It was only short, at least two minutes away from where we had set up camp.

The mall was silent as ever, no sounds but the clicking of my boots on the floors echoing across the structure. I entered the bathroom and quickly changed into a new outfit, still tying the flannel around my waist though. Then I did the usual stuff like brush through my hair, brush my teeth, I cleaned myself up with the sink water and a bottle of soap. I pulled my now short, red, hair into a high ponytail and exited the bathroom.

As I got to the top of the stairs, I saw that everybody was awake and sitting in the camp chairs. Ruby and Liam erupted into laughter and I couldn't help but smile. Grabbing onto the railing of the stairs, I hoisted myself up on them and slid down the flight of stairs. I stuck the landing perfectly earning a round of applause from the group. My group. I gave them a quick bow before climbing into the seat next to Liam.