Defying Death

Chapter 14

I won't be able to publish for a while. I'm going on a camping trip! I have been focusing on my own new book, the title is 'The Albinos' on my personal profile it's dedicated. Yes, selfless self-promoting. Enjoy!

"Wait, can I get a cloak too?" I asked Haven who stuck her tongue out as if she was contemplating the answer and in the corner of my eye, I saw the boss shake his head slightly. She winked at me before going back to into the tree and returning holding a black hood.

I smiled gratefully at her. I unwrapped it and shook it out to get rid of the collected dust. I ran my fingers through the thick fabric that would definitely keep me warm. I put it on and immediately the sweltering sun was now shadowed away from my face and I was cooling down fast. I sighed, the boss clapped his hands and pointed at Vitus who was still holding Beatha. Haven cooed and reached over to hold her in her arms. Not even having to say anything she had already whisked herself away with my sister.

"Will she be okay?" I asked, I heard a clatter from inside but heard "I'll try my best but her case is pretty severe so I can't promise anything". I groaned quietly but I guess it was the best I could do.

"You can visit your sister every few days," said Haven trying to smoothen things out. I smiled gratefully at her as she poked her head out, her voice was muffled by the bandana she had covering her mouth and nose. "I'll see you around" was her last reply before she shuffled back inside.

"Let's go" ordered the boss and Hayat soon appeared out of a corner carrying a bundle put it inside and came out.

She fell in step with me muttering words in another language. I studied her she was pretty with dark thick hair, olive skin, dark eyebrows and brown eyes with a hint of green near the edges, she was tall and had a strong build. She looked over at me arching one eyebrow questioningly. "Where are you from?" I asked she bristled and her shoulder stiffened. Immediately noticing my mistake I gasped and said "How long have you known Haven?" knowing that she was more comfortable talking about someone else.

She shrugged "I've known her the same amount as the boss," she said. I raised my shoulders in a wondering way. She didn't bother answering as we had stopped again and I stopped limping. It didn't look like a clearing and there was no shelter and nothing to show a mark of camping. No ashes from a fire or mounds of dirt where they went to the toilet or cooled their food. I pivoted on the spot and looked around. Hayat and Vitus giggled "look up," Vitus said pointing a finger in the sky. I look up to see that in one of the big trees is a thick corded rope.

"We have to climb that?" I ask perplexed. Vitus goes up, scaling the rope easily gripping with his hands and bare feet. I go over to hold it and find it surprisingly sturdy I look down on my injured ankle and think if I could do it with only one leg. I clutch the rope with my hands and squeezed it to death, it's not like I'm scared of heights but I don't want to fall to my end. I grabbed higher and hanged there testing my weight then I put my sound my leg up and rolled my hip in a way that my hip supported my leg. I grappled a bit more and started clambering up and midway through I make the mistake of looking down. "Oh my god, I'm going to die," I repeated over again like a chant. I wasn't even that high up the ground but with my bad ankle, I wouldn't be able to land safely. Hayat looks at me and says in a conciliating voice "breathe, calm down, nothing is going to happen. You've come up this far it'll be harder to go down" she says. "I know," I snap, then wince I didn't mean to be mean but when I feel threatened or scared my inner personality comes out.

I see the boss shaking his head and crossing his arms across his chest. Just as I am about to growl at him my leg cramps and pops making me lose my grip. A scream rips through the forest and I realize it as my own. I am now only holding the rope with two hands.