Mutiny

III: Amara

"You brought a boy?" Mo chuckles. My eyes roll.

"And he's unconscious," Zak adds, his arms crossed and eyes piercing through me.

"Well, I'm sorry my patient fainted while R was at my tail." R is a nickname for Raven. I set Star down on my bed. His fingers flinch, as well as his legs and arms. I frown.

"Oh Amara," Maniya chimes in, leaning against the frail door, "you need to take a break. You're constantly wasting your energy on these, weaklings." She gestures towards Star, as if she's swatting a fly. I turn to Zak, frowning. Mo gets like this whenever I come back to the homestead. But this time it's different.

This time I brought them here.

Zak frowns as well, it only lasts for a second. His face returns to his stone cold, yet composed, expression.

"I'm afraid I have to agree.."

"Zak!" I snap.

"Please, Amara," Maniya puts her hand on my shoulder. She sighs unsteadily.

"Two weeks," I blurt out, "please. He's suffering from a bad stab wound." Silence clings onto us. For too long.

"Fine," Zak says, monotonous. "Two weeks."

                                                                                            《》

Star wakes up--completely delirious-- early the morning. I stumble in the dark, then I find him. He turns to me, I only can see half of his face, illuminated by the moonlight. His dark hair glows a light blue. I haven't really realized that his hair was midnight blue. Nor have I realized that he had white freckles, that looked exactly like the stars.

"Amara!" He giggles. I choke on laughter, shushing him after I manage to not giggle as well.

"It's truly early, why are you awake?"

Star's voice drops to a low whisper, matching the same tone when he winced at the sting from the medicine.

"I woke up to enter reality again," his smile glows. I arch a brow. "The other world wasn't for me."

He must be extremely tired to be behaving like this. I sigh. It's so cold I can see my breath. Star's eyes widen at the sight of it. And he starts huffing, like a child. I remember I used to do that on cold nights when I was first sent to the Wilds. I imagined I was a train, going towards home.

"Star, go back to bed."

"Can I be with you?"

My heart skips a beat. I was taught that someone shouldn't go to bed with you until you're married. That's how the world works, at least that's how New World II works. "I'm scared of the other world," Star mumbles. His grey eyes seem hollow, for a moment. His mouth moves but I only hear the pounding of my heart. As I put my hand to my temple, his mouth stops moving.

"Are you okay?" He grabs my wrist and hugs me loosely. Only holding to half of me. Something yells at me to pull away. I barely know this boy. He barely knows me. I'm too young to feel my heart skipping like it's playing jump rope. With Star swinging the rope. But his radiating warmth is bringing me closer to him. Like a moth to a flame, more of a forest fire, and I'm going in blindfolded.

"Amara.."

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For helping me, for bringing me here, feeding me, even though your friends don't seem so happy.. "

I hold my breath. Even though your friends don't seem so happy. He must have seen Mo, Zak, or Maniya around. What did they say to him? I sigh and nod slowly.

"Your welcome, Star," I mumble. I feel like he's not comfortable. An outcast. Without meaning to, I find myself sitting on the thin mattress--made out of tule--tucking Star back to bed. He holds onto my hand for too long.

"Goodnight Amara.." He whispers. Finally letting go of me.

I walk back to my room. Hugging my arms and smiling like a fool.

I hate this.