Phoenix

Firewood

Ash heaved the fallen tree branch through the forest towards the beach, pausing every few meters to catch her breath. They'd been asked to collect firewood for the Initiation that night, but this branch was too big for her to handle on her own. She dropped the branch and flopped down on it, wiped the sweat from her brow and shook the tension from her arms. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander to the initiation when—

Slap.

The backhand caught her across the cheek, so sudden and surprising, it was like being back in Outer Band, suffering the consequences of a momentary lapse in concentration. She went into fight mode, shielding her face with her arms and glancing off a second blow.

"Gerroff," she growled, jumping to her feet, vision tunnelling, muscles flexing. When the face of Freia came into focus, shock swept through her like a minefield and she staggered back, mind flailing with the question: Did Freia know? Had she finally figured out what Ash had done?

"Stay away from Eli," Freia said, her now fisted hand hovering high, threatening another blow.

"Eli?" Ash said, still stunned. What did Eli have to do with Freia's brother?

"Are you brain dead?" Freia snarled. "If I peek you biting him like a filthy gutter rat again, I swear, I'll kill you." She bent down and grabbed a handful of foliage and threw it in Ash's face, eyes filled with a manic glaze Ash knew well for she was usually the one bearing it.

Freia didn't know. Freia doesn't know. It was all she could think. And when Freia reached down and threw another handful of leaves, this time making a mulch Christmas tree of Ash's hair and robes. She had grit in her eyes and dirt on her lips and yet, she stood there and let it happen, even leant into the assault just to feel it chip away at her guilt. It felt good to finally get a taste of what she deserved, though she wasn't sure how many bruises it would take to completely be free from what she'd done.

But Freia didn't stop there. Once she realised Ash wasn't going to fight back, she grabbed her arm and bit into it, in the same place Ash had bitten Eli. Ash braced against the pain, felt fiery pins and needles race up and down her arm and wetness spring to her eyes. Still, she let it happen. It was what she deserved.

It was Gunner who came up from behind and wrapped a tree trunk arm around Freia's middle, picking her up off the ground, and setting her down a good ten paces from Ash. His voice was low and hard. "What is this nonsense?" he said, looking down at her with an expression as rock solid as his frame.

Freia, wiping her mouth, glared. "She started it."

Gunner turned to Ash. "Is that true?"

Ash held her bleeding arm against her chest and shrugged, causing chunks of foliage to fall from her shoulders.

Gunner turned back to Freia. "Next time someone provokes you, you tell your house leader. Am I clear?"

Freia's nostrils flared as though they'd just caught a whiff of something bad. "I would if he wasn't totally obsessed with her." Her eyes widened and her hand flew up to cup her mouth as though she couldn't quite believe what she'd just said and wished to stuff the words back into her mouth.

Gunner placed his hand on his hips, making him look even more indomitable than before. "That's quite enough from you," he said.

Freia blinked once, twice, as though slowly rising from her glazy eyed craze. She ran, her blue streaked hair trailing behind her.

Gunner watched her go, his hands mounted on his hips until she was out of sight. "Want to tell me what really happened here?" he said to Ash.

Ash shrugged again.