✔Celestial Beauty

Chapter 11.

Nevaeh's POV

My legs were weak and numb from all the walking.

"Are we there yet?" I pleaded.

"Nope, and if you keep on asking, I'm just going to have to carry you the rest of the way."

He locked eyes with me, and I quickly averted them as my cheeks flushed with heat. Killian wasn't doing me any favors.

"How much longer. My feet have blisters on them."

"5 more minutes"

"Oh please, you've been saying that for the past hour"

"I really mean it this time" he said with a sarcastic tone.

He looked back, gave me a playful glance and walked forward laughing.

Ugh. Even his sarcastic tone sounds sexy. What am I saying?! I jogged to catch up to him and stared straight ahead I could feel us getting to a destination but couldn't make up when. The forest was infinite from all sides and looked as if we've walked this muddy path before. I couldn't tell if we were going in circles or if this guy was just trying to murder me inconspicuously. Although I couldn't really explain it, I got the feeling that I should trust him but I'm not just going to go with a feeling, so the jury is still out for debate.

"We're close, so let's take a break because the entrance isn't far from here." Killian walks off a little farther and disappears past the plants.

"Are you coming?" He shouts from a distance.

I walk past the plants to see a small pond and Killian laying by the water with a canteen in one hand.

He must've seen me eyeing it because he offers it up.

"Would you like some?" He says holding up the canteen.

"Yes please."

He passes over the canteen and as I'm drinking, I notice it tastes funny but as soon as I realize it my vision starts to blur. I rush to stand up, but I stumble and fall. Killian is on the ground beside me and picks me up.

"Whaaattttt diiiiiidddd you dooo?" I try to say.

"Not much newbie, the juice did most of the work though"

"Son of a--" Everything went black. 

******************

"Ugh." I woke up with a pounding in my head that could be easily compared to a very loud tuba being played right next to me. "Where am I?"

"You're dead...I'm just messing with you! You are at the crown phantom camp."

"Um..." I turn my head to the sound of the voice in front of where I'm lying on a hover bed. Standing at a hover table next to a group of supplies there is a woman sorting supplies. She walks closer to my bed but stops at the edge of it with a hand towel in her hand a clear remote in the other.

"Hi, my name is Leyva and I'm one of the healers at this camp. I've been treating you since Killian brought you here."

"..." I continue to stare in her direction.

"Well anyway, I've got a cool towel to lower your temp in my right hand and a thermometer in my left hand. You weren't in the best shape when Killian brought you in, he must have given you too much of the extract by accident, just know that you'll be safe here, no one is going to hunt you down. You got a name?"

"I'm 1202."

"1202? Oh, not your number they gave you, a name. You know something your friends refer to you by?"

"Nevaeh."

"Well Nevaeh, I officially welcome you to the crown phantom camp division 8." 

Leyva walks over to me and scans my forehead, afterwards hands me the mini damp towel to rest on my head.

"It looks like your fever has gone down a bit Nevaeh. Anything you need before I head out for a while?"

"Yea actually there is. Could you by any chance get me out of here? This tent I mean. I really don't want to be alone with my thoughts right now."

Leyva's face softens. "No problem, let me take you on a tour of the grounds I've got a few errands to run anyway."

The tour would be the perfect time to try and escape. I need to get back to the barrier, or maybe back to the city? I don't even know where the fuck I am! I am pretty sure that I'm not in the barrier anymore though, there isn't a tropical jungle in the barrier because temperature is regulated so that must mean I'm outside. Outside the barrier. But that's impossible, there isn't anything that can survive out the barriers society built. All I know for sure right now is that I need to get back to Evie and Ollie.

"So first let me drop something off and we'll head out, in the meantime change into these." She set down a pair of pants and a tunic on the bed. "Make sure to stay close when were out there it can be really easy to get lost especially because you aren't used to surroundings like ours. I'll be right back, stay here."

She left the tent and I quickly began to change. I couldn't find my shoes or any at all soI decided to just walk out bare foot. The minute I left the tent the world turned chaotic. On my right to the south there were people walking on the paved paths towards me with markets on the side of the trails that had people stopping and talking to the people behind the hover counters. On my left to the north the paved paths led deeper into the village but there was much less noise resounding from there. I decided to go to my left and sprinted so that Leyva wouldn't see me running off and follow. I was running the fastest I could with one goal in mind, to get back to Evie and Ollie. I wasn't necessarily paying much attention to my surroundings as my goal to return to my friends was the only thought my mind could process. I could only hope they were okay and not hurt or worse maybe de- My body jerked back and fell to the ground as I collided heads with someone.

"Damn, you are one hell of a runner!" The stranger said laughing.

Staring at me from across the ground was a guy with cocoa-colored eyes and the shade of sienna laughing as if he had no care in the world.