Half of two wholes

Chapter 5

The air was tense as the traveller and guide made their way back to the makeshift camp.

"So.." Daniel started only to cut himself off as Iris glanced up to glare at him. If looks could kill, Daniel would have been dead ten times over.

The boy thought back to the flash of red he had seen.

"It's probably just blood, yeah! That's it. Blood... But is it hers?" The question was grim, but somewhat logical.

As soon as they reached the campsite Iris only partially collapsed on to a rock, Daniel running to his bag to get the medical supplies he had brought.

Iris hadn't said a word since what happened, she didn't even fight with Daniel as he cleaned and bandaged the wounds she had gained.

Daniel reached for Iris's head in an attempt to brush her hair out of her face so he could clean the blood that continued to flow down it. He didn't even make contact before Iris violently shoved him away.

"What the hell Iris?!" Daniel shouted as he sat up.

Iris gave him another glare before saying "I will take care of it."

"That's ridiculous, let me help!" Daniel said, making his way back to her.

"Daniel. I'm serious." her hands sparked as she spoke.

"So am I. Now let. Me. Help." Daniel's voice was levelled and cold while he spoke.

"Daniel. I'm warning you." Iris's magic crackled as if to punctuate the threat.

"Why are you making this such a big deal?" Daniel asked with a small glare.

"I'm not, you're just being stubborn." Iris scoffed.

"And you're being unreasonable!" Daniel's tone rising slightly.

Iris maintained eye contact as she made a sort-of barrier between herself and her companion, causing Daniel to instinctively freeze.

"I told you to leave it." her voice dropped in volume but retained its cold tone.

"And I'm telling you no way." Daniel stated as he lunged for Iris, breaking the wall dividing them.

The force caused both to fall off the rock and onto the grass surrounding them.

"GET OFF DANIEL!" Iris shouted, trying to push him away.

Daniel had landed on Iris with his knees firmly pinning her to the ground, restricting her movement. He was glaring as he reached down and brushed her hair away so he could take care of bandaging the gash on her forehead. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Iris was glaring up at him, blood scattered on her face, and tears gently forming. She looked utterly terrified, which was definitely a first as far as Daniel knew. But that wasn't what startled him. No, what caused him to stop dead in his tracks was the blood-red colour of her right eye.

"No... No no nononono. It- she- I-" Daniel couldn't think properly, his head buzzed as he slowly got off the girl.

The second Daniel had moved off her arm, Iris shoved him to the side. She moved her hair back to how it was as she walked off, leaving a stunned boy behind her.

"It's you... Isn't it?" Daniel asked with a shaky voice. "That's how you knew all the errors in the story, it was your life!"

"Daniel..." Iris refused to face him.

"This whole time you could have just told me everything! Were you really not going to tell me?" To say Daniel was hurt would be an understatement, he felt deceived by the girl he had begun to think of as a friend.

Iris kept silent because no, she had never intended for him to know. She didn't even plan to start enjoying his company.

"I thought we were becoming friends..." Daniel mumbled as he got up from where he had been stunned.

Iris was sitting on the opposite side of the fire that was still going, her back turned. Daniel choosing to seat himself on the sleeping bag that had been abandoned earlier in the night.

Neither slept, instead opting to sit in solemn silence contemplating the events that had just occurred and trying to figure out if they would ever move past the issue.

Daniel's mind was moving a mile a minute, the questions kept coming. Iris, on the other hand, was in utter shock, unable to think properly as what happened kept repeating in her head.

Not another word was spoken between the two as they waited for daybreak.