Bound by Glass

05| Double Burn

Dedicated to all those SILENT readers out there <3 love ya'all! (Yes, I'm talking to you)

OH MY — over 500 reads! I've only posted like five-ish chapters?! Thank you guys so much.

And please note that this is a rough first draft, so any kind of feedback is more than welcome. :) I really enjoy reading what you guys like and/or dislike. ^-^

Also—eh—English isn't my native language, soo... yeah. Don't expect Pulitzer Prize sentences here-o. Yeah. Just wanted to mention that. K bye. *scurries into corner*

- Vivian

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Tomorrow. Tomorrow, we would try to fulfil the crazy plan. Tomorrow, we would pass the Tribe borders. Tomorrow would be the day we succeed.

Or died trying.

Those thoughts whizzed through my head as I walked back to the cabin. Everyone slept in the huts, but since I was the daughter of the Tribe Leader... I got my own room. Got to have its perks, right?

Usually, Jaedie would come over to be able to get some rest—which is understandable, since she has four siblings, all younger than her—but tonight she slept in her own bed. That was also understandable.

I yanked open the front door, which I knew would jam, and stepped into the dark hallway. Usually there were candles lit... I shrugged and dashed up the stairs to my room, my boots slamming against the old wood and threadbare carpet. I slid my hand over the barren banister, from which the paint had peeled off a long time ago. I walked over the corridor, the old wood creaking under my weight.

The door to my tiny attic room was still open, and peering through the crack, I saw a small glimpse of my room; a bed, a sloped ceiling and a small fireplace. It was simple, a place just for me where I could be alone. It was something personal, that I didn't have to share with the entire Tribe.

I shivered when I entered my dark room. It was freezing up here. The heat of the fireplace downstairs didn't reach my room, and my own was stone cold. I grabbed some wood and tinder, and lit up the bits of coal and wood that were still remaining in the fireplace. After a few minutes, the room started to heat. I exhaled; that was better. I didn't light my lamp, since the fireplace radiated a faint yellow glow that softly illuminated the room, in which I could see just enough. I didn't need much light anyway, as I knew my room like the back of my hand.

I shrugged off my leather jacket and unlaced my boots, setting them next to my bed. I looked in the cracked mirror above the small metal fireplace, which was now burning hot. Short, unevenly cut brown hair, red cheeks from the cold, and almond shaped blue eyes stared back at me. Otanec said my mother used to have the exact same blue eyes. If only I knew what he was talking about. I noticed a black smear on the side of my small nose. I stood on my toes to get a closer look, and when I did, I accidentally touched the top of the metal fireplace.

A sting shot through my hand where I touched the metal. It was searing hot. I stifled a yelp and immediately pulled back my hand. I flipped my hand and saw a bright red line appearing over the palm of my left hand, already plastered with small blisters.

I cursed, and looked around for some water, cradling my burnt hand against my chest. Curses pooled in my mouth as the skin around the burn stretched, pulling at the blisters.

I found the small bowl in which I had washed my face this morning, still filled with ice cold water. I dipped my hand in it, the pain immediately lessening. I exhaled. With my left hand still in the bowl, I grabbed a rag from the closet and dipped that in the water, too. Pulling both the rag and my injured hand out of the water, I wrapped the drenched cloth around my hand. I immediately regretted my decision; the friction between my burnt skin and the rag was more than I had anticipated. I inhaled sharply and bit the pain away—and another curse.