22
1320 Words
SERAPHINA
"Hide," Azriel whispered, tugging me behind a big tree.
I stared at him. "Hide? Are you kidding me? We need to run."
"So you get spotted and take a bullet to the head?" He scoffed. "Very smart."
I wanted to argue, but the sound of footsteps shut me up. I pressed my back against the tree trunk, Azriel shielding me with his body.
The footsteps stopped. Then started again. I heard voices and peeked around the tree.
Three men in black masks swept their gazes across the island. Their footsteps drew closer, and I froze in fear, not daring to breathe out loud. I leaned into Azriel, my fingers digging into his shirt.
His heart was pounding, and he shifted a little, distancing himself from me.
I pulled away from him immediately and hugged myself tighter.
The men moved past us, their boots crushing dry leaves. One of them stopped. Turned. Looked right at our tree.
I stopped breathing.
He stood there for a long moment. Then he spat on the ground and walked on.
I didn't move until the footsteps faded completely.
Azriel turned around slowly. "Let's go. Now."
We ran back to the cave. Before I could even make out a word, Azriel grabbed the bag. Shoving the few things we had lying around into it, he dragged me away, my legs trying to keep up with him.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We can't stay here," he replied. "They likely have a base on this island. We need to find somewhere else."
"Where?"
"I don't know, Seraphina."
We walked for hours. My feet ached. My throat burned. I tripped over a root and scraped my knee.
"Can we at least take a break?" I cried.
"No."
"Azriel, I can't—"
He stopped. Sighed. Then crouched down. "Get on."
"What?"
"Get on my back. I'll carry you."
I didn't argue. I climbed on, comfortable on his back until we finally found a small hut tucked behind overgrown vines.
It was in the worst state possible, with holes in the roof and broken doors.
"We'll be staying here?" I couldn't help scrunching up my face at the sight of it. The cave was ten times better.
He nodded, dropping me slowly.
"Sorry, Princess, that this isn't the royalty you're used to."
I guessed we had a lot of work to do.
***
The next few days were spent trying to make the place habitable while we searched for any other humans or settlements.
Cleaning up the place was horrific, and I gagged when I swept out a dead rat from a corner.
It really took a lot of work, but by the third day, we had a clean floor and a door that closed—even though it was still useless against any real attack.
We ate the last two granola bars from the bag. They were crushed and stale, but I didn't care.
"We need to fix the roof tomorrow," Azriel said.
"With what?"
He looked around. "Palm leaves. Vines. We'll figure it out."
I lay down on the floor, using the bag as a pillow. It was hard and cold. I stared at the holes in the roof and watched the stars blink through them. It didn't seem like it would rain. Thank goodness.
"Azriel?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think they'll find us?"
He was quiet for a long time. "Go to sleep, Seraphina."
I think the only good side to this whole situation was that it taught me a lot of life skills. Ones I hoped I would be able to use during my assignments if I survived this place.
I watched Azriel weave a pile of dry palm leaves into thin vines, his fingers moving fast.
"You're an expert at this," I noted, pushing more palm leaves toward him.
"Hmm." He didn't even look up.
"Show me how to do that," I tried again, moving closer.
He handed me a leaf without a word. I sat across from him and tried to copy his movements. My leaf tore. I grabbed another one. That one tore too.
"You're pulling too hard," he said.
"Thanks for the tip."
He didn't even react. How long was he going to keep being like this?
"How did you learn to do all this?"
"Seraphina, this isn't a get to know me date. I need to work."
"Date? Who said anything about a date?"
Azriel didn't responded.
He patched the roof as best as he could, but it stuck out at weird angles and the woven vines weren't even enough.
"We need more."
I was already exhausted.
"Tomorrow."
With our snacks gone, we had to begin foraging for food in the forest. If it weren't for the harsh reality of the situation and the fact that we could actually die here, it almost felt like one of those adventure films.
Azriel picked various fruits, tasting each one before passing them to me. "These are safe," he remarked as he handed them to me.
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm still alive."
I scoffed. "Makes sense."
I bit into one and winced. My face scrunched up immediately. It was sour. Very sour.
"What the hell is this?" I cried, spitting it out.
Azriel's mouth twitched. "There's better ones deeper in."
We kept walking, and he showed me another one, a yellow oval-shaped fruit. It was soft to the touch. I bit into one. It was sweet. Juice ran down my chin.
"Hmm." I nodded, wiping my chin. "This is so much better."
Azriel smiled. His face brightened. I hadn't seen him laugh in days. Sure, our situation wasn't exactly funny, but still.
We filled the bag with as many as we could carry. On the way back, he spotted a bush with dark purple berries.
"Those too," he said.
I popped one into my mouth. It burst with flavor, tart and sweet at the same time. I ate three more.
"Save some," he said.
"I am."
We ate fruit for dinner that night. And breakfast the next morning. And lunch. By day six, I was sick of fruit.
"I want a burger," I said.
Azriel was sitting by the fire pit, poking at the embers with a stick. "Yeah."
"With fries. And a milkshake."
"Seraphina."
"And then I want to sleep in a real bed. With clean sheets. And a pillow."
He didn't answer. He just kept poking the fire.
I sighed and lay back on the ground. The sky was turning orange. Another day gone.
The next day, I tried to catch fish in the river. I stood in the shallow water for an hour, my hands underwater, waiting for something to swim by.
Nothing.
Azriel watched from the bank. "You have to be faster."
"Thanks. Very helpful."
"Move your hands like this." He demonstrated.
I tried. I missed. I tried again. I missed again.
"Forget it," I said, wading back to shore. "Fruit it is."
That night, we ate yellow fruits by the fire. I counted them. We had twelve left. Twelve.
"How long do you think we'll be here?" I asked.
"I don't know."
"Guess."
He looked at me. His face was hard to read in the firelight. "I don't know, Seraphina."
I looked away. The flames crackled and popped.
"Do you think they're looking for us?" I asked. "Mom and Dad?"
"Yes."
"Will they ever find us?"
"They will."
I knew he was lying, but I felt reassured either way. For the first time since I left home, I was happy mom and dad had insisted on Azriel coming with me. What would I have done without him?
I let out a sigh and leaned back against the sand. "I really hate this." He looked at me not saying a word in response, his eyes shadowed. "But I’m glad you’re here with me." I sat up and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."
- Writer
