Contemplations

Caroline conflicted with the hands for her life with the last of her might. She was transuding and slowly fading to darkness.

In the darkness, she saw a beam of light coming in her direction with brightness and whiteness almost eye-blinding. It came, shining through the thick darkness, splitting it apart and reaching for her arm. The concentration of the light burned on her skin as it turned to a white rope that wrapped around her wrist, tugging her out of the darkness that crawled to her.

Caroline opened her eyes to see a hand around her wrist. The mist with all the coldness flew behind as the hand aided her through it. She turned back when she heard a sound.

The hands came at them with full speed. Her body with him fled while her mind stayed behind concentrating on the hands that followed them.

One came to her right foot and another to her left but the hand that dragged her seemed to be aware as in the next minute, two large arms carried her and leaped. She saw in that brief second, the hands crawling on the ground and into the mist. In his arms, they leaped over a wall and landed on the other side of the pile of rocks. She heaved a sigh as they got their footings, knowing at this time she was safe and out of danger.

The hands that first dragged her, then carried her, let go of her at the instance her feet touched the ground. Caroline staggered in place before getting her stand. Gradually, she felt her life flow back into her, flooding her insides again with air Strangely, her throat itched and ached and her chest burned at the sudden rush of oxygen. Her stomach churned and like her time in the woods, she felt a queasy feeling and vomited at once.

The weather here was hot and tempest. The sun rays beat her skin and the winds hauled dust to her eyes. The surroundings, she guessed to be a desert, as she fought to shut her eyes close, protecting them from the sand particles.

Edgar watched her amidst his fight against the particles. His cloak flew in the wind and his hood fell off his head. With his fingers spread and arms stretched, he plotted to hinder the storm and its disciples.

Her face was pale, paler than milk, he noticed. Dark circles drew around her eyes. She was tired, he knew. She had lost blood, she was starved, they had journeyed, she had poked, she fought and now he looked at her in her vulnerable state, struggling with the dust. He stood surprised at the amount of strength she could display. He wouldn't have put her through all the stress, but when her life was in danger and her saving, paramount, he couldn't pity her more or less.

Caroline opened her eyes slowly when she felt the wind subside and the dust particles retract. Her hair danced in the breeze that blew in her direction. She blinked severally and rubbed her eyes to remove the bits of particle that were glued on her lids.

" Stick close ". The finger that rubbed her eyes halted. Once again, she thought, once again with his untimed words that seemed to be coming at the wrongest time, intending to irk her. And as before, they came to her in the most annoying tune ever. She watched as he walked away from there with shoulders staunch and steps confident. If there were to be another reason to hate him, it will be the way he carried himself. Proud and not caring if another person is suffering. And if he was to bother, it will be because his ego was involved.

She saw him halt, lending his head sideways, and immediately hurried to him. His words were unaffectionate and emotionless like him.

Edgar watched her come to him from the corner of his eyes. Her bold steps of before were gone and her able self, dissipated. She came to his side with an unsteady gait and they continued with their journey.

He had been silent, not because he was angry, but because he pitied her. They were striving and she was hungry. Talking would not be necessary.

They walked side by side across the empty land, Caroline would have thought was a desert. She looked back when they got to the end of the land where a sloppy landscape was seen.

The storm howled, raging wide, sweeping the ground of the dust and whirling it in the air. Where they stood now was voided of all the amazing yet mysterious things she had seen. She looked forward hoping that everything would end and they would be safely secured.

Her stomach grumbled.

Caroline blushed with embarrassment and covered it with her hands. When was the last time she ate? An hour before she went to Primrose's room, she remembered and she had passed the hella of a night with the little quantity in her stomach. Her stomach grumbled again. Indeed, she was starved and had lost a lot of blood. She needed to be replenished.

" Can we stop at the next village? ". Caroline began to ask Edgar. " I would love to grab a bit or two ".

She had seen his porch of money so luckily for her there was no need to worry about where the money would come from. She had waited for him at the stall to buy his meat, a little patience from him now, won't be bad.

Edgar kept his eyes on her as he contemplated. Yes, she was hungry and required to eat something but the Comrades were onto them. At the moment, the effect of the white powder would have faded and they would have picked up their scent.

He watched her as she kept her eyes down not looking at him even when she spoke. It would be stingy of him not to agree to her first wish from him and selfish of him to not stop for her to feed as he had eaten.