Fearless by Jeana

This is a story I have started writing... ENJOY!

Chapter 1
The slight glisten of the sun shone through my curtains. I tossed my quilt off my bed onto the floor and slipped my feet into a pair of socks. I pinned my dark brunette hair back into a braid and looked over at my digital clock. The numbers on the left side had faded a bit, but I could still read it. 5:37am. I walked over to the end of my bed where my mother had laid out black jeans and a grey T-shirt. As I slipped them on, I heard a slight rustle in my back pocket. Coins. My mother had put coins in my back pocket expecting I wouldn’t notice? Typical. I could never trust her with anything. I tell her to stop fighting with dad, and she goes and fights with him. I tell her specifically to not give me any money and what does she do? Sneak it into my back pocket. I’m 16 I don’t need charity.

My door made a slight squeak as I opened it. I knew mum would be up making coffee, but I kept quiet so I wouldn’t wake up my sister or my dad. I walked over to the staircase and my old scrappy converse shoes were sure enough to be sitting there where I left them. They were grey and had holes in them, and the sole of one of them was almost completely gone. I sat down and put them on, laced them up and trotted down the stairs. I heard a scatter as I came down and saw my cat Hermeese. His long black fur sprung out from his skin and he had lost his left eye in a fight with another cat. I stroked his head as I walked past him and he took no notice or interest of me as he jolted up the stairs. Chasing mice probably.

As I walked into the kitchen, the smell of fresh bread hit my nose. A loaf was sitting on the wooden table. My eyes widened. Was it real? Bread around this area of town is pretty expensive nowadays. I walked up to it then felt a sudden shock of pain in my right shoulder as I was nudged back. “Not yet Cotton-Tail.” My mother said. My older brother had given me that pet name 6 years ago. I used to play with toy rabbits and my brother, who doesn’t live here anymore, decided to call me Cotton-Tail. I brushed her hand off of my shoulder and walked over to the fruit basket. Three green apples sat inside the bowl and I grabbed one and placed it into my backpack that was sitting at the door. “Where do you think your going Cotton?” my mother said crossing her eyebrows and grasping her mug. I pushed the door open and looked over my shoulder, “Hunting. And stop calling me that.” I said and slammed the door behind me.

I pulled the strap of my backpack over my shoulder and walked out towards the woods. The rustle of leaves caught my sight for a slight moment, but I kept on walking. Girls my age are normally out getting their nails done or gossiping about all the hot guys in school. Not me. I guess going into the woods relaxes me and takes the stress out of my life. There’s too much of it. Stress I’m talking about. First off, there is hardly any food and all those rich kids get the best of it. I’m talking about cakes. I’ve only ever had a cake once.

About 5 years ago, a girl from the far side of town came down to the bakery. She bought a lovely slice of mud cake. I was young and decided to play a trick on the girl. She had her blonde hair tied back in pigtails and I had a packet of matchsticks and my brother’s old bow and arrows. I curled leaves and twine around the end of my arrow and lit a flame to it. I took a breath and before I had even blinked, the girl’s hair was on fire. Literally. I would have laughed but all I managed was a slight grin. The girl ran straight past me and chucked her head into the water fountain that was only a couple of meters away. The fountain was working back then and it was half clean and decent looking. I noticed she had dropped her bag of mud cake just at arms reach away from me. I snatched it quickly then ran back home to share it with my younger sister. The flavours of it were incredible, but I knew that what I had done to the girl was horrible.

As I reached the edge of the woods, I stopped and took in a breath then took out a small knife and scratched a line into a large rock. This rock was the first rock I marked when I started hunting, 7 years ago, with my brother. I had only just turned eight when he taught me how to set a trap for rabbits. We were friends then. Life was less complicated and he kept it that way. He left Rani and me with mum and dad so he could go to university. He left me to do all the hunting and gathering for myself. I need sleep and he should know that. He left without saying good-bye. That was 3 years ago. He always wanted to be a mechanic. Now he has that wish and he is gone from my life. Good, good for Eric.

I looked at the rock and counted on the extra mark that I had etched in. 363 times I have been here. I rubbed my eyes and walked out towards the thickest part of the woods. Tigners live there. They’re a mutant animal that the president made for his entertainment. Eventually he grew bored of them and told his servants to get rid of them. Though one servant took three of them home and set them free into the forest and soon enough, they had cubs. The servant was found dead within a week with a gun in her hand and a bullet through her head. She had a note, burnt into her forehead saying, ‘Elizabeth Crim; Executed for stealing Tigners from the President himself.’

I quickly set up a trap for a rabbit and walked over to the river. I pushed aside a large rock and inside were my weapons. Spears, bow and arrows, and a few knives I stole from the kitchen. I grabbed my bow and arrows and then moved the rock back over the hide. The leaves crunched ever so slightly as I made my way towards the river. I remember seeing a Tigner a couple times down here. It was about the size a medium sized dog and it had purple all over its fluffy cat like tail. I wondered if it would be there today. The river attracts quiet a few animals. Last summer I caught a deer. I hadn’t caught one of them for about 2 years. My luck had turned today as there where no signs of a Tigner. Not even footprints. They can’t survive for long without water. I decided to wait a bit and see if I could catch one. It shouldn’t be to hard, I mean I caught deer; wild pigs and once I caught a baby bear. Though it was half dead when I found it. It must have been abandoned.

The sunlight grew brighter and I knew it would be time to head back soon. I slowly moved from where I lay behind a bush and stood up to see a Tigner. Right in front of me. It was the largest one I had ever seen. It’s dark brown coat blended into the ground and I couldn’t even see where its feet where. I kept eye contact with it and slowly reached for my arrows on my back. The Tigner howled loudly and I covered my ears from the noise. I turned and ran jumping over logs and rocks. The Tigner chased after me but it must have been hurt because I could see it wasn’t able to keep up. I tripped over my shoelace and rolled down a hill and blacked out just as a pile of dirt fell on me.

It must have been midday when I awoke. I coughed a few times and brushed dirt and leaves from my head and torso. I suddenly felt pain in my right leg as I tried to stand up. I brushed the dirt from my leg then slowly lifted it. Blood stained my hands as I pulled off my shoe and rolled up my jeans. The gash in my leg wasn’t supper bad, I mean, I have seen worse. The pain was shocking though and I could tell my foot was broken. I wanted to cry out for help but nobody comes into the woods. People think it’s too dangerous. I opened up my backpack and pulled out a handkerchief. I pressed it over the wound and clenched my teeth as I hoped the pain would go away. I tried to keep my mind off of it. I looked at the top of the hill. How am I supposed to get out of here? I can’t even walk now, let alone crawl.

I sat at the bottom of the hill for what seemed like an hour. I started to talk to myself, “Someone’s going to come Ciara. Dad may not give No Swearing! but Rani or mum will get worried.” My eyes started to tear up and I closed them thinking that this is where I would die. Suddenly I heard the rustle of leaves and the sound of feet. I looked up from where I lay and shouted out, “Hey! Is anyone there? Help!” There was silence for a moment then I heard a voice. A mumble. I was dreaming for sure. I shouted out once more, “Help me please!” then a head popped up over the top of the hill. The boy smiled and looked down at me, “Need a hand love?” he said. His voice soothed my mind into thinking I would be OK. I smiled back at the boy as he made his way down the hill. He looked about my age but more fit and healthy. “What did you do here missy?” he said crossing his arms over his chest. I raised an eyebrow, “Fell down a hill, what does it look like?” I said. He stretched out his hand and I grasped it with mine and he pulled me up. I felt unbalanced and then fell onto him. “Careful sweetie.” He said as he helped me stand.
“Thanks.” I said to him, holding onto his shoulder for support.
“So what’s a little flower like you doing out here?”
“Little flower?” I said harshly, pushing him away.
“Oh I’m sorry. What’s a BIG flower like you doing out here?” he joked.
“Flattering will get you nowhere.” I teased. I fell back down unable to balance and he grabbed holed of me and helped me up again. His blue shirt had turned a brown colour on the back from the dirt I had mushed into him, and leaves stuck into it. “My names Henry.” He said brushing a leaf from his hair. “Ciara.” I replied. He smiled at me then looked at my foot. “So what were you doing?”
“Hunting. What else would you do here?”
He chuckled and brushed his fingers through his blonde hair. “Well, how about we get you out of here?”
“Oh no this is such a lovely ditch.” I joked.

Henry carefully helped me out from the ditch and we slowly made it to the top. I chucked my bow and arrows in front of me and then my backpack followed. I moved away from the hill and then looked around. “I’ve never been here.” I said.
“Pardon?” he said, climbing up from the hill.
I looked at Henry. Fancy boots, gold watch and expensive looking jeans. Hair that doesn’t go past his shoulders and well… Muscular looking and not scrawny. He was rich. I was on the other side of the woods. Not just that, the other side of town. After a moment he spoke, “What?”
“I uh… I have to go.” I said. If he found out I was a poor hunting on his side of the woods, well, he could have me as dinner if he so pleased. I grabbed my backpack then pulled myself over to my bow and arrows. “Ciara let me help you.” He said with his hand outstretched. I pushed it away and grabbed my bow and arrows. “Ciara let me-”
“No. Just leave me alone Henry.” I shouted at him. I pulled myself up using a log as balance and then tried to walk. Pain grew in my foot again and I started to tremble. Henry grabbed my waste as I fell and I pushed him away. “Ciara what’s wrong?” he said, confused of why I was acting this way.
“Henry just go.” I said pushing away his arms.
“But Cia-”
“GO!” I shouted with my arm outstretched and I pointed towards his side of town. Where I don’t belong. Henry backed up a bit then turned and walked off. I hoped I’d never see him again.

Wow! That's good Jeana! Let's hope I get that good!

you really think its good?

Here's chapter 2. I'm almost finished with five and I'll post 3 and 4 later on here. I think you'll like chapter 3 better then the first and second.

Chapter 2
I slowly made my way back to the hide. I shoved the rock aside and placed my bow and arrows in there. I started to tear up again. My leg was getting worse. I moved the rock back over the hide and pulled myself up. I hobbled and fell down a few times before making it back to the starting rock. A man was walking by with a wheelbarrow full of wood. He stopped and looked at me, “Are you alright sweetheart?” he said. I shook my head and pulled my leg up in front of me so he could see. The man was old and had a limp in his walk. He pulled his wheelbarrow over to me and helped me into it just as I passed out.

I woke up fast, screamed for a second and then looked at myself. I was sweating badly. The old man walked into the doorway, “Are you alright?” he asked. I looked around, puzzled about where I was. The man walked into the room with a handkerchief tied up with ice on the inside. “Be lucky I have a freezer.” He said. He handed me the handkerchief and I placed it to my head. “How long have I been out?” I said as I laid my head down on the soft pillow.
“About 2 hours.” He said. He scratched his curly white beard and then pointed to my leg. “I got it all stitched up for you. Also got a pair of crutches.” He said. He pointed over to the wall, and like he had said, there were a pair of wooden crutches up there waiting to be used. I smiled at him as he went to leave and then I said, “Thanks sir.”
“Call me Joe.” He replied, and walked out the door.

I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling for another ten minutes before hearing a loud bang. I shot myself up and shouted out, “Joe?”
“Yeah darling?” he shouted back.
I hopped up and grabbed the crutches then made my way down the hall to the bang. Joe picked up a piece of wood and measured it up. Behind him was a little dollhouse. “It’s for my granddaughter.” He said looking over at me. I walked into the room and made my way over to the dollhouse. “This is amazing.” I said. I wasn’t just saying it. He had put in little windows and a balcony and he even made a little swing, though it wasn’t attached yet. I smiled in amazement then nearly jumped when I heard him drop a piece of wood and throw his hammer away from him. “AGH!” he shouted.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t finish it.” He said flopping down on a chair.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s for Jenny. She… I can’t…” he tried to say. I could hear his voice shattering.
“What’s wrong?”
“Her birthday is in 3 days. I need more wood and I don’t have enough money for paint and… ugh!” he shouted and pushed over his box of nails.
“I could get you the paint and the wood.” I said generously.
Joe looked up at me and shook his head, “No, no. Don’t do that. Spend it on food.”
“Joe, you helped me. Now let me help you.”


Joe handed me a piece of paper with the colours and the length needed for the wood. He smiled and gave me a few coins before closing the door. I put the coins in my pocket then remembered mum giving me some coins this morning. I took it all out and counted it up. I had just enough for two small tins of paint and the length needed for wood. I made my way to the wood shop, collected what I needed and then made my way over to the paint shop. I nearly fell over a few times, not being used to the crutches. I bought two small tins of purple paint, but I needed pink and white as well. Grey clouds started to crawl over the horizon and I decided to give what I got today to Joe and get the rest tomorrow.

I made my way back to his place as it started to rain. I knocked on the door and Joe came up to it. He opened the door holding a cigar in his mouth. “Sorry Joe, I didn’t have enough. I’ll get the rest tomorrow.” I shouted to him over the rain. He nodded his head and grabbed everything and put it inside. His dark hands were shaking as he placed the paint tins down and he grabbed the wood even slower. He coughed a few times then waved to me and closed the door.

I quickly went back to my house, slipping a few times in the mud. The rain started to get heavier and I was squinting now to see where I was going. When I made it to my house I shook off the water and opened the door. Mum stood straight up and ran towards me. “Ciara, where have you been? Your hurt? Oh God what happened?” she shrieked, panicking. Rani came up to me with a towel, “Look at your hair Ciara.” she said. She never cares if I’m hurt, just if my hair isn’t tied up properly. My hair had come out of its braid and it still had a few leaves in it. My mother pulled up a chair and I sat down on it. Rani handed me the towel and then went to get my hairbrush, bobby pins and hair tie. I dried my face then messed up my hair a little. Mum cut up a piece of bread and placed it on a plate, “What happened today?” she said.
“I was hunting… then I fell over and hurt my foot. I managed to get back to the opening of the woods when I passed out.” I told her. I grabbed a small piece of the bread and bit into it. It was delicious. Bread was a wondrous thing to have. I continued to tell mum the story, making sure I didn’t say anything about that Henry boy, “I woke up and a man had taken me to his home and fixed my foot up.”
“Oh that’s so kin-” she started.
“Then he showed me this house he was building for his granddaughter, but he didn’t have enough pieces for the house so I went out to get it.”
“With his money, right?” she said. Mum doesn’t like me giving money to others. She tells me that dad works very hard for it. I laugh and roll my eyes whenever she says that. All I see dad do is sleep.
“Yes with his. I spent mine on a sandwich and drink at the market.” I lied.
Mum smiled and leaned back in her chair. Rani came back and started to brush through my hair. She carefully braided it back, like I had shown her before, and then tied it up. I smiled at her when she turned to look at me, “There, now your beautiful again.” She said.
“I’ll never be as pretty as you.” I giggle.
Mum got up and walked over to the cupboard, “Oh Ciara I forgot to tell you something.” She said. I turned to look at her and she smiled at me, “Eric’s coming over tonight.”

My eyes widened and I shook my head, “No.” I tell her. She placed a mug on the bench and then speaks, as if confused, “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want him coming over here.”
“But he’s your brother.”
“Well, if he’s coming I’m going!” I shout and then stand up. The table moves forward slightly and I grab my crutches and hobble over to the staircase. Wonderful, crook when your bedroom is upstairs. I hop up the stairs and watch as Hermeese stands at the edge. I can tell he’s laughing.

I slam my door shut and toss myself on my bed then scream into my pillow, and then I shouted at the window. “Eric did nothing but give me misery when he left. He didn’t even say good-bye!” I shouted, “He didn’t even say good-bye.” I repeated. I started to cry for a few seconds then stared out into the sunset. The rain made it look so beautiful. I closed my eyes for a slight moment before dozing off.

I dreamt about the day Eric left. It was a Sunday morning and I was twelve. Eric had just come back with a rabbit and a few coins. He told mum he caught another two and sold them for money. I was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. It was pretty much the only type of ‘magazine’ we had. Eric had gone into the kitchen to skin the rabbit. He wasn’t planning on having it for dinner though. I put down the newspaper and went over to Eric. I asked him if I could help skin it for practice. He gave me the knife and showed me how to then let me do it by myself. “Good Cotton, you got the hang of it.” He smiled. He patted my back then washed his hands in the tub and went up stairs. I had finished skinning the rabbit and called out to Eric to ask him what part of it he would like. We don’t have a fridge so fresh kill is good kill. I called out again but he didn’t answer. I looked at mum and then ran upstairs to his bedroom. The light was on, the door was open and there was a note left on the end of his bed. I picked it up and read it.
‘Gone to University.’
That was all it said. No good-bye, no ‘I leave you this.’… No nothing.

I woke up to laughter. Mum. She would probably be drunk or something. I heard my stomach grumble but I didn’t want to go down stairs. Not while Eric’s there. Who knows, maybe I would have to stay up here forever and eat nothing but soap and old shoes. I heard a plate break on the floor and everyone went silent. I could hear mum cleaning up the pieces and Eric saying he’ll help. ‘Be polite now’ I thought. I heard mum giggle and saying she’s been drinking to much wine. I rolled my eyes, shoved the blanket over my face and tried to go back to sleep.

I woke up about ten minutes later hearing a soft voice. Eric was singing a lullaby to Rani and I could here her giggling. “Go to sleep now Rani.” He said.
“Will you be here in the morning?” she said.
I tensed my forehead and clenched my teeth.
“We’ll see.” He whispered.
I heard the slight click of the light switch and the squeak of the door closing. Then I heard Eric walking down the hall towards my bedroom. The door squeaked open and Eric walked in. I was glad I was facing the window, I didn’t want to open my eyes the tiniest bit and see him. He walked up to me and sat down on the edge of the bed. I felt his warm hand on my shoulder and his soft lips on my cheek. His warm hand brushed over my ear as he moved my hair out of my face. “Good night Ciara.” He whispered. He stood up and walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. I rubbed my cheek and my ear. “Good Night Eric.” I whispered. I rolled over to face the darker side of my bedroom and then closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I don’t know what time it was when I woke up again. Around 4:00am I guessed. The sun wasn’t even up yet and I wasn’t bothered to get up to early. I rolled over a few times then felt the pain of my leg. I shot up from my bed and my arms went straight to my foot. I pulled the sheet of my bed off and stared at my foot. The bandage that Joe had put on me was fine, but I swore I felt blood. I unwrapped Joe’s work and looked at the stitching. Perfectly fine. No blood what so ever. I swung my good leg out of bed and hopped over to the basin where I wash my hands. I grabbed a cloth and drenched it. I rinsed it out then I hopped back to bed with the cloth and stretched out my leg on my bed. I heard my door open slightly and I looked straight up. Eric came in with a candle, “You all right Cotton?” he whispered. I ignored him and dabbed my wound. I dabbed it to hard and then bit my lip trying to forget the pain that was still there. Eric walked up and placed the candle on the dresser next to my bed. He sat down on the end of the bed and examined my foot. “What have you done Cotton-Tail?” he said. I ignored him again and continued to dab the cloth on my wound. I didn’t look at Eric but I knew his dark eyes where staring at me as he ran his hand through his brown hair. He stared at my foot and said, “Let me help Cotton.” As he grabbed the cloth from my hand. “I’m not a baby I can do it myself.” I snapped at him. I snatched the cloth from his hand and I saw him frown. “I’m just trying to help.” He said.
“Like you helped after the rabbit?” I shouted at him.
“Cotton I-”
“Don’t call me that Eric. I’m not a baby anymore and I don’t need your help.” I shouted at him again. He stood up and grabbed the candle. He had a guilty look on his face. A sad, guilty look. Good for him. He walked over to the door and I stared at my foot as I dabbed the cloth on it angrily not caring about the pain. I heard him open the door; “I did it for all of us Ciara.” He said then closed the door leaving me alone in the darkness.

Did what? Run away so we didn’t have to live with him anymore. Mum nearly had a breakdown when she found out her son had left her. Life was complicated enough without him. Now he comes back and expects me to not give No Swearing! about him leaving? He made things more complicated. I was glad I made him feel guilty. That’s right, I was glad. I stopped dabbing my foot then wrapped it up quickly and made it tight. I chucked the cloth on the floor, curled up under my blanket and dozed off.

The sun had started to rise and I squinted to see my clock. Just past 6:30am. I’ve missed an hours worth of hunting time. Though, not like I could hunt in my condition anyway. I stretched my legs out and tossed my blanket on the floor. I threw on a clean shirt and pants; same style from yesterday. Then I grabbed my crutches and hobbled over to my door and then down the stairs. I heard the slight clatter of dishes and whispering. Great Eric is up. I don’t care if mum is up, I just don’t want to see Eric. Especially not after what I shouted at him earlier on.

I made my way to the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the counter. Eric smiled at me when I came in, “Morning Cotton.” He said, as if nothing had happened. I ignored him like usual and grabbed my backpack. I opened the door just as Eric grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Were do you think your going? You can’t go hunting like that.” He said. I pulled my arm out of his grasp and opened the door again, “I’m going to Joe’s.” I said then hobbled out the door.

I heard the slight rattle of coins in my pocket and I knew that mum had given me some money. I took my time getting over to the paint shop, seeing as they don’t open until 7am. I got there a couple minutes early so I sat out the front on the cold hard cement and waited for the doors to open. A man came out with a few signs saying ‘15% OFF everything!’

I watched the door’s open and I went in and bought two tins of pink paint and two tins of white paint. I left the shop and started to make my way over to Joe’s house. My crutches slipped in the mud a few times but I was able to keep balance. I saw smoke coming from Joe’s chimney and the front door was open. I wondered what was going on. When I reached the front door, I heard coughing and swearing. “Joe,” I shouted, “are you alright?” I waited for a reply and then Joe came up to the door, “Ah, you got the tins.” He said, “I was trying to make some bread. Didn’t turn out so well.” He laughed. He helped me inside and I coughed a few times from the smoke. I placed the paint tins on the ground and covered my mouth with my hand then went into the room where Joe was making the dollhouse.

Joe went off into the kitchen to stop the smoke and I hobbled over to the dollhouse. My jaw dropped. Windows, balcony, swings and he even added a little garden underneath each window. The railing for the balconies looked to good to be true. I heard Joe walk in and I turned to face him, “This is incredible Joe.” He smiled and walked over to the bench placing the paint tins on it. The pots that the flowers where in were painted purple and the windows and floors were too. “Jenny will be so happy.” I said cheerfully.

Joe nodded. He didn’t smile. Just a simple nod. I had the feeling that something was wrong. “Joe?” I said. He didn’t look at me. He just stared at the dollhouse. I saw his eyes start to tear up and then he walked away, “Just give me a minute darling.” He said. I could hear his voice shaking. I bit my lips and looked over at a shelf. I made my way over there and picked up a framed picture. It was a picture of Joe and a girl with black hair and dark skin. She looked about the same age as Rani. She was wearing clothes that people wear in hospitals. I put the picture back down on the shelf just as Joe walked in. He saw me place it back down and I pointed to the girl in the picture. “Jenny?” I asked. He nodded and sat down on his chair over by the bench. “She died last year.” He said.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s OK kid, you didn’t know.” He said then coughed a few times.
“How?” I asked.
“Cancer. The stupid thing came up and she didn’t even know until the last minute.”
He took in a breath and then pushed over some tools. “We started this together. The two of us. I wanted to finish before her birthday came and… I don’t think I can anymore. I’m sorry I wasted your time, and your money. I’ll pay you back.” He said.
I shook my head, “No, you don’t need to.”
“I’ll try and make you bread. That isn’t burnt.” He replied.
I giggled, “It’s OK. How about we finish the house. How much do we have to do?”
Joe stood up and looked at the dollhouse, “Just got to paint the walls, doors and roof.” He said. I smiled at him and grabbed a paintbrush.

Yeah it's pretty good, but....is Rani her sister? Bc I'm not very sure......

yes she is... doesn't it say it there?
BTW where it says No Swearing! its suposed to say

D am n

Oo well mayb I should read better, but I thought No Swaering!! Was for s-hit

lol you cheaters XD

no we're not... we just happen to know away around the NO SWEARING! thing. xD

lol also known as cheating XD ah well who gives a no swearing! lol jk i didnt say anything bad i promise XD or did I? the world may never know! mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

(sorry I stayed up all night so im a bit... yeah...)

Ok then lapa.......

I need to quit staying up all night XD I blame Wiggy! Lol nice story btw I like it

Lol guys!! Ok well here's chapter 3!

Chapter 3
My hands where covered in pink and white paint. I stepped back from the dollhouse and placed the brush carefully on the bench. The house was complete and it looked amazing. Joe didn’t smile. He curled his finger over his chin and stared at it. “It’s perfect.” I said.
“It’s missing something.” Joe said, shaking his head. I turned around and found a little wooden mailbox that could open and close. I put glue on the bottom of the stand then placed it on the porch of the house and held it in place for a second. I stepped back and looked at Joe. He smiled at me and jumped up waving his arms, “Now its perfect darling!” he shouted happily. I laughed and looked at the house again. It was perfect, to the last detail.
“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you some toast.” He said walking off into the kitchen. I swung around and carefully made my way down to the kitchen. Joe was there putting bread into a toaster. I went over to the dinning table, though I shouldn’t really call it that. It has three chairs, one of which looks like its about to fall over, and the table is plastic. I sat down on the best looking chair and it made a squeak. Joe turned to me, “Sorry about the chairs. My father made them for me a really long time ago. Time can show they wear down.”
“No it’s alright. They look quiet nice.” I told him. I wasn’t lying either; the chairs had a nice polish on them and had slender legs. Joe came over with a butter knife, butter and two plates. He went back to get the toast and I looked around his kitchen. He had an actual fridge and tiled walls and mugs that weren’t broken on the handle. Joe must have been rich once in his life. You can’t afford a fridge when you live on this side of town. He had a tap that ran water and a few glass cupboards that held little antiques. “How did you afford all this?” I asked. Joe came over with the toast and placed it on his plate then placed another on mine. He started to butter his toast then looked at me, “You work hard on making kids toys. You get good money kid.” He chuckled.

The toast was delicious. I hadn’t had toast since I was about five. Mum had a fight with dad and he threw the toaster at her. We never ended up getting enough money to buy a new one. Dad works as a fruit sales man at the market and the pay is pretty bad. I’m lucky enough to even be able to have a bed.

I licked my lips and my fingers and then looked at the clock that hung just above the door. It was lunchtime and I wanted to get back home to finish some homework that had been sitting on my desk for nearly a week. I’m homeschooled so it shouldn’t really matter but I wanted to finish it anyway. I pushed the chair back and stood up, “Thanks Joe.”
“Your welcome sweetie.” He said. I walked out of the kitchen to the front door. There was my backpack neatly leaning up against the wall. I picked it up, almost falling over, then left Joe’s house and headed for home.

I went through the middle of town where the old fountain was. The statue of a child standing on top had nothing left of him but his legs and half a hand. The fountain was murky and it had a horrible smell to it. I past it quickly trying not to inhale the stench. I slipped when I came down the hill that leads to my place. I landed on my side and had twisted my foot in a way that made me shriek. My hands went straight to my foot and I pulled off the shoe. It was swollen. I can’t just wear a bandage for the rest of my life, it needed to be in a cast but I don’t have the money to go to the doctor. I grabbed my shoe and my crutches and tried to stand up, but failed and slipped over again. Someone from behind me came up. I had thought it would be Eric, but it wasn’t. The boy helped me up and I turned to face him. I tried to step back but he smiled and grabbed my arm. “Ciara?” He said. I tugged my arm back then nearly fell again. Henry grabbed me by the waste and helped me stand. I pushed him away and tried to get down the path. Henry trotted up and stopped right in front of me. I skidded to a holt and tried to move around him. He grabbed my arm as I did so and he looked me straight in the eyes. My cold blue eyes met with his green eyes and I felt a chill down my spin. I tried to push him away but he held me tight. “Ciara,” he started, “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get home, what does it look like?” I hissed back at him.
“It looks like your running away from me. Why?”
“I have somewhere to be Henry.” I said. I pulled my arm from his grip and slowly went down the hill. I could hear Henry’s footsteps. I turned to look at him and he stopped and stared at me. “I’d like to go home by myself, I’m not disabled you know.” I hissed. He mumbled something and kept following me saying my name and telling me to stop.
“Ciara wait. Ciara please.” He said. I stopped and let him come up to me.
“What?” I shouted angrily.
“Ciara why are you running away from me?”
“Because I am.” I said, and tried to leave. He grabbed my arm and gave me a serious look. He wanted to know. I thought he would have a brain and realize he was in the poorer side of town. My side of town. I pulled my arm out of his, “Your rich, and I was on your side of town. If you or anyone else found me hunting there, I could be dead within a day.” I said in a hushed but angry voice. I spun around and headed back down the hill. My stomach turned and I knew that I shouldn’t have told him I was hunting on the richer side. He could go back to his home, tell his parents and then one of the president’s guards could have me dead in a day. A day I’m saying.

Henry didn’t follow me back to my house, and I was glad he didn’t. There are three other houses near mine so if he tells anyone that I’m hunting on his side of land, the guards will probably go door knocking and if I’m not quick enough to escape… Well, there won’t be another Ciara Monroe.

I opened the door and hobbled inside. It shut loudly and I heard mum drop her mug, “Great,” she said, “that’s the fifth one this week.”
“Sorry.” I whispered. I knew she heard it but I wasn’t in the mood for talking. I quickly went over to the staircase and hopped up it. Hermeese was sitting at the edge licking his paws. I pet his soft head as I reached the top then hobbled into my room and closed the door. I flopped down onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. My face was hot and I looked over to my bedside table. It was old and had a bad leg. A cup of water was sitting on the edge near my clock and I grabbed it and took a sip then placed it back down on the table. I heard it wobble a bit and I waited for the crash. Nothing. The table stayed up and nothing fell.

An hour past and I grew bored of the ceiling. It was grey and there was no need for it to be stared at for more then a minute. I rolled over and hopped out of bed then fell. I forgot that my leg was broken and I couldn’t walk. I screamed out in pain and held my foot. My door swung open and Eric came in with a cricket bat in his hand. He dropped the bat and ran over to me unsure of what happened. I leaned back on the bed and cried as the pain slowly grew. Eric looked at my foot for a moment then ran downstairs. Rani came in with her teddy bear and walked over to me. She sat down in front of me and looked at my hair, “Ciara your hair is all frizzy.” She said. A smile grew from my clenched teeth and I laughed a little. Rani crawled up next to me and stroked my hair down just as Eric came back in with a bottle and a spoon. He pored some of the liquid from the bottle onto the spoon and held it up to my face, “Take it.” He said. I opened my mouth and Eric gave me the medicine. It tasted disgusting and I wanted to spit it out. I swallowed it quickly and then wiped my lips on my shirt. The red liquid had stained my lips and then stained my shirt as I wiped it off. I’m a bad example to Rani.
“I just cleaned that shirt.” I heard mum say from the doorway. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she spun around left the room. Rani went back to her bedroom after mum had left. I stayed on the floor trying to forget about the pain.

Slowly it disappeared and I felt relieved. Eric was still sitting next to me, screwing up the bottle lid. I smiled at him, though he didn’t see it and I’m glad he didn’t. I was starting to get a soft spot for him and I didn’t like it. I stopped smiling just as he looked at me. He stroked my hair out of my face then kissed my forehead. I stared at the ground as he left the room and I waited for the slight click of the door. Click. I leaned my head back on the bed and stared at my ceiling. Why was Eric helping me? He left to go to university then to get a job so he could get enough money for himself. I hated him in everyway I possibly could.

Night started to fall and I heard my dad come home. He sounded drunk and I heard mum throw a towel at him. There was a buzz outside. Rain started to fall and I had fallen asleep on the ground. I carefully helped myself up, grabbed my crutches and left my bedroom to go downstairs expecting mum to be setting the table. I heard a glass break and I stopped on the staircase. I listened to mum shriek and then another glass broke. “Greg stop it!” she shouted. I could hear dad laughing and then he must have fallen over because there was a bang and more glass had fallen. I could hear him laughing, “I’m rich I don’t need your cheap glass woman!” he chuckled. Mum was cleaning up the glass and telling him to stop acting like a child. I could hear Eric telling Rani to stay in her room so he could see what’s happening. Dad stopped laughing and I slowly went down to the bottom of the staircase and looked over to the kitchen. Mum was picking up glass and putting it on the table and dad was standing up, leaning on the counter. I heard footsteps and turned to see Eric who was at the top of the staircase listening to them. I turned back and saw dad fix himself up and then his hand come straight over mums face. She fell to the ground and cried out. I came into the room and shouted at my dad, “Stop it dad!”
“What?” he shouted staring at me. The low light above the table swung from its chain and there was a moment of silence and all I could hear was the chain squeaking. Dad grabbed a bottle of wine that was on the counter and walked into his room and slammed the door. I stared at him until he left and then went over to mum. Eric came downstairs and went straight for her, “Are you OK?” I heard him say.
“Dad just hit her, does she look OK?” I shouted at him.
“I’m just trying to hel-”
“Eric just go away, I can do it myself!” I shouted at him. I rubbed mums arm and I watched as Eric stood up and walked back upstairs. I heard the loud bang of his door and then I looked down to mum. “You’ll be alright.” I said. Mum sat up and stared at me. Her lips quivered a bit and I knew she was going to cry. I rubbed her shoulder and told her she’ll be OK. She looked at me and smiled, “He’s only trying to help.” She said.
“I don’t need his help anymore.” I said, trying not to get mad.
“He loves you Ciara.”
I bit my lip then left my mother to help herself. I heard her stand up and start cleaning the rest of the glass as I hopped upstairs and went into my room and slammed the door. I crawled into bed and heard my stomach growl. I hadn’t eaten anything today except the toast Joe had given me. I closed my eyes and hid underneath the blanket not bothering if I cried. The slight buzz of rain grew heavier and I tossed the pillow over my face so I couldn’t hear it.

Suddenly I fell asleep and awoke in the woods. My bow and arrows were on my back and a Tigner was staring at me as I stood up from the bush. I quickly covered my ears as it howled and then I turned to run. I fell down a hill and blacked out in a ditch. When I awoke again, a boy was there helping me up. It was Henry. I pushed him away from me and then everything went black and all I could see was his green eyes slowly disappearing. Light shone all of a sudden and I squinted to see where I was. The town center had a large wooden porch set up and the president was standing there smiling at me. I tried to break free but my hands were tied and guards in navy blue uniform started pushing me towards the porch. I tripped and fell over unable to stand back up. I heard laughter from the crowed and I started to cry. Guards pulled me up and tied my hands to a post, restraining me from moving. The president pulled out a note and I looked into the crowd through my teary eyes. I saw Henry standing there, arms crossed and smiling. The president started to speak from his note.
‘Ciara Monroe; executed for hunting in the woods on privet property.’ He placed the note on my forehead and then it burnt into me. I screamed out in pain and then the president took out a gun and shot me.

I shot up in bed and screamed, “No stop!” I was sweating horridly and my quilt was on the ground. There was a dark shadow in front of me and I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I started to cry and I leaned onto the warm body. Eric wrapped his arms around me as I cried and he whispered to me, “Everything’s OK, it was just a dream.” His shirt was drenched on the shoulder from my tears and sweat but he didn’t seem to mind. He rubbed my back and kept saying it was a dream. I knew it was but I missed feeling my brother’s warm hugs. He always used to calm me down with hugs. I tried to stop crying by taking in breaths, though I must have sounded like a dying goose. My throat was dry and I found it hard to breath. I leaned back from Eric and tried to breath properly. He rubbed my arm and pushed back my hair. “It’s alright Cotton.” He said. I knew he was smiling. I couldn’t see him that well but I knew he was. I started to relax and I leaned back down onto my pillow. Eric pulled the cover over my shoulder and kissed my forehead. He stroked my hair out of my face and whispered into my ear, “I’ll always be here for you.” He said, and then left the room closing the door softly. I waited for the click of the door. Click. I smiled and closed my eyes trying to forget about the dream. The nightmare. I’d hope I would never see it again. Never.

o.o =.= o.o OMG hehe im totally high on sugar and that is awesome -spazzes-

oh oh is does this mean them certain things are reet for fun now?

haha, Lapa.. I was talking to my dad about it and he's like, "Publish it and make millions!" ahh, love him.

---
go away jeg ur such a pedo.

Lol ur dad's right, after u finish it, u should send it to a publisher

EEEEEE, u really think so? I don't know if it would get published though. :/
here's chapter 4

Chapter 4
It must have been lunchtime when I awoke because I could hear mum, Eric and Rani downstairs. Eric was talking about different parts of a car and I could tell mum must have been bored out of her mind. There was a clatter of dishes and the sound of a chair squeaking. My stomach growled and I knew I needed something to eat. I swung my legs out of bed, grabbed my crutches and went for the stairs. I hopped down each step carefully until I reached the bottom then I swung myself over to the table. Eric was putting away some dishes and Rani had gone outside to catch a butterfly. Mum was sitting down reading the newspaper. She looked up at me and smiled, “Look who decided to join us. Have a nice sleep?”
“Yes, it was swell.” I giggled. I pulled up a chair and sat down. There was a leg of a deer and part of a rabbit on a large plastic plate. There were four cups filled with orange juice. Real orange juice. Eric came over with another plate for me and I looked up at him. “How did you get all of this?” I asked.
“Magic.” He chuckled.
“No; seriously.”
“I have a secret spot Cotton.” He said and patted my back.
“What about the juice?”
Mum put her newspaper down and butted in, “A boy came by today with two cartons of it and a loaf of bread.” She said and pointed to the bread. I looked over to the bread sitting on the counter. My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe that we had all this food. It’s like someone created heaven on earth. Today was Heaven.

Eric brought over the bread and called Rani to come inside. The door flung open and in she came with something cupped in her hand. She walked over to me and held up her hand, “Look Ciara!” she opened her hand and a beautiful blue butterfly flew out from her hands. I watched it fly towards the window and Rani ran over to it. “Rani let it go outside.” Mum said. Rani opened the window letting the butterfly out. She came back over to the table and I looked at her blonde hair that was tied back in pigtails. She sat down and fixed up her red checked dress and started to drink her juice. Eric cut off a leg of the rabbit for me, and a chunk of the deer. He placed it on my plate carefully and then cut some for Rani and himself. I stared at the food for a second and then scoffed it all down. I pored some juice and drank it all in one mouthful. Nobody in my house cares about table manners all that much. I cut off another piece of the deer and watched Rani trying to finish hers. It slipped from her fingers onto the floor and Hermeese ran up, picked it up in his mouth and ran away. Eric laughed, “Well at least Hermeese is happy now.”

There was a knock at the door and mum jumped when she heard it. She gets scared quiet easily. She walked over to the door and opened it up a peep. My stomach turned and I had the feeling that it would be guards in navy blue uniforms, looking for me. It wasn’t. Mum opened the door fully and in came a man dressed up in expensive shoes, pants, shirt and tie. His hair was blonde and combed to the side. I guessed he was hiding a bald spot. He came in with a bag and coat and behind him was something I hoped was not there. Henry. He was waiting just in the doorway while my mum welcomed the man inside. Mum walked over to me and helped me up, “Ciara this is Doctor Lu. He says that his nephew saw you with your broken leg. He’s here to fix it.”
“I, uh…” was all I managed. Mum had pulled me over to the old couch and I flopped down onto it. Eric came over with Henry and sat down on the table I had built out of wood I found in the forest. Doctor Lu picked up my foot, unwrapped the bandage and looked at the stitches. He squeezed my foot slightly and I made a noise that sounded like two balloons rubbing against one another. “Well the stitches should be fine to come out now. I can put it in a cast so you can use it again soon.” He said. Doctor Lu went into his bag and pulled out some tweezers. He rubbed some type of white cream over the wound and then slowly pulled out the stitches. Mum was biting her lips and walked off into the kitchen. She hates seeing scars. I stared at Henry and he smiled at me.

I didn’t feel any type of pain when the Doctor pulled out the stitches. I looked at the wound. It was healed almost completely. “Why didn’t I feel anything?” I asked. “Numbing cream.” Said Henry. Doctor Lu smiled and then pulled out a clean bandage. He wrapped my foot up carefully then pulled out a large container. He opened it up and inside were white bandages threaded neatly. The doctor turned to Eric, “Can you get some warm water please?”
“Sure.” He said. A few minutes later he came back with one of our large basins filled with water. Doctor Lu put the bandage into the basin and then took it out and placed it on my foot. It was heavy and my leg slipped from its place. Henry grabbed it and held it up so Doctor Lu could continue plastering it.

My mother came back with a mug of coffee when Doctor Lu had finished my foot. My leg was wrapped perfectly and I wasn’t able to twist it at all. Henry and the doctor stood up and headed for the door. Doctor Lu looked back to my mother just as he left, “I’ll be back in three weeks to take it off.” He said.

“Three weeks?” I said.
“It’s alright, I’ll find a way to get you into the woods.” Eric chuckled.
“Yeah what are you going to do, shove me in your backpack and take me in there as your backup?” I joked.
“That’s not a bad idea. Come let me show you my bag.” He laughed and pointed to his backpack that sat near the staircase.
“Go to hell.” I snapped. He rolled his eyes and walked over to get his backpack then left the house heading towards the woods. Great, I’m going to be stuck in this house for three weeks wearing a stupid cast. What do I do if my foot gets itchy?

I grabbed my crutches and decided to go for a walk in town. I grabbed my bag and put an apple in there like I do everyday. The door made a squeak as I opened it and a loud bang when I shut it. I heard mum drop her cup and swear when it did. She has broken far to many cups and I keep wondering where she is getting new ones from. She always tells me to close it quietly but I just don’t bother.

I hauled myself up the hill using the crutches and then tiredly made my way to the fountain. The air was cool and I shivered slightly. The ground was still wet from the rain that had happened over night and I nearly slipped a few times. I reached the fountain within a few minutes and then sat down on the edge and stared into the murky green water. There was a fish swimming around in there and I was surprised no one had bothered to try and catch it for food. I stared at my reflection for a few minutes. My hair was braided back neatly and my eyes looked more of a black then blue.

“Hey Ciara.” Said a voice. I spun around suddenly to catch a glimpse of Henry, before falling into the fountain. Two hands grabbed me by the waste and hauled me up. I coughed and spat out water. I was drenched from head to thigh and it was all Henry’s fault. “Thanks.” I spat.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said. He brushed my hair off my face and sat down next to me. He took off his silky soft jumper and handed it to me. I dried my face with it, and then wrapped it around me. I giggled a little and smiled at him. “Thanks.” I said. He smiled and pulled out a piece of moss from in my hair. “I wasn’t planning on that to happen.” He said.
“It’s OK.”
“I haven’t told anyone about you… hunting.” He said in a hushed voice.
“Don’t worry, nearly everyone here knows I hunt.” I whispered. I noticed some of the president’s guards looking at Henry and I with concerned looks. I don’t want him to say anything that could get me killed. I held my breath and bit my lip.
“I mean on my si-”
He stopped talking and we froze. His soft lips touched mine and I held him tight. He held my waste and then I pushed back and turned my head to the ground. “Ciara, I-” he started, but I pushed him into the fountain before he could say another word. I grabbed my crutches, threw his jumper to the ground and tried to get as far away from him as I possibly could.

I didn’t look back and I didn’t want to either. The hill was still slippery but I made my way down it slowly without even sliding once. Mum was outside hanging out the washing when I flew straight past her into the house. I hopped up stairs, falling over a few times and then slowly jumped into my room and hid myself in the covers of my bed. I felt hot and so I threw the covers off of me. I stared at the ceiling and thought about what I had done and what affect it could have on me. “I just kissed Henry.” I told myself. I cursed and hit the wall with my hand and then rubbed my forehead.

Henry was a nice looking guy but I didn’t have feelings for him. I only kissed him so he wouldn’t say anything that I didn’t want the guards to overhear. I wondered what this might lead to. He might tell his parents about everything from beginning to end. Then I may end up in the president’s soup or even in Henry’s. Yes they can do that. A few years ago, the president found one of his guards selling drugs to some friends. He executed him and had him for his dinner. No one knows why he ate him, but everyone on my side of town is scared out of their pants when they see him. Some people even bow to him when they do.

Light outside started to fade and I grew tired and hungry. I heard the front door open downstairs and mum came in with Eric. She was panicking and I heard him trying to breath. A loud crash came and I fled from my bed to the stairs. I fell over forgetting that I had a cast on, so instead I jumped down the stairs nearly squishing Hermeese who was lying down sleeping. I skidded around the corner and stopped and stared at Eric. His shirt was completely ripped and he had bloodstains from head to toe. He was breathing heavily and gasping for air. Mum was searching for the medicine box and Rani was outside talking to herself. I hopped over to Eric and peered through the gaps in his shirt to see blood. His torso was covered in it. Mum came back over with the medicine box and went to get a basin to fill up with water. She was shaking when she came back with the basin and then started to shutter and decided to get towels. Eric was clenching his teeth and his hands grasped the table. I grabbed the towels from mum’s hand and hopped around Eric to the side where his shirt was torn right off. The scratches looked the same as what a bear would do, but the teeth marks were far to wide for a bear. Mum was shaking and was trying not to look at Eric. I turned to her and shouted, “Don’t just stand there, go get a help!” she ran for the door and headed for town. We don’t have a phone so that was all she could do. Eric started crying and I pushed his hair back and told him he’ll be OK. I grabbed about ten towels and threw them on Eric. He was loosing blood and going pale in the face. He was shaking and breathing harder.

The door slammed open and mum came in with Joe. He walked up to Eric and removed the towels revealing deep gashes and claw marks in his torso, thighs and arms. Mum ran outside to throw up. She has a weak stomach. Joe started to stitch up Eric’s wounds and he cried out with each insert of the needle and thread. I grabbed his hand as Joe finished the first stitch and moved onto the next. Eric’s hand was sweaty and had blood all through it. He squeezed my hand when Joe started the new stitch and he clenched his teeth and cried out in pain. His face was turning pale and he passed out. His hand dropped from mine and I shook his body panicking and thinking the worst. “Eric? Eric!” I shouted.
“Sweetie, he’s out cold.” Said Joe. He started another stitch and I kept pressure on the other wounds.

Three hours went by before Joe had finished all the stitches on Eric’s torso and had started on his arms. Eric was lying on the table, shirtless and passed out. I looked at all the stitches and blood that was dripping through some. I jumped over to the basin, placed a towel in it, drained it and hopped back over to Eric. I placed the towel carefully on his body and held it over the wound that was dripping. Mum came in, still shaking. She walked over to the table and sat down next to Eric. She stroked his hair and her blue eyes started to fill with tears. She closed them quickly and kissed his forehead. I whispered something and mum looked at me. “What did this?” I said louder.
“I, I-” she tried to start. Her lips quivered and tears fell onto her slender cheeks.
“Some type of mutant. Maybe a Tigner?” Joe said.
“They don’t have claws.” I told him.
“Maybe bears and Tigners.” he joked.
“Joe, I’m serious.”
“Darling, I have absolutely no idea what did this to him.” He said as he cut the thread off one of the stitches. “I think you should leave while I do his legs.” He said as I watched my mother hold a towel over his arms. I nodded and hopped outside to Rani.

I closed the door behind me and sat down next to Rani who was just underneath the windowsill. She was breaking sticks apart and staring at the ground, like she was possessed. I stroked her hair and she dug her face into my shirt. Tears started to fall from her dark eyes and they stained my grey shirt. She looked at my hips where I had wiped some of Eric’s blood. She started to cry more and hold me tighter. “He’s going to be fine Rani.” I told her. She looked up at me and smiled, “I know he is.” She said. I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry herself to sleep.

An hour or two passed before mum came outside to get Rani and I. She picked up Rani and took her to bed while I went inside and sat down at the table where Eric lay. I looked at the stitches and thought about what could have done this. Joe walked out of the kitchen wiping his hands on his pants. He smiled at me then walked out the door back to his place. I watched Eric’s chest move slowly. I didn’t know if he was going to die and I hoped he wouldn’t. The last thing I said to him before he came here was for him to go to hell. I wished I’d never said that. I placed my head on the table and stared at his face. Sweat dripped from his forehead to his neck and the light made him glisten. I felt tired and before I knew it I was asleep.

I dreamt that I was in the woods hunting deer. I heard a cry for help towards my left. It sounded like Eric. I heard it again and once more before I started to run towards the voice. I cried out Eric’s name and then I stopped. I stared at the red water and mud across from me and Eric lay there with the same markings on him that he had that night. I ran up to him but he slowly melted into the ground and I fell down a dark black hole into a Tigner’s mouth.

I woke up in my bedroom screaming and mum came in to my room and held my hand. She hugged me and I cried. Her blonde hair fell down to her shoulders and I buried my face in it. “It’s OK Ciara, I’m here.” She whispered. I mumbled a few words and then pulled myself away from her, “Where’s Eric? Is he OK?” I repeated. Mum pushed my fringe to the side and looked towards the door. I jumped out of bed, grabbed one of my crutches and hauled myself down the steps. I hobbled into the kitchen and walked over to the table where he lay. He had curled into a ball and was shivering. Mum hadn’t even bothered to put a blanket on him or put his shirt back on. I limped over to the couch where some blankets lay and then went back to Eric. I threw a blanket over his body and then another. I placed my hand on his head and stroked his hair back. I bit my lips and sat down on the chair next to the table. I stared at him; he was still shivering but had rolled over onto his back, facing the ceiling, and was sweating horridly. I knew he was having nightmares. A tear fell down my cheek and I shut my eyes and laid my head on his chest, “Eric, stay with me please.” I whispered.

I couldn’t loose him yet. I knew apart of me still hated him but the rest of me loved him. My brother was the world to me. He had taught me so much and I had still to many things to learn. I heard the beating of his heart and he slowly stopped shivering. I stroked his hair and started to say words that came out of thin air. “You’re the world to me Eric. You’re my teacher and I’m your student. I’m sorry I told you to go to hell. I didn’t mean it!” I had raised my voice and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I shut my eyes tightly and cried. “I know you didn’t Cotton.” He said. I shot my head up and stared at him. I smiled and hugged him in the most awkward position there was. He held me tight and I felt him breath down my neck, sending shivers up my spine. I pulled away from him and smiled, “Now then, do you want to get off this table? We eat on it you know.”
“No, its lovely. The splinters I have from it are what I’ve always dreamed of.” He joked.

Too lazy! Shall read it l8ter (lol sports:tiring)

here's chapter 5!!

Chapter 5
Eric leaned on me as we both limped up the stairs together. He groaned a few times on each step as I held onto the railing and his waste. My fingers moved over the stitches in his body and I knew they hurt him, though he said nothing about it. He tripped on the last step and fell to the ground along with me. I jumped up quickly and grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up, “Come on.” I huffed. We still had a bit to walk before we would make it to his room. The hallway was dark and there where no windows to catch a glimpse of the moons radiance. Eric was out of breath and nearly fell back down as I tried to pull him up. His face went pale and he looked dizzy. He tried to stand again and I helped him out. He leaned against me with his eyes closed and his hand on his head, “Cotton, I can’t make it to my room.” He said.
“You can sleep in mine and I’ll sleep in yours.” I said generously. He nodded and with that we hobbled into my room, which was just at the end of the steps.

He flopped down onto my bed and rolled over carefully to stare at the ceiling. I pulled the quilt over him and a blanket as well. Eric lay there sweating and breathing heavily. I picked up one of my crutches, left my room and jumped down the steps to the kitchen. I grabbed one of the mugs mum had broken the handle off, and filled it with water from the tap outside. I carried the cup in one arm and slowly climbed the steps. I fumbled into my bedroom and sat down next to Eric. I held the cup to his face, “Drink it.” I said. He lay there shivering but I knew he heard me. I pushed my hand underneath his neck then helped him sit up to drink the water. He took a few sips, swallowed and then moved away from the cup and leaned back down on the pillow. I moved my hand out from under his neck and placed the mug carefully on the bedside table. It shook a little but didn’t fall over. I turned back to Eric and frowned as he shivered his body. I jumped over to the basin, which was filled with water, and drenched a cloth in it, pulled it out and drained it, then hopped over to Eric and placed it on his forehead. He still shivered and I took it off and started to dab it instead. His eyes were shut tight and his hands were digging into the sides of the bed. “Eric? Eric, it’s OK I’m here.” I whispered. He tossed his head side-to-side and started mumbling. “Eric it’s me, Cotton.” I said. I rubbed his head with my hand and chucked the cloth on the ground seeing as it did nothing. His teeth were clenched and I moved my hand to his cheek as sweat fell over it. He said my name and Rani’s a few time and continued to shiver. I laid down next to him; my head rested on his arm and I could feel his whole body moving and I heard his heart beating fast. “I’m here Eric. I’m here.” I said. I closed my eyes and held his wrist. “I’m here Eric.” I whispered again.

I awoke early in the morning, curled up next to Eric. He wasn’t shivering anymore but the quilt was drenched in his sweat. “Morning Cotton.” He whispered. I’d had thought he’d be sleeping still. I smiled at him and whispered, “Morning Eric.” I sat up and looked around the room rubbing my face. Eric lay in bed, stiff. I looked at him and poked his shoulder softly, where there were no stitches “Aren’t you goin’ to get up?” I said.
“I can’t move.” He replied.
“You could move last night.” I complained.
“Yeah but mum gave me some type of sleeping syrup before I fell asleep on the table. My whole body hurts.” He said. I could hear him choking on air and I handed the mug that still had a little bit of water in it. He tried to move his head up but it hurt and he groaned loudly. I shifted my hand under his neck like I did last night and helped him sit up a bit to drink. He took a few sips then dropped back down on the pillow and I moved my arm away from his neck. “I’m sorry about what I said before you left to go hunting.” I said, feeling guilty. If I hadn’t had been so stupid, I could have asked him if I could go with him and then maybe I would be the one in his position and he would be fine and able to go back to work without groaning here and there. The guilt surrounded me, and even though I still hated him in a few ways, I couldn’t help but care for him.

I picked up one of my crutches and then hobbled over to the other. Eric lay in bed staring at the ceiling. I new he was in pain but I wanted to get him out of the house or at least out of bed. “I’ll try get you some bread from Joe or maybe a few crackers.” I said, and with that I left my room and hopped down the stairs for the door. Mum was cleaning the table and lifted her head when I came in. “How is he?” she said.
“He can’t move.” I replied, and headed for the door. She grabbed my arm and I turned to face her. “What?” I asked. Her mouth opened and she tried to speak but words didn’t fall from her and she released me and smiled. I was confused at her actions and then walked out the door. I knew she was trying to tell me something but I couldn’t figure out what. Was she going to tell me he was going to be fine? Or was she going to tell me that he had lost too much blood and that if he couldn’t even roll over in bed last night, how could he go back to work? I don’t know what I was even thinking about. All I knew was she wanted to tell me something. I tried to keep my mind off it and concentrated on getting up the hill that led to the beginning of town.

Rani was sitting at the top of the hill picking wild flowers. They were probably the only things pretty in this town. Everything here is either dirt, trees, ugly or dead. Rani looked up at me as I stumbled up to the top. She looked up at me and smiled. I sat down next to her to rest my good leg and my arms. It’s hard walking on crutches. I’d prefer a wheelchair or even a car, though it would take a million years before I could get enough money for either of them. I huffed and smiled at Rani and then she scooted over closer to me and started to pull my hair out and braid it back, weaving the flowers into it. I had forgotten what I had even looked like. I haven’t had a shower for a few days now and probably smelt like vomit. Though there isn’t really a reason to come into town and look pretty anyway. All that does is draw attention to you and people think your all fancy and start begging you for money so they can feed themselves.

“Try not to pull out the hair tie.” She said as she finished the last braid and tied it up. I smiled at her and moved my hand over it slowly. “Do I look pretty enough now Rani?” I asked.
“Yes. But you always look pretty.” She replied.
“I would never be as beautiful as you. Why don’t you go see how Eric is?” I said. Rani stood up and headed down the hill towards the house. I never thought of myself being pretty. In fact I never really bothered to make myself look pretty either. Rani was the one in the family who was some-what pretty. She was always happy about life even though she had nothing to do every day but pick flowers, catch bugs and listen to mum when we did school work, which was hardly ever nowadays.

I pushed myself up from where I sat and brushed off my hands, then grabbed my crutches and went into town to look for someone selling crackers for cheap, which was going to be impossible. I hobbled past the bakery and out the front was beautifully decorated cakes and fresh bread. The smell of bread drifted across my nose and then the cakes followed. I hopped over to the window where they sat in rows, and pressed my face to it. If only this glass wasn’t here, I would be rolling around in it all and shoving it down my throat tasting the irresistible flavours. I imagined the flavours of the mud cake that I had stolen from that girl. It was the most incredible thing I had ever tasted and I remember there being a little pink sugar rose that I halved with Rani. I forced my face back when I heard a loud thud on the window and a man with a mustache was yelling at me in some foreign language. Probably French. I hobbled backwards and the man gave me a harsh glare then walked away just as I bumped into a body. I spun myself around and Henry was staring at me with a paper bag in his hand. I took a step back but he grabbed my arm and handed me the bag then walked off towards the richer side of town. He wasn’t wearing fancy clothes like what he would normally be wearing. His shirt was a dark green and his pants looked liked he had stolen them from someone. His hair was messed up and I saw him trying to smooth it out as he reached the fence line that split the town in two.

I stared at the paper bag that sat in my hand. What could be in it? A gun and a letter from the president to say I shouldn’t have kissed Henry and now I should execute myself for being so foolish? Maybe it was a bomb? Maybe it was the blue silky soft jumper that he had lent me? There was only one way to find out. I held the paper bag in my hand and sat down out the front of the shop. I opened the top that Henry had curled over and then reached my hand inside. I felt a container and pulled my hand away for a second thinking that a huge spider or a mutant lizard that ate humans, was inside it. I pulled the container out from the paper bag and attached to the bottom of the container was an envelope. I pulled the envelope off the container and then put the container on my lap. I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a square, yellow piece of paper. ‘Now we’re even.’ It read. What does that mean? I looked at the container and pulled the lid off. Inside was a cupcake, with pink frosting and a beautiful red rose on top. I closed the lid over it and placed it in the paper bag along with the letter and then headed for home. I couldn’t let anyone else see this, they could come up to me and start begging for it. They could buy their own food like jerky for cheap but hardly anyone here could buy cakes and the only people that bought cakes from that shop were the rich people. They would come from the other side of town just to get a slice. They probably had their own cakes, but the ones that were at that shop probably took 5 hours to make look as delicious as they did.

I carefully limped down the hill and ran straight into the house. I saw mum plating Rani’s hair as I jolted up the stairs into my bedroom where I saw Eric still lying in the same position. He looked over to me, but didn’t move his head. “Hey Cotton. What you got there?” he forced himself to say. I hobbled over to him and sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out the container just as Rani and mum came in. “What’s that?” Mum said coming up beside me. I looked up at her and then pulled the lid off the container revealing the cupcake. Rani’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Eric smiled and his head edged to the side a little to see it. I picked up the cupcake and broke it in half, and then broke the halves in half and handed a piece to Rani and mum then handed a piece to Eric. He rolled his head over to look out the window and I stopped smiling, “Eric?” I said.
“I don’t want it. You guys share it between yourselves.” He replied.
“Eric, take it.” I said, and moved my hand closer to his face.
“No Ciara, I don’t want it.” He said louder and pushed himself up and groaned then he fell back down on the bed. I placed the cupcake for him in the container and steadied him. I took my piece then left the room and walked down the steps. I stood in front of the kitchen table and stared at my cupcake. I placed it on the table not wanting to eat it anymore and then limped out the door with one of my crutches.

I walked down a slope that led past a few others houses and I looked at some of the kids that were playing outside with a ball. They were so skinny and I felt greedy taking that cupcake from Henry. Though I shouldn’t feel greedy seeing as he gave it to me and I shared it between my family. Well, tried to at least. I limped down to the bottom of the slope and sat at the edge where there was a small cliff then a hill that led down into the woods. I sat there by myself thinking about the note Henry gave me. ‘Now we’re even.’ I thought about the note. What did he mean? How were we even? I hardly knew the guy and kissed him and then now he thinks we’re even somehow? But from what? And when did we ever not be even. I was confused about so much: first Henry with the note and then Eric refusing to eat. What would be next?

I picked up a pebble that sat beside me, and threw it into the woods hearing it land in a bush. I stared at the ground then heard some type of yelp. I looked up and stared into the forest but saw nothing what so ever. I stood up quickly, fearing it maybe the creature that had attacked Eric, and then limped back to the house. I fumbled inside and shut the door hearing mum drop a plate. “Thanks Ciara.” She hissed at me.
“Mum there’s something outside.” I said panicking.
“It’s probably just some wild dogs or something.” She said.
“No it wasn’t. I didn’t see it but I threw a rock into the woods and I heard a yelp. But not a dogs yelp.”
“Maybe it was a Tigner.” She said try to relax me by rubbing my back.
“No. It sounded loud and it added a small growl to it as well.”
“Ciara, its nothing.” She said trying not to look scared. I knew she had the feeling that I had too. The feeling that something bad was going to happen. And I was the cause of it.

anybody gonna read it? :I

I read it! It was really good! I just didn't comment.

YAY! lol, at least u read it!

I've read the other chapters but the last two, so I gotta catch on

ok well enjoy them. I am working on 10 at the moment and my friend is reading 9. she says its good.