Discover L (Book 2) | Complete |

~~~ What Fresh Hell Is This? ~~~

The air grew more and more humid the deeper into the rainforest they ran. L could feel her hair and clothes sticking to her. It was almost as if she were breathing through water. The amount of weather and landscape changes they'd experienced so far was definitely otherworldly. The wildlife here didn't seem to mind it, though L hadn't actually caught sight of any yet. It was possible they were hiding, and it made her curious as to what they all might be and how they'd differ from those she knew.

"Let's not get too comfortable in a place like this." L said when they stopped for a quick rest.

She was wary of what might also be lurking out there.

"But we can't keep running with no destination in mind." Robbie pointed out.

"You're right, but we don't have much choice right now. I don't know where to go or what to do next."

L finally admitted her problem aloud, ignoring the shocked looks on both their faces. It wasn't as if the place was sign posted, and a small voice in the back of her mind was starting to question if she'd got lucky through a lot of this journey. She leaned against the slippery trunk of the nearest tree, rubbing her injured shoulder absentmindedly.

"Should we rest for a little while then?" Bryce asked, and L could feel his gaze lingering on her.

"Fine, let's rest for a bit. It'll give me time to think of what to do. One of us will keep watch while the others sleep."

"I'll take the first watch," Bryce volunteered immediately.

L wasn't about to argue with him or dissect his motives for doing so. They found a good spot further into the jungle forest; Bryce claimed it was a good vantage point for any coming danger. A grassy verge overlooking clumps of fallen trees, all of which were covered in blue moss. It was pretty enough, though the potential for danger was always in the back of their minds. They set up a small camp, and L added a few wards- not that she knew whether they'd even work.

She laid down against her bag, staring up to see the sky had been blocked out. The vines were thick, tangling from tree to tree like a netted blanket. L was still trying to get her head around the sudden changes in terrain here. The atmosphere in Paguea as a whole felt so alien to her. Nothing here acted the way she was used to. L's brain had been making mental notes all day, but trying to keep accurate records while also trying to stay alive wasn't the easiest.

She reviewed a lot of what she'd seen and ended up dozing off somewhere in the middle. She stirred some time later, who knew how long it had been, but it was darker and cooler now. There was a faint glow from behind her and silhouettes danced against the trees. L realised she had woken to the sounds of whispering. She was about to get up when she heard her name. She steadied her heart and stabilised her breathing, so Bryce wouldn't hear the difference and know she was awake.

"... L doesn't hate you. She's pissed off and hurt at how you spoke, and she has every right."

"I agree, I hate myself for how I treated her, and I'll always regret it. So I know there's no way she'll ever forgive me. I just don't know what to do, I care about her so much. It's killing me how things are right now."

L was grateful that Robbie took that moment to vent his frustrations with a groan. Her heart had spiked at Bryce's words, and she needed the distraction to compose herself. Hearing Bryce say aloud how much he cared about her was tough, especially now. She wasn't sure how to feel about him; she was still angry about what he did, but in the grand scheme of things, was it as important anymore?

She knew he regretted it and that he hated himself for that momentary mistake. And yet, she couldn't just let it go. It hurt every time her mind replayed what happened. He shouldn't have even been capable of treating her that way. Or was she holding him to impossible standards? She couldn't tell, she didn't have enough experience in this and she had nobody else to confide in to ask their opinion.