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008. running for your life ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ATLAS GROGGILY CAME TO HIS SENSES WHEN HE FELT ARMS WRAP AROUND HIS LIMP BODY. The boy didn't know who it was—it could have been one of the careers for all he knew, yet he didn't have the energy needed to fight back. His body was dragged through the grass, his mind remaining empty and his eyes fighting to open. Atlas's hearing slightly began to clear, hearing the groans of the person pulling him through the forest, the sound distant enough to be unrecognisable.
Splashes of water were heard, guessing the culprit stepped into the water, aiding them in guiding his body. As his skin met with the water, a scream ripped through his vocal cords uncontrollably as pain, worse than what it was originally, flowed through his being. He tried to fight the hands keeping him down in the body of water, washing him off as he squirmed, but now that his senses were heightened, he stopped his fights against the hands as he realised it was Esther.
Esther sat in the shallow water, keeping Atlas laid on her lap comfortably as she used her hands to keep the boy under, washing away the blisters tainting his skin. The blonde didn't know how long she lay and crawled around whilst fighting to take a breath before she found the water, wanting something familiar of home to be her final resting place, until she quickly realised it was helping the blisters—the pain dissipating slowly. "It's okay, Atlas," cooed Esther, bringing her hands to his face when he stopped flinching at her hold. "The water helps. I promise."
The blonde continued to check on the boy's body constantly, tilting him slightly more to the left where he had been affected the most. By the time Esther couldn't find any more blisters, Atlas stopped hissing in pain, relishing the silence of the forest around them. Suddenly, Atlas could open his eyes again. He met with the soft glint of Esther, a reassuring smile plastering on her face as they made eye contact. Atlas attempted to sit up from her lap, yet she pushed him down gently, shaking her head slowly. Esther told the boy to take a minute and rest, knowing his strength wasn't stable. "Hi," he said, his tone playful.
Esther chuckled softly, her head fully dipped down. "Hey," she replied, matching the sense of humour in Atlas's voice. "Do you want to sit up now?" The boy nodded his head at the question, and with the help of Esther, he managed to find himself sitting in the water, his hands creating waves as he swayed. She saw the way he examined his skin, his brows furrowing at the rawness of his clear skin, the blisters being gone as though they were never there. "The water washes them away," she said. "The redness will go away soon. You just have to wait it out."
Atlas nodded his head, diverting his eyes away from his skin, yet not meeting her stare. "Thank you." Despite seeing Atlas's attention pointed away from her, Esther nodded her head. "I knew you'd be a good ally," he said, which didn't mean to have any negative effect on Esther, yet the girl couldn't help but feel the way her heart slightly caved in. Thoughts rummaged through her head: did he only see her as an ally? A means to an end, whereas she saw him as a newfound friend? Atlas then turned to Esther, noticing the heavy weighted expression laced on her face, a frown plastering onto his own at the sight.
