Firestorm

CHAPTER 16: "I learned it on my own"

A week had gone by. My shirt and jacket from the explosion...it had been destroyed but a quarter of it melted itself onto the surface of my back. It scarred. Ugly and black/grey melted permanently into my skin. It would have been dangerous to try and remove it. Since there is no doctor around, it was permanently ingrained into my skin. But that was the least of my problem. My face probably looked worse. Bruised and broken, when I first injured it, it was heavily bleeding.

The large gashes abrasions across my cheeks, nose, chin and lip were still very fragile, probably infected. Pretty much my whole face was bruised. It had healed dramatically since when I first got it. But that didn't mean it wasn't still awful. I tried my best to clean. But what, with my resources, it wouldn't work.

Over the week...I had been trying to survive by any means. I'd caught the basics of the grounder language. I had to...I couldn't be recognised as a Sky Girl. It was similar to Latin and English in my opinion. Murphy's father knew Latin and taught it to me and him growing up. I'd only picked up a minimalistic amount of his language.

I stumbled closer to the edge of a river bank and I looked for any sign of hostility before I approached stripping my clothes off and kneeling in the water soaking myself. Once I was done and dried I walked through the tree-line hoping to find a village so I could trade some things in. That had been my life so far. The bare minimum. Once I had found a village I traded for warmer clothing and weapons and eventually I didn't have enough to trade for a horse so I ended up looting it. I had no idea how to ride a horse but I figured it out very quickly.

I'd made a camp fire that night. I was starting to get lonely but that was beside the point. I had to keep survive in mind, I reminded myself as I bit into an apple I had found on the horse. I heard something from behind me and went to react but a whip was hurled forward wrapping around my exposed neck. My eyes went wide and before I could launch to try defend myself I was propelled backwards and pulled to the ground with extreme force. I could feel the life being forced out of me as my breath left me as the roped burned and bruised my neck. It brought be back to the memories of hanging Murphy.

Closing my eyes I felt myself stop. Looking up my eyes met a grounders and I forced my body forward, the tugging on my neck tightened violently as I fell on my body kicking under the grounders feet and then forcing my boot up belabouring him in the head knocking him to the ground. I crawled up to my feet removing the assaulting rope and wrapping it around the man's neck pulling on it, as I kept my foot on the man's chest keeping him down. Once he stopped moving I fell to the ground grasping my neck tiredly. Getting up I searched him picking a few useful items and a sword before I got on my horse and running away from this place. It was a place for scavengers.

Once I made it to a village I looked around before trading in some of my findings for a place to sleep. I needed a bed, my back was killing me. "Chon yu bilaik?" (Who are you?) The man asked as we traded some boar I found. It was good quality boar. I only traded my best.

"Ai laik Bellatrix kom Trikru." (I am Bellatrix from tree clan.) I lied easily and he nodded looking over my heavily bruised body and decided not to ask. "Ai wada klin?" (Can I wash?) I asked him slowly hoping I had gotten the words right. He looked at me suspiciously before leading me to a room and I watched as he poured some hot water. I stripped and climbed in and began using a knife to shave the hair on my legs and body where it wasn't needed. I then laid back easily trying to calm myself.

Something hadn't seemed right about the man. But I was in no position to become picky. Not just yet. Once I'd finished cleaning myself I looked over my body frowning at the bruises. Once I dried myself off I dressed as quickly as I could not liking feeling exposed. I heard a large call outside and walked to the window seeing a large group with weapons there.

"Come out Sky Girl!" One of them yelled and I ducked down keeping my eyes on outside. The door opened behind me and the man was standing in front of me.

"Put your weapons down or you'll be in for a painful death." He threatened pointing an arrow at me. I held my hands up as he gripped my shoulder and threw me out of the room grabbing my hair. Gritting my teeth I was thrown into a prison cell and chained to the ground. Over the next day days, I was beaten, cut, lashed, tortured, and burned. I'd undergone even form of torture I could think of. They didn't want anything from me. They just wanted to hurt me. I'd felt myself passed out for the longest time.

They'd forgotten to feed me and they had also seemingly forgotten about me. I just assumed they had things to do. I didn't know the whole village had moved and left me to die shackled to the floor. But eventually I had regained enough strength to pull the chains off its hinges but I still wore then. I stumbled out of the cell block the village was empty. I momentarily wondered where they were but I didn't mull over it for too long. I quickly found my horse climbing on top of it but I soon passed out.

Once I woke up I was lying near the water. As I began to drink from the creek I was thirsting for life, water to help me. I was barely alive.

A few nights later I had made camp just a while outside of a village, I made sure to keep far enough away. I had fed and looked after myself as best I could.. Of course I couldn't actually stay there. I am standing in front of the river right at this moment. Fishing for food with a net I'd stolen. I'd had to learn how to steal and defend myself, how to hunt. It was one of the curses of being alone. I couldn't depend on anyone to save me. I felt a knife press against my neck and I stiffened as I felt the hot breath of the assailant against my cold neck.

"What's a sky girl doing alone?" His husky voice inquired smugly. I turned around slowly as he gripped my hair forcing the knife closer to my neck drawing hot runny blood. But I kept my eyes on him. Unwavering. Unafraid.

"How do you know I am a sky girl?" I inquired right back with a teasing grin. He only smirked in reply shoving me away. "I thought you grounders were supposed to be vicious."

"I thought you Sky people were supposed to run in groups like a litter of animals." He retorted looking over my belongings and stroking my horse. I took a step forward narrowing my eyes at him. All he could do was laugh.

"Hmm cute. That's mine. Mind not stealing it?" I demanded and it only made him chuckle and shake his head.

"Well since you asked so nicely I don't care. Why is a sky girl out here so far from home?" He inquired taking a step closer to me.

"After the disagreement my friends had with the grounders...I bolted. Almost died. So I've looking after myself until I get word that they are somewhere." I informed him weary of his weapons.

"Alright, I saw your scuffle with a scavenger, someone teach you to fight like that?" He asked with a grin as he sat down cutting himself an apple.

"A grounder friend, he taught me a bit. Enough to get by, everything else I can do, I learned it on my own." I informed him narrowing my eyes suspicious of the supposedly kind stranger with scars on his face.

"Impressive. But still nothing special." He shrugged.

"I'm Bellatrix." I introduced myself holding out my hand.

"Roan" He replied shaking my hand. "And I have to leave, I have a job to do." He informed me getting up and running off. I let a small smile grace my lips as I watched him run away.