The Counterfeit

eleven

"That's it? Blue?"
"If you'd rather call me asshole, be my guest."
"No no, it's just...odd. That's all."
"And?" Blue dragged out the single word. "I'm not what you expected I get it." As Blue said that, Jasmine could've sworn she saw something deeper than pain flicker in her eyes.

"Nevermind. We're gonna get you out of here." Jasmine blurted out. She really wasn't thinking straight. Hannah was taken aback.
"Yeah yeah, the last pair of misfits that came poking their heads in here said that and guess what? It ended in flames." Blue sighed, trying to stretch her limbs but it proved to be difficult for her.

"People have been here before?" Hannah queried, her voice shaky.
"Mm hm. For all of five minutes before they were taken and locked up in igloos. Just. Like. Me." Jasmine shivered at the thought of being locked up in an igloo for the rest of her life.

"What happened to them?" Her head was spinning with endless questions. Blue sighed again, but this time with empathy.
"From what I heard they beat them to death. Dragged their bodies all the way out to the crevasse and threw them in. Goners."

All of a sudden, Jasmine's ears perked up at the sound of faint voices from outside the igloo. "You better run. They're coming." Blue whispered almost tauntingly.

Alarmed, Jasmine seized Hannah's forearm and hurried her out of the igloo, instructing her to stay low. They quickly scurried through the snow, side by side, not stopping until they were a good few igloos away from Blue's.

There, they crouched behind the nearest igloo and caught back their breath.
"I think she's insane." Hannah murmured.
"I wouldn't be surprised."

As quietly as possible, Jasmine peered around the side of the igloo to see two of the Glacies' citizens entering Blue's igloo, one holding the bluntest knife she'd ever seen. Jasmine gulped.

"Why do you think they haven't killed her yet?" She asked lowly, trying to push down the lump in her throat. "Why are these people doing this?"
"Jasmine, I don't know but we need to tell someone. Right now. Izzabeth, Adam, they need to know. We can't stay here any longer."

Jasmine knew she was right. They had to leave otherwise, as Adam had once said, they'd be human kebabs. If Blue was telling the truth.
"Okay, but what about Blue? We can't just leave her here." Hannah sighed.
"Sometimes it's better to let things go."

Jasmine shook her head.
"No. She's human. Just like us. If we don't get treated like her then why should she? She's dying, Hannah, we have to help her."
"We've known her for five minutes Jasmine!"
"And five minutes could be enough to give her some hope."
"She didn't believe we'd get out of there alive."
"But we did. What does that tell you?"

Hannah flicked her gaze to the snow. "Look, I know this isn't simple. If it was simple she wouldn't be struggling and neither would we. But we can't leave her like that. She needs help and if we can get her help, I know I'd sleep well at night. Wouldn't you?"

Hannah nodded, her gaze returning to Jasmine.
"You're...right. You're right. I'll do it. I'll help you." Jasmine smiled at her friend reassuringly.
"We can get everyone out of this. We can."

Hannah nodded again, but this time in agreement.
"Okay, so what's the plan?"
"We get back to the camp, we tell Izz and Adam everything, I'll go and get our bags because Susan told me where they'd be and whilst I'm doing that, you guys go and get Blue. Got it?"
Hannah blinked.