Playing with Fire

25

The boat sailed across the river and it can carry five heart-broken people and I am one of them among them all. Adam is next to me, absolutely silent, staring out of the boat, hand on his sharp cheekbone. 

I look over his shoulder and I place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently. "Look. I'm so-"

"That bitch." Adam interrupts.

"Are you talking about me?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "It's Steven. He killed my brother instead of me!" he grabs a stone and throws it into the river.

I look behind me and I see Daniel: dazzled by what I'm doing. He can read our thoughts and I think he has delved into them a bit too far.

"Well, either way, I did not want you dead, nor Ruben. I only said you because you wanted it but I didn't think he'll kill Rue." I tell him. "I am so sorry."

He sighs. "It's not your fault. I'm not annoyed at you. Not one single bit."

I blush lightly at his comment and smile. "Well, if you're hungry, you've got apples, right?"

"No, I lost them back in the forest." he informs me.

"Oh." I bite my lip, trying to think. "Well. Have mine. They're in my bag." 

I depart from him and I sit down in the base, seeing Toboni rowing the boat. I look away from her and it's so silent on the boat. I don't like it. I want them to be bright and happy like what Adam and Toboni were-

Were.

Lee sits down next to me and looks at me. "I honestly can't tell the difference between you and Toboni now. You've grown so much-" 

"How can you tell?" I ask him.

He smiles. "Because not all blind people are blind. I can see outlines of people."

"Through a... whatdoya call it-"

"Bandages? Yes." he smiles.

I sit still and face ahead towards the river, still thinking of Ruben's last words: "Lawrence?". I feel like I'm losing my mind. I have powers, then I get told my mother once worked for Jeanine because of a rebellion which she hosted and now one of my friends have been murdered along with his best friend. 

I cannot forget about it-

Witnessed a murder of someone close to me-

It's horrible.

I feel Lee's hand rub my back gently and I identify that he knows what I'm feeling: regret. 

I know he feels it too.

"Can anyone take over rowing? My arms hurt so much." Toboni asks anonymously.

I stare up at her. "I will."

She looks back down at me and seems startled. "Oh, okay."

She gets up with my assistance and we switch spaces despite the boat rocking side-to-side, water splashing into it, alerting everyone but Adam. 

"Settle down girls!" Daniel exclaims. 

I sit down and grab hold of the pedals. "Do you want to live?"

He rolls his eyes. "Well...-"

"Then shut your mouth." I smirk and I begin to row the boat; his initial reaction is smiling back at me and turning back to the side of the boat. I think he's jealous-

Jealous of me and how Adam reacts around me.

But I don't care.

I push the oars to and fro in order to get through the river for the past hour or so and my arms ache so much. I have't pushed that much in ages-

I see something ahead and I am instantly alarmed; so much excitement fueled me that I almost released the oar. I squint and lean closer-

"Is that a town?" I ask.

All look in my direction apart from Adam and that start asking themselves whether it is true.

I stare down at Adam and I try and smile innocently but he doesn't even face him.

He's never gonna forgive me for what I've done.

"L, you're right. It is a town." Toboni tells me. She grabs the map from my pocket and reads it. "Stythe! We're close to Brockelsby!"

My heart leaps as Toboni says that as I realise I maybe closer to my mother than I think-

She may actually be at Stythe-

Right there in that town ahead of us.

I pull up the boat and I step out onto the lush green land.

"Lawrence! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING?!" Daniel screams.

"To Stythe. You all coming?" I state.

For the first time in ages, Adam gets up and stands beside me but he still doesn't look at me like he did before the loss of his brother. Toboni gets up too and Lee grabs hold of her shoulder to support him in case he could topple over and fall into the river. Daniel stares at us, looking ever so confused. 

"Outnumbered." I tell him and I yank him out of the boat and we walk towards Stythe, still extremely hungry.