THE GIFTED ONE

Chapter 26

We carried on walking, mournfully. There was not enough time to bury all the bodies, so we just closed their eyes out of respect and walked on.

It was beginning to get dark again so we would need to find another place to stay, which could be one of our last.

It was as though we all felt the darkness seeping through our body, right to the core and so did our Kalakins. They walked behind us with their heads drooping low to the ground, not acting their usual sprightful selves.

Every so often, we would hear the crunching snap of a bone. There must have been so many skeletons around us, the number increasing as we walked on.

Even nature couldn't survive here. The trees were skeletons themselves, not one bud to be seen and black gunge seeped out of the bark. Dead crows dotted the floor, having been shot down mid flight and there was not one patch of grass to be seen. Instead it was dry and craggy, inhabitable to even the tiniest of insects.

I carried on going, trying not to linger too long on the ground. The amount of dead bodies that were on the floor was starting to mess with my head. I was stood near Theo, all of us walking in a line, making sure to look out for anything or anyone in the darkness.

After a few minutes we found a cave, which was perfect. We would hide in here for the night. Tomorrow would be the big day, so much pressure was on me.

Inside the cave we placed down our bags and I sat down, breathing out heavily.

Theo and the others did the same. We were all very tired and our food supply was running very low, so we had been rationing for a few days.

Theo sat next to me and usually I would tell him to leave but today I really had no energy to do so.

'So what are we going to eat then,' Tori asked, her head leaning on Ky's shoulder.

'Well we could put some of our food together and make something up,' Stella said, pulling out some food from her bag.

'Yeah cool,' I said reaching for my bag. It was on the other side of Theo so I had to reach over him. Whilst I did this, he stroked my arm, his eyes glowing as well a vibrant red: cosely followed by my own. I closed my eyes trying to re-focus.

He was only touching me, how could that have such a huge affect on me.

I grabbed my bag as quickly as I could and brought it next to me.

'Here we go, I still have some beans and tinned peaches, which we could use tonight,' I said to the others.

'Yeah I have another tin of beans and some tinned tomatoes,' Theo added.

'That's perfect, that should make a great meal, with Stella's stuff as well,' Tori said, smiling sweetly.

She was still somehow positive about our whole situation.

We cooked up all the food and sat around a fire that Theo had lit. The food was surprisingly good, with what little amount we had. The fire and the food kept me warm enough but I couldn't help leaning towards Theo. He had the warmest body temperature out of everyone so If no one else could keep me warm, he most certainly would.

The fire was beginning to die out and we had finished eating ages ago, when Stella said 'Guys, I am really worried for tomorrow,' curled up into a ball on the floor.

'Don't worry, we all are but if we stick together like we always have and have been trained to do, then we should be fine,' Ky said, not fully convinced.

'Anyways we have Kat so its fine,' Tori added, making me feel even more stressed than I already was.

'Yeah,' I said, trying to reassure them.

Tori , Ky and Stella began to fall asleep, leaving Theo and I  in silence, just staring at the fire.

I lay down on the ground and pulled my jumper over me.

Theo then did the same, facing me. I tried to avoid his eyes but I just couldn't. As soon as they met, they glowed red, in emotion.

He closed his eyes, pretending to fall asleep. I tried to do the same but I just couldn't. All of a sudden he whispered 'I love you.' My heart beat began to increase rapidly and I could feel my eyes glowing brightly. I had no idea what to say, so I ignored it and closed my eyes tightly shut.

I then felt him trail his fingers down my face and he said it again 'I love you.'

I had to make him stop. I kept my eyes shut but I said to him,' Theo stop,' without looking at him.

'No not until you look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel the same way,' he said.

Ok, Kat if you just say this, he will stop. 

I opened my eyes and tried to say those exact words, that I didn't love him but I couldn't. As soon as I looked into his eyes, I felt the same strong emotion towards him that I didn't think would ever go away.

I don't know what came over me but I began to cry uncontrollably. All the emotions just became to much. Theo pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. I instantly felt safer and calmer.

Sleep overcame me and before I knew it, my eyes were beginning to close. Before I knew it, the words just slipped out.

'I love you too'

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