Redemption

With clothes drenched in sweat and hair plastered across her forehead, Ella bolted through the lingering leaves, swiping away the dangling branches. The moon beamed brightly through the thick foliage, sprinkling rays of white on the mossy, green forest floor. Ella scampered around until her lungs burned and her stomach threatened to rip open her throat. She reached for a nearby tree and felt skin scrape the rough bark as her knees gave out. Sinking to the ground, she let the wet moss seep into her clothing. The whole forest was layered with a damp carpet, moist with mud condensation. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to catch her breath, a pressure building inside of her ribs that threatened to break free. It felt like it would tear open her flesh and claw its way out into the open air. Her muscles ached and her stomach cramped-she suddenly had the urge to vomit and lurched to the side, dry heaving. She coughed and wiped her lips, feeling dizzy, then sank back to the ground, cold and wet. She pressed her fist to her mouth, digging her fingers into her cheeks as pressure built behind her eyes. She was going to explode. Gritting her teeth together, Ella clenched her hands so tightly her nails bit into skin; nothing was more frustrating than the throbbing that pulsed through her whole body. She fought the pressure as best she could . . . but finally broke down.

A sudden pressure gripped her shoulders, hauling her off the dirt floor. She thrashed around, flailing her fists left and right, finally finding a target. A grunt slipped from the stranger's lips. A realization swept in immediately recognizing her only sibling, her brother.

"Ian," she murmured in a despaired tone, as she struggled up to her shaking feet. A sense of safety overwhelmed her as she began to make her way back to their temporary camp.

"Clara, I found her," announced her brother to another figure, hovering over a small flame. Her best friend's shoulders slumped out of relief, hobbling over to the two siblings and embracing Ella with a content expression. With a sigh, she leaned over to Ian, sending him a warning.

"She can't run off again," Clara whispered to him only, "We can't afford to lose her. We're already lost in this forest and we have nothing to eat."

"I swear we should have never come on this camping trip," He shook his head with disappointment, "I'm sorry," he muttered, his eyes were glazed and drained of hope.

"I'm tired," Ella mumbled, stumbling in her footsteps. Her best friend sighed again, catching her in her feeble arms, and murmuring soft words of encouragement in her ear.

"I'll take her back to the tent," Clara told Ian, carefully pulling his younger sister into the dismangled structure of the tent. Her body was light and easy to maneuver around, gently pushing her down into the blankets tumbling out of the raggedy sleeping bags.

Ella's eyes were red with deep bags under her lids as Clara peered at her, pondering over what her best friend had become in the several days they had been trapped in the forest. Her dark hair had matted against her forehead and her cheeks had claimed a pale color. Her skin was clammy and cold at the touch and she refused to accept any warmth from anyone or anything.

"Ella, please. You'll get sick," Clara admonished her, knowing that that was exactly what her friend was. Sick. She wasn't someone unrecognizable. It was foolish for her to even think of such ridiculous accusations. She swiped back her golden locks behind her ears as she crouched down next to the delirious girl, pulling the blankets around her shivering shoulders.

"Just get some rest. When you wake up, everything will be better. There is nothing to be afraid of," she reassured, squeezing her friend's hand tenderly, "We love you, Ella." The whispered comment was lost to the other girl as she fought desperately against dream and reality in her mind. Sighing at her mostly failed attempts, Clara proceeded out of the tent, joining Ian by the blazing fire.