Chapter 6: Outcasts Like Us

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I'd been told Mariah would have changed my bandages the next time I saw her. I assumed that would have been sometime today. She was going to bring me another meal, after all. But I had fled before the ceremony was over. I had no phone, no wallet, no money, and no ID. Trying to find my way down this mountain through the cold, without any traces of the time was hell.

"O-ouch. Shit, shit, shit! That hurts like a bitch." A scoff hurled out of me.

Grimace layered my face as I peeled back the blood drenched bandages from my shoulder. I hadn't realized the blood seeped through until I saw small red spotting on my dress. I guess it happened when I jumped out the window. I must have put too much pressure on my shoulder and ruined the stitches before the scar could properly heal.

Of course, that was just my luck.

Once more, I groaned in pain when a sliver of cold touched the wound. The sun was setting below the clouds. So far, it was a moonless evening. But I knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. The purple and blue starry sky dripped over me with memories of the time I went camping with my friends from high school for the weekend.

I could paint the picture right now. There was a large open clearing in a field that stretched on for miles with four cabins—two of them for sleeping. The large dining cabin was to the left of us. The bathroom cabin was to the right of us. It was probably the scariest part of the trip because it was the furthest. Needless to say, I hadn't used the bathroom all night.

When the sun set, it looked just like this. A beautiful sky over our heads, as we took pictures and walked along a trail of orange lit fireflies. Later on, in the night, our cabins had been plagued by the freezing cool temperatures. However, the massive bonfire we sparked kept us warm enough until it was time to say goodnight.

Those were the last few memories I had of my friends before we drifted away from each other. Nothing bad. People just grow up and go their separate ways. Some even lose touch. I was alone now. I was probably going to die too. Alone. I'd either freeze to death or starve to death. That was if the wolves hadn't found me first and made a feast of me for running away.

A noise gurgled in my stomach. Geez, my insides were growling again. What was this? The fourth time my stomach had growled since I'd stumbled out here? I thought so. I'd lost sense of my path. It all looked the same. The trees, the small critters, the heaps of grass blending into the dirt.

I sighed and gave my wound one last longing look. This was going to be a bitch to walk around with. My eyes clenched shut until I was fully stood. I fixed the sheet around my neck to keep my hood tight. Then, I was off again.

I had to be walking for hours now. If it wasn't hours, it sure felt like it. I took off around twelve noon. The sun usually set early during the fall and winter. It was probably past four now.

The moon was rising and my bones were aching. I heard a crunch, crackle, and pop as I lowered myself to the ground. With quaking arms, I rested my hands on the edge of the grass near the water. The sparkling, clear liquid was something I happened upon while walking. It was the perfect place to collapse until I found my strength again. I felt completely drained.

In the body of water, a gruesome copy of myself reflected back on me. My glasses were crooked on my face. My bottom lip hung open with cracks split down the middle. When I ran my tongue across it, the dried blood melted on the tip. I cringed back and gagged.

"Ugh, I look horrible," I murmured. I brushed my fingers through my curls. The dry black strands curled around my knuckles. I needed some shea butter and water immediately. Just a wash would do too. Maybe if I focused on my hair, I could ignore the migraine pounding at my skull. This was unlike any other migraine I'd ever had.

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