The Elite (Editting)

Chapter 18: Split Personalities

The following morning was more awkward than my first day of high school. Gabriel and I packed up our sleeping bags and ate a couple of the fruits he had packed in the food bag. I reached over to grab a granola bar from the pack when a hand shot out and slapped my hand away.

"Don't eat too much, we still don't know how long until we get to Hermes," Gabriel said, without even lifting his head from his apple.

I shied away from Gabriel's touch. It was hard for me to believe that the heartless, cruel man who had yelled at me yesterday night was the same man who only a few nights prior had kissed and comforted me. With Gabriel and all his mood-swings, I was beginning to wonder if he had some sort of multiple personality disorder.

"Here," Gabriel said. He held out a granola bar to me. When I didn't take it, he dropped it in my lap. "Belle, I'm-"

I pealed back the wrapper on the granola bar and sneered at Gabriel, "Don't call me that! My name is Donatella, or so you've told me."

"Bel-," he cut himself off, "Donatella, I'm sorry, honest and true. I don't mean to be unkind to you, it just happens."

"Sure Gabriel, you keep hurting me and every time you keep saying you don't mean to. Then I forgive you and you do something again! Every time, Gabe!" I was on my feet now, standing on my tip-toes to be on even ground with Gabriel.

He grabbed the top of my arm and pulled me closer to him. "Gabriel stop, please. Did you not hear what I just said? You always do this and I always forgive you, not this time," I pushed away from Gabriel and walked back to the area where I had left my backpack the night before and picked it up. I swung it over my shoulder and walked to the mouth of the cave.

Gabriel looked absolutely crushed but he too picked up his cargo and followed me out of the cave. "I guess we ought to figure out where we should go from here."

"Which way do we need to go to get to Hermes' place?" I asked.

"Oh, um, it should be about 20 miles south of here. We should be able get there in a couple hours," Gabriel answered. I could tell he didn't think I was going to talk about Hermes by the hesitation in his answer.

"Okay then. Let's walk," I answered, following Gabriel down the southern side of the rugged terrain.