Ash and Cinder

9| Quicksand

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," Skyelar sings in my ear. Unfortunately, he jumps out of the way before I can take a swing at him. It can't be morning already. I closed my eyes barely five minutes ago. I groan, a sound that is akin to a dying whale.

Everything hurts. Everything.

Sitting up feels like too much effort, but I manage. Mornings are always the worst. I sway in place for a moment, keeping my eyes scrunched closed. Damn, is it hot in here. 'Warm' is not a temperature I'd expect from a cave in Russia, especially not in the middle of spring. Maybe we got lucky, for once in our collective lives. I pry my eyes open, crusty sleep crumbles on my lashes. I blink a couple times and fix my glasses while my vision eases into focus. The fire is a black pile of char on the chipped cave floor, and weak light floods in from outside. Maverick is gone.

I get stiffly to my feet. Every joint protests. Between the lack of pills, a burned back, and sleeping on a cold hard slab, I must confess that this is not my finest morning. I grimace as the dry heaving from last night makes a re-appearance. I smother my mouth with my hand and cover a lurch with a cough.

"Alright there, mate?" Sky cocks his head at me, bright ginger bangs fall across his forehead.

I clear my throat before answering. "Stomach cramp."

He chucks something silvery at me, and I jolt to catch it. The resulting pain is paralyzing. I crush my free hand into a fist, fingernails break skin, but I can't register the stinging over the sharp spasms. It feels a lot like someone is taking a nail gun to my back, right where the burn is. Sky gives me a weird look. I give a little wave, pretending to be fine, and force myself to focus on the thing he tossed me.

It's a protein bar. I can't read the Cyrillic letters on the silver packaging, but like most things the Compound used, I recognize the shape and packaging. The wrapper crinkles like Christmas paper as I rip it off. Saliva floods my mouth as I take a huge bite, not even nausea could keep me from eating this morning. Nothing has tasted so good in the history of food.

It isn't until I'm halfway through cramming the morsel of food into my mouth that I bother to ask where it came from. None of us packed food.

"Miss Tatyanin gave us some of her stolen rations," Sky answers.

"Miss Tatyanin?" I raise an eyebrow and wipe the last crumbs of the bar off my chin. Sky shrugs and plucks his shirt from the cave floor.

A weird sensation, exactly like the one from last night, washes over me. I look around, and—surprise, surprise—find Anushka staring at me. Correction, staring at my back.

"Can I help you?" I raise my voice enough to attract her attention and draw it away from my burn, which I'm sure isn't covered completely by the measly bandages. She purses her lips, and when she meets my gaze I can practically see the wheels turning in her mind.

"Thanks for the food." I wave the empty wrapper at her. She nods curtly but holds her tongue as she exits the cave. As soon as she's out of sight, and I'm sure that Sky isn't looking, I twist to examine my back. My sore muscles protest but being able to stand has helped the back pain from earlier—by pooling it all in my legs, but that's a more familiar, bearable problem. I can only spy slivers of red skin and flesh through the cloth strips, but there are wet spots where the wound has wept openly. Gingerly, I prod the border. Greenish-yellow slime oozes out, soaking the edge of the nearest strip.

"Nasty burn." King startles me. I jerk my hand away. His voice is deep and rumbly. I think this might be the first time I've ever heard him speak.

"It's not bad," I lie, wiping my hand on my pant leg.