The late evening February sky cast an eerie blue grey glow over everything, including Kellen and I laying on the ground. The combination of not moving anymore and the sun finally disappearing over the horizon, set us shivering and our teeth chattering.
We had watched as two partially injured wardens carried the other back to the academy, listening to the screaming long after we couldn't see them anymore. The other three, convinced that there were students nearby, had decided to keep looking.
They moved slowly, searching thoroughly, as if fearful of more booby traps. There were none, of course, but I was tempted to launch another explosive into their midst, and send these last few running with their tails tucked. I decided it would be better saved, in case we needed to use it as a weapon?
After two hours, with only the eerie evening glow lighting their way, the wardens headed back to The Academy. We didn't know if they would return, bringing others with them. We watched after them for some time before we attempted moving again. But by that time, our bodies had long since given in to exhaustion.
"Cole?"
"Yuh?"
"Cole, we need to move."
"Can't. Too cold. And tired."
"I hear you, Cole, but we can't stay here. I'm tired too. There's no way either of us is making the hike back to base tonight. But, we should try to find a place to camp for the night."
While I agreed with him, I couldn't feel much of anything but the pain in my feet and the cold numbness in my legs. I could hear him shuffling as he pushed himself up, and told myself to push past the icy pain.
I succeeded in rolling over onto my back and peered into the sky, lamely stating, "It's going to snow."
He looked up as if he didn't believe me, and then shrugged after examining the sky like he had a clue. "At least it will warm up a bit. But again, we need to find someplace out of the open to stay for the night."
Where exactly are we going to find this place, Kellen? It's not like we would find a Holiday Inn run by squirrels. We'd be lucky to find a fallen hollowed out tree big enough for two of us to squeeze into. And warm? We were outside in February... February!
There would be no warmth—especially since we couldn't start a fire in case the wardens were still paying attention. There would be freezing half to death and maybe, just maybe waking up with enough energy to crawl halfway to camp. But, he was right. If we stayed out in the open, we wouldn't even have that small possibility of surviving till morning.
"Fine. Let's go."
We walked in silence, making our way north through the now sparse woods and toward the edge of the ridge we were on. The other side was a rocky slope that I carefully followed Kellen down―I couldn't see us finding a shelter there. It was a long way down the slope or back in the direction we'd come from to reach the thick forest, where we'd find protection from the elements.
Ahead of me, Kellen stopped and looked around every once in a while, as if re-assessing the landscape. Still uphill and east of where he was, I had a different view, so when I began doing the same, I saw something he would have missed; a hollow in the rocks. I stopped moving downward and started moving sideways along the slope. Kellen didn't notice what I was doing, nor did I call him until I stumbled, crashing down a few feet.
"What the HELL, Cole? Be careful!" He chided as he climbed back to me. I didn't wait and started climbing to what I'd seen, hoping desperately it was what I thought it was.
"What are you doing?"
"I saw something," I huffed, pulling myself over some rocks.
"What?"
I was almost there, and sure enough I couldn't see it from where I was now, which explains how Kellen missed it. Pushing aside my exhaustion, I scrambled upward, finally pulling myself over a large boulder. "That."
"Oh."
Dropping my bag at his feet, I ducked through the space in the rocks, and into a small cave. A dark smelly little alcove, that had clearly served as the nesting place for some animal.
"Nothing's in here."
Kellen eyed me sardonically. "Not at the moment, but what if something comes back?"
"Isn't this what you were looking for, Kels?"
"Sort of. What if something dangerous comes back to this cave?"
"It's not big enough for something dangerous," I argued, hoping I was right. "Besides, I think if something were still living here, it would smell way worse."
"I'm not going in there."
"Why not?" I challenged and yanked my bag from the ground.
"It's dark, and cold, and it smells."
I raised an eyebrow at him, and held back a laugh. "It's dark and cold? As opposed to how bright and warm it is out here? Your only argument is the smell and you know it."
I didn't wait for his response, ducking back into the cave and digging in my bag for a source of light. As I turned on a thin battery-powered tube light, Kellen crawled into the space.
"Fine. We'll stay here, but only because I don't really want to move anymore."
-.-
We sat cramped in the small cave, our backs pressed against opposing walls and our feet fighting for space between us. Smushing myself in here with someone shorter than myself, like Jess, would have been easier, not to mention less awkward. If I'd known I'd end up here I'd have picked Eddie, because I didn't freeze up every time our limbs so much as touched. The way I was maybe doing now.
Kellen looked down, picking at the dirt caked on the side of his boots. They looked stupid in this setting, too fancy and expensive to ever have come in contact with actual dirt.
"When I grow up, I don't want to be the guy in charge, to have everyone's eyes on me all the time. I'd be happy moving to some small town. I know I can't, but I'd like to, you know? Make my own name, and not be what I'm supposed to be because of my Dad's name. I mean, I'd be fine working for his company, in a position that gives me a decent enough life."
I stared at him and he glanced up at me with a smile. "Okay, so I know practically everyone in the world would think I'm crazy wanting to give up all of this, but... I don't want the pressure of people depending on me―with the exception of my future wife and kids. I mean, this whole thing was pretty much a practice run, and I clearly can't be trusted under pressure. You had to bail me out!"
I laughed; we both knew that despite what he wanted now, he would one day take over for his father. "That's why you need a wife who can handle the pressure!"
He looked at me sharply. "You applying for the job?"
Why had I said that? Why?! He waited for my answer with smirky suspicion on his face, and I froze. I did not want to be Kellen's anything! No matter how hot his hotness was!
I snorted, "Right, Kels. Me as a Stepford wife? Besides, I'm kind of looking forward to being done with you at the end of this year."
-.-
I would have loved to be in my properly heated room, in my own bed, without the back of my sleeping bag touching the front of Kellen's. Instead I was cold and cramped in a small space, and once again squeezed against him as we tried to sleep. In all likelihood, he was already asleep as I was consumed by a question I shouldn't have even cared about.
"Kellen?" I whispered, half hoping he was already asleep and wouldn't answer.
"Yeah?"
The words were stuck on the tip of my tongue and I wasn't sure how to ask my question. Kellen sat and leaned over me, peering at me curiously when I didn't respond. "What's up, Cole?"
"Um, I've been wondering... When did Katia call you?"
"Call me?" he laid down again, settling himself against my back once more and returning the warmth.
I waited till he was comfortable again, his arm draping around the middle of my sleeping bag. "When she captured me―when did she call you?"
"She called me after curfew, why?"
"Oh." He hadn't come looking for me, so much as been told to take me off her hands. I couldn't understand why his answer made my stomach sink.
Kellen's arm tightened around me for a moment and he chuckled into my hair, "Were you wondering if I came to get you before or after I knew what you said about us?"
"Kind of," I admitted.
"Before. Katia started to rant about what a bitch you were so I hung up on her and went back to looking for you. She called me back a couple times after, but I didn't talk to her again until after you fell asleep."
I pondered this; so he'd come looking for me on his own, as she'd suspected and she hadn't told him where to find me. Perhaps she'd been right? "Did she tell you what I said?"
"No, you did. She only ranted about how you hated the both of us and were probably right to. You actually made her feel really terrible."
"And you?"
"And me what?" He asked.
I bit my lip, feeling awkward at having to clarify my question. "Did you feel terrible?"
"Only when I thought she was right about you hating me."
"What?"
Kellen chuckled again. "You didn't hurt my feelings, Cole, if that's what you're worried about."
"I wasn't worried about that."
"Whatever you say, Hero. Now help me with these..."
"What are you doing?" I glared at him as he fidgeted with the zipper on his sleeping bag.
I wasn't too happy about him moving away from me and taking the tiny bit of warmth I had with him. Nor was I happy that he expected me to get out of my sleeping bag, too. I was confused when he rolled me, and my sleeping bag, into his and began zipping it back up again.
"What the heck are you doing, Kellen?" I asked in shock as he began wiggling his way into the now double thick sleeping cocoon.
"Cole, it's fucking cold, even in here. You can punch me for this in the morning, but for tonight, the closer we are, the warmer we are."
I wanted to kick him out of the sleeping bag and tell him to sleep on the other side of our small cave―which would have been all of two inches away from me. Instead, I let him zip the bags fully shut, and curl up tight against me. As his breath hit the back of my head, I bit my lip. He'd succeeded in making me warm, alright—it suddenly felt like a stifling July day in the sleeping bag. Damn.
"Good idea." I said as evenly as I could while my heart decided it needed to race. "But I'm so kicking your ass tomorrow."
"I wouldn't expect any less, Hero."