Hello again! I know what you're thinking... back so soon with ANOTHER chapter?!? I have been SO motivated to write these last few days! Chapters that would normally take me days to write are coming so much easier this last week. Here's hoping this surge of motivation/inspiration sticks around! ;) P.S. I wound up writing way more than I'd originally planned for so this chapter will be a two parter!
Reyna breathed in. The damp, sour smell of the cave she'd grown used to was now drowned out by another scent entirely. She inhaled again. It was earthy - cedar maybe? She breathed out, keeping her eyes closed as she nuzzled her face against the source of the smell.
She didn't want to wake up ... not yet. Despite the hard dirt floor, it had been the best night's sleep she'd had in days. She shifted, stretching out her stiff legs, wincing as they ached in protest. There was something heavy laid across her torso. She shifted again, the blissful grogginess of sleep slowly dissipating. She opened her eyes, squinting into the dimness. The fire had gone out, the only light source now a singular sliver of sunlight shining through the narrow mouth of the cave.
She blinked, trying to focus her eyes. The rising and falling of Luca's chest caught her attention first. She had turned towards him in her sleep, and was flush against his chest. It had been him she'd smelled. Her cheeks heated. She tried to scoot away but the arm he'd draped over her in his sleep tightened reflexively. She put a hand against his chest, trying to shake him awake but he didn't stir.
"Luca," She whispered, shaking him again. He groaned in response. "Luca," She repeated, louder this time. He cracked an eye open, the other opening slowly as his gaze fixed on her. She stared back, all too aware of how close their faces were. He blinked, his eyes focusing as the realization of where he was, and who was lying in his arms, hit him. Withdrawing his arm, he propped himself up on an elbow. She rolled away and sat up, ignoring the stiff ache of her muscles as she pulled her knees up to her chest.
"How," He cleared his throat. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," She nodded. "You?" She asked without looking back at him.
"Good," He replied.
She stood to her feet and grabbed her coat, stuffing it into her rucksack before turning her attention to the clothes she'd laid out the night before. She bent down, touching each piece. They were all mostly dry, at least dry enough to pack up without worrying they might sour. She glanced over her shoulder at Luca. He was watching her, still propped up in the same spot, a bemused expression on his face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, the words coming out a bit more clipped than she'd intended them to. She grabbed up her clothing, making sure to fold up her bra and underwear inside her dress before turning around to face him.
"How am I looking at you?" He was sitting up now, his eyes still on her, the faintest hint of a smile on his face.
"Like that," She said, stuffing her clothing into her bag.
"I don't know what you mean," He said, but his smile had morphed into an amused smirk as he stood up and started packing up his own things.
She turned around, biting her cheek as she pretended to search for something inside her bag. Why was she so unnerved? Luca was still Luca. Nothing had changed.
"Here," She heard Luca say behind her. She looked over her shoulder. He was standing above her, an apple in his hand. She nodded a silent thank you and took it, standing to her feet. She watched as he kicked what remained of the fire, spreading out the charred bits of wood and ash with the toe of his boot. Bending over, he picked up his rucksack and threw it over his shoulder. "Ready?"
"Are you not going to eat?" She furrowed her brow.
"I'll grab something later," He shook his head. "We slept in a bit later than we should have ... it's already half past nine."
Slipping her own pack onto her shoulders, she nodded, taking a bite from the apple he'd given her.
The weather was much fairer than the previous day's. The sun was out in full force, the sparse white clouds that peppered the sky obscuring it's rays ever so often, and only for a few minutes at a time. After only a half hour of walking, Reyna had began to sweat. The heat was a welcomed change from the hell they'd endured the day before though.
Minus the weather, the day dragged on much the same as the previous one. Endless walking with a few breaks in between. They'd come across a stream mid afternoon and had stopped there to refill their canteens and eat a late lunch. It had been the usual bread and cheese she'd grown accustomed to, though Luca's portion had been noticeably smaller than her's. She hadn't brought it up though, and they'd packed up and continued on.
"What time is it?" She asked, looking up. The sun had began to sink closer to the horizon, the bright blue sky dissolving into hues of purple and orange. Luca glanced down at his watch.
"Nearly eight o'clock."
"Should we stop for dinner?" She asked as casually as she could.
"If you're hungry," He replied.
"I am." She wasn't exactly starving, but he had to be. He'd barely eaten anything all day.
He nodded, and soon they were stopped, using a fallen tree as a makeshift bench. She watched as he opened his pack, and pulled out the other half of the loaf of bread they'd eaten for lunch. He didn't split it in half, but instead, handed her the entire piece. She accepted it, waiting to see what he would take out of the pack for himself. He didn't though.
"You're not going to eat?" She furrowed her brow.
"I will later," He shook his head with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She studied him, scanning his face for what he wasn't saying. There was a forlorn look in his eye that made her stomach drop. She stared down at the bread in her hands, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.
"We're running out of food, aren't we?" The words were even and matter-of-fact, her eyes still fixed on her hands. She looked up when he didn't reply. He was looking out at the horizon, his expression weary with defeat. "Luca," She said softly, willing him to answer her.
"I wasn't able to grab much." His voice was low, his eyes fixed ahead. "There wasn't time," He shook his head. "I just - I thought we'd make it farther with what we had."
"This is the last of it, isn't it?"
"Mostly," He nodded, finally looking at her. Worry was etched on his face. He had known they were running low - had been carrying that weight with him all day. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. He'd gone hungry so she could eat. She looked down at the bread still in her hands. Tearing it into two small halves, she extended one to him. "No," He shook his head.
"Take it," She insisted.
"You need to eat," He argued, shaking his head again.
"So do you," She argued. He glanced down at the bread, then back at her. She held his gaze with a determined one of her own. "I won't take no for an answer," She added when he made no move to take it. He stared back at her for another moment before blowing out a defeated breath, and accepted the piece from her. She watching him, only taking a bite of her own piece after he'd eaten his.
"How close are we to Sisteron?" She asked, after they'd sat in silence for a few minutes.
"At least four days," He replied, that same dejected look he'd had before returning.
"So what's the plan?"
"I've been trying to think of one all day," He said, letting out a sigh. "We need food," He added matter-of-factly. "There's no way around that."
She nodded, bracing her hands against the bark of the tree they were still sitting on. She watched as he opened his pack and pulled out the map. Unfolding it, he held it out so she could see.
"There's a border village maybe four or so miles from here." He pointed to, what she guessed, was their location, and then to a place called Morteau. "We'll find somewhere to make camp for the next day or two, and I'll take a trip into the village to find food."
"We don't have any money," She glanced up from the map at him.
"I never said anything about buying it," He replied matter-of-factly. Her stomach twisted into a nervous knot. He was going to have to steal whatever they ate from here on out, which meant their time trekking through the woods alone was over. Stealing food meant venturing into places that had food for the taking. Places that enemy soldiers would surely be patrolling.
"I don't like it," She shook her head.
"I don't particularly love the idea either," He said, folding the map back up. "But we don't have much of a choice, do we?"
She met his gaze, the defeat in his eyes had been replaced with a steely determination. There would be no convincing him otherwise - not that there were any other options anyway. She blew out a breath, and nodded.
"Okay."
Without a word, they got to their feet and continued on. They'd been walking for about twenty minutes when the trees began to thin out, giving way to a small clearing. She squinted, straining her eyes in the dimness of the fading sunset.
"Is that a..." She squinted harder. "Cabin?" There was a small structure in the middle of the clearing, its shabby wood a dark, rotting shade of brown. Luca stopped, putting his arm out to keep her behind him.
"Stay here," He said, dropping his pack to the ground and pulling out the handgun Elias had given him. She swallowed, her breath catching in her throat. She grabbed his arm, stopping him from going any further. He turned around to look at her, his expression softening when he saw the worry etched on her face. "It's okay," He reassured her. Slipping the gun into the waistband of his pants, he placed his hand on top of the one she still had clasped around his arm. "It looks abandoned. I just want to be sure." He squeezed her hand and her grip loosened.
She watched, her heart pounding, as he approached the cabin, his silhouette growing smaller the farther he went. She squinted into the darkness, her eyes straining as she tried to keep him in her line of sight. Finally, after an agonizing few minutes, his silhouette reappeared, growing clearer as he approached her at a leisurely pace.
"It's empty," He called when he was a few yards away. She blew out the breath she'd been holding, the racing beat of her heart slowing. Grabbing his pack from the ground, he threw it over his shoulder. "Come on," He said, motioning for her to follow.
So she did.
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Hope you guys loved this chapter! Let me know what you think! <3