Cured (13 page)

“And it worked, I guess.” I concluded.

Theo shook his head. “Not so bad for a
stuck-up princess.” His words were cruel but his tone had softened
and he began to laugh. Before I knew it I was laughing too,
delirious and almost hysterical.

After a while, we quietened, and I wondered
what we should do. Theo must have been thinking the same.

“Let’s go find the big guy,” Theo suggested.
“Or do you want me to do it alone?” He looked at my foot
worriedly.

“No way am I missing out on this. I’m
coming!” I said, and limped to my feet.

Theo took my arm and placed it around his
neck, allowing me to put all my weight on him rather than my
injury. I grunted in thanks and we slowly moved back in the
direction of the lion. We only had to travel for about half a
kilometre when we saw the beast’s shadowed outline, slumped on the
ground. I tripped towards the creature and knelt beside it.

“What are you doing?” Theo hissed. I ignored
him and placed a hand on the lion’s sternum. I could feel a very
slow but steady heartbeat.

“It’s alive,” I said, before returning to my
feet.

“Righto, let’s skin it whilst it’s
unconscious then.”

I blanched, disgusted. “Are you joking? We
are absolutely not skinning the poor thing alive.”

“Poor thing?!” Now Theo was disgusted. “It
tried to kill me!” He pulled a branch off the nearest tree with
ease, and touched the point to test its sharpness.

“No Theo.”

He looked at me, bewildered. “Yes Avery. It’s
gotta be done”

“No it doesn’t.” I shook my head. “The lion
coat was optional.”

“It is impenetrable!” He argued. “Do you
realize how helpful it could be later on?”

I didn’t reply. He was right, of course. It
could be great for defending ourselves. And that was something that
I would undoubtedly need for the following tasks, if I came out of
this one alive. As I pondered our options, I stroked the lion’s
mane, it was thick and soft, and reminded me of my own hair. Then I
had a thought.

“Hey,” I reached a hand out to stop Theo from
sharpening his weapon. He looked at me questioningly, and I
continued, “The skin is impenetrable, right?”

“Yeah...” He started sharpening the tool
again.

“Well what if the mane is too?”

Theo stopped sharpening and turned to me. He
reached down to grab a fistful of mane and yanked, as hard as he
could. The mane stayed intact.

“I think you’re right.” Theo sunk to the
floor in relief. “Thank god, because I’ve never skinned an animal,
and I don’t have a clue how to do it.”

I shook my head smiling, “Neither do I, but I
do know how to give a haircut.”

I took Theo’s sharpened tool and began sawing
at an individual hair. It would not come free. Damn. I was stumped
as to how we were meant to cut through the impenetrable
material.

Theo tapped me on the shoulder and I turned
to see him smugly holding up a sharp object of some sort.

“What is that?”

He pointed to the lion’s paw. It lay
surrounded by a pool of deep red, and at a closer look, was missing
one claw.

I turned on Theo, “You RIPPED his CLAW off?!”
I felt ill.

“Calm down!” Theo said “It’s better than
skinning the beast. Plus with all those sedatives he couldn’t feel
a thing.”

I had to admit he was right. But nevertheless
I gingerly picked up the paw and placed it in my lap. The bleeding
had slowed and the injury seemed to be nearly completely healed. I
wasn’t surprised. They must have mutated the beasts to be super
healers.

Theo took the talon and a bunch of the lion’s
mane. He swiped at the hair with the claw, and a hunk of mane came
free in his hand. I sighed in relief, thankful that we wouldn’t
have to mutilate the creature, which I had decided was actually
very beautiful up close whilst it was sleeping.

“Here,” Theo handed me the claw, “You do
this, and I will bundle the hair.”

I nodded in agreement, placing the lion’s paw
back on the ground and taking the talon from Theo. I gripped the
claw and swiped at a chunk of the lion’s mane. The hair did not
come free as it had for Theo. I tried again. The hair didn’t
break.

Theo looked up from where he was plaiting the
mane into a loose braid. He watched me fail again. And again. And
again. I was furiously swiping at the mane with all my might. Beads
of sweat were forming at my hairline and dripping down my face. I
could tell that Theo had stopped bunching the hair and was watching
me with a perplexed expression.

“It’s not that hard Avery, just concentrate,”
he said.

I avoided eye contact and kept hacking at the
mane. It was no good. I just wasn't strong enough. I picked up a
single strand of the lion’s hair and brought the talon down on it
as hard as I could. Nothing. Theo sat still. Silent for a few
moments. Suddenly he dropped everything, the strands of golden hair
falling to the forest floor.

“You… You...” He spluttered.

I finally looked him in the eye. Saying
nothing. Emotions were flashing across his face. Anger, disbelief,
amazement, hatred. He knew. He had figured out my secret. I never
looked away form his piercing stare. Challenging him to make the
accusation.

“I can’t… You can’t… How…” His eyes were
wide.

I waited for a few moments but he couldn’t
get the words out. I decided to put him out of his misery, “I
didn’t take the Cure.” I murmured.

Theo’s mouth opened and closed again. He was
having trouble coming to terms with my actions.

I continued, “That is why I had to get out of
all the training. That is why I couldn’t help you when the lion
attacked. I am a fraud. I am human. “

His mouth did the goldfish thing again and I
dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eye anymore.

“I know.” I said. “I am a terrible
person.”

Theo’s face slowly drained of all expression.
The only emotion left in his eyes was betrayal. He stared at me.
Hurt and disappointed. My voice broke and I started sobbing.

“I am so sorry Theo. I should have said
something earlier. No. I shouldn’t have even done it in the first
place. All those poor people have to take the Cure. Why did I think
I was better than any of them? I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”

Theo stood up, leaving the strands of lion
mane on the ground. He blinked, finally breaking eye contact. Then
he strode way. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t look back. He walked
steadily until he was completely out of sight. I called his name
countless times. I wandered blindly in the dark. Pacing. Not
wanting to lose the lion. I sat and stared at the darkness he had
disappeared into. He didn’t return.

After over an hour of sitting and waiting I
came to my senses. The lion’s breathing had quickened and his heart
rate was picking up. I had to move.

Chapter 19

I gathered the section of hair that Theo had
managed to hack off the lion’s neck from ground. Two fistfuls. I
took the spare hair tie that was always around my wrist and
fastened the mane into a bundle. I would try to plait into some
form of makeshift coat later on. Then I tucked the bundle into the
waistband of my leggings and decided to get as far away from the
lion as possible. Still exhausted from my run earlier, as well as
starving hungry and dehydrated, I decided to hunt down the body of
water I had heard earlier.

I could still hear the faint running of
water, but it was impossible to pinpoint the direction it was
coming from. It seemed to be coming from all directions. I stood
still and listened. Took two steps forward. Nope. I was sure the
noise had quietened. I returned to my original position. Definitely
louder. I then took two steps to my right. Yes! Louder. I started
to walk to my right, slowly, wincing at the pain in my heel with
every step. This was going to be a slow journey.

I must have walked for about an hour before
the leaves started to dampen under my feet. Ten minutes later there
were a few puddles evident. I was walking very slowly now. Grunting
in pain and dragging my feet in exhaustion. I needed hydration.

Finally I saw it. The trees became sparse and
there was a clearing with a narrow stream running through the
centre. The excitement was enough for me to run, sprinting towards
the water on my injured feet. When I reached the bank, the stream
was much wider than it appeared from a distance. It also looked
deep, too deep for me to cross safely. I dipped a toe in
cautiously. It was freezing cold. I crouched to the ground and
scooped up a handful of the icy water. I touched it with my tongue.
It was fresh. Delighted at my find and brimming with pride I
scooped handful after handful of water, lapping at it like a dog.
Unable to quench my thirst fast enough I plunged my head over the
bank, and began slurping the water straight from the stream.

Suddenly I
heard a deafening roar. A sound that stopped my heart. I gasped,
but my mouth was still under the water so I choked and began to
cough. Petrified the lion was going to hear my choking; I tried to
sit up from the river’s edge to catch my breath. Then I lost my
balance, still choking on the water, and toppled headfirst into the
stream. The water was icy cold, knocking the breath from my lungs
and instantly freezing my insides. I sunk deep under the water’s
surface, limbs flailing, trying to gauge up from down. There was no
oxygen in my lungs. I was panicking. I needed air, desperately.
Trying to think logically, I stilled for a moment under the water.
I noticed how silent it was. Peaceful even. For the first time
since the ceremony I was in utter silence, even my thoughts kept at
bay thanks to the mind numbing cold that seized my entire body.
Suddenly my lungs clenched. I gasped and swallowed a gulp of the
freezing river. Then, without thinking, I propelled myself upwards,
towards the water’s surface, and let out a shriek as I emerged from
the depths, coughing and spluttering. Realising I was no longer
engulfed in the silence of the depths, I came to my senses and
clamped a shivering hand over my mouth. I had forgotten about the
lion in my panic. Quickly, I kicked myself over to the bank,
thankful that Mother had forced me into swimming lessons when I was
younger, and dragged myself out of the water. Lying flat on my back
on the forest floor, I panted, coughing up stream water and trying
to slow my breathing.

Once I had my
lungs under control, I realised how cold I was. Shaking
uncontrollably, I peeled my two layers of clothing off and wrung
them out, squeezing as much liquid as possible from the fabric. I
then spotted a log nearby and laid my clothes out over it, still
shaking in only my underwear. I sat on the log next to my drying
clothes and hugged my knees, trying to warm myself with my own body
heat. I closed my eyes and tried to think of warmth. My fireplace
at home, Louisa's homemade hot chocolate, the riverside on Olympia
in summer…

I awoke to a
tapping on my shoulder and instantly jumped to my feet, spinning
around in fright, arms up and fists clenched in a boxing stance.
The shock of seeing Felix’s grin made me stumble backward. I
unthinkingly reached out and slapped him across the face.
Hard.

“Jesus, Ave!” He cradled his cheek. “What the
hell?!”

I withdrew my
hand instantly, shocked at my own response.

“
Crap!” I
moved to him and touched his reddening cheek gingerly. “I am so
sorry Fe! I was just scared and surprised and angry and… Oh, I am
so sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

He placed his
hand gently over mine and shook his head, laughing. “You're insane,
Ave."

I nodded. He
was right. I’d lost it. My emotions overwhelmed me and I collapsed
onto the ground. Weeping and laughing all in one lurching sob. My
shoulders were heaving and I couldn’t breathe properly. Felix sat
next to me and wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. I leant on
him heavily, needing his embrace.

“
I know, Ave.
I know.” He rubbed my back. “I was so worried about you. I thought
you were going to die. I though I would never see you again." I
nodded in agreement and he continued, "What have you been doing?
And why did you scream? And why are you so wet? And why are you
naked? Not that I am complaining of course..”

I had to
giggle at the last remark, and I slapped him again on his sore
cheek, gently this time. He laughed and cradled his cheek, which
was still sporting a red mark from my first hit.

“
You must be
freezing Ave,
” he said after a while and
peeled off a layer of his own clothes.

“Arms up,” he ordered, and I obeyed, lifting
my arms above my head as though I was a toddler again, being
dressed by Louisa. Felix pulled his jersey over my head and wrapped
his arms around me again. I had never felt warmer.

“So, Ave. Spill. What happened to you?”

I started
from the beginning, when the driver had dropped me off and told me
where to go. I spoke for about half an hour straight, describing my
day and everything that had happened. Felix never interrupted, just
listened intently and occasionally looked worried, like when I
mentioned that I had run into Theo, and then again when I confessed
that Theo now knew our secret. Once I finished speaking, I turned
to him,

“What about you? What have you been up
to?”

He shrugged.
“My day was nothing on yours,” he said. “I decided not to listen to
the driver.. thought he might be working for the Alphas and trying
to trick us, so I followed the original plan and walked to the
nearest water… this water, but a bit further down.”

I shook my head. I should have known Felix
wouldn’t have believed the driver.

He went on with his story, “Then I sat there
and waited, calling your name and listening out for lions. I
finally heard one roar, and then I heard you scream. I recognised
your voice and followed the water in your direction. And now we are
here.”