Kapitel 19: chapter 19
Opening my eyes, I was blinded by the sunlight coming through the window. Groaning, closing my eyes I turned away and pulled the blanket over my head. My body ached and my leg throbbed in pain. Instinctively my hand started searching for the warmth I had grown so accustomed to. It was always there with me each morning and I couldn't help but curl up into it. But this morning, the warmth I had longed for was gone.
Peeking my eyes opened once again I was met with an empty bed. Where was he? Sitting up, I held my head, suddenly becoming dizzy. My stomach ached as I looked around the small room I was in. This wasn't the cabin... That's when it clicked. Like a switch was being flipped in my brain, I remembered everything that had happened last night and the first thing that came to mind. Damien.
Throwing the blanket off me I got to my feet, yelping when I put even the slightest pressure on my injured leg, pins and needles was an understatement for the pain I felt. I slumped back onto the bed, gripping the edge of the mattress. How could I have been so stupid yesterday?... I should have thought about the traps and who might've set them, was I really so desperate for food that the idea of someone else being out there completely slipped my mind? Not only that but I didn't even pay attention to my surroundings! I stepped into a bloody bear trap for Christ's sake! I could have been killed by that hunter! If it wasn't for Damien I would be dead! And now I didn't even know if he was alive...
A sudden pain throbbed in my cheat at the mere idea that he was dead... It couldn't be, right? He was still breathing...he walked all the way through the forest with me...but what if the rain and cold made him sick... What if his body suffered too much damage from those toxic pellets. What if he bled out and died because of me!
Tears started streaming down my face as I choked back sobs. Shooting up from my seat I tried to get to the door, I had to find him! My injured leg betrayed me as it quickly gave out under my weight and I collapsed to the floor, hyperventilating. What if I killed Damien?!
The door opened, as the boy named Henry came in, his eyes widened as he saw me on the floor, a sobbing mess.
"Whoa, whoa! What the hell happened?! Did you fall?! You're supposed to be in bed!" He kneeled down and helped me up as I tried to get a hold of myself. "B-but Damien..."
He quickly cut me off grabbing my face so I would look up at him. "Your friend is fine! He's in the other room resting right now! You should focus on yourself! You're in bad shape!"
My body relaxed, just knowing that he was alive, that I hadn't killed him... Henry helped me back to the bed and kneeled before me, as I tried to calm down, wiping the tears from my eyes. "You okay?" I only nodded and sniffled as my frantic heartbeat started to go back to normal. "I don't know what happend... The idea that he might've..." The word died in my throat as I swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. "It's all my fault he got hurt. I could never forgive myself if 'that' happend."
Henry gave me a sympathetic smile and pat my head. "I'm sure that's not true, a little thing like you aren't nearly capable enough to kill a guy like that..." Wiping the last tears from my eyes I looked up at him confused.
"Here I brought some pain killers, thought you might need them once you woke up." He handed me two small white pills and a glass of water. I uttered a thanks under my breath and quickly gulped down the pills, along with the cold water.
In response, my stomach decided to make an appearance with a not-so-subtle grumble of its own. I set the glass down and covered it with one arm, a bit embarrassed.
Henry laughed before standing up and offering his hand. "I suppose you're hungry, let's go downstairs, breakfast has already been made."
I took his hand and stood up on one leg, with his help I limped out of the room, and down the stairs. The lodge was quite lively and well decorated, I was surprised such a place existed so far out in the woods. There were multiple rooms set up upstairs including the main room at the end of the hall, I could also see what looked like an office. The downstairs was where the kitchen, lounge, and dining room were, as we got close to the kitchen I saw just how large it really was, there was a whole countertop area with cabinets and a huge fridge and pantry, in the middle of the room stood a large marble island with at least six different seats, all of which were filled.
At least nine different people stood in the room, two of them were girls, the rest were men. some of them sitting on the counters, others on the stools, and they were all messing around chatting to one another. At least four of the boys were shirtless, and I felt my face flush red when I entered the room and they all went silent.
My eyes quickly dropped to the ground, as embarrassment flooded me, I must look like a total wreck.
Henry cleared his throat before speaking up and drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, any of you who aren't here to eat, get out before I tell Mrs. Katy your all making a mess of her kitchen!
All the people in the room got up and scrambled to get out, through the door we just entered from. "Much better." Henry chided before taking me over to sit on one of the stools. I sat down as Henry made me a plate.
He came back to me and sat beside me, handing it over. I stared at the food in absolute awe. It was a simple breakfast sandwich with eggs and a few vegetables, but I had been living off un-seasoned meat, and wild berries for the past week.
Without any hesitation I dug into the sandwich, savoring every bite, and groaning at the taste. He smiled before also setting a glass of orange juice in front of me, which I gladly chugged down.
"Hungry much?" I sighed happily and wiped any remaining orange juice from my lips. "I haven't had a proper meal like this for over a week." His eyebrows arched in surprise as he rested his head in his hands, leaning on the counter.
"Where have you been living in the past week?"
Hesitating I stared at the remaining food in my hands. That's right...Damien isn't human...i couldn't just tell them I had been captured by a wolf beast and have been trying to survive in the forest with it... They might hurt him if they found out the truth... I could tell them some of the truth, id just have to leave out the wolf beast. If they found out...who knows what would happen to us.
"We were staying in an old cabin we had found, it was left abandoned, it was the only place we could stay..." At least I wasn't lying to him.
"You two run away from home like a couple of love birds?" He grinned wickedly as I nearly choked on my orange juice and quickly looked away to hide my blush, making him laugh. "N-no! It's nothing like that! We um...just got lost!"
He looked at me confused for a moment. "You were...lost?" he looked at me suspiciously and I started to fidget nervously in my seat and just nodded at his question.
"So tell me how did you and your boyfriend manage to get lost in the middle of the forest?" My face flushed red at his statement as I dropped my sandwich.
"H-he's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend I barely know him!" Henry tilted his head to the side arching one brow.
He opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted as the old man from last night stepped into the kitchen followed by the woman. "Ah Henry, good you already brought our guest down for breakfast. I think some introductions are in order..."
The woman came over to us and started making some coffee while the man pulled up a stool and sat across from us at the island. "So miss...Seraphina? You've already met Henry, and my wife Kathryn, my name is Thomas, im what you might call...the leader of our little village out here... We don't get visitors often so excuse us if we seem a little...different. " setting my plate aside I sat up straighter, being in the presence of this man, made me nervous and I could even see Henry sit upright at his mere proximity.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about what happend last night, everyone has a lot of questions that need answers..." My eyes barely met his for even a moment before I felt the need to advert them. Of course, they had questions, but I wasn't sure how to answer them, how do I keep Damien's secret hidden? I don't even completely understand everything that's happend...
The thought of him created a hurricane in my head and I couldn't help but ask my question first, cutting him off before he could speak again. "H-how is he..." Both Kathryn, and Thomas looked at me a bit surprised before glancing at each other.
"My friend...is he... Going to be okay?"
Everyone was silent for a moment and Henry looked almost as uncomfortable as I was. Thomas gave me a smile and Kathryn moved to stand by him. "Your friend is doing just fine, his wounds were pretty bad but thanks to you the doctor was able to patch him up before they became fatal. He removed at least several silver pellets from his chest... At the moment he's sleeping I have a guard standing outside of his room at all times you'll be the first to know when he wakes."
It was as if a heavyweight was lifted off my shoulders, just from knowing he would be alright. Damien was all I had at the moment...
Thomas cleared his throat grabbing my attention once more. "Speaking of which, let's start with that...exactly what happend to you two... How were you both injured and what were you doing out in that storm?"
I kept my eyes on the half-empty glass of orange juice in front of me. My anxiety creeping up and the thought of what might happen if I told them the truth. But what was worse? The truth, or risking a lie that they might catch... It would even worse if they found out I was lying... But I couldn't tell them I was kidnapped by some wolf beast and we had been surviving in the forest together. They might think im crazy, or worse...they might hurt Damien.
Sighing I told them about us living in the cabin, and how I was attacked by a madman, though now I was questioning if he really was mad... I told them how I had been caught in a trap, and how Damien saved me...i decided it would be best to live out the bitter details of him killing the man...they didn't need to know that.
Thomas watched me carefully as he leaned over the counter and I could feel an unbearable pressure filling the room. My anxiety became worse and my hands started to fidget. He sat there, silently digesting my words while Kathryn stood beside him with an almost sorry look on her face.
Henry seemed just as uncomfortable as me and I swear he was tilting his head in a strange motion, bearing his neck.
My eyes moved up to Thomas and suddenly the strange feeling in the room disappeared. He looked at me curiously before closing his eyes and nodding. "I see... Well, for now, I suppose I should let you rest, you seem to have gone through a lot lately, Henry will help you back to your room if you need anything he can help you or you can ask for my wife." Kathryn smiled before nodding in agreement.
"I have some things to take care of, for the time being, I'll be calling you over to my office a later time to talk." He stood up and nodded towards Henry. Glancing once more at me over his shoulder, the couple left the room.
Henry sighed and looked at me with a smile. "That was kinda intense if you ask me, wonder what's got them all riled up?"
I gave him a partial smile before finishing off my sandwich.
"I didn't mean to bring you guys trouble..." Henry just scoffed before putting one arm over my shoulder and pulling me closer.
"Oh please, you should see me when im hyper, your trouble then I must be the biggest catastrophe in existence... Besides those two just have a lot of work, running this place they might be a tiny bit stressed from having strangers show up on our doors on the brink of death, but it's nothing too bothersome!"
I smiled at Henry's words, I knew he was just trying to cheer me up but I still felt nervous about the whole situation, how would Damien react when he woke up?...
He must have guessed what I was thinking about because the next moment he was clearing his throat and jumping to his feet.
"So princess, now that you've had breakfast, how about we go see your boyfriend?..."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein