Chapter 17 - The Awakening
Noelis woke to the warmth of Fabien's breath against the back of her neck. She shifted instinctively, hoping to create a sliver of space between them, only to make matters worse by pressing more firmly into his body. She froze the moment he responded, his hand settled on her waist moving dangerously lower.
No. No. Please. Not Fabien.
She slipped from the bedroll before she had time to think, feet carrying her on instinct alone until she found herself at the lake where she had washed with Alarie earlier. Her pulse raced; her skin felt too tight for her body. She perched on a large stone and stared across the still surface of the water, the crescent moon shining brightly in its glassy reflection.
She liked Fabien—truly liked him—but only as a friend. They had grown close over the past few months, but her feelings had never wavered from friendship. Until tonight, she had been quite certain he felt the same way. It had to be so, otherwise things would be complicated, unbearably so. She had been quietly cheering on Rowena, who so clearly cared for him, and the last thing she wanted was to lose either of them.
The weight of it pressed down on her chest. Staring into the lake, she felt a loneliness she hadn't expected to feel since she became a Tribute and made these new friends. She spoke in her mind, half-hoping her old companion could somehow hear her.
"I'm used to being alone so much that loneliness creates a sense of solace. My mother's family wished I'd never existed, and I never knew my father's side. I learnt how to survive in a cold, hostile place, but life has shown me warmth too. Joy. Recently, I've made friends who've taught me what it feels like not to be alone. But right now… I feel lonely again. And emptiness which I hoped I'd forgotten. Speak to me, Bald… I miss you."
Silence answered her. Of course it did.
She let herself sink into that quiet, melancholy settling around her like mist. It was only much later that the rustle of leaves and the snap of twigs broke through her reverie. Fabien, she thought. She would talk to him. Clear the air. If she made her feelings clear, nothing needed to change between them.
But the calloused hands that came to rest around her shoulders were not his.
Thorsten had come to the lake simply to splash his face and keep himself awake during his shift. He had not expected anyone to be there. He paused when he spotted the silhouette of the brunette Tribute, studying her quietly before stepping closer. He acted without thought, driven by an instinctive, feral pull—his hands reaching out, settling on her slender shoulders.
She turned sharply, eyes wide with shock. He froze, and in a heartbeat whatever dark impulse had spurred him on dissolved into something like confusion—perhaps even awe.
A red mist curled around her, heat radiating from her skin in waves. Thorsten jerked his hands back as if burnt.
Noelis felt trapped inside her own body. Her thoughts were clear, but her limbs did not obey. Heat and ice washed through her in alternating surges.
I…I can't feel my body.
Fabien skidded to a halt a few feet away. Something was wrong. He looked at Noelis who was there but not quite. Her eyes were hollow, the air around her shimmered and she was too hot to approach. Steam coiled from her skin.
"Noelis!" he shouted.
Her eyes were open, yet vacant—as if she were hollowed out, her soul hovering somewhere beyond reach.
Then the night exploded.
Thunder roared, followed by a blinding flash of white light that knocked all three of them off their feet. Noelis hit the ground hard. When she looked up, her breath caught in her throat.
A jagged crack tore through the Shield above them, the shimmering barrier was breaking. Through the rupture, creatures were trying to push their way into the world—hunched, grotesque shapes just as Prisilla and Krissie had described in their whispered warnings.
Noelis scrambled upright and spun to find Fabien and Thorsten sprawled unconscious on the ground. Panic surged. She slapped Fabien. Once. Twice. On the third slap, his eyes flew open.
"We need to get back to camp. Now."
They ran.
Chaos awaited them. Winds howled so fiercely they could barely hear one another. Tents had collapsed; embers whipped through the air; shadows moved in the storm. Whatever was happening, they needed to descend the mountain immediately.
Fabien spotted Emon and Alarie and made signs which he hoped Emon could see and understand.
The pair sprinted towards them, fighting against the gusts—only for something massive to crash onto the ground between them with a sickening thud.
A creature with a scorpion's head fused to the body of a stag.
"Cover me!" Noelis shouted to Fabien, already stepping forward.