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The old man taught me a lot as I healed.
Due to my injury, he taught me different herbs that would help with healing, infections, as well as what to avoid.
He taught me how to hunt birds, rabbits, basically anything that was edible.
However, I had failed to learn anything about him. I only learned that he was an old man who lived alone in the middle of the woods. He had experience in fighting and hunting. He was also good at crafts, surprisingly. The old man saw that I had holes on my sweater and he easily patched it up. Of course they were a bit tacky, as my mom would say, but at least the wind didn't go through anymore.
Once I finished today's chores, which consisted of feeding a couple of chickens he owned, tending to the garden, and chopping firewood, I sat by the porch.
Stomping my injured foot gently, I smiled.
It doesn't hurt anymore at least.
My injury had healed to the point where it was full of thick scabs but no longer in pain.
It's gonna be one sick scar, I grinned.
A branch snapped and my head whipped up. Scrambling, I grabbed my pocket knife and stood up.
Nothing appeared.
"Sir? Are you there?" I called out into the sounds of the wood but received no reply.
My heart grew anxious.
Usually, he would arrive after I finished my chores and told me if he was going to be late. However today, the sun seemed to reach the ground even faster than usual.
What if- No. Let's wait.
Still, the anxiousness did not leave me. It was this moment I was starting to regret learning how to tell time from him.
An hour passed, then another, then about twenty minutes.
Should I go for him?
I stood up, restless from all the waiting. However I found myself sitting back down.
He told me to stay here. I should stay here.
A twig snapped not far from me and I scrambled to my feet.
"Sir?"
"I thought I told you to stay alert at all times?" He grumbled into view, limping towards me.
A flood of relief filled me, and my eyes grew teary. "Sir! I thought you died!"
He flinched slightly, "I bumped into some assholes."
His statement forced me to look at him. His beard was covered in blood, his left eye swollen and bright red. Each step seemed to send twitches to his brows.
It looks like it hurts.
"I'll treat your injuries." I motioned into the house.
Shaking his head, "Just go fetch some potatoes and carrots."
"But-"
"Go."
Defeatedly, I stomped over to the garden. Pulling two potatoes out of the ground and walked to the river to rinse them off. Then I stomped back to the cabin where the old man was already starting on dinner. It seemed that he had already taken care of his injuries.
My eyes got caught on the skinned rabbit that lied on the table. "I thought you were going to dry today's catch?"
He hesitated before saying, "I changed my mind."
I nodded and we fell into silence.
He's- He's acting strange.
I've come to realize that whatever the old man had put his mind into doing, it happened. His decisions were final once made. However, I said nothing.
Once the meal was finished cooking, he handed me a bowl. The dim lighting of the cabin made it hard to tell what it was but it smelled delicious.
Scooping a spoonful, I took a bite and my eyes widened. "Sir, what is this? It's so good!"
"Stew."
"I've never had stew before!" I gulped my food eagerly.
He remained quiet as he continued to eat.
The old man was quiet, this was something I had gotten used to but today was different. His silence today was eerie and frightening.
Deciding to pull my courage together, I asked, "Is- Is everything alright?"
He froze as he was about to take another bite. After gently setting down his spoon back into his bowl he asked, "You- Are you connected to your element?"
I frowned. This conversation came later than I expected. Although I spent much time inside my home, I knew that people would always be curious of Elementalists. However, the old man was asking about it for the first time since I arrived.
"Yeah, but I can't control it very well. My dad- Wynter Roux did teach me for a bit but he had to leave once the war started."
"Don't tell others you're connected to it." He mumbled.
"Why not?"
The old man grew quiet as he stirred the stew in his hands unnecessarily.
"Sir?"
"Just don't do it!" He snapped, causing me to flinch. There was a thick string of silence before he broke it. "It's time for bed. I'll pick up."
I handed him my bowl. "Thank you for the meal."
Deciding not to watch him pick up, I crawled into the little space given to me on the floor.
My eyes fluttered to the sounds of clanking plates and shuffling feet. He heaved a sigh as I slowly lost control of my thoughts.
I... I hope he's... okay.
The next morning, I was woken up by a gentle shake. Dazedly and a little confused, my eyes opened to the sight of the old man.
He usually wakes me up by calling me... Why- What's wrong?
"Sir? What's wrong?"
"We need to go."
I rubbed my eyes. "Sir?"
"Put on your shoes and grab your things."
Obediently, my hands pulled on my shoes and my fingers fumbled with the laces. I walked outside, where he was already waiting for me.
"Have this as we go."
The old man handed me a something covered by thin aluminum foil.
I unwrapped it, "Sir!" Inside, was two square pieces of chocolate. "I haven't had chocolate in so long! How'd you get it?"
He didn't bother answering me as he stomped down the stairs and I followed him.
"You know, I really like chocolate. My favorite were the ones with nuts inside, but I had to stop eating them because of my little-"
A blurred image of my sister's dead body came into my mind and I stopped walking.
"Kid?"
Gasping, I pushed the image away and tried to focus on what was happening in front of me. "I'm- I'm okay."
The old man looked at me with concern for a moment until his face hardened. "Come on."
We walked further and further from the cabin, past the area where I was allowed to go. Each step caused me to grow more and more uneasy.
"Sir- Where are we going?"
He remained quiet.
"Are- Are you taking me to the town?" My voice was shaky.
It was our deal. I stay until I heal then I go but now, I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay with him.
"I- I don't want to go!" I blurted out, causing him to stop and look at me. "I want to stay with you! Why can't I just stay with you?!"
"We're not going into town." He spoke quietly.
My body relaxed. "We're not?"
The old man shook his head, "I need help collecting things."
I grinned in relief, "Geez, why didn't you say so?"
He turned around and started walking again.
I hopped after him, placing myself in front of him. "So what are collecting? Is it heavy? Big? Or a lot?"
"It's you."
My feet froze.
The voice that appeared was not the old man's voice. It was younger, deeper... scarier.
I looked up, coming face to face with two men. They were both in some sort of uniform, and looked tall and strong enough to overpower the both of us. The two of them grinned at me, sending chills down my spine.
"Sir-"
Before I could finish, I felt two large hands push me forward. My feet stumbled and I landed on my knees, inches away from the two men.
My mind went blank, only returning when one of the men grabbed onto me.
I thrashed in his arms, screaming. "Sir! Sir, help me!"
Though the large man held a tight grip on me, I was able to turn around slightly to reach out to the old man. However, my arm dropped to the side when I saw him.
The look in his eyes rattled me so much, I'm sure I'd never forget it. It was hostile, terrifying and had not an ounce of regret.
The men in uniform laughed at my expression.
"So you finally get it." The large man that held me flipped me around so that I was face-to-face with the old man.
The man who had taken care of me all this time looked away.
The man who looked the youngest walked towards the old man.
He grinned, handing the old man a small pouch. "A reward."
"Sir-" My voice faltered.
The person behind me laughed. "How was the chocolate we gave you yesterday old man?"
The old man only clutched the little bag in silence.
"As promised," The younger one began, "we'll leave you alone!" He began to walk towards us. "But before we go..."
In a sequence of rapid movements, he pulled out his gun, flipped around, and shot a bullet into the old man's forehead.
A screamed escaped my lips. "No!"
His body crumpled to the ground, bronze coins spilled all over the ground.
My legs gave in but the man who held me grabbed tightly onto me so I wouldn't fall.
"Woah there, wouldn't want you to get hurt now would we?" He chuckled.
The younger man appeared into my line of view. "Like our present?"
I couldn't even form a thought in my head.
"You see, traitors are the worst thing to me." He drew closer to me. "A young girl like you should take notes. Every time you want to trust someone, remember this moment and think twice."
I don't remember what happened after those words. I'm not sure where they took me, how they took me, if I had even remotely struggled.
The entire event had just replayed over and over again in my head.
What caused him to such a thing? I- I thought we were friends?
Not long after, I realized it was for one reason.
Survival.
A justifiable reason. If his life was threatened, why should he care for mine?
It made complete sense, however, at the time, my head couldn't wrap around the betrayal.
"So this is that brat?"
Finally out of my blank state, I found myself in a worn-out room, two old men in uniform staring at me.
"Who- Who are you people?" I whimpered.
One of them looked at me in such a way that I had never seen before. It felt as though worms crawled all over me. It felt disgusting.
"She's not half-bad." The fat one said, ignoring my question.
My skin curled.
"You don't mind do you Joseph?" The scary one looked over to his partner with a sneer.
"Knock yourself out, we can just question her later." The other shrugged and exited the room, locking the door behind me.
My breathing began rugged when I saw the scary man nearing me.
"W-what do you want?" I cried.
He only snickered and began to unbuckle his pants.
My head began to shake furiously and tears streamed down my cheeks. "P-Please don't!" I choked.
In response, he pounced on me, flattening me against the mattress I sat on.
Screaming, I struggled under him, but it wasn't much help.
He only laughed as he fumbled with my pants.
Oh god, oh god, please! Anyone!
[Snow! Use your ice!]
Though I continued to thrash around, my mind formed something sharp on my palm
Then, in a desperate attempt, I swung it carelessly. My only hope was to get him off me, I didn't expect what would happen.
Successfully, my ice had pierce the man.
Everything froze for a moment.
Suddenly, blood gushed everywhere and he fell right on top of me.
I quickly pushed him off me, stumbled far away from him when I realized where I had stabbed him.
A large and sharp piece of ice stuck out from his neck, as blood quickly pooled under him.
My hands covered my mouth in horror.
"Oh- Oh god." I whimpered.
Reaching towards him, I attempted to stop the bleeding with my hands.
"I- I didn't mean- I only wanted-"
The man gurgled and choked on his blood, his eyes rolling back.
Then... there was nothing.
He was still and unmoving as blood only continued to pour out of him.
I backed away in terror.
He was dead.
My body sunk to the floor.
I- I killed him.
There was a clinking of keys and the door opened.
The other old man came in, a silence over coming him as he realized what had occurred.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter. He laughed so hard there were tears in his eyes.
"Do you know how many trained professionals have tried to assassinate him!" He chortled. "And he was done in by a little girl! How hilarious!"
I only stared in shock, unable to comprehend his words.
The man fell into silence once more. "You killed him."
With that, he left the room again, locking the room as he did.
My body stayed frozen on the ground. I glanced at my hands, shuddering at the red that colored them.
He was the first person I had ever killed with my bare hands.