Bryony's POV
The morning of March 11th 2027 was the first time I noticed the burns.
I'd felt sick the entire night and couldn't seem to settle, but of course I put it down as nerves. Elodie and the others having only just returned a week before. But the sickness was going on for too long now, and strange rashes were beginning to crawl up the skin on my arms.
I didn't tell Noah. I didn't think he could deal with anything more after what he'd fought through.
Every movement or twitch felt like something was crawling under my skin, leaving a burning train behind it. I lifted my arm slowly, wincing and trying to pull my matted hair into a ponytail. Quickly realising that a scabbed rash was started to form on my neck and opting out.
"Bryony?" A soft knock on the cabin door brought me out of my trance as I fumbled to pull my sleeve over my arms.
"Yes?"
Elodie opened the door and smiled at me. "A couple of us are going swimming in the lake. Noah and Arya are staying here to watch camp. Do you want to come?"
I couldn't. If I did, they'd see the burns and then they'd really think I was a freak.
"No, its okay." I smiled at her. "I'll stay here with Noah and Arya. Not really in the swimming mood."
"Fair enough." Elodie said. "I'll leave you be." And with that she shut the door carefully and I strained my ear for the sound of her footsteps on the grass fading.
I stood up carefully, resisting the urge to cough and pushed open my door, smiling as Noah ran over to me and hugged me. For a second, he noticed the pained expression on my face and gave me a look as if to say 'you okay?' but I nodded and he'd quickly moved on.
"Arya is practising manipulation of energy or whatever she called it. I watched her move a cup with her bare hands." I let him take my hand and together walked to the building opposite the cabins that we called the library. The room Arya spent nearly all her time in.
Inside, Arya was perched on a stool, leant over in exhaustion and attempting to lift her head to smile at us.
"Arya." I sighed. "You need to stop overworking yourself. Go rest."
She looked down with a disappointed sigh. "I'm almost there but every time I get even close to moving anything with purpose - like a sword - I'm suddenly too drained to go on."
"What about that time you held that sword mid-air and threatened that member of the kingdom?" Noah inquired.
"She was completely fuelled by rage." I spoke for her. "I don't think she even knew she was doing it."
She shook her head in response.
I sat down on the opposite sofa and grabbed one of her hands. "Go lie down. You'll get it, I promise. But not if you're exhausted."
She shook herself off and stood up. "Okay, fine. Thank you Bry."
We watched her leave before Noah turned to me with a confused look in his eye. "You're older than me by fifteen minutes but sometimes I think it's more like years."
I smiled. "No, I'm just an empathetic person. That has nothing to do with age."
"I suppose." He prepared himself to turn around to sit down but let out something that resembled a hiss and reached out to touch his arm.
I didn't wait a second, I rushed over and pulled back his sleeve, panicking within seconds.
Not my little brother. Out of everyone.
But there were no burns, no rash. Just a small scrape he'd got on the patched walls.
"Why are you being so weird?" He snatched his arm away and held it up. "Just a scratch."
I coughed awkwardly and nodded. "Sorry, just didn't sleep well."
"Whatever." He said, wandering out of the library and stomping away to the cafeteria.
I glanced down again as a burning sensation crawled up my leg and let out a painful whimper. I so badly wanted to tell someone, anyone.
I kept thinking that maybe I should tell Elodie or one of the older people, surely, they'd know what to do. But instead; I just wrapped the visible rashes on my leg in bandage I found in the medical cupboard, planning to claim I'd tripped over by the coast and cut myself on the rocks.
***
Kieran's POV
"I just think it's safer elsewhere. We don't have a clue what kind of sewage is in the lake. It's probably been there longer than we have."
I pulled a face and scoffed. "Well yes, Cara, it has. It's a lake."
She rolled her eyes. "No, I mean, it's been ignored for that amount of time because we're so far out that it's never been cleaned."
"She makes a good point." Luke inputted.
"Fine, whatever." I spoke. "What about the sea? We're right by the coast."
"Yeah, alright." Elodie said.
"I'm in." was echoed by Luke.
And with that we started walking through the forest, clutching towels to our sides and attempting to step over the branches with the flimsy shoes we'd prepared for the lake. Elodie trailed behind, staring at the different birds perched above our heads. I let Cara and Luke go ahead before waiting for her and smirking when she finally reached me.
"Shut up." She snapped.
"I didn't say anything."
"You didn't need to. I can feel you analysing me. I didn't used to get many birds back at home so It's sometimes nice to see them, alright?"
When we finally made it out, we were facing a clearing, the forest opening to up to the bright sun and the furious sea below. It was windy, so the waves were lashing at the cliffs with fury.
"I swear that drop has gotten steeper." Cara gulped.
I turned to start walking down the hill but was stopped by Elodie who grabbed onto my arm and pointed in front of us.
"What the hell is that?"
I squinted and crouched down to see what she was looking at and felt all the air in my lungs withdraw backwards.
"Is that a ship?"