We finally make it back to the cave, panting. It feels like I was last here a lifetime ago although it's only been maybe two days.
"Your- your," Jaxon tries to make a word but is still panting heavily, we had ran all the way here after all. "W- what?"
"Your arms," he said. Finally beginning to control his breath. "Oh you know your psychopath mother," I say.
"I'm sorry,"
"Yeah you better be!" I poked his chest. "You Didn't talk to me! Do you even know how hard it was by myself?! I missed you! I thought you were dead! And we were supposed to be in this together! How how could you?"
Jaxon's surprised face changed to anger. "You wanna know why I did it? For you! I love you! Look, we will not get out of this together, we just won't,"
"She didn't even hold up her end, she still let me rot here,"
"I didn't know she'd do that I thought-"
"You thought she'd let me go and I'd live happily ever after? Well that's not how it works! It's just not! Even if she did I would've never been happy, and what's waiting at home probably isn't life."
Jaxon looks ashamed, and he should be! He left me, he acted without thinking and I had to pay for it!
There's an awkward silence between us, but I hear a broken meow. "Willow?" I whisper but I see that Willow isn't unharmed. Willow has a long gash from his leg to belly. Luckily it didn't look too deep. "We should patch it up!" I say quickly
"I don't even know how to do a cat!" Jaxon says "Just put on our cuts, you know the stuff from the weird plant?" I say. "Oh, that, it's called-"
"I don't care, get it!" I say. He scrambled to get it. Willow is laying on his side, I don't think it'll take too long to heal, but it can get infected.
Jaxon puts the gel on willow and I wrap it. "We're lucky there wasn't dirt in it," Jaxon says. "Yeah," I say awkwardly. "I caught a rabbit a couple days ago I-"
"Yes! I haven't eaten a decent meal in weeks!"
I smile, "I'm pretty sure she was gonna let me starve," I say. Jaxon suddenly looked guilty again. "Oberon I- I'm so sorry, for dragging you into this, for not talking to you about it, for everything,"
His big blue eyes looked into mine, "don't worry about it, at least it was for me, I've had way worse betrayals," I say. "Well now you have to tell me," Jaxon said smiling a little. I gave him a sad smile. "My mother, she betrayed me, nearly got a great friend killed up too,"
"Well, I can relate," Jaxon runs his hand through my hair. And I lean into him hugging. I feel his warmth on my whole body, his hands wrap around me holding me comfortably, it reminds me of the way Graham used to hold me.
◈◈◈
I walked in the shadows for another delivery. This time the bag had a 25 on it. This was almost my first year, and I can't complain about the pay, my family is middle-class now. I've told my mom several times she should quit her job, but she shoots down the idea saying it'll be too suspicious.
The house is just right up here. "Hey!" I hear a voice yell. A guard! I look behind me. "What are you doing out here?" his question was more of a demand, and if I don't play it cool, I'll get at least six months in jail.
"I uh I-"
"I uh I asked you a question!" he said mimicking my scared tone and pushing me into a house wall behind me. pain surges through my back.
"I got lost! I didn't make it home on time," I say and glance at the brown bag on the ground. The guard notices it, I go to grab it but he gets it first.
"Ooh what is this?" he says opening it. The gaud's smug smile goes away. "You're not lost, you-"
"It's from a friend I don't know what's in there,"
"Yeah, right! Let's go," he grabbed my wrist and pulled me. "No! I- it's- No!" I pulled from his grasp and, without thinking, sprinted towards home 0, where the drugs were distributed. I can't go there I think. Then I'll definitely die- or worse.
I ran in a different direction, I may be fast, but I was already running out of breath, while he was still going strong. I was out of his view, I take a sharp turn between a few houses. I ran into home 0 panting.
"Turn off the lights! Turn them off!" I try say quietly. The room went silent and the lights went off. There were a few men outside yelling ordered.
"She went this way!" on says, "No, this way!"
"Spread out and search, you! Hey you, you'll need to describe the girl so we can find her!"
I was done for.
◈◈◈
The sun's beginning to set. "Food's done!" I say. "Aw yes! I Can't wait, I basically had these gross leaves there," I look at him puzzled, "lettuce?"
"Oh, I wish! She mad 'em into this gross stew." he says between chews. I feel like I'm starving, but I'll dive in in just a second. I put a piece of the rabbit in front of Willow, who begins immediately .
I begin to eat the rabbit, which tastes amazing. "Your mom," I say between chews. "She's not gonna stop,"
"Yeah, I know, she's just so- lost," he says.
"Hey Oberon,"
"Yes?" Jaxon's fists clenched and his face got a hard look. "Don't call her my mom,"
I look at him searching his face, but I only see anger, "Okay." I say.