Excerpt No. 3 : Harper
“We have to make a quick stop,” Hazel called over her shoulder. I was having some difficulty making my way through the undergrowth; the twins were a long stretch ahead of me. They shot through the dense forest like the trees weren’t even there.
I, on the other hand, had tripped a total of twenty-three times. Gage was keeping count.
“A quick stop,” I muttered under my breath, starting to question why I was accompanying the twins in the first place. The further we travelled inland, the worse the terrain got, and the more humid it became. Sweat stuck my hair and clothing to my skin. I wiped my forehead with the edge of my tank-top. “A quick stop on Hell, more like. Where’s the burning pits of fire? Gotta be around here somewhere.”
“What’d you say?” Hazel yelled. They’d gotten even further.
I bit back a frustrated scream as my toe caught on a protruding tree root. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
The twins stopped, probably out of pity, and waited for me to catch up. It made my trek even more miserable, since I could feel them watching me struggle. I tried to focus on the ground so I wouldn’t trip again, but that only resulted in running into a low-hanging branch.
I jerked back in shock and pain, and effectively tripped backwards. Hazel was kneeling beside me in a second.
“God, Harper, I thought thieves were supposed to be a little less clumsy than this.” She took my backpack from me and started rustling through it. “Hold still. You’re bleeding a bit.”
Sure enough, I was. It wasn’t too bad, just a small cut on my temple. It strung when I brushed my fingers across it. There was blood on my fingers, which I quickly wiped off. I’d never been too fond of blood.
“It’s not that bad,” I said, mostly trying to convince myself.
“That doesn’t matter. Even a paper-cut could mean death out here, if it gets infected.” She pressed a gauze to my forehead, and wasn’t gentle about it. “We’re close to the river, so we can get it washed up there. Try to be a little more careful.”
Gage helped me up, smirking. “Twenty-four. That’s a record, love.”
My glare and rude hand gesture didn’t perturb him; Gage slung an arm over my shoulders. Despite myself, a smile twitched on my lips. Damn him.
“We have to make a quick stop,” Hazel called over her shoulder. I was having some difficulty making my way through the undergrowth; the twins were a long stretch ahead of me. They shot through the dense forest like the trees weren’t even there.
I, on the other hand, had tripped a total of twenty-three times. Gage was keeping count.
“A quick stop,” I muttered under my breath, starting to question why I was accompanying the twins in the first place. The further we travelled inland, the worse the terrain got, and the more humid it became. Sweat stuck my hair and clothing to my skin. I wiped my forehead with the edge of my tank-top. “A quick stop on Hell, more like. Where’s the burning pits of fire? Gotta be around here somewhere.”
“What’d you say?” Hazel yelled. They’d gotten even further.
I bit back a frustrated scream as my toe caught on a protruding tree root. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
The twins stopped, probably out of pity, and waited for me to catch up. It made my trek even more miserable, since I could feel them watching me struggle. I tried to focus on the ground so I wouldn’t trip again, but that only resulted in running into a low-hanging branch.
I jerked back in shock and pain, and effectively tripped backwards. Hazel was kneeling beside me in a second.
“God, Harper, I thought thieves were supposed to be a little less clumsy than this.” She took my backpack from me and started rustling through it. “Hold still. You’re bleeding a bit.”
Sure enough, I was. It wasn’t too bad, just a small cut on my temple. It strung when I brushed my fingers across it. There was blood on my fingers, which I quickly wiped off. I’d never been too fond of blood.
“It’s not that bad,” I said, mostly trying to convince myself.
“That doesn’t matter. Even a paper-cut could mean death out here, if it gets infected.” She pressed a gauze to my forehead, and wasn’t gentle about it. “We’re close to the river, so we can get it washed up there. Try to be a little more careful.”
Gage helped me up, smirking. “Twenty-four. That’s a record, love.”
My glare and rude hand gesture didn’t perturb him; Gage slung an arm over my shoulders. Despite myself, a smile twitched on my lips. Damn him.
