Venom and Earth

by Turnbull, Jessica

  Mason’s words shock him, but that shock is quickly replaced by anger. “If you love me so much, then how the hell can you still be with one of the girls who assaulted me?”

  “I didn’t know until Maya-”

  “You know now, and yet you’re still with her.”

  “For the same reason you’re with Hazel. I love her. There’s only one Sadie.”

  “You love her more than you love me, then,” Marco hisses and shoulders past his brother to stand outside the house, needing some fresh air.

  The night air is cool and crisp, making him shiver. He puts on one of the warm coats that he packed. Drea eyes him curiously. His mind still burns at his brother claiming to care. That night still gives him nightmares, and on several occasions has put him off relationships, but being with Hazel has made all that go away.

  I don’t want to live here without her here to support me.

  “Okay, I’m ready!” Braith shouts, running out of the building with her hair scruffier than normal.

  “That was way more than ten minutes,” he scolds.

  “I was, uh, busy.”

  “Busy?”

  “Okay, I was doing Ariel.” She grins and wriggles her eyebrows. “You’re not the only one who can make girls scream, you know.”

  His face goes bright red at the thought of Braith overhearing him with Hazel. He ignores her and hooks the backpacks around Drea’s neck with the longer strap.

  “You don’t have to come, you know,” he mumbles.

  “And you don’t have to leave either,” she retorts, climbing onto Damayanti’s back with a bright pink bag hanging off her arm. “But here you are, leaving.”

  “I love her,” is all he can say.

  “Me too. In the platonic way, though. Maybe with a little sexual tension thrown in.”

  Just as Marco clambers onto Drea’s back, Rocky runs out of the house, his eyes bright red and bloodshot.

  “Can you give this to Hazel for me, please?” he sniffles, handing Marco a small white envelope.

  “Of course.” He slides the envelope into one of his pockets. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

  “No,” Rocky admits truthfully. “But I can’t. Not if I’m a father.”

  Cerberus charges towards Drea and Damayanti, yapping sadly and nuzzling their necks. The two dragons nuzzle her back, upset at having to leave their friend.

  “We’ll make sure she’s safe, okay? I promise.” Braith leans down and gives Rocky a small hug, making him stiffen, although he doesn’t move away.

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Rocky steps back and calls Cerberus to him. “You better get going. I don’t want her and Aqueous being alone for much longer.”

  With tears in her eyes, Braith nods and looks at Marco. “You know where we’re going?”

  “Drea and Damayanti can sniff them out. They only left a few hours ago so the trail is still fresh.”

  “Okay, ready?”

  “Ready.”

  16

  Chapter Sixteen

  I’m so tired. Aqueous and I have been walking for hours, but the trees and bushes all look the same. What if we’re stuck in here forever?

  Aqueous yaps in front of me and points towards a large bush. Underneath is a large dip in the ground, big enough for a dragon to sleep in. A gusty wind picks up, making me clutch my arms and shiver uncontrollably. It’s best we stop for the night; it’s too cold to venture any further.

  “Okay, you go first,” I mutter through chattering teeth.

  The black dragon quickly slips in and curls up around himself, trying hard to keep the cold out. I crawl after him, resting my head on his stomach. He wraps his jet-black tail around me, careful not to pierce me with any of his sharp spikes. My stomach growls as I shut my eyes, reminding me of the hunger that’s been niggling at me all day.

  “We’ll try to find somewhere proper to stay tomorrow, okay?”

  My companion nods and licks my cheek as I snuggle up closer to him, grateful for his presence.

  At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because my dreams are plagued with the scene of Jason’s death over and over. They always end with him crawling towards me, eyes still rolled inside his head and his mouth open in a wide, soundless scream.

  When I next open my eyes the forest is lit up by bright sunlight, but I feel like I haven’t slept at all. Aqueous stretches and yawns next to me, nuzzling me hazily. I crawl out of our cramped make-do sleeping area and stretch my stiff muscles. Aqueous follows me out, blinking his turquoise eyes sleepily.

  “Which direction now?” I ask.

  My companion swings his head back and forth before looking up at the sky. He leaps into the air and flies above the trees, scanning the horizon. Yelping excitedly, he falls back to the ground and points to the left.

  “Did you see something?”

  He nods and yaps.

  “Civilisation?”

  The black dragon yaps once more and nods.

  “Anything is better than this forest,” I say, heading in the direction he pointed.

  The forest is thick with leaves and bushes, which is good for shelter but bad for navigation. I’ve seen lots of birds and other wildlife around though, which is one of the good things about having to leave home. I finally get to see the world outside of camp walls.

  We don’t walk far before the forest begins to thin out, and I can see tall grey buildings on the horizon. They are dotted with windows and advertising boards. My heart beats excitedly at the sight of the world outside of camp. Now that I’m not stuck there.

  Before I can leave the forest, Aqueous yanks me back and glares up at the sky. Two dragons fly overhead, bellowing and scouring the ground for any movement.

  “How did they find us all the way out here?” I hiss at my companion.

  He shakes his head and bares his teeth as the dragons drop lower, and the people riding them can be heard shouting: “Hazel!”

  After a few shouts, I stand up slowly, recognising that distinctive Welsh accent. “I recognise that voice,” I say, running out of the forest and throwing my arms around crazily. “Braith! Down here! Braith!”

  As the two dragons float towards me I recognise them as Drea and Damayanti. The two dragons crash to the ground and my boyfriend immediately leaps into my arms, squeezing me tightly and muttering reassurances in my ear.

  “Thank goodness we found ya, Hazy!” Braith beams as she bounces next to her companion excitedly. “We were worried we lost the trail.”

  “What are you guys doing here?” I wrench Marco away from me to confront the two of them.

  I can’t go back, not after killing Jason. And they can’t go with me; they have lives of their own.

  “I managed to get it out of Ariel that you left,” Marco brushes his hair back sheepishly. “I didn’t want to leave you on your own, and neither did Braith.”

  “What made you leave, anyway?” Braith drops her back on the floor, scanning the buildings on the horizon with awe.

  Without wanting to, my head droops. “I killed someone.”

  “What happened?” Marco coos, wiping a tear from my cheek; I hadn’t realised I was crying. “Violet said that you got attacked and thrown in the air.”

  “Aqueous caught me,” I sniff. “But these guys followed us back home. I set off the panic alarm and Ariel came running but the guys knocked down the door. One had me by the throat while the other was electrocuting Ariel. I didn’t mean to kill him, I was just trying to save her…”

  “Are you serious?” Marco clenches one of his fists. “You killed someone in self-defence to save her? She was going on about it like you did it on purpose!”

  I nod slowly, unsurprised by his reaction. “We ran off into the forest, and then she left me. She said she wasn’t going to tell you that I’d gone.”

  “Ugh, what a bitch,” Braith grumbles, kicking the ground.

  “Says the girl who did her before leaving,” Marco replies.

  Braith shoots him a dark gla
re. “Whatever.”

  “What are you guys doing here anyway?” I ask again.

  My boyfriend unhooks a backpack from around Drea’s neck and throws it to me. I wobble trying to catch it. “We’re coming with you!”

  “But-”

  “No buts.” Marco places a finger on my lips and kisses my cheek softly. “We’ve both decided that this is what we want to do.”

  “But if you go with me, how will you have a career? A place to live? A future?”

  “You are my future,” he replies stubbornly, making Braith squeal and let out an ‘aww!’.

  “Now come on, let’s go check that city out. We’ll have to stay on the down-low because they will not like it if we’re wandering around.”

  “Yeah, it was so easy to leave; there must be other escapees,” Braith comments. “They would have headed for the city.”

  Although not happy with their decision, I nod mutely. They would be better off staying in camp. Then the fact that my brother is missing hits me. “Did you not tell Rocky before you left?”

  Marco and Braith quickly glance at each other, their mouths open slightly in discomfort. Finally, Braith speaks up: “Yes. There’s a chance that Ciara’s baby is his.”

  My heart sinks at the thought of him becoming a father so young. Then it dawns on me that he wanted to stay for the baby.

  “Oh,” is all I can muster up before my throat tightens.

  “He wanted you to have this,” Marco murmurs, producing a white envelope from his pocket. “Our companions can carry us to the city; it’s quicker than us walking with them.”

  I wordlessly mount my companion, shuffling the envelope in my hands, unsure of whether to open it. I know if I open it I’ll start crying. Shaking my head, I put off the inevitable and tear the envelope open just as we make our way towards the city. The handwriting is neat and small, quite unlike Rocky’s large and messy writing.

  Dear Hazel,

  Violet is writing this for me because I know I’d struggle to do this. I’m so sorry that I lied to you about Ciara. I was going to tell you, I swear. I’m one of three possible fathers apparently, although there could be more. When I heard that you left I was so upset because I knew I’d have to choose between you, my sister, or an unborn child that has a one in three chance of being mine.

  So, I chose the one in three.

  I don’t want that baby to grow up without a father like we had to. I don’t want it to go through the same pain we felt and how much it affected Mum. If it wasn’t for the baby I would have picked you in a heartbeat.

  I’m so, so sorry. I hope you can understand why I have to stay. Although I still don’t think Marco is right for you I’m glad he’s going, and Braith. I don’t want you to be alone and scared in a whole new world.

  Hopefully one day I can see you again, because I know I’m going to miss you so much. You’ve always been so supportive of me and in your time of need I can’t be. I hope you can forgive me.

  I’ve put in a small doodle in the envelope, just so you can be reminded of me. I really, really hope one day I can see you again.

  I’m so sorry. I love you, Hazel. I’m sorry that I’m not there to protect you like I’m supposed to. I hope you’re safe and happy.

  Please don’t hate me.

  I love you, Hun.

  Love,

  Rocky.

  XXX

  * * *

  The grey buildings slowly grow on the horizon, which spurs us all to keep going. I can’t go back, and Marco and Braith are refusing to, so the only way now is forward. My companion shifts slightly, readjusting my position on his back. He must be getting uncomfortable. Despite the journey ahead, I must have dozed off as I had another dream about Jason, except this time he was laughing as he electrocuted me.

  A loud bang wakes me from my slumber. Before I know what’s going on my companion has started racing towards the city, which is much closer now. Glancing behind me I see a man with a gun in one hand and a dead fox in the other. He stands on the hill, staring at us as he holds the lifeless body of the russet animal.

  “What the hell was that guy doing?” Braith demands, glancing over her shoulder.

  “He looked like a hunter. Probably killed that fox as a trophy. It’s a good thing he missed Aqueous, though,” Marco replies.

  I pat my companion’s neck gently as I blink away sleep. “Are you okay? Did you get hit?”

  My partner shakes his head quickly, though his eyes are narrowed in anger. Not wanting to probe him, I turn my attention back towards my friends, who are still shooting angry glares at the man, now a dot on the grassy horizon.

  “We aren’t far from the city now, we should reach it before noon if we’re lucky,” Marco says.

  “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” I try to sound excited, but I’m not doing a good job of it.

  I’m curious to see what the city looked like. There are only so many pictures on the internet you can look at before you want to see it for yourself.

  “Hold on, is anyone hungry?” Braith digs into her backpack and produces three chocolate bars, and throws them to Marco and me in turn.

  “We can eat these now but we need to feed our companions once we reach the city.”

  “Don’t worry, Hazy, we will!”

  “They must be exhausted,” I murmur, stroking Aqueous’ head.

  My companion glances at me from the corner of his eye before he freezes and ducks down. Just as I’m about to ask why I spot a car zooming in the undergrowth, with two dragons flying by its side. They obviously don’t notice us as they speed away, the people in the car whooping and hollering as they go.

  “Okay, let’s keep moving,” Braith gulps, taking a bite of her chocolate bar. “I don’t want to get caught.”

  “We need a plan for the city,” I say as we continue forward. “We can’t just stroll in there; we’ll need a place to stay, and food-”

  Marco smiles slightly at me, but I can see he’s worried. “You’re right. We’ll look for an abandoned building or something. If this is the city I think it is, there are loads of abandoned buildings due to the camp being built nearby.”

  “Why’s that?”

  He shrugs. “People don’t want to live next to camps, I guess. Let’s keep going and hope we find something.”

  “Then what? Are we gonna hide away for the rest of our lives?” Braith interrupts.

  “I dunno, but we’ll figure something out, okay?” Marco tries to reassure her, but she isn’t convinced.

  “Hey!”

  The unknown voice makes me jump. Then everything goes black.

  * * *

  “Oh, what a cheap trick!”

  Marco’s voice rouses me from unconsciousness. I slowly open my eyes to take in my surroundings. We’re no longer in the field, but in a concrete room. I try to stretch my stiff muscles, but my feet and hands are tied behind a chair, so I only succeed in giving myself a leg cramp.

  “Ah, shit.”

  “You okay, Hazy?” Braith’s voice echoes in the room, and I feel her hand brush against mine from behind. We must be tied up in a circle.

  “Yeah, just a cramp.”

  “So, these are the escapees, huh? I was expecting – I dunno, better people?”

  My head snaps towards the new voice, and I realise that the room is crowded with people. Most look around my age or older, but with their dark expressions, I’m not sure they’re friendly.

  “Come on, Freya, we haven’t had anyone for ages.” A guy holding a sharp knife in his hand sighs and steps towards a woman with a large tattoo of a grey wolf’s head with its lips twisted into a snarl on her forearm.

  The woman shakes her head and sighs. “I know. Guess we’ll make do with what we’ve got.”

  “Care to invite us into your conversation?” Braith growls, fidgeting roughly in her seat.

  The woman steps forward, allowing me to see her face. Her features are masculine, and the left side of her face is completely covered by her lo
ng caramel hair.

  “We heard that three people escaped from Aria this morning. I’m guessing that’s you three?”

  “Why should we say anything to you?” Braith spits.

  The woman raises an eyebrow. “We’re not your enemy. We’re escapees, like you. We’ve built a small community for ourselves until we’re old enough to go out into the adult world without being sent back. We want to help you.”

  “I’m pretty sure we’d be more accepting if you hadn’t ambushed us with a cheap shadow attack and tied us up,” Marco says begrudgingly.

  “We had to get you before the police did. There’s a manhunt for you. It’s like you’re celebrities or something.”

  “Just him.” Braith must have gestured towards Marco as Freya moves out of my field of vision to look at Marco.

  “You?”

  “I’m a premier.”

  “Oh, my God!” Another person from the group shouts, a girl. “If we send a premier back, we can guarantee at least five people a clean slate!”

  “We are not.” A different girl pipes up. “Marco’s an escapee, like us. He’s not like one of them.”

  “Do I know you?” My boyfriend can’t see the girl as she moves out of his sight.

  “I’m Rayna – you know, dead girl?”

  Casting my memory back to when we rescued Maya from Ray and his goons, I remember her mentioning a girl called Rayna who had been tortured and then killed by her dragon.

  “How are you alive?” I blurt out.

  “They didn’t kill me; they killed my companion, Vee. I managed to escape once the initial shock of her death wore off. I still feel empty, and probably always will.” She fiddles with a leather necklace with a green and blue scale dangling from it as she casts her gaze back to the ground.

  Freya wanders around the circle, eyeing each of us up individually. “You can stay on probation.”

  “I have no idea what that means,” I say.

  “Basically, since you’re escapees, you can stay here with us. If you want to, of course. We don’t turn away our own.”

  “And you are?”