Chapter 15: Ciri

“Oh, I feel horrible,” Andy said as she finished vomiting over the bridge we were passing over.

“I don’t think I’ve ever drunken that much of any liquid in one sitting,” I said rubbing my head.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked concerned and I rushed over to the edge to empty my breakfast off the edge.

“Oh, that does not taste as good as it did on the way down,” I said when I was done.

“We should have kept the alcohol to a minimum,” Jasper said handing me the water bag, “You two really shouldn’t have been drinking at all and neither should I.”

 

“Are you okay?” Andy asked and he looked over at me then I looked at him warning him to stop looking at me.

“I’ve been better. Are you alright?” he asked her.

“I feel like someone shot me,” Andy said then stopped as I turned pale, “I did not mean it, Ciri.”

 

“You did not mean it like that, I know,” I said pulling out my lion figurine and continued working on it.

“What is that thing about anyways?” she questioned, “You are always working on that.”

“It is a project,” the Elite said looking at me again.

“You are such a nerd,” Andy teased me.

 

“I am not a nerd I like playing with wood,” I said and Jasper choked on whatever he was chewing on and Andy and Jasper both looked at me and then I caught on. “Oh shut up I hope you choke,” I said annoyed.

“Would you mind rephrasing that?” he asked as soon as he could breathe again.

“I like cutting up wood that better,” I said and Andy started giggling.

“You guys are really on today and that one was actually good,” Andromeda said laughing to herself.

“Ciri, do you always have to be difficult?” he asked me.

“Do you always have to be so bossy?” I replied, “I am not your servant anymore so I don’t have to do what you say.”

“I know you are not a servant,” he said soberly.

 

“You guys are so weird,” Andy said then fell over a rock, “Ow.”

“Serves you right,” I said helping her up; she got up and climbed onto my back, “great now I am the baggage carrier.”

“You are mean,” she complained.

 

“I am still carrying you, shrimp,” I said drinking some water and handed it back to Jasper who held onto my hand for an extra second until I took my hand away.

“Stubborn,” he sighed.

“She’s like that,” Andy agreed.

“Like neither of you aren’t,” I said rolling my eyes.

“Apparently, drinking doesn’t solve that problem,” she said putting her head on my shoulder.

“If you throw up on my back, I will make sure you pay for it,” I warned her.

“You know you could feel bad for me,” Andy whined.

 

“I could, but I told you not to drink the first glass, but you waited until I’d had a few drinks and snuck in and started drinking,” I reminded her.

“I wanted to taste it,” she said with a sigh, “I thought I wanted to taste red wine, beer and other alcohols too.”

“What do you think now?” Jasper asked.

“She’s not drinking again anytime soon,” I said nudging her.

“She’s right unfortunately,” Andy said, “My head feels like it is splitting in half.”

“That is graphic,” I said then my head started to ring again, “But unfortunately true.”

 

“Come on, we’ve got to keep moving,” Jasper said starting to pick up his pace, “If we want to get to this Eddison soon then we need to pick up our pace.”

“Since when, are you in such a hurry?” Andy asked seriously.

“There’s a girl back in the city I met,” he said in a strange tone and I looked over at him.

“What girl?” I asked trying to sound casual.

“Just a girl,” Jasper said looking away from me, “I met her back in town.”

 

“Does she have blue eyes?” Andy asked and Jasper gave her a look.

“Whatever, let’s keep going,” I said and we kept walking.

 

***

 

“Cold,” Andy said keeping her head down with the jacket over her body, “I do not think it is legal for a day to be this cold, why is this happening to me?”

“You have a jacket at least,” I said feeling the cold breeze on my face, “What happened to the blazing heat?”

“We should have stayed at the station awhile longer I guess,” Jasper said as the chilling air turned to snow and glacial frosty air.

“I am so cold,” I said shivering like a leaf, “Our water is going to freeze soon.”

 

“We are going to freeze soon,” Jasper said wrapping his arm around me and I didn’t complain because he wasn’t as cold as me because he had the jacket last.

“Oh my god, how long have we been out here?” I said as Andy held onto my stomach with her arms and legs and she was still shaking even with the jacket.

“We’ve been on the move a long time,” Jasper said still holding onto me.

“I don’t think this is going to let up anytime soon and I need to rest too; I am still hung over,” I sighed.

 

“Well, for now, we should keep moving because moving keeps us warmer,” Andy said muffled by the jacket, “That way we won’t freeze to death.”

“Yes, but Ciri might pass out from exhaustion again,” Jasper said concerned.

“I can keep going, but we need something good to happen again,” I said teeth chattering.

“Come on, let me warm you up,” he said pulling me close to him and I enjoyed the feeling in my stomach. Stop, I thought to myself, he’s an Elite and you are a servant he’s not really interested in you.

“That is cute,” Andy said and I elbowed her.

 

“Watch it, shorty, it is cold outside,” I warned her.

“Whatever I want something hot. Have you ever heard of hot chocolate?” she said and my stomach growled.

“Chocolate,” I said sadly.

“I tried that a few times; it sounds good if only we had some,” Jasper said and my stomach growled louder, “Sorry, sweetheart.”

 

“I know we have food, but I don’t want to waste it,” I said wrapping my arms around myself.

“We need an umbrella or something,” Andy said shakily.

“We’ll be fine, but I think we should stop in a little while because we need to conserve our strength until this passes,” I said hurrying forward, “We need to get somewhere safe and then sleep and keep going when we wake up.”

“After we eat right,” she said as we entered a tunnel, “This looks roomy enough; I’ve even got my own room.”

 

“Don’t separate from us; you’ll freeze to death,” I told her as she climbed off my back with the jacket still on.

“You are not my mother,” she said then ran off into the closet.

“So, you still cold?” Jasper asked as I leaned against the wall.

“Freezing, can I have the blanket?” I asked hopefully.

“Sure,” he said tossing it to me.

“Thanks,” I said wrapping it around myself.

 

“Ciri,” he said walking over to me.

“Jasper, not now we already talked about this,” I said quickly.

“You don’t seem to understand the situation,” he said.

“We were drunk; both of us were upset and we both made a mistake,” I said shaking my head, “I get it.”

“Alright, let me put this in a different way,” he said turned my head and brought his lips to mine. It was that same feeling of rightness, but I couldn’t let this happen. I ruined people; that was what I would do to him if I didn’t stop now.

 

“It won’t last,” I said pulling away, “I’ve heard stories about Elites and servants they never end well.”

“Then, why not at least try to change that ending?” he asked still holding onto me.

“Because I am stubborn and you know that,” I said looking at him.

“Yes you are stubborn, opinionated, sarcastic and strong willed,” he said, “then you are beautiful, smart and stronger than anyone gives you credit for.”

“That is probably why you like me, but I am complicated, very confusing and you’d be over it very quickly,” I said seriously.

“I like you,” he said kissing me again then pulled away and held my face, “I like you because when I kiss you I feel something real. What about you?”

 

“I…” I said looking down at the ground, “I am a mess.”

“Mess or not, I like you and I want to kiss you,” he said then kissed me again.

“Fine, I give, but you’ll see,” I said kissing him back.

“Come on, you need some sleep,” he said sitting us down and kissed me on the cheek.

“Sleepy time,” Andy said coming over and laid next to me.

“Night guys,” Jazz yawned.

“Night,” I said then fell asleep and I didn’t push away Jasper’s hands. I was abiding my time until he realized that I was a walking disaster.