Unravelling

Chapter 43 - Blackmail

I am so cold.

Trying my best to do something to prevent certain death by hypothermia, I curl myself into a tighter ball, if that is even possible, and pull my head down against my chest to expose the least amount of my body to the dreadfully low temperature in this cave.

I have no idea what time it is, but it must be well into the night by now. Opening one eye, I take in my surrounding for what seems to be the hundredth time since we decided to try and find some sleep. By looking around, by taking it all in over and over again, I try to make this feel less surreal. Not that I can see very much, since it is almost pitch black.

Yes, I am really in a cave.

Yes, I have really run away from home.

The term "running away" is applied rather loosely here, of course, since we haven't made it very far yet. Or at least I don't think so, since I honestly have no clue where we are. I don't know where this cave is located. But I believe we are still in my hometown.

I am not quite sure if this even classifies as running away. If my family knew where I was, they would be able to get to me within less than an hour.

My family.

The meanwhile familiar tightness in my chest resurfaces at the thought of them.

What kind of family is this, if it is based on a bunch of lies?

A shiver runs down my spine and I am not sure if it is because I feel repulsed by the deception or because it must be below zero in this cave. My teeth start to clatter and I shift around some more, trying to find even one tiny spot in my makeshift bed that is not ice cold.

My back connects with something, or rather, someone.

Finn.

It is not the first time that my shuffling around underneath the blanket we have to share results in me bumping into him. I try to avoid it though, because I don't feel comfortable snuggling up to a kid that I barely know. A boy, nonetheless! But keeping my distance in the current situation is a bit difficult since both of us are trying to benefit as much as possible from the one blanket that provides at least a tiny bit of shelter from the biting cold.

It is embarrassing just how much of a wimp I am. When Finn realized that, he found another sweater as well as a pair of jeans, which he insisted I put on on the top of my other clothes. He may not be as big as the twins but his clothes are still sizeable enough to easily fit over my own skinny jeans and the two hoodies that I was already wearing.

There were no more additional clothes for Finn to slip into and I still feel rather selfish for hogging all his things. But he insisted that he is fine and that I need it more since, according to him, there is barely enough meat on my bones to keep me warm. I found that a bit rude, to be honest, but I didn't comment on it. I am used to this kind of talk from my brothers.

I let out a involuntary whimper.

Why is it that everything that goes through my head automatically leads to something to do with my brothers?

Immediately, I bite my lips, hoping that I didn't wake my friend. He deserves to get a bit of rest after he went through all the trouble of bringing me here and keeping me safe.

Listening closely, I hear his steady breathing and relief washes over me. He didn't hear my pitiful sound, which I am grateful for. I hate to feel so vulnerable and come across as weak. I hate to be scared like I am now.

Maybe Finn wasn't so wrong after all, when he called me a little princess a few months ago, back in the school's hallway. When he first tried – and failed – to become my friend.