Finding Bread [Nightbird] [Finished Thead]

I shake and shut my eyes closed as tight as they will ever go. I just want to dissapear. Although it isn't one pair of feet I hear, I hear two. Two people. I'm about to open my eyes, but I don't have time before someone grabs me from behnid and gets me standing up. Flinching, I cover my face and lose my breath again. I can still taste that bread. Opening my eyes just a bit, I see a ruff looking peacekeeper who's face must be only a few centimeters from mine. "Who are you?" He barks in my face, and I let out a babyish wimper. When his face turns to the bread, mine turns with it and I spot a boy watching. What does he want? He has bread with him. Just as quickly as I could blink, the peacekeeper shakes me and asks the question again.

"I" I mumble, but I'm so out of breath I can't say anything else. Not one more sentence. Just let me leave the world now, I don't want to be here anymore. "Speak!" He says, and shakes me again. I shake my head slightly and he glares. I close my eyes and become a noodle, but I don't fall, he's holding me so tightly it hurts. "Stand up!" He yells, and I sob. Just let this torture end.

The boy's voice sends chills up my spine. Was he nuts? He must be, such a small boy against this man who could kill both of us so easily. Another loud sob runs through me when the peacekeeper looks at the boy with such a look.... Such a look I don't want to know anything else. "Oh yeah?" I hear, the deep voice of the peacekeeper rushing through my body like snow down my back. I can't believe this over my one bite! My one bite! Death never comes when you need it. He throws me on the ground, and my head bangs on the gravel. With a cry I feel him step on me, and I yell out. "Go away!" My voice comes out gutteral and scream-like, because I hate this man. Hate him, hate him, hate him! If I could move I'd run, if I could talk again I'd give him a piece of my mind.

I start full-out crying because this is too much. First off, I'm hurting for food. Secondly, my body huts from being walked on, and third, it's about time that boy leaves so nothing else happens to me or him. Opening my eyes a crack I see the boy's panick, and feel almost like welcoming him to join me on the ground by saying something else, but that would be evil. So I don't wish that. Instead, I imagine the peackeeper dying. Not very pleasant for a little girl to think about, huh?

My thoughts snap back to the location when he makes an offer. That might be his only bread, and he had nothing to do with what I did. Peeking at the peacekeeper, I feel like throwing up when he just snatches the bread and leaves. Evil man. I close my eyes again and sigh. I would thank him to such a large extent I'd lose my voice, but I can barely manage to utter a grunt. I feel paralyzed. I just can't move anything. What would mommy think when I came home? What about Meredith? Fornax? They'd all have questions. Considering I actually did get home.

Now that I can have the bread, I just want to stand up and eat it all this second. I don't think I can though. I start getting a fierce headache, and thoughts seem to dissapear. All I can focus on is my body's aching.Nearly everything hurts from my head to my knees.

I look at the boy, my eyes dropping over. I breath out nothingness for a while before I finally manage to tell him my name. "Amity." I say very slowly, then close my eyes again. I want to bite that bread really badly. Really, really badly. If I could just move a little, I might be able to. It's just too much work. I open my eyes, and look at the boy. He's so kind for doing this for me, even when he doesn't know me. With a loud grunt, I shift enough to bite the bread again. Ohboy. It taste wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I take another bite and another, too hungry to slow down. I could eat the entire thing, but wait. That boy looked pretty hungry too. I still feel very hungry and weak, but I don't want to be stealing form him. Because thats what it would be.

I really don't want to, but I pause and look at the boy again. My voice comes out hoarse and slow, but it isn't nearly like what it was before, were I couldn't talk, "You eat the rest," I push the quarter left. I just couldn't handle having cost this boy his food. It feels wrong. Sure, originally taking a bite of the bread was wrong, but I know what the boy is like, he isn't some mysterious person who might've accidently left it on the table.

I don't hesitate for a moment before I gobble the rest of the bread down. Now it'll take about twenty minutes before the effects of eating will kick in. Then maybe I'll have enough energy to make my way back to the bench and lay down. I can sleep there tonight, then in the morning Meredith and Fornax will come looking for me and find me. It's a good thing I have good ideas, otherwise I might end up losing myself. I get a little curious as to why he's blushing so much. Then he starts to look really wierd, and I get even curiouser.

I end up just laying on the ground, watching him. Another thought pops into my mind. I might have been able to move a little bit after eating, but with how heavy that peacekeeper was I don't think it will be very comfortable to move at all. Testing it, I move my leg a little then shut my eyes tightly and hold my breath. Relaxing it, I know I just can't move. I'm going to be helpless all night, and who knows what could happen. It could rain, someone could find me, I could get eaten by a wild bear for all I know. Although the bear theory is extremely unlikely. A snake might bite me. Now, thats more liekly. I shudder, and open my eyes.

He seems terrible. Absolutely terrible, and it's all my fault. All my stinking fault! Why did I have to bite the bread! I should have just died, and then the boy - Othal - could have just gone along with his business. I close my eyes again. I can't just vomit up the food. It'd be gross anyway. Okay, push that ugly thought away, it's disgusting.

"Tsk tsk, what they do to children these days," I hear, and my eyes shift in the direction I stumbled from. A plump looking woman with a grocery bag is frowning at us. She reaches in and brings out two loaves of bread, and gives them to Othal. "You two go home and share that with your families." She says, and with a final frown, walks away. It's getting darker too, and the streets are much less crowded than before, considering I was already in a pretty much deserted area of the district.