Defect - By Ryann Kerekes Page 0,54
thing?” I hear him crack the nut open.
“It has chestnuts littering the ground underneath it.”
“Exactly. Now open your mouth.”
Keeping my eyes closed, I open my mouth. Will’s fingers brush past my lips, and he places a small piece of the chestnut onto my tongue. I open my eyes and look at him as I begin to chew. It’s firm and slightly sweet.
“Do you like it?” he asks.
I nod.
He shows me how to peel off the outer husk, and break open the shell. Inside, it has a creamy-white flesh. We eat all that he’s gathered, and when they’re gone, he goes and gets a few more from underneath the tree.
He sits back down beside me and cracks open a chestnut for me. “You have to be careful when you’re choosing plants. Some look similar, but could be deadly poisonous. If you aren’t positive about what it is – don’t eat it.”
I nod and take the chestnut, popping it into my mouth.
“Always avoid plants with a milky discharge,” he says, giving me another.
“Will?” I swallow down the nut. “Why are teaching me all this?” I sense that it’s not on the typical compound guard curriculum.
He looks down and fumbles with his backpack. “You should know how to find food if you ever find yourself alone in the woods.”
I’ve got to admit, this knowledge would have come in handy for the last challenge, but it’s also knowledge that I hope I won’t have to use.
He pulls a crusty loaf of bread from his bag. “You didn’t think I was going to make you eat only weeds for lunch, did you?”
I smile and look at him, confused. I guess he was serious about the picnic.
I watch as he removes the wrapped up food from his bag. My stomach responds with a grumble, reminding me how hungry I still am.
“This I know you’ll like.” His hand hesitates inside the bag. “Close your eyes.” I can’t see what he has, but I close my eyes again.
He brings his fingertips to my lips, and my mouth opens in response. I don’t know when I started trusting him so much, but with my reactions to him, it’s obvious that I do. He places something sweet on my tongue. Chocolate. The second it hits my taste buds, sweetness flood my senses, and my eyes tear up. I haven’t had chocolate in the longest time. I close my eyes again, savoring the flavor as it melts and fills with mouth with a bittersweet, rich flavor. I don’t even chew; I just let the taste linger as long as possible, until it’s completely dissolved.
“I read in your file it was your favorite,” his voice is soft.
I open my eyes slowly. I’m not sure how I feel about that. “Why did you take my file?”
He hesitates for just a second. “I didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands. You’re not mad, are you?”
It isn’t possible to be mad at a boy who has just fed me chocolate. “No.”
He inches closer. “I looked for your mom’s file too, but it wasn’t there.”
I crane up to look at him. “Why would you?”
“I just get the sense there’s something they’re not telling us.”
“Will, you can’t get yourself in trouble over me. You’re an instructor – if they find out …” I don’t want to think what his punishment would be.
“No. Since I am an instructor, I figured I could say I was looking for information to train you. Don’t worry about me, Eve. I want to help you.”
He moves closer toward me on the log. I can feel his breath on my cheek. I look down, suddenly feeling unsure. I never imagined feeling anything like this would be possible under the harsh conditions we live in. But my entire body is aware of Will. I imagine his lips tasting like chestnuts, his fingertips caressing the bruised spots on my body, and my heart speeds up at the thought. My stomach grumbles loudly, ruining the moment.
His eyes break away from mine. He fumbles with the bread. “You’re hungry. Let’s feed you.” He tears off a piece and hands it to me.
I take his hand. “Will.” My voice is pleading, but the rest of the words die on my lips. I have no idea what I’m doing, what I’m trying to say. But I know the last thing on my mind is eating.
His eyes meet mine and slowly, carefully, he brings one hand up to my face. He trails his fingers across my cheek, touches my