Chapter 8

Money

People watched as the drowned form slowly opened his eyes, the lids nearly drooping all the way closed now and then. He slowly blinked and gazed up at the blurry figures standing over him, wondering what the slurred words were saying. His eyes were refusing to focus, and they kept fuzzing in and out and swirling. It was unpleasant, it made his head spin as well.

Or maybe his head was spinning from the fact that he couldn't breathe.

His mouth opened weakly, gaping like a fish out of water, and blinked some more, trying to show his inability to breathe correctly. One of the furry figures seemed to realize this and the pushed on his stomach, just below his lungs. A long stream of water soared out and he started coughing and spluttering, gasping in lungfuls of air.

The paleness in his face and the glaze over his eyes seemed to fade as the water left his lungs. But even after returning to the world, his head was still pounding and he couldn't seem to move.

He stared up at the still slightly blurry figures confusedly. Why couldn't he move? Why did his head hurt so much?

"Hey, you okay?" The voices slowly became recognizable, and soon he could understand the words coming from their mouths.

Trying to speak was a difficult as trying to move, he just couldn't seem to get his body working. So, since he could talk, he let out a soft moan. It just made one of them chuckle a little bit, until that person was elbowed in the side. "Don't laugh," another voice said.

"Sorry," the first voice muttered, leaning over a little bit. "It's good that Anton's awake now though," the same voice added a little afterward.

There was some murmured agreement after that statement, but their voices were too low for Anton's muddled mind to hear. One of them stood up and walked away, but the others stayed sitting on the ground. Anton heard a few more questions, but he couldn't focus anymore. After a few more heartbeats his vision started blurring again, and within the minute he was asleep once more.

The second time he woke up he felt considerably better, though he still had a headache and the back of his head pounded. When he rubbed the sore spot with his fingers he felt a hard bumpy area, a scab. He ignored all the questions that ran through his mind, and looked around.

He was laying down on rocky dirt, sparsely spread trees dotted the slightly hilly area and he was next to a fast running river. Why did this place look so familiar? Then he looked down at himself. His pants were a little tattered and they were dark colored as they were drowned in water. After realizing those few things he remembered what had happened. He slipped and fell into the roaring river!

He sat up as those memories came back to him, happy that his one thought wasn't right. He didn't die by falling into the river. This made him feel even better, and he struggled to his feet. The ground started spinning and the back of his eyes started to burn. Stumbling over to a nearby tree he used it to stabilize himself by leaning upon it. Once the dizzy spell passed he straightened up, only to see eight year old Rosalie staring at him with large brown eyes. She seemed happy to see him awake and moving around.

She smiled and got up from the ground, going over to him quickly. "You're okay?" She asked innocently.

Anton nodded and gazed around once again, searching for the others. "Yeah, I am. But, where are the others?" He turned back to Ada's little sister, waiting for her answer, one that was a short and a little too brief.

"They're out."

"Where? Why'd they leave you you here by yourself?" More and more questions swirled through his head, a few of them slightly depressing and sunk his spirits, while others just made him angry.

"They went to get more food. And they left me here so you wouldn't be alone when you wake up," she said, interrupting any of Anton's further thoughts.

She cocked her head to the side. "Why? I'm old enough to be on my own now. I'm eight."

He was slightly confused by this. "Maybe old enough to stay home, in a house. But not alone in the middle of the woods. And I have food, there's some in my bag."

She ignored the first part of his sentence, "No you don't. It was washed away in the river. Along with all of your other stuff. You only have the money in your shirt pocket, which they are using to buy some more food. And..." she trailed off. "You should probably put your shirt back on, it's gross," she added, pointing to a rock that had a soaked and wrinkled plaid fabric lying on it.

And that was when Anton realized he wasn't wearing a shirt, as he looked down at himself once again.

xxx

Ada picked through Anton's bag of money with a finger, then looked back up to the produce section of the store. She felt guilty for doing this to her friend, but the group needed food. Anyways, it was Melina's idea, not hers. So she couldn't be the one to blame, right?

She sighed. No that isn't true, she went along with Melina, so she is part of the blame too. She shook her head and looked over at the girl, she was standing and looking around the interior and the food sported on shelves along the walls and within the isles. Brynn was leaning over and container that had dried fruits and vegetables in it.

Almost as if sensing her stare, he brought his gaze up and said flatly, "Why are we looking at the fruits? If we go to the boxed foods sections we'll get more for cheaper."

"Well, Anton's a vegan, he wont be able to eat most of that stuff."

Brynn blinked his velvet eyes, "He's vegan?" Then he looked slightly annoyed. "That just makes it harder for us..."

"What's with you? You keep making rude comments!" Ada replied harshly, "You used to actually be friendly."

Melina turned and whacked Brynn over the ear, "She's right."

"So now you're ganging up on me?"

"Duh."

"Will you kids stop bickering? There're other people here too, you know. It's not your house, you can't destroy it with your useless bickering." The elderly lady huffed and walked away, shopping basket in her wrinkled hand.

xxx

After several more days of walking, with no more money or food, they started to get a little grumpy. Rosalie had started crying to go home, Brynn and Melina were actually getting along while Ada was frustrated with both him and the girl.

Anton was feeling more and more depressed as the days went on, especially since the others started picking on him and trying to make him do everything. Though soon he did, because they wouldn't have a fire at night, or any water. At least it shook of his boredom and the fear of being out in the middle of nowhere.

He sighed and stared up at the dark sky, at the shining sliver of a moon and the sparkling dots around it. Why was everything against him? Why was he always the one to be picked on, and to be treated rudely. Maybe he was right before, he should have stayed home like a normal kid. He should have just chosen a normal life...

Letting out another short breath he continued to stare at the night, his back resting on the rocky ground. He missed his old life.

"Hey, Anton?" He heard Rosalie's voice, break into his thoughts.

He looked over at the eight year old, "Yeah?"

"Um," she trailed off and looked down at her hands, her face being shadowed over, as it was hidden by the light of the camp fire. "I don't know. "

"Just tell me." His patience has been lowering ever since this whole pointless journey started, he didn't have much left anymore.

The little girl hunched her shoulders against his tone, "Never mind..."

He looked away, while she looked back toward him.

"Anton?" She called again.

"What?" He said, harsher than intended.

Rosalie flinched, then murmured, "I'm hungry."

"We all are," he turned over so his back was facing her. "Now go to sleep."

She pouted, "But I can't sleep when I'm hungry."

"To bad!" He snapped, "Go away. We might get something in the morning, if we get close to a city."

Anton did have to see her to tell she started crying. And the second the sounds reached him he felt guilty, and turned around to try and comfort her. "Hey, I'm sorry, Rosa. I didn't mean to yell." He tried to reach out and stroke her hair, but got his arm shoved away.

"Don't touch my sister!" Ada hissed, pulling the little girl into her arms. "I can't believe you did that, you jerk!"

"I didn't mean to," he replied, "It just came out."

"Just," she shook her head, "Just leave. I don't want to see you around my sister ever again!" Her voice rose to a shout while she spoke the words 'ever again'.

"But-"

"Go!" She shoved him away. "You hurt Rosalie, so you don't deserve to stay around her. Or me."

When Anton didn't move she yelled for him to leave again, and hugged her younger sister tighter. "Just go..."

He stood up, and looked around the camp quickly. Brynn was sitting up and staring at him with wide eyes, and Melina just sighed and laid back down. None of them were going to help him here. He felt a sense of fear and betrayal fill him as he walked away, his earlier questions back.

Why was everything against him?

As shadows engulfed him, he started feeling tears of regret stain his cheeks. Why had he done that? With that thought he started running, not caring where his feet were going.

Not noticing where his feet were taking him.

A/N

Sorry for the long update. Or... longer than usual.

Some girls have serious tempers, huh. Ada's one of them. And again, I'm mean to Anton...