Helena and the Rings

Chapter 16: Cabin on Fire

I woke up the next morning to Bishop by the kitchen area cutting some bread and heating up some wings the bartender had given us before we left. I realized I had fell asleep with the book right underneath my hand. Bishop laughed when she saw me move it.

"Did you fall asleep with that book?" She asked.

I placed it to the side. "I guess so," I said while wiping my eyes. I walked over a bucket of water she usually kept by the window then rinsed my face.

"I think I drank too much last night," Bishop said. "I don't remember much."

I smiled and smirked at her. "Remember the dance?"

She laughed. "What dance? We danced?" she palmed her forehead.

"The kiss?" I asked her. The moment I said that, I felt myself blushing.

"We...kissed?" Bishop covered her face. "I'm so sorry."

I laughed then sat in a chair at the table next to her. "Hey, it's okay. I had a fun time. The bartender was so sweet."

"He's great," she said. "my mom used to go there in her teen days. He's told me so many stories about her."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" She smiled really big while talking about her. "Jim says she's just like me."

"She sounds amazing," I said. "I mean, you're amazing so..."

She smiled then walked towards me, reaching for the book. "Can I see?" She asked.

I hesitated a little mad it showed because I took a step back. I caught myself though then quickly gave her the book. I didn't feel like explaining why I felt a little anxious about her reading. Besides what if she wasn't who I thought she was and she knew I knew something. I trusted her. She gave me every reason to but something was holding me back from fully trusting her. I don't know why.

She began skimming through it. I thought she would stop turning pages because she seemed very focused on them. However, she didn't. She turned each page until she got to the end then handed the book back to me. It was the weirdest thing. I looked up at her. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she looked at me with a straight face. "Yeah, why?"

Before I could say anything, I began smelling smoke. Something was burning. Bishop smelled it too and then we heard a loud noise. Like a tree falling. The two of of us ran outside and what did we see. Or...who?

Joe. It was Joe and somehow he had set a tree on fire that had fallen next to the cabin. The book was still in my hand. 

"Who is that?" Bishop asked. I saw the fear in her eyes.

"Not a friendly guy," I said.

Joe was in the same leather jacket and clothing he had wore the first night I met him. "How did you find us!" I yelled from the door of the cabin. 

He was a few feet in front of us. "Give me the ring, Helena or you and your friend will die."

Suddenly, I heard Bishop scream. The inside of the cabin caught fire somehow. Bishop quickly ran inside. I tried to stop her but Joe grabbed my arm. 

"No!" I yelled, trying my best to get away from him. "Get off me!"

He reached for my hand and held it up to see the ring. He tried to touch it, but inside some weird force from my hand sent him flying into a tree. I didn't expect that to happen and had no idea how I did it. Bishop came back with two open bottles of alcohol. She poured two bottles on me then on herself. I picked up the book from the ground then grabbed her. "We should go!"

Bishop held my hand and the two of us ran, leaving Joe behind and the cabin bursting into flames. I don't know where we were running too and how we ran so long but we didn't stop. We just kept going and going and going...

***

Bishop wasn't too happy about the cabin burning. In fact, she was very, very angry. She wouldn't even talk to me until we reached a part of the woods where creek laid, resting with its inhabitants. "Bishop, I'm so sorry," I said as she walked towards the creek. She began drinking out of it using the palm of her hands. It was sort of gross.

"I can't believe he destroyed my home," she said. "I can't believe you let him track us."

I couldn't believe she said that. "Me!?" I yelled out. "I didn't know he'd find us! I thought us being drunk all day would protect us not lead him here. I don't know how he found us, Bishop. But we have to keep moving."

"No," she said. "you sit down and read that book and get us out of this mess. When the time is right, I'll go home myself. Without you. I'll help you now, but when once this is done we're parting ways."

It broke my heart to hear that coming from her. I already felt abandoned and empty. She was going to leave me, just like everyone else. "Okay," I simply replied then walked a few feet away from her to began reading the book. As I was sitting, my ring began to glow again. I turned around and saw Bishop glaring at me. It was really, really weird...