The Outcast

Chapter 31

Elizabeth's POV

The slight creak and dip of the bed brought me out of my sleep. I slowly opened my eyes and took in the dimly lit room, and for a brief moment I completely forgot where I was. I turned onto my side and gasped softly when I almost bumped into Abel, who was sitting at the edge of the bed...shirtless.

I allowed my eyes to trail along the length of her back, over her lean muscles and the multiple scratches and scars that scattered across her skin. I watched the way her muscles seemed to flex then relax slightly as she breathed. She had lost so much weight. I was so entranced that I hadn't realized that I reached out and touch her, not until her body jerked in surprise. I quickly pulled my hand back.

"You're awake." She said over her shoulder, a small smile playing across her lips. "I was just getting ready to make us something for breakfast." She said as she reached for a shirt from the pile of clothes. I found myself frowning, a part of me wanted her to stay bare. "Hey." I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt a hand on my cheek, something that Abel would do whenever I would space out from time to time.

I sighed and leaned into her palm. "Hmm?" I replied absentmindedly.

"What do you want to eat?" She asked and hooked her finger under my chin, raising my head slightly. I finally met her eyes. You! My brain screamed but I quickly pushed those thoughts away.

"Anything is fine." I finally said and gave her a small smile. She nodded and stood from the bed. I laid back down and watched as she maneuvered around the room, taking different ingredients from the basket and setting them out onto the small table.

"Helga said this should be able to keep us for a month or so but...I doubt that." She mumbled to herself. I let out a small laugh causing Abel to stop what she was doing. She looked at me and raised a brow. "What's so funny huh?" She said with her hands on her hips.

"Doesn't Helga know that you turn into a wild animal that hasn't eaten in years when it comes to food." I said between laughs. Abel fake gasped and held her chest.

"I do not!" She frowned.

"Yes you do Abel, remember that one time I shared my pastries with you? You damn near ate everything. I had only one bite of pudding Abel. One!" I chuckled. She huffed and rolled her eyes playfully before returning back to whatever it was that she was making.

"It's not my fault Maria is such an excellent baker." She grumbled. " That pudding was delicious." She said, I smiled at her. She did really eat like a wild animal, but it was cute most times. She was almost like a child, who had to be cleaned after and I was the mom, the one that would brush away the crumbs from the sides of her mouth.

I continued to watch as she prepared our breakfast and after another few minutes she came back over to the small bed.

"Voila!" She said and placed the small tray on my lap. It contained a mixture of cheese and crackers, jam and bread and some grapes. I glanced up at her.

"And here you thought you were preparing a gourmet dish." I said playfully. She frowned and crossed her arms.

"This is a gourmet dish, have you seen the slob that they feed the prisoners? It's atrocious!" She began to ramble on about just how bad the food was during her time in the dungeon. I chuckled as she went on about how she got sick from the rotten fruits.

After her little rambling session, Abel sat next to me and we both began eating from the plate. It was our second day couped up in this underground room, or at least, that's what Abel told me. I wasn't too sure because I knew not whether it was day or night seeing as we were underground but apparently Abel had been counting the moons? Or something of the sort.