Picking Wildflowers
Marlene lags behind a little as they walk through the forest, picking at sleepy flowers as they make their way towards the field Dorcas wanted to check out.
“We’re going to lose the light from the moon,” Dorcas says over her shoulder, not looking back. “It was a clear night, earlier,” She continues, head turned up to the sky. “But I can see the clouds rolling in.”
“We should have brought a torch just in case,” Marlene comments, and Dorcas nods.
“Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. Pandora was pretty insistent that we don’t draw attention to ourselves.”
“Huh?” Marlene says, bending down to collect more greenery for her wildflowers.
Dorcas turns around, this time. She raises a brow. “What are you doing?”
Marlene rests on one knee rather than crouching, offering the bunch of flowers to her.
“For you,” she grins.
Dorcas huffs a laugh, reaching down to take them from Marlene, inspecting the bunch.
“They’re not even blooming!” She laughs.
“They’re sleeping!” Marlene argues, getting up.
There's a rustle behind them, and a small kind of animalistic growl. The girls jump, Marlene stepping closer to Dorcas.
“We should keep going.” She whispers, and they push forward, in the direction of the field.
They walk briskly, this time Marlene keeps up, Dorcas peering over her shoulder and smiling at her as she reaches out, offering her hand.
Marlene's heart skips a beat for a whole other reason, that time.
Too bad the fact their hands are tightly linked is Marlene’s downfall, because when Dorcas falls into the hidden pit at the start of the field from the path, she pulls Marlene in with her. They’re both piked on the stakes set up below, Dorcas dying instantly, where Marlene is left to bleed out, eyes towards the disappearing moon, choking on her own blood.
When his face first appears over the ledge above them, she can’t tell who it is. But as her eyes adjust, she can just make out Peter Pettigrew, grinning down at her.
“He-help,” She gurgles.
Peter doesn’t, just watches over the ledge as she bleeds out, a pike through her torso.