Chapter 6

Misguided Ghosts Part 1

Over the next week routines began to fall into place. Shiro would always wake up early, just as the sun was coming up. There were a few days where he would still be in bed trying to remember the nightmare that woke him. And sometimes he would think about finding his team and where they could possibly be. He had gotten used to waking up with Ava beside him, sometimes he would wake up with his arm around her waist. He would only to stay for a few minutes before getting up to start his day.

After getting out of bed Shiro would begin his morning workout stretching his legs and arms; doing crunches; pushups and planks. Then he would grab more water from a nearby stream to fill the water tank that ran the bathroom. When he came back Shiro would then change the wrappings to his injury, which was slowly healing, and enjoyed a nice breakfast with Ava.

Usually during the day, they spent their time differently. Ava might sit in the front room to work on improving Westley and Shiro would spend his time reading a book she had thrown at him after getting annoyed with him one afternoon. Sometimes he would try to make the walk to his Lion. The Paladin offered many times for Ava to join him but she would always decline. They would always come back together to eat though. Here they would tell each other stories. He soon learned that Ava was the baby of her family with two older brothers who did nothing but torment her. Growing up she felt left out at times and decided to join the Garrison to persue her passion of Robotics. She told him stories of all her failed experiments and how Westley did nothing but get lost after the first few weeks after making him. How she had found him broken down one day, twenty feet away from the ship and had no food to show for his efforts. Shiro would tell her stories about growing up with Keith as his adaptive brother, all the pranks that were pulled during his time at the Garrison and stories of the Paladins. Though he never spoke of his time as a Galra prisoner again and thankfully Ava never asked.

But today was different. Today when Shiro woke up there was no sleeping brunette next to him. He moved his hand to her side of the bed finding no lingering warmth so she must have gotten up a while ago. He stayed in bed longer than normal trying to see if he could hear her moving around in another room.

When didn't hear anything he finally got up to make sure to check every room in the small broken ship. He could feel his stomach twist uncomfortably with each room. He was able to find Westley hanging out by the entrance, staring out into the distance.

"You don't happen to know where Ava went to?" the Black Paladin asked. The robot made only a series of beeps and whirs that he didn't understand. Westley tried again trying the make its beeps longer as if it was talking slowly. The confused look on Shiro's only confirmed that he still didn't understand what Westley had said and finally the robot just pointed to the left of the ship.

There was just sand for miles. The only sign that the robot was right were footprints as far as the eye could see. Westley watched Shiro as he turned back inside the house. After a few minutes he came back, canteen in hand and his Paladin boots over the grey sweats Ava had given him. Leaving Westley to watch all alone at the entrance, making a small beep for goodbye.

The sand was endless. It was hard to know how long he had been walking. Had it been an hour? Thirty minutes? All Shiro knew was that when he looked back towards the ship he was currently calling home it was much harder to see. Eventually Ava's footprints lead him to a small forest. There were no more prints showing the way anymore. The forest's floor seemed much different than the one he went through the other day to get to his Lion. There weren't any thick roots to trip him up or bother his side as he walked. But Shiro was still hesitant. He was unsure where to go next. If he kept going straight would he be able to find Ava? How would he know if she turned in a different direction once he got in there?

It took a while for the Paladin to argue the pros and cons of which direction he should take before finally settling on going straight through the woods. He wouldn't turn left or right and if he could not find Ava before hitting the other side of the woods he would turn back. It was the best solution to his problem and he hoped that she thought the same way. He made sure to drink some water from the canteen before heading into the woods to continue his search.

Even though the forest floor was a lot smoother, there were still hanging vines blocking his path from time to time. Shiro began to tie some of the vines to the nearest tree to help him find his way back when he decided it was time to turn around.

He had at least expected to see Ava through the small trees before he got to the edge of the woods. Instead there was a small pond in front of him with some small bit of grass between it and the forest. Shiro didn't know where to go next. There was nothing around to help him that he could see. He looked to his left, eyes squinting but couldn't quite make anything out and then looked over to his right. Again he thought of the best path to take before ultimately letting the fates decide.

Starting at his right he pointed to each direction as he sang eeny meeny miny moe to himself, pointing to either direction after each word. At the end of the song Shiro was pointing to his left and soon set off.

It did not take long to finally find Ava. She was sitting where the soft grass of the forest met the bank of the pond before her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest just staring out into the distance.

"Ava." Shiro was so relieved to know she was safe that he jogged the rest of the way towards her. A weird feeling that he had since waking up had finally disappeared. But she didn't seem to acknowledge he was here. She just kept staring out towards the pond in front of her.

"Ava," he said again kneeling down beside her.

Again she just stared out. Her hair was still messy from sleep and the laces to her boots were left untied. Like she was in a rush to get here as fast as she could just so she could sit. Gently Shiro put his hand on her shoulder.

That got her attention. Ava moved her head slightly in his direction. It was like flipping on a switch and suddenly her eyes came into focus. They looked red and puffy like she had been crying. "Shiro…what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find you and I was worried."

"You… were worried?"

"Yes." He smiled, hand moving on its own from her shoulder to brush away a few stray hairs from her face. That small gesture scared her, eyes getting as big as saucers. Quickly she turned her head away from him.

"Go." She finally croaked with tears falling down her face.

Shiro's left hand was still hovering in the air. He was unsure of what to do. Should he listen to her and just leave her here by herself? Should he try to say something to make her come back home? He opened his mouth but she cut him off.

"Please. Just…go."

The Paladin sat there for a minute before finally standing up. He dropped the canteen next to her. His fingertips brushed Ava's shoulder as he turned to leave. She looked as if she didn't even notice that he left.

When Shiro returned to the ship it was starting to rain. He helped Westley put up tarp around the giant gaping hole by the desk as it rained harder with each passing minute. Secretly he wanted to go back and force Ava to come back home. But if she wanted to be stuck outside in the rain that was her problem.

The rain was falling faster now and the wind began to push inside. Lighting flashed every few minutes providing the only light in the tiny broken down ship. Shiro stood far enough from the door way so that he wouldn't be getting soaked but he could still look out. He wondered if Ava was ok. Hoped that she had found shelter to keep herself safe from the storm. Thought about going back out in the storm to go look for her.

He soon saw a dark figure come into view making its way towards them. That had to be her, there was no one else for miles. Shiro watched her, standing a little straighter, as she tried to run in the slick mud.

It happened so fast he almost missed it. There was a bright flash of light several feet beside Ava. Her feet slipped and she fell face first to the ground. The clap of thunder that proceeded was deafening. Shiro stood there for a second before running towards her.

Ava thought she heard her name but it was hard to tell with all the ringing in her ears. She tried to stand up but her knees shook so bad that she collapsed back into the mud again. The rain was still coming down hard. She had been running since the rain woke her from the crazy daze she was in back at the lake. She had no energy left to get back up. She didn't know how long she was sitting there, was it minutes? Hours? It became hard to tell. Eventually Ava felt her arms move on their own, wrapping around something and then pressure under her knees and lower back as she was lifted into the air. They were telling her something but she couldn't make out the words.

Eventually Ava didn't feel the constant rhythm of the rain pelt her body but it was replaced by goosebumps and uncontrollable shaking. There was a soft murmur by her ear but she was only able to make out one word: stand. No. There was no way she could possibly stand up on her own. Not without collapsing back on to the floor. She tried to open her mouth to speak but the only sound that came out was her chattering teeth so she shook her head.

They were on the move again towards the bedroom. Shiro placed her gently on the bed, making sure Ava could support herself sitting up.

"The light." She croaked at him once she was settled. The storm was still raging on and although the lightning still flashed in the distance, it hardly made a difference in the dark room. "It's… behind you by the door." Shiro turned slightly and let his hand slide on the wall in search for the switch.

Once he flipped the switch it took a while for the lights to come on. When they did it seemed like they were about to go out at any minute. But at least now they could see each other and move around without bumping into the bed. Shiro stepped out of the room, coming back a short time later holding a towel and placed it around her shoulders. It didn't help much as she still shook from the cold breeze coming in from the front of the ruined ship.

"Do you have any other clothes to change into?" He asked kneeling in front of her, left hand placed gently on her knee. Shiro raked his metal hand through his hair to get it out of his face.

Ava shook her head no. The only other set of clothes she had found was what he was wearing. "You c-c-could look but I think you are wearing the only other one."

Shiro looked down at his own wet clothes and made a face. "I'll look for something for you. And get you something to eat."

She opened her mouth to protest. To tell him she was fine and that he did not need to do this but once she opened her mouth her teeth started chattering again. She made sure the towel was wrapped tightly around her and closed her mouth.

It was a while before Shiro came back into the room. He handed her a small bowl of soup and left again. Ava let the warmth spread to her hands before taking a small sip. As she ate she could her a few loud bangs coming from different areas around the ship.

By the time he came back the Paladin had nothing to show for his efforts. He had changed out of his own wet clothes and into his paladin outfit without the armor. He looked to the other side of the bed, something catching his eye.

"Is there anything in there?" He asked nodding to the locker that was being used as a nightstand.

Ava stared at it for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure. That belonged to Margie, one of the pilots. It hasn't been opened since…" she trailed off unable to finished her thought.

"It doesn't hurt to try and see what's in there." Shiro quickly made his way across the room and knelt by the small locker. He stared the words 'M. Bernstein' that were etched into the metal before trying the lock. Of course it did not open. He squeezed his metal hand making the magenta glow appear once more and cut out the door with his hand.

When he got back to his starting point Shiro carefully removed the lockers door placing it against the wall. He squeezed his hand again and the magenta light faded away. Carefully he riffled trough the locker for anything Ava could wear.

Secretly Ava knew that there was nothing in there for her. She remembered that she had to bury Margie in what she was wearing, which happened to be the Orange shirt and grey sweats they all wore while they were on the space ship. And if he was able to find something for her to change into there was no way it was going to fit her. Margie had been a size or two smaller than she was when they started this mission. So no matter what she was stuck in the wet clothes she had on.

"Finally!"

Ava whipped her head over to look at the Black Paladin. He was holding up a purple button up shirt with a wide grin on his face. She felt her ears get hot and looked away.

"It probably won't fit me." Ava told him. She remembered Margie wearing it under the space suit when they launched. She told them it was her lucky shirt. Didn't do much for her though Ava thought and pulled the towel around her tighter as a chill ran down her spine.

"Just try it on. I also found these too." Shiro was still smiling when he handed her the shirt and a pair of black pants.

She took the clothes from him begrudgingly. It took her a while but she eventually got up from the bed on her own and headed to the bathroom. Once inside Ava ripped off the soaked towel and tank top she had on and made sure to place it in the sink to try and keep it clean. As she changed Ava noticed that even after eating the soup her skin still felt cold to her touch. Secretly she wished to take a long hot shower but that was never going to happen while she was stuck here.

When she finished changing she picked at her outfit making sure that it did fit and it wasn't just her imagination. The shirt didn't feel as tight as Ava thought it would, which surprised her. Maybe she had lost a bit of weight after crashing here. But it still felt weird to wear a dead girl's clothes.

But not just any girl a girl she knew, a girl she worked with, laughed with and spent many months floating out in space with. She knew her name and what she looked like. Suddenly she imagined Margie wearing her purple button down shirt walking around the spaceship, her long brown curls pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head. She was staring at the screen of the tablet in her hands. Her eyebrows knitted together in worry as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She was trying to say something but Ava couldn't hear her. The floor shook beneath them and a siren was going off somewhere.

There was a knock at the bathroom door. "Is everything okay in there?" Shiro asked, voice muffled by the door.

Ava was leaning over the sink. Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was holding on. It took her a minute to realize what happened. "Y-yea…everything's fine." She made sure to compose herself before she opened the door.

Ava watched as the scar on the Paladin's face turn a darker pink. She tried to think of something funny to say about that but a small throbbing in her head distracted her.

"Are you going to tell me what today was all about?" Shiro's voice was concerned, his hand hesitated inches from her face before settling on her shoulder.

Ava's cheeks flushed from embarrassment and she started to play with the shirt's hem. It felt weird as it was much lower than the one she made to the orange tank she usually wore. "Yea I guess. But do you mind if I lay down for a bit? My head…." Her hand slowly lifted to her head as her voice trailed off.

"Of course." And soon Ava was following him down the narrow hallway with dread filling her stomach.