Authors note: phew it's been way to long! Life is Insane. Also I'm considering changing the rating of this story to M but I'm not sure. Anyway, reviews always make my day! Please review!
I cry and look at my Papa.
"It's ok," he says. "It's just a scratch."
I smile as he wipes away my tears. He then picks me up and wraps me in his arms.
"Let's go get a bandaid." He says.
The memory of my first scraped knee comes to mind as I lie on the ground staring at the sky. How I wish the pain I felt was just a scraped knee, how I wish my father was here to pick me up and tell me that I would be fine. But he's not here.
The sky is blurry, hell, everything is blurry.
Someone is calling my name, putting pressure on the pain. Then nothing.
My world goes black as I slip into unconsciousness.
-•-
I open my eyes. Above me is tree, just tree, I cannot see the sky. I try to prop myself up but Raven pushes me down.
"You need to stay still." He says quietly. I turn my head, attempting to see my surroundings.
"We're far away from the others. But don't worry, you're safe." Raven murmurs. I look at him.
"Why are we away from the others?" I ask. I can see a troubled look in Ravens eyes.
"Amber told them you killed Falcon, I said it was an accident, no one believed me." He tells me.
"Why wouldn't anyone believe you? And why did we leave?" I ask.
"They didn't believe me because they don't trust me. You are the only one that wanted me to come with you. And we left because Amber kicked us out. Well, she kicked you out. I just opted to go with you."
I close my eyes, processing everything Raven just told me. I open them again and look at him.
"Do they all hate me?" I whisper. Raven gives me a sympathetic look.
"Not all of them. Some of them are too young to understand. Some are easily swayed. And some are indifferent." He says. "But if it makes you feel better, Splash didn't fully believe Amber's story."
I smile.
"That does make me feel a bit better. Thanks."
"Get some rest," Raven says. "I need you to have strength."
I nod and go back to sleep. I don't even want to argue. Raven seems to know everything, so I'll listen to him for now.
-•-
Raven leans against a tree trunk, across from where Phoenix rests. Her mind is troubled, he can see that. He doesn't have to read her mind to know that. He shakes his head. None of them deserve this. None of the newly found, and newly split up Rogues deserve this life. No one deserves to be an experiment. Especially not the young girl asleep in front of him.
If it weren't for the School, Lori Wilcox would be innocent and safe. If it weren't for the School, Lori Wilcox wouldn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders. If it weren't for the School, Lori Wilcox would still be Lori Wilcox. But that wasn't who she was anymore. Thanks to the School she had lost everything.
Raven sits down and replays the conversation he had just had with Phoenix. Why did he stay with her and her group, he didn't have to. He would have been fine, probably better off, on his own. But he chose to stay with her, to protect her. Probably because escaping was part of the experiment. And probably because the way this experiment was going to end was with Phoenix in a body bag.
Maybe being in people heads all the time isn't such a bad thing, Raven thinks to himself. And secretly, Raven kind of likes the knowledge it gives him. The advantage. It helped him in the past, it'll help with the future.
-•-
I feel warm. I open my eyes only to quickly close them again.
"Why is the sun so bright?" I whine. I hear Raven sigh.
"Well it is sunrise and you are facing the sun. For starters." He quips. I just groan. Finally, after a moment of silence I open my eyes and look at him.
"So where the hell do we go now?" I ask. Raven looks at me.
"Well we could go to your childhood home." He says. I look at him. He shrugs.
"After all, it's just over the hill." He says.