Orphans of Legends
Ch.11: Agendas and Nightmares
Lyra POV
Well, this is a real fine mess you've gotten yourself into Lyra. I thought to myself as I sat at the head of my cot with my back to the wall and my arms wrapped around my folded legs.
My chin rested on my knees as I continued degrading myself.
It's been a few days since I was first brought into this cell, and I'd only talked to that Marshal guy as he interrogated me.
He was a very inquisitive person when it came to asking about myself and stuff.
I'd so far managed to dodge any questions that would compromise my pack, but only just barely.
And now I'm just really tired, being held up in such a limited space is driving me crazy.
There was only enough room in here for just the bed and a few feet of the floor.
There were no toilets or sinks in my cell, so I had to ask that tree nymph that sits on the desk for permission to use the bathroom that's just down the hall of these cells.
Her and some guard that was posted outside the hallway would walk me there and back.
At least they didn't see it necessary to watch me while I was in their.
What was most frustrating was my own unwillingness to attempt an escape.
The idea had crossed my mind a lot, but there was always something that seemed to stop me.
This cell offers only one barred window that shows me only what looks like a wooden log wall that I could only barely see the top of.
I occasionally caught the sound of people talking nearby, but I still can't tell where I was or how many defenders they have here.
So frustrating!
I could attempt a break out, though it would most likely end in failure.
But it could offer me a chance to see more of where I am and possibly even present me an opportunity to call for help?
But it would also destroy the option of making these people trust me, as ludicrous as that sounds.
It isn't my main goal but I have to at least consider it.
Ugh! So many choices, yet to few positive results.
Despite all the possible chances I have or had, one way or another, I chose to remain silent and content with myself in this cell.
My failings as both a warrior and a healer drove an iron spike down through my core and I had neither the courage nor the will to do much of anything other than observe and sulk with myself.
Father would've been very disappointed if he saw me now.
A pathetic waste of a person, too focused on self-pity rather than self-preservation.
These thoughts continued to play throughout my head in a manner that I'm certain will drive me crazy eventually.
But I didn't seem to mind the chaotic ensemble.
Sighing at my self reflection, I uncurled myself and leaned back against the wall. Glancing up at the small window and watching the sky through the small view point.
I thought of home, and how right about now Great Aunt Myra would be teaching her weaving skills to the younger kids.
How Athrun would be racing his friends home, trying to beat the dinner bell, and how Father and Mother would be scolding the younglings for being too rowdy or not showing the proper respect to them and our ancestors.
Oh my ancestors, how I wish for guidance in this, my most dyer time of-
My moment of peace and meditation was interrupted when I heard the little bell that signaled the front door opening.
Ugh, must be dinner time.
"Hey there Ruby, I've got her meal." A guy's voice said that sounded slightly familiar.
"Go ahead and leave it here dear." Said the craggy yet sweet voice of the curly red headed tree nymph.
I wonder what's for dinner?
One thing these people are good at, it's at least knowing how to cook a good meal. I thought as I gave a sniff of the air.
It was faint, but I caught a whiff of a delicious sent that I could only guess to be well cooked beef stew that had the wonderful aroma of various spices and a herb or two.
"Well if it's alright, could I give it to her myself?" Asked the familiar voice.
Oh great, another one with questions. I thought as I rolled my eyes.
"That's against Actaeon's orders Thaddeus, he wants as few people as possible getting near her or talking with her." Ruby replied somewhat smugly.
"Oh, why? She a carrier of some disease or something?" asked Thaddeus in a sarcastic tone.
I heard Ruby scoff annoyingly at his persistence, which I found slightly humorous.
"No, she isn't, and why do you think Marshal does anything? He's just looking out for you kids like he always has." She answered, but added, "Though I have no idea why he puts up with all of you at all."
I could just picture Great Aunt Myra giving an answer like that.
"Well either way, I'd still like to have a go at her. As far as I know, he hasn't gotten anything from her yet after what? Two days of trying?" He asked which was answered by a silence that all but told him he was right.
Clever one, but does he have to make it sound like it's his turn at riding a mechanical bull? I thought frustratingly.
"It doesn't matter whether he's learned anything or not, his orders are final! Now move along already before Actaeon comes back and catches you nosing around." Ruby retorted.
"Aw come on! Please Ruby? All I'm asking for is just five minutes? Five minutes and I'm gone. I'll have my mother send you the latest romance novels?" Thaddeus offered.
Romance novels?
There was a pause before Ruby answered. "Well… alright. But if anyone asks, you snuck by me; you hear?"
He must have given a nod because he didn't speak back.
I heard his footsteps as he neared the hallway entrance. They stopped just before entering.
"And here's your meal Kenny, complements of Jorge. I convinced him to add some extra for you." Thaddeus said to the guard who was on post.
"Aw thanks! You didn't have to do that." Kenny replied in a giddy voice.
"Consider it my time card; five minutes, no less." Thaddeus replied back. He must've really wanted to talk.
Then the door opened and he came in, allowing me to finally realized who the familiar voice belonged to.
It was one of the boys from before who had attacked my party and rescued the Hunters, the one with the blueish horse.
He seemed to have possessed some hidden authority within the group back then, and from the conversation I had just heard, he must be a person of high standing here.
He currently whore a get up that reminded me of what young people who worked at a summer camp would wear. His hair was still cut short on the sides and well-trimmed on the top.
Not really the look of a torture expert so that's good. I thought, but I kept my hopes low since appearances are often misleading.
What really struck me were his eyes. A pair of vibrant blue that seemed to see right through my defenses and into my souls weakest points.
Strangely enough, they reminded me of my fathers own gaze as he would look upon me as I studied or practiced a skill, always seeming to be looking for something inside me.
Familiarity aside, I knew immediately that this was no one to take lightly or openly trust.
"Hello there, you look like you're doing well." He said with his eyes softening and using a friendly tone.
"I've got a nice meal today, it's-"
"Beef Stew with herbal spices and some bread rolls." I interjected.
One of the few pleasures I have as a pack member is my strong sense of smell which happens to be one of the best in the pack.
This caused the boy to just look at me, mouth agape, as if I hit pause on him.
He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay… color me impressed." He said as he placed the tray in a little horizontal slot of the cell door for food.
"I also got you some choices of drinks, or could you tell that too?" He asked jokingly, I simply shook my head in response.
"Okay then, there's grape juice, lemonade, or milk." He said digging out each bottled drink and placing them next to the tray of food.
I gave an impassive look for a moment before responding.
"Grape." I said as I looked over my meal from my position on the bed.
After he nodded, he placed the grape juice in an open slot on the tray and pocketed the other two drinks in his cargo pockets.
He seemed to just stand there afterwards as if he was waiting for me to tell him how the food tasted.
We stayed that way awkwardly for another minute.
"So…" Thaddeus said, trying to break the thick wall of ice I would have preferred to keep solid.
"Those two hunters from the forest are doing a lot better. One is already up and walking, the other is still unconscious, but she's expected to wake up soon so-"
"Whatever it is you want to ask or do to me, just get it over with." I interrupted him while turning my head back to look at the wall.
In truth, I had been expecting this for some time, one of them was bound to sneak in here to ask their own questions about me; or worse yet, they might begin using a more extreme method of extracting information from me.
Thaddeus paused for a moment, seeming not have been expecting my bluntness, guess he was expecting me to be all nervous and heartbroken over my involvement in the attack on the Hunters.
Sure, I felt guilty, but I was just following my Alpha's orders, just as any subordinate should.
Sighing, Thaddeus grabbed a nearby chair and placed it in front of my cell, sitting on it backwards similar to how cops acted in an interrogation room and played the 'good cop/bad cop' routine on TV. (Yes, even I have seen them. Athrun favors them the most out of all the other options for him on Netflix).
"Well… I didn't come here to ask questions like where you're from or why your people attacked those hunters." Thaddeus said as he sat down.
"Or to torture you…" He added.
"I was just wondering about a few things." He finished while leaning forward on the chairs back.
I stared at his face, looking for any hints of decent or foolery, but all I saw was a stoic face that gave nothing away.
He at least knows how to keep his guard up.
"Go ahead then." I said. "But you only have three minutes and forty seconds left, just so you know." I added.
He crouched his eyebrows while glancing around, probably wondering how I'd heard that from here.
"Alright, question one: how do you do that?"
"Do what?" I said with an innocent look, I knew what he was asking but I couldn't help but have a little fun with him.
"How did you just…you know what, never mind. What I wanted to ask you was something about what happened the night of the attack?" He said.
"Your Marshal has already asked me about this in depth and I promise you won't get anything more than he did." I said turning back to facing the cell wall.
"All I want to know is what happened to the Hunter." He stated.
"Which Hunter?" I asked, getting more and more annoyed by the second.
"The one your friends took." He said.
I turned and gazed lazily at him.
"I don't know what happened to her, she's probably long gone by now." I said.
"I wouldn't know where she is because they know I've been captured and they wouldn't take her anywhere I could possibly divulge. Two minutes left."
The boy didn't seem too fazed by my attempt at pressuring him with a time constraint.
"So you wouldn't possibly know where she could have been taken?" he asked.
What is with him and finding out about some kidnapped Hunter.
"You must have a hearing problem because that's exactly what I just said!" This one either had a very short memory or is just trying to mess with me.
He just smirked at me, obviously finding my annoyance humorous.
He must just be here to play around for some amusement. I thought as I grabbed the bowl of soup and began eating.
If I'm going to have to listen to this guy make fun of me, I might as well eat before my food gets cold.
"Tell you what." he said after a few seconds of silence.
"What if I asked if you could do me a favor, and in return, I'll do one for you." He asked.
I gave him a side glance as I chewed on a piece of meat and potatoes, quirking my eyebrow to tell him I was listening.
'Always keep your ears open and your mind sharp.`` That's what father always told me.
"I can get you released." He said, which made me stop in mid-chew.
Released? Does he mean I can be free? I quickly swallowed down the meat that was not at all ready to be swallowed, then I looked at him searching for any underlyIng deception but found only the same stoic mask.
If he was messing with me before, can this simply be a trick to give me false confidence? I thought. I decided to see where this may go.
"How?" I asked.
"Simple, you take us to the missing Hunter, and we'll call it even." He stated, followed by another lengthy stretch of silence.
I rolled my eyes intently and returned to looking at my meal.
"You must really not have heard me; I don't know where she is!" I said.
"Maybe, maybe not; but you could help us find her a lot quicker than we could on our own. You know the people who took her; you know how they move and how they think. You could help us track them down. And in return, once the Hunter is safe, we'll let you go free." He said in such a mellow tone that you'd think he was planning for a trip to buy groceries.
I glared at him from the side of my eye lid.
"You actually think I'd be stupid enough to trust you at your word. And how could you trust me, an enemy, to take you where you want to go?!" I asked.
"Well you did try to save that Hunter from before, so I guess there must be some conscience in you that cares about the one that's lost." I froze at his words, my eyes were wide and my voice was caught in my throat.
Seconds past by that seemed like minutes, my mind was a loop of thoughts, coming back to the same question that I seemed unable to answer; 'Why did I help that girl?' She was no one that I knew or cared for.
To me she was an enemy, someone we were tasked with hunting down, nothing more.
"Well?" my thoughts were interrupted by the boy.
He was still sitting and looking at me patiently for my answer, but I actually didn't know what to say.
If I agree, I'll probably have to help track down my own kin.
Would father see me as a traitor?
But if I stay here, I may never see him, mother, or the rest of my pack ever again.
"I hate to rush you but like you said before, our time is limited. I can't guarantee this offer will even be considered again, so if you have an answer, give it." He said leaning back and folding his arms.
I grimaced as I began thinking over my options faster.
"You understand that there is no guarantee that I'll be able to lead you to her?" I asked to which he simply nodded.
"And that there is a high chance that I may betray you?" he nods again.
"And that the likelihood of any of you coming back is slim at best?" he nods once more.
Does he not have a care for his own life, or is this all just an elaborate trick to throw me off guard?
His posture seemed relaxed but his eyes held a gaze that seemed to prevent me from looking away, making me feel like I'm looking down the barrel of a rifle.
I then saw why he showed little fear in this venture, it was all in his eyes.
He's not worried about betrayal, because he would be ready for it if it came at all.
Such a man would be dangerous to trust, but if this presents even a slim chance for me, better to take it and fail rather than sit here never succeeding.
"Alright…I'll do it." I said.
His gaze softened and I let in a breath that I seemed to have forgotten to take in.
I was like a deer in headlights! Athrun would never let me hear the end of it if he learned of this.
This was definitely not the best plan, but it may allow me my freedom sooner rather than later.
He sighed and got up to stretch, cracking his back as he did.
"Okay then, I'll get back to you with more details soon, sit tight till then." He said, then put the chair back where it had originally been and made his way to the door.
"For what it's worth," he said after stopping just before opening it.
"I think it was a pretty brave thing you did, staying behind to help her." And with that he was gone.
I knew what he was talking about, but didn't feel any thankfulness for his complement.
Brave…? I thought as I stared down at my soup, fiddling with the spoon in the noodles.
What a strange man.
Thaddeus POV
I opened the office door and stepped out into the evening air, letting a sigh of relief out that I'd been holding.
I was both thankful and lucky that my plan seemed to be rolling with a good start.
I moved to close the door, only to freeze at the gazing pair of sharp fiery brown eyes that seemed to be waiting for me.
Uh oh… Guess I took longer than five minutes.
Leaning on the side of the building was none other than the Marshal himself, his arms folded, left leg bent back with the foot on the wall so that all the weight was on his right leg.
His hat hung low on his brow; he had an old fashioned pipe in his mouth that had a light column of smoke coming out and bending in the air.
"Enjoy yer little talk, Thaddeus?" Actaeon asked with that half grin of his that he shows at the weekly poker game.
When he knows he's won.
I simply sighed, accepting my fate, and closed the door; robing Ruby, who seemed to be trying to listen in on us, of obtaining more gossip material for the Nymph grape vine.
"I take it you heard everything?" I asked which he nodded his hat at me as an answer, and then blew a haze of smoke out.
"And so what are you going to do?" I asked.
There was an underlying question I added in there that I'm positive he picked up.
'Are you going to let us go, or are you going to try and stop us?'
He held back his answer for a lengthy, and somewhat dramatic, pause until he clicked his tongue.
"Honestly, you'd managed to get further than I had with the lass. I gotta tell ya, this plan of yours be bold if noth'n else." He spoke with a casual tone that showed he wasn't too upset with me.
"Does that mean your actually all for it?" I asked with raised eyebrows.
"Don't be gett'n the wrong idea there bucko. I said it was bold, I didn't say it was smart. There ain't no guarantee it would work; worst case, you'd end up caught yourself." He said to me like I was a child being told they couldn't ride the best roller-coaster because their too small.
"Wouldn't the worst case be me dead?" I asked, making him grumble a laugh.
"If I've learned one thing in my long years, it's that death isn't never the worst thing that could happen to yah." He said, and I nodded in response.
"What might be the reason behind this lill plan ah yours anyhow?" He asked after blowing out another cloud of smoke.
I sighed and rolled my eyes, then noticed Alex and Thalia still hanging around the entrance to the Hall.
Alex was trying to look inconspicuous while also glancing my way with a look of unease, no doubt thinking that I had gotten the both of us onto KP duty for the rest of the month with the twins as company.
Thalia, on the other hand, was as nonchalant as could be.
Leaning against a wood column, arms crossed, and eyes that where glued on me with a look that showed trained patience and curiosity.
"A peace offering." I said in response to Actaeon's question, repeating what I had told Alex before.
He must have followed my gaze and seen the two because he gave a light laugh that I knew meant he found my answer amusing.
"That be thinkin pretty far ahead there boy, you think they'll actually take it that way?" he asked, making quick sense of my meaning whereas Alex had been stumped.
I shrugged as I turned back to him.
"I don't know. But it can't hurt right? From what I know about them, they won't give up. They would find their way here eventually, and it's not like we can keep her here forever." I said.
"Mh, well I can tell ya now son, there ain't no way in Hades that this plan's gonna get approved by the others. Cat Ears may take your side if she ever gets back, but I'd bet money on the others shooting you down like a rock." Actaeon stated.
"Then maybe… it be best if I didn't get permission at all." I said looking back at the Marshal and gave him a smug smirk, and he gave me a sly grin in return.
"Yeah… but you'd best think long and hard 'bout what'll happen when you got back," he laughed un-humorously, "that's if you come back at all." He added, blowing one last puff of smoke that morphed into a small deer that ran and jumped around him till it disappeared.
Show off.
Before I could talk more with him, I noticed Riley come running up with a little cloud of dust at her back.
She skirted to a halt in front of me and leaned down to catch her breath.
Déjà vu any one?
"Well what's lit that fire on your rear this time Riles?" Actaeon asked, giving Riley his personal nickname for her that she secretly loved.
After a few seconds of huffing, she looked up and met my eyes, worry almost drowning her pupils.
"What's wrong sis?" I asked.
"It's Jenna," huff "she's gone!" She said.
I glanced at Actaeon who returned my look.
Then sent my gaze across the Box looking for the color of auburn.
I vocally sighed at this new, yet very familiar, annoyance that greeted me.
"Not again..." I grunted.
LINE BREAK – 2
Faith POV
No, not again…not this again! I pleaded with my subconscious as it took me back through my worst nightmare.
The pure darkness shifted till I started to make out shapes; a radio board, a rear view mirror, and those same lucky dice that hung from it.
There was a smell of an overused air freshener and paper. Just as I remembered it…
I was once again sitting in the passenger seat of my dads car, everything looked to be in black and white like one of those old 1940's tv shows.
We were driving along late at night in the snowy weather, coming back home from a late night at the county courthouse that was just outside of Chicago.
My dad had a job as a state prosecutor and had to come to work on a Saturday to take care of some important documents.
Since I knew he would be home late and knowing that his office had plenty of things that needed to be done, I decided to tag along and help him out a little.
I honestly never really minded that my dad was busy, he was a hard worker and was dedicated to his job.
He would sometimes bring me to work with him in place of a babysitter (law school isn't exactly merciful when forcing their students into an eternity of dept).
Ever since I was little, he would bring me to work, somehow balancing his workload on taking care of me.
Thankfully, the Judge and staff he worked under was understanding and cut him some slack for it; that and I think they all kinda fell in love with me at first sight since the first time he took me was when I was just seven.
Since then the court building was like my second home, I'd almost memorized all the twists and turns there were in it.
Even the security staff new me by name and always let me through with no second thoughts.
Tonight was like any other time, we had just finished with the closing of another case involving a robbery and I was looking forward to the two of us enjoying a relaxing Sunday indoors.
But sometime before we left, a huge snow storm had begun to fall.
It being late in the month of January, I wasn't surprised by it, but it seemed bigger and more frightening than all the ones I'd seen before at this time of year.
Despite the storm, we decided to try for home.
And now here we were driving aimlessly through waves and waves of thick snow falls that stained the road making dad having to drive much slower than either of us would have liked to.
We were talking about the details of the case; rather I was asking questions and he was doing his best to sugar coat the answers.
But I can't really recall exactly what it was we said, I've tried again and again to remember, but it always ended up in bringing the fear and pain that I was all to familiar with.
My eyes drifted to my dad, he was a charming man.
Had an average nice smile and was well mannered to others.
He was jabbering on about something, but I couldn't hear him. I could only hear one sound when this dream came.
It'll be soon now, just try to tough it out till it's over just like you always do. It's just a dream, just a dream…. I told myself, but deep down I knew I would end up reacting.
This isn't the first time I have had this nightmare and it won't be the last.
I used to have it very often. Every night after it happened, I would return to this seat and watch it happen over and over again.
It had gotten easier to handle once I joined the Hunt.
The strength of Artemis ran deep in me and help calm my nightmares, but they still came if only as frequent as a full moon each month.
As my dad continued his story, I looked ahead at the snow that fell past us as we drove by.
It always looked like we were traveling through the stars at speeds I could only dream of.
I'm sure at one point I found the display to be beautiful and wondrous, but now as I dreamt it, it scared me.
The darkness of the night that seemed to drain all the light and warmth in the world, how the snow came and blew by as it came out of nowhere and returned to nowhere, and the fact that you couldn't see more than a dozen feet ahead of you was unsettling to say the least.
The wind howled in rage, it was still the only sound I could register for some reason.
The road was brightly white, covered by compacted and frozen snow.
Please, stop…
"Dad, you should stop the car. We should go back and wait this out." I heard me say, but knew it was pointless.
He failed to even acknowledge that I asked him anything and continued to move his mouth, remaining on whatever conversation he thought we were having.
Just like the many times I had this dream before.
Still, despite the futility, I continued trying.
"Dad! Please! You need to stop the car right NOW!" I tried to will my body to move; to hit him, grab the wheel, pull the emergency brake, anything.
But I just sat there, watching the road and knowing that it was approaching.
The fear of what was coming was overwhelming.
STOP! Someone stop this! Artemis, Thalia, someone! I prayed for her help again but nothing ever came.
I began to shiver as the temperature suddenly felt like it turned to below freezing.
I could feel it coming.
I don't know what exactly it was, but it was big, fast, and powerful.
I lost control of my breath, ice cold air came in and out of my lungs in quick bursts.
My bones felt like they were being frozen from the inside out.
I looked at my dad once again and he was looking back at me with a warm smile that only made the reality of it more bitter and empty.
I think I might have been crying, but my face felt too cold for me to be sure.
"Just END it already, make this STOP." I screamed in my head, trying with all my might to struggle in the hopes I'd fall out of whatever bed I was in and be forced to wake up.
Then out of the sound of the billowing wind, came a horrid roar that sounded distant but was getting closer and closer.
I was shivering and I couldn't feel my limbs, my teeth chattered together in the cold air.
I looked ahead into the darkness in front of the car, and I saw in the distance a pair of eyes in the headlights that reflected a fiery red.
They trapped me in a stare that multiplied my fear ten times more.
No, no, no, please Gods NO!
It continued its roar, as it became louder and louder the closer it came.
I began to faintly see the outline of the monster as it's limbs flexed and moved as it ran forward. Charging head first at us like a wild bull.
I tried in vain to force my eyes shut and block my ears from the sound of its piercing call for my death.
The beast leapt up in the air right for us and everything slowed down and went quiet.
I knew I couldn't stop this, because it had already happened.
My breath hitched and I couldn't get it back. The cold became unbearable and agonizing.
The beasts twin horns shone in the head light, its roaring hot breath steamed out of its mouth in the cold air.
Giant black muscled arms were reaching ahead, as if the beast was planning to catch the whole car.
Its face; long and forever trapped in a look of mad rage.
Please just let me die, don't take him away from me? I don't want to be alone again…please…
But then, just before the beast hit its mark, my chest became immersed in warmth.
It was a slow and calming warmth that made the nightmare that tormented me begin to fade away, returning to its place as a memory deep within my mind.
It would never leave me, it will always follow me. Like a balled weight chained to my leg.
The warm feeling spread into my body like warm water of a bathtub filling up slowly while you laid down and enjoyed the slow process.
Letting it take away all the grime, pain, and problems you faced during your day.
This feeling… where is it coming from?
I honestly didn't care where or how, I let continue it's work.
I felt my limbs return to me and I moved my arms around the warmth, taking in all I could get from it.
My mind seemed to pour out new memories, times of happiness and joy throughout my life.
My dad and I sitting on the couch on a rainy day, the two of us wrapped in soft, thick blankets while we watched one of my favorite movies, GhostBusters.
The thunderous applause I got in the auditorium when I entered my old schools talent concert in seventh grade for my poem titled: The Beast of Possibility.
The hunters finding me after I finally became of age to leave the foster care system and showing me what it means to be in a family again.
I took in all these memories and I cherished them all.
Each were important moments that gave me courage and strength. They were like my anchors that kept me level and secure.
Before I knew it, all of the scenes vanished, the faint sounds of my laughter echoing as they did, and I began to feel myself stir from my sleep.
My eyelids felt like they were glued shut and my mouth felt as dry as a desert. My head had a slight ache to it, but it was manageable.
My body felt week, but I didn't feel any pain.
There was a smell of pine and…peaches?
That's an odd combo.
Both were potent in and they gave a surreal aura.
I think I was on some sort of bed that bent slightly putting my upper body at an elevation.
I tried to focus on what might be around me.
There was a humming sound I think might have been a fan, but I couldn't tell anything else.
Gotta open my eyes.
After a few seconds of trying, I finally was able to open them a little.
The light wasn't too bright thankfully and I waited for the haze to go away and focus.
When they did, I was looking up at a wooden ceiling.
Wood? A cabin maybe?
I looked to the sides and I assessed that I was in some type of hospital or medical building of some kind.
How did I get here? And what happened?
I tried to remember what might have happened to earn me a ticket here, but my memory came up with static.
Then I notice that my chest had a heavier weight to it than it normally should, and that I had my arms wrapped around something that was breathing.
I looked down and saw that I was hugging a little girl as she clung to me.
She was laying on my right side and had her arms around my waste, with her head laying sideways on my breast as if she was listening for a heartbeat.
The girl had a patch of light red hair with princess curls that fluttered around.
For a moment I thought it was Artemis laying on me, but realized she was too young to be her.
This girl looked to be maybe five or six.
For some reason, I wasn't creeped out or anything.
In fact, the girl seemed to radiate with the same warm feeling I felt in my dream.
Is she the reason I woke up?
I didn't know if she was sleeping or not, so I let her be for now and went back to looking around the room.
There were other beds in the room, but none of them were in use.
There was a clock on the wall that said it was 8:15, but I couldn't tell if it was morning or evening.
I was wondering if an attendant would come around when I felt a shift of the weight on my chest and looked down and was greeted by a pair of warm caramel chocolate brown eyes.
"Hi." The small and quiet voice of the girl said to me. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah…yeah I think so. Um… what's your name?" I asked.
She gave me a small smile that automatically made me smile back.
"I'm Jenna." She said back like she was excited to give her name.
"Hello there Jenna, my name's Faith. Are…are you the one who woke me up?" I asked.
Her face changed to one of nervousnesses and I could feel her legs fidgeting.
"You were scared and crying…" She said with a guilty look on her face.
I reached up to my cheek and felt the traces of tear trails on them.
I really was crying then.
A heartbeat later, a scene suddenly flashed in my eyes; a lifeless body of a muddied wolf with a pool of blood around it.
Hands covered in blood and holding a knife, my knife; my hands.
My hands jerked to my mouth as I felt a scream trying to come out of my throat and my stomach began to feel sick.
I groaned as I struggled to keep whatever was left in my stomach from coming out.
I didn't know what that scene was from, I couldn't remember anything more.
But I was certain that I was the one who killed the wolf and the idea made me want to curl up and scream.
"What's wrong? Can I help? Please… don't cry." Jenna pleaded with me, climbing further onto the bed and began to cry as well, not understanding why I was reacting like this.
She then wrapped her arms around my neck in another hug that seemed much stronger than before.
The warmth returned again, this time it felt like I was being drenched in it, and I slowly started to calm down.
I still cried a little, but more out of fear than pain.
On instinct, I hugged the girl back, using her as a child would use a teddy bear when they were scared and began slowly rocking the both of us, trying to quell the tears from both her and me.
After a few minutes, I finally regained a more firm control over myself.
Taking a few deep breaths to return the lost air in my lungs.
That warmth, it came back when…
I looked down to see the little girl still laying on me with her head resting in the crook of my neck and noticed her arms had gone slack, she had sweat build up on her forehead.
She seemed to have fallen asleep from exhaustion.
There's no doubt now, it was definitely you that the warmth came from.
For a moment I didn't know what to do. I still had no idea where I was or what happened to get me here.
Was the Hunt attacked, was I on some mission, or whatever else could have happened?
Despite my confusion, I was once again tired from the terrible episode of pain and fear from just a moment ago, and this little one didn't seem like she was interested in going anywhere soon.
She seems so small and weak, yet not even knowing me, she did everything she could to help me. I thought as I moved a strand of auburn hair out of her slightly perspiring face.
Deciding that I could afford to wait for answers for whenever I wake up later, I decided to simply get some more rest till then.
I moved so that the girl was lying next to me and pulled the light, white blanket over us.
She leaned into my chest as she slept, getting comfortable in the new position.
"Thank you for saving me, my little savior." I whispered to her.
I kissed her forehead and rested my own head next to her and wrapped her in my arms.
Soon enough, I fell back into a deep sleep; somehow I knew that there would be no nightmare waiting for me this time.
Next – Ch.12: One Foot, then the Other