I glanced up from massaging my injured hand on my way to the dining room and saw Sebastian and Thomas entering the entrance hall from a far door. Rolling my eyes at myself for what I was about to do, I ran up behind them and latched onto Thomas, earning a gasp of surprise.

They both turned to face me as I released my hold on Thomas, my left hand absentmindedly returning to my right, where I massaged it in an attempt to lessen the pain. They smiled, and I returned it.

"Thomas, I just wanted to thank you for yesterday. If you hadn't helped to stop that man, I don't know what would have happened to me. So thank you very much for risking your life for me."

Smiling, Thomas reached out and messed up my hair lovingly. My smile grew as he waved off my thanks, then he turned to leave.

"Wait!" I called, reaching out to him. He turned to face me again. "I wanted to have dinner with everyone tonight. If you aren't busy, I'd appreciate it if you would be there."

Thomas smiled and nodded, then turned and left the room.

Sebastian approached me and gently took my left hand and examined it closely. It was a little swollen and slightly discolored from bruising, but other than that it appeared fine to me. He seemed to think so too, because he released it a moment later. Then he took in my appearance and smiled.

"What is it?" I asked, my hands immediately going to my hair. "It doesn't look too bad, right? It's hard to brush it with one hand, and Thomas sure didn't help."

He then moved behind me and took my hair from its ponytail and started to fix it. "I haven't seen you where white since you were in the hospital a year ago. The color suits you."

"Really?" I asked, looking down at the plain white dress. "Are you sure it isn't too much? It matches my hair almost perfectly."

He tied my hair back again, then stepped to my side as I glanced in a mirror in the entrance hall. "Not at all," he said. "I'd say the dress compliments your hair quite nicely."

I glanced over and smiled at him. As much as I hoped the compliments were genuine, a small part of my brain was telling me that he could sense how uneasy I felt, and he was trying to make me forget about it for a few minutes. I guess either way, it showed that he cared. That was more than enough.

I turned and hugged him, and he kissed my forehead. I pulled away a moment later. "Thank you for fixing my hair. And if you don't want to come to dinner, you don't have to. I honestly think I'd feel safer if you were guarding the door or something. And since you don't eat…" I sighed, trying to think of words that didn't sound rude or inconsiderate. "I'm just still so scared something may happen again…"

"Understood," he said simply, bowing slightly. He had his signature smile dancing on his lips, and I smiled right back. He knew what I was trying to say, and he would do what he could.

I thanked him again, then excused myself and finally entered the dining room.

The smell was finally distinguishable once I was through the doors, and my stomach growled loudly. It smelled like my favorite foods: pork chops and potatoes. My smile grew. Maia always knew how to cheer me up. All you had to do was feed me.

I sat down at my place at the head of the dining table just as the kitchen door opened to reveal Maia holding a plate and a glass of milk. She set both before me and told me to dig in. I planned on doing just that.

I ate in silence, minus Maia humming in the kitchen as she cleaned up. The sound of it made me smile; she only hummed like that when she was happy. I was glad she could find the strength to be during everything going on.

But even then, her life wasn't on the line; the people from last night made that very clear. Whatever the orders were, my family was to be left out of it. They proved that when they didn't kill Thomas, or when they ignored Maia as she ran to call for help.

I finished my plate and sighed, thinking. If the people who attacked us were working for the same man that kidnapped everyone a year ago, everything made sense. That man hadn't wanted my friends. He'd had no interest in hurting them. He made sure they were cared for. They had just been bait then.

The same thing was happening now. I was the only target, and that thought alone made me both relieved and terrified. The people I cared about the most in this world would be just fine, but that also meant the men would come straight to me.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I would be fine. I knew that. Everyone would do everything in their power to make sure no harm came my way. And even if it did, I wasn't just some powerless little girl. I was a grown woman who knew how to defend herself. I would be just fine.

I sighed and held my head in my good hand. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that I would be alright, my mind always rejected the thoughts. You're not safe, it said. You'll never be safe.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I moved my hand and looked up to see Maia staring down at me with a sad smile on her face. I wanted to smile back to reassure her that I was fine, but found that I couldn't. I simply stared back down at my empty plate.

I watched as the empty plate vanished and was replaced by a full one. On the plate was a large slice of chocolate cake. My milk glass was refilled, and then I was given an awkward side hug before Maia walked back into the kitchen, where I barely noticed she did not resume humming.

I stared at the cake for at least a good minute before finally picking up a fork and beginning to eat. Maia was pulling out all the stops to try to help me feel better. The least I could do was try.