Morning. Soft, warm sunlight filtering through the gaps in the treetops. Wincing, I raise a hand, shading my sleepy eyes. The ground is hard and damp beneath me as I sit up, stretching my stiff back. Beside me, Matt is asleep, using his arm like a pillow. We had put a bit of distance between us and Ta-Wahi, effectively losing ourselves in the dark. We decided to rest and feel asleep without knowing where we were.

Sitting up on my knees, I took a quick look around. From the dense collection of trees and mushy earth, I guessed we were somewhere bordering on Le-Wahi. Still, I felt on edge. I'm sure Tahu had alerted the other Toa about Matt and mine escape and were probably on the lookout for us. There was no doubt that eventually we would be caught.

"Or would we?" I mused aloud.

Getting to my feet, I walked the length of our makeshift campsite, analyzing. If we were indeed between the borders between Wahis then there shouldn't be any Matoran around. From what I gathered, most of them lingered near or around the villages. I smirked. If we could keep to the borders, then we shouldn't have any problems.

Turning to Matt, I shook him awake. "Come on, we have to go." I clapped my hands as the boy slowly rose to his knees.

Yawning, Matt scratched the back of his head. "Does it have to be so early?" he complained, rubbing the sleep from his weary eyes. He flexed his numb arm.

I nodded. "Yeah, I want to get a move on." Even if we were at the border, I didn't want to take the chance of some passing Matoran or Toa catching sight of us. "I want to get this done as quickly as possible."

"Alright." Standing, Matt stretched his legs and placed hands on his hips. "What do we do first?"

I paused. That was a very good question. "Uh . . ." Nibbling on my thumbnail, I glanced around. "First we . . . uh . . ."

Matt sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You never think things through. You don't even know where to start."

An angry blush heated my face. "I do too!" I snorted. "We start walking, how's that for 'what do we do first'?" Turning on my heel, I headed into the trees with all the confidence in the world, but inside I was a nervous wreck. I had no clue where I was going or where I could even find Arc – but I wasn't about to let Matt know that!

With another impatient sigh, Matt trailed after me, catching up by my side. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" It was a trivial question, but there was a deeper meaning to it. He was inviting me for one last time to turn back, to reconsider my quest and pick up the pieces of my discarded destiny. I didn't think on it long.

"Yes," I stated firmly. "I know exactly what I'm doing." One way or another, I would make it work.

With no sense of direction, we walked randomly, following a narrow path worn into the greenery of the border. The ground was soggy, mud quickly smothering our shoes and ankles. In some parts it was rough, with hard earth and very little vegetation. In those parts the path would peak sharply, leading Matt and me up small hills before dropping back down to sopping forest swamps. The soles of my feet ached and the humidity made the trek almost unbearable. Within the jungle patches water wasn't hard to come by, but none of it was drinkable. After only a couple hours or so of hiking, Matt and I paused for breath beneath the canopy of a large tree, resting our back against its mighty trunk.

Sitting down upon a root, Matt ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think we've made much progress." He slapped the back of his neck, squashing a bug.

Removing my shoes, I massaged the tired soles. "I think we have," I countered. "I mean, we're still on the border and we haven't run into any trouble so far." I knocked on the tree.

"Yeah but how long do you think that's going to last? Sooner or later someone's bound to find us."

I shrugged. "Just trying to be optimistic."

Nodding, Matt leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. The short trek coupled with last night's escape had taken a toll on the both of us. I was so exhausted I could hardly keep my eyes open. And the heat didn't make it any better. Patting the moist ground, I dampened the back of my neck.

"What I wouldn't give to be in a pool right now," I moaned. Just imagining the cool waters of a swimming pool was torture.

Matt nodded. "I know right, or the beach. It would be so much better than staying here." Wiping his forehead, he cracked open his eyes. "I don't suppose you have any water."

I shook my head. "No, all my stuff is back in Ta-Wahi. Didn't have a chance to grab it." I met his eyes. "You got any food?"

Matt rubbed his growling stomach. " . . . No . . ." He frowned. "Seriously you didn't think to pack any of the essentials when you decided to run away? What did you think you were just going to find food and water out here in the wilderness?"

I bristled, tension settled in my shoulders. "Hey, I was under pressure. If I went back to gather all of that stuff I would have been caught." I shrugged. "Besides, it's better to travel light."

Shaking his head, Matt replied, "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard." He jumped off the root and stood beside me. "Look, I'm getting sick of scolding you so I'm not going to. Just learn your lesson next time and think things through a little bit more." He tapped my head. "You have a brain, use it."

I waved off his hand. As much as his lectures irritated me, they made sense. It wouldn't be too bad of an idea to think things through a little bit more and develop a solid plan. If I did, we would have been better off than where we are now. " . . . Fine . . ." I admitted reluctantly. Standing also, I dusted off my pants.

Matt nodded. "Good." The boy took a sweep look around, placing hands on his hips. "Well . . . I don't think we'll find much here. We need to find water and food before too long, and then start looking into some shelter. If we don't . . . we may have to call it quits and go back."

"No!" I barked. "We can't give up. Well, maybe you can but I won't."

"You won't get very far without those three things," Matt pointed out. "How about this: we try to survive, but if we can't after two days then we're abandoning this crazy quest and going back. You admit that you were foolish and take your place as a Toa's Apprentice." He stuck out his hand. "Deal?"

A tight frown stretched my lips and I took a step back as if his hand were toxic. Even in my dreams I wouldn't commit to a deal like that. However, I paused to consider it. Matt had a point in every way. Water, food and shelter were essential to our survival and Mata Nui certainly was host to a variety of harsh climates. There would be no guarantee that we could find what we needed. In that case, it would be nearly impossible to go on without help. With a dejected sigh, I ran a hand through my hair and stared hard at Matt.

" . . . Okay," I grumbled, "but on one condition." The boy certainly wasn't enthusiastic to hear my terms but allowed me the opportunity. "We make it three days, then we go ask for help. I'll 'take my place' and . . . even admit I was wrong." I stuck out my hand. "Deal?"

I heated sigh emerged from the boy and he pursed his lips. For a moment I feared he would withdraw the deal and turn me in altogether. " . . . Fine. Three days and that's it." He grasped my hand. "You had better hope everything works out."

"Don't worry." My grip tightened upon his hand. "I'll take care of everything."

A sudden clatter of rocks startled us out of our tension. We whirled to gaze at the borderline path to find a collection of loose rubble. Dust settled over it like a fine mist. A feeling sunk my stomach and carefully I crept towards the pile, Matt at my heels. The rubble didn't appear to have fallen on its own; most of it still had dirt patches, indicating it had been stuck in the slope. Something had disturbed it.

"Cheryl!" Matt pointed to a spot further up the slope. A shape barely dodged our glances.

My eyes narrowed, a cold sweat breaking out across my brow. "We're being followed. Come on."

Quickly, we took off down the path, keeping in the tree line, but the shade provided little comfort. The paranoia of one of the Toa finding us never left my mind. We had to find someplace to hide.

Making a dash for the slope, I trotted along the base, hoping to find some sort of crevice we could squeeze in to. Most of them were hairline cracks or a couple inches thick, barely enough for even my hand to fit through. Our hope for a hiding place looked bleak, but a few hundred feet down the path, I caught a break. It was a small gap in the slope, opening up to a pathway deep into the rocky hillside. It was cramped, but it would have to do.

"Matt, over here!" Slowly, I eased my body into the gap, popping onto the path.

Pushing up to the gap, Matt peered inside. "Cheryl, what're you doing?" His face was pressed against the crevice, eye searching.

Stumbling upon the path, I found that within the crevice was roomier than I had thought it would be. It was no bigger than three feet by five feet, but it was enough. I had half-expected to be fully sandwiched between the walls of the crevice like jelly between two slices of bread.

"Someone's following us," I explained. Dusting off my pants I crept up to the crevice, holding out a hand to help him through. "Come on, before whoever it is catches us."

Matt was skeptical. "How do you know it was someone?" he questioned. The boy eased himself into the edges of the crevice, testing it. "It could have been a Rahi or something."

"You're the one who saw it," I pointed out. Taking a hold onto his shirt, I gently guided him through. Matt was broad in the shoulders for his age, making the task of fitting him through difficult.

"Yeah," he agreed, "but I don't know what I saw. It was moving too fast." Steeling himself, Matt sucked in his gut as best he could and slowly inched his way through. The rocks scraped against him, dusting his clothes. Taking a firmer grip upon his collar I helped to guide him onto the hidden path. There was barely enough room for us to stand abreast.

"Still, we can't be too careful." Opting to be in front, I skirted along the dusty road. It extended far into the belly of the hills, curving behind jagged crags like the coils of a snake. It was impossible to tell how far it went or where it led. "If there was any place to find Makuta or a Ghost, I'd think this was it," I muttered, joining Matt.

The boy blinked. "Wait, you want to go in there?" He gestured down the road. A chill wind picked up, making us shiver.

I nodded, eyes glued to the edge of the road where disappeared behind a rocky bend. "Yeah."

Matt swallowed hard. "But . . . we don't even know what's down there."

I tossed him a look. "Are you scared?"

"What? No!" Matt barked, blushing. "I'm just being cautious. I mean, we don't even have any weapons. What if we do find Makuta or run into a Ghost?"

"Then our journey will be short," I answered bluntly. "As far as weapons go . . ."

Extending my hand, I concentrated on my palm, recalling my battle with the Nui-Rama in Le-Wahi and how the ice flowed from my fingers. I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes. A numbing cold filled the soft flesh of my fingers, right beneath the skin. Unknown power welled inside me and I reacted. I grasped a nearby shard of rock and it flash-froze into a dagger of solid ice. Holding it close, I touched the tip and yelped, jerking back my hand. Carefully, I handed the weapon to Matt. "That's what we do for weapons." Repeating the process, and with new weapons in hand, we ventured forth into the gaping maw of the hillside.

Just as I had anticipated, the road led to anywhere and nowhere. It twisted and turned around sharp turns and steep drops, into caves and valleys with no true endpoint. Sometimes it would disappear altogether only to be found later hidden beneath a collection of gravel or sparse strands of dried grass. And as we ventured deeper, the chill failed to subside. If anything it only grew stronger.

Sliding to the bottom of a drop, I gathered our bearings. The road forked, neither of which appeared right nor inviting and I feared choosing unwisely. The shadows gathered in deep purple splotches as the sky high above the towering cliffs ignited in rich golds and deep reds.

"We may as well stop here," I suggested. I sheathed my ice dagger in the belt loops of my pants. Surprisingly the ice failed to melt, even after all those hours.

Joining my side, Matt nodded his agreement. "Alright . . ." He was apprehensive, as if simply being in this valley set him on edge. "Though I would rather keep going until we find a cave or something."

I shook my head. "We wouldn't have enough time and it's dangerous to travel at night." Taking a seat, I rested my back against the hillside. "But think we've made good progress. I mean, we haven't been caught . . . well, almost."

"Like I said," Matt stated, "that thing could have been anything." Taking a seat beside me, he stuck the tip of the dagger into the gray, dusty earth. He blew into his hands. "I would like to know what it was though."

"It didn't look like a Toa," I muttered. The shape was smallish in nature, though not enough to be a Matoran, with sinewy arms and legs. However it moved so fast I couldn't make out any specific details. "All I saw was a head, torso, arms and legs."

"Could have been anything then," Matt shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Yeah." Utilizing my ice powers, I smeared a thick layer of slush over the hills and with Matt's help it melted into pure water. Using our hands as bowls, we drank our fill.

"Man, we should have come up with that a long time ago," Matt smiled, wiping his mouth. Renewed energy flowed within him.

"I know right. I feel so much better." Freezing the rock once more, I went back for a second helping, filling my belly until it could take no more. With so very little vegetation or animals around, food was not an option. We would have to make do with water until we came to more fertile ground.

Reclining against the stone, Matt ran a hand through his hair. "Cheryl, I know we got off on the wrong foot and all . . . and I'm sorry about anything I said or did to upset you."

Matt's sudden apology took me aback. I blinked, confused. "Why should you be the one apologizing? I'm just as guilty, if not more so. I'm not the friendliest when it comes to new people."

"Understandable, but still . . ." Matt trailed off a moment before picking it back up again. "How about we start over? No hard feelings?" He stuck out a hand.

I was reluctant to grasp his hand back. I searched his eyes a moment, hoping to see some shred of trickery that would lead me to believe he had some ulterior motive behind this truce. When none was to be found I relaxed and grasped his hand firmly. " . . . Sure, no hard feelings."

A smile crossed the boy. "Good, glad that's out of the way. So, why don't you tell me about yourself? Might as well get to know each other."

What I thought was going to take half an hour turned into a lengthy three-hour conversation. We shared things about our pasts before meeting up here on Mata Nui. It started out with simple questions such as: "What is your favorite color?", "Who is your favorite sports team?", "How old are you?" and the like. Soon, it developed into more personal matters.

I found out that Matt had been adopted when he was very young and that he didn't know much about his birth parents nor did he want to know. He was an only child but often wondered what it would be like to have a younger sibling. Matt had done well in school and even was the co-captain of his soccer team. He actively hung out with his friends and played a game called Belagarth (which I had no idea what it meant). Still, Matt was happy with his life and wouldn't change one thing about it.

And in return I told him about my life, how I was raised in a household with two parents and Arc, until he vanished. Everyone thought someone had stolen him. There were mass searches but nothing came up. Ultimately we figured we would never see him again and presumed him dead. I confessed how I was avid in sports, having played them since I was very young. I went to school and did a decent job, though I struggled constantly in math.

"You're kidding, that's my favorite subject," Matt laughed.

"You don't say," I replied dryly.

A few more exchanges of information later, we both exhausted. It was fun getting to know another person and I would have continued asking question after question, but the hike as well as running our mouths was taxing. As the night darkened and the shadows of the hills closed in around us, we settled in for a well-deserved night of rest.

"Hey Cheryl." Matt laid flat against the ground, his arm serving as a pillow. A loose wind ruffled his hair.

Imitating his pose, I nodded. "Yeah?"

"What if Makuta finds us out here?" There was hesitation in his voice, hinting to a secret paranoia he couldn't mask. "There's no one around to help us. What if we are turned into Ghosts?"

A pit formed in my stomach and I had to avert my eyes. I had tried to keep such possibilities from my mind. All I had been counting on was everything would go over smoothly, that I would recover Arc, whole and sound, and we would be able to go home without a hitch. I didn't want to think of the "what ifs".

" . . . I don't know," I replied honestly. "If that happens . . . I guess we just run and hopefully try to escape."

"Do you think the Toa would have accompanied us, should we have told them?" Matt asked.

I shook my head. "Unlikely. You saw how adamant they were about us becoming Toa. That's all they care about, that's why they stole us."

Matt shrugged, balancing an elbow against the ground and leaning his head in his hand. "Maybe, but then again look how distraught Kopaka was when he was telling that story. I'm sure deep down he would have agreed to go with us."

It was something to be considered. I wanted to take action to get Arc back and I did. Perhaps Kopaka felt the same way too, but his duty far outweighed his desires. Like all Toa, he was loyal to his purpose and his purpose only.

"Who knows," I finally sighed. "I guess when we get back we'll have to ask him." Rolling onto my back, my hands pillowed beneath my head as I gazed up at the stars. It was funny, I was on a whole different plane of existence and yet I could still pick out the same constellations.

Matt sat up. "Wait, so you plan on going back after this?"

I remained silent. When I said going back, it was only to get answers for some of my questions (and perhaps rub the rescue of my brother in Kopaka's face), but I had no intention of remaining indefinitely. I had a life and a future to return to and I wasn't about to forsake it.

Heeding me, Matt settled back down again. " . . . I see . . ." Disappointment colored his tone. "I hope you change your mind . . . you can't run from this, Cheryl. It's your purpose, it'll always find you."

My eyes narrowed, tension settling into my shoulders. " . . . Shut up . . ."

Matt became very quiet until he spoke, "I'm only saying what is true, even if you don't want to hear it." Rolling over onto his side, Matt shut his eyes. "Goodnight, Cheryl."

"Night." I fell asleep beneath a blanket of stars, heedless of the eyes that were watching.