She didn't know if she would have ever found anyone else living among all this chaos. She had walked from the city, desperately seeking a way out, but once she had spied travellers heading in her direction, she realised it was no better out there than in here. For some time she had watched the pair as they set up camp in the woods. To approach them so suddenly would have been troublesome, especially for the small child. She waited until dawn, before she decided to make her appearance known.

Several hours earlier

She couldn't remember anything. It was getting late as the sun slowly buried itself into the horizon, the once glittering forest becoming a shadowy haven of darkness and silence. The young woman had been unconscious for what seemed like days, maybe months. Her long chocolate-brown hair tangled with branches and dirt from the forest, her skin pale; making the grazes against her cheek flare up angrily as the sun settled and the gentle wind skim across her face.

Where am I?

She slowly lifted herself from where she lay, only to clutch her head in agony; she must have hit it against the ground, no wonder she was unconscious for so long. She reached around for a pack; she remembered carrying one with her containing a first aid kit. Dabbing at her wounds with antiseptic, she tried her hardest to remember what had happened.

Nothing came back to her. It was as if a chunk of time had disappeared altogether. Surely there was something, anything that could help her retrace what had happened. She stood up slowly, brushing the leaves and twigs from her tattered coat, and stumbled toward a road, somewhere she could find safety.

She walked for miles, the forest almost black albeit the glinting of stars to help her find some way of getting to shelter. Eventually she stopped to rest to gather her thoughts again. I should check my pockets, she thought to herself. Routing through every pocket she had, she soon came across a small scrap of paper and an old journal. It soon came back to her; she had met something not long before she fell. What that thing was, was still not entirely clear in her mind. She flipped through the pages of the book, hoping a clue would reach her, but there was nothing but ineligible scribbles.

She reached for her pack, hoping that some supplies were there; she hadn't realised how hungry she had gotten. Her fingers closed around something she wished she could never look at again. She pulled out a circle. It was thin but sturdy and ended with a small red droplet. It had caused so much trouble for her; it brought such tremendous power but at such great cost. Not only did she not know where she was, but she had even forgotten who she was. She threw it back into her bag and looked at her hands; tinged a light minty green...what had that circlet done to her?

Fighting back tears, she continued to walk toward anything; a road, a light, just something to keep her thoughts preoccupied. In the distance she saw a low orange glow, and started to follow it.

That was when she spied upon a dying fire, with two figures occupying it along with what appeared to look like a large animal. Should I approach? She wondered this for some time before deciding to keep her distance. For now she would rest, and wait until dawn.

The morning was brighter than it had been before; the sun glinting through gaps in the trees, stirring them from their peaceful slumbers. Rubbing her eyes, Marceline awoke to find the deer resting by her side, and gave it a pat on its head. Simon emerged from some nearby trees carrying a few plump berries in his hand.

"I know a thing or two about edible food that grows around these parts, so I can assure you that these are safe to eat. They will keep your strength up" He shared the berries with Marceline, and even fed a few to the now waking deer.

"Now then Marcy, I think we had better come up with a safety plan for today, you know, if something happens and we need to get away. I was thinking that we should stick to the road as much as we can. We can't make any stops, nor can we turn around at any point. The deer is welcome to travel with us, as long as it helps carry the pack." He looked at the deer warmly. The deer responded with a slight bow.

"Hmm, what if I get left by accident, Mr. Simon?"

"You will be fine, because I will keep with you . If the deer leaves us, we mustn't go after it under any circumstances. We must keep moving."

"What about the supplies?"

"I will carry the food and emergency supplies. The deer will carry anything else we have. We will wear at least one extra layer of clothing on our person and keep the rest with the deer. That way if anything happens, we know that the only thing we lose is clothes. Hopefully we will be close enough to a shop or a supply truck to find some more anyway."

After further discussion, they both nodded in agreement and cleared away any evidence that they had camped there, if someone or something was hunting. They strapped a bag full of clothing on to the deer's back and made their way along the forest road in the hope of finding themselves closer to the city. They had only been walking for ten minutes.

"WAIT!" there was the sound of a desperate voice from the distance. They spun around to see a young woman, early thirties running toward them looking rather fatigued and injured.

"Please wait" she begged, "I have looked for somewhere safe. I woke up in the middle of the forest and I can't remember anything. I have supplies and a first aid kit with me. Please let me come with you."

Simon looked at her, his face was calm.

"How long have you been nearby?"

"For some time, possibly several hours"

"I see" He looked at her for some time; it was as if he was trying to remember her, but the face and name stuck somewhere in the back of his mind, locking itself away tightly as he tried to push the thought forward.

"I feel like I know you. What is your name?" He said finally.

"I do not know my name. I do not remember myself like I used to. Please let me come with you."

Marcy looked up at Simon and then looked at the strange woman.

"Mr. Simon, I think we should let her come with us. She looks like a nice woman."

"How can we trust her though? Though she does look like someone I knew before..."

He sighed before continuing.

"We could do with extra company. Please see to it that you take care of little Marcy here as much as you can. She deserves a future after all."

"I will"

Simon looked at her carefully and held out a hand.

"I'm Simon. Welcome to the group."

She nodded and walked along with them down the forest road.