Quinn groaned as she just began to wake again. She felt a odd but light heaviness on her chest and her eyes fluttered open a little groggily but than bulged when staring back at her were glowing white eyes.
She gasped than shut her eyes only to slowly crack them open with fear again to one of the most adorable faces she'd ever seen. It was a little red headed girl laying on her chest and she was staring down at her in such a way.
It was almost like the girl was admiring her in some form of wonderment. Quinn clearly believed she imagined what she had just saw in the little girls eyes. There's no way they had been glowing the brightest light she'd ever seen.
So Quinn shoved that ridiculous notion to the back of her mind. Passing it off as a half asleep fluke. Quinn smiled warmly at the little girl. "Well hello there." She cooed in a whisper.
The blonde slowly sat up bringing the red head with her. She bit her lip because her calf made it's injury known again.
Quinn did her best to hide her obvious discomfort and finally when the throbbing pain began to fade into a dull ache.
She took a deep breath to dispel any distress she may scare the little girl with. The first thing Quinn noticed was that Rachel wasn't there and neither was the other person who had been in their make shift bed last night.
After she and Rachel spoke for a little while with Rachel explaining how they came upon she and Beth, Quinn felt exhausted. So Rachel had cut the story short with 'Tomorrows another day.'
Which brings her to now and the cute little girl in her lap. Quinn gazed down at her with a disarming, friendly smile.
The little girl ducked her head shyly as a blush began coloring her cheeks but she didn't speak. Quinn thought she was just too cute. She decided to help her out.
"My name is Quinn. What's your name?" Quinn whispered since Beth was obviously still asleep.
The little girl looked unsure of whether to answer or not and just when she was about to open her mouth and respond, they heard footsteps approaching.
Quinn tensed but the little red head smiled. She lifted her hands and cupped Quinn's cheeks bringing her face down to look in to her eyes.
Quinn immediately felt this overwhelming feeling of being relaxed as her gaze was held captive and her cheeks were cradled delicately. It was as if all of her anxiety was pulled from her pores.
Just than Caspien stood before them with a little bit of wood tucked under his left arm. "Oh, you're awake. I apologize if I've startled you. My name is Caspian Jaras." Caspian said in such a gentleman like manner as he bowed slightly confusing the hell out of Quinn. Who the hell bows?
Quinn thought the name Jaras was weird but also piqued her interest. She's never heard of it. She wonders what cultural background this kid comes from.
What Quinn didn't know was that Caspian left out the fact that, that wasn't his last name. He would usually introduce himself as Caspian of Jaras but Quinn didn't need to know that.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Quinn Fabray." Quinn said holding out her hand and if she didn't know any better. It seemed almost like Caspian's eyes shined at the sight of her hand.
"It is most definitely my pleasure." Caspian said in a way that cause Quinn's sixth sense become frazzled. As soon he took the blonde's hand in his and bent forward to kiss it. His eyes held Quinn captive and just like that Quinn fell under without awareness.
Caspian stood in place as he stared back watching in the glass of Quinn's eyes as if it were a screen.
He watched with fascination as the blonde's life from the day she was born to that very moment as they were facing each other play out in her blank stare. It continued like that on to her potential future.
Caspian's smile began to creep up his face at what he already foreseen as a possible outcome in his premonitions past.
There were so many before this all started and in them was a very specific woman.
She was blonde but he could never see her face. He had been searching for the faceless woman in these premonitions for a little over a decade, hoping to maybe come across her by chance. He knew transition would happen as did the rest of his kind. The only question was who and what would be the actual outcome.
The prophecy and treaty spoke of it and when the time came it would be up to the first to claim but if the first failed then they must forfeit and the Groidens were automatically given title. Whoever held the title were allowed to do whatever and live how ever they chose to with the humans of the world called Earth.
Caspian's eyes widened when a particular potential future played out in Quinn's eyes.
"Oh my.." Caspian breathe out completely stunned to silence. Just than Beth began to shift in her bed.
Caspian blinked twice and Quinn's eyes cleared. She blinked several times in confusion, feeling a little dazed but shook her head to clear it than smiled at Caspian nonetheless.
"It's also my pleasure to meet you." Quinn replied
It was as if the last ten minutes didn't happen and they were back at the moment he introduced himself.
He released Quinn's hand with a smile than gave her nod before walking toward the fire followed by the little girl. He began dropping the wood he carried with him into certain areas of the fire that were low.
Beth sat up tiredly rubbing her eyes than looked toward her mother expecting to see her still asleep but gasped in surprise that she was awake.
"Mom!" Beth exclaimed in shock as she scrambled out of her cot to her mother on her mother, falling to her knees.
She pulled her mother into a hug with her ear against her Quinn's chest hearing her strong heart beat. Beth began to cry.
"Oh Bethy, I'm here." Quinn whispered hugging her daughter back just as fiercely. They were alive. They lived through that traumatic event and she still couldn't believe it.
"M-Mom I thought you we-weren't going to wake up!" Beth whimpered in happiness.
"I'm not going any where kid, you're stuck with me." Quinn replied.
The two cried happy tears together as they held onto tightly in their embrace.
Caspian and Bailey watched the two from where they sat on the logs Rachel had chopped into stumped seats.
Caspian made eye contact with Bailey and smiled at her. He mouthe 'Good job.' Bailey ducked her head shyly.
Caspian knew Bailey never liked when anyone gave her too much credit. She was a very humble being.
Yes Rachel's medicinal broth's were helping from internally immensely but what Bailey had been doing the last two weeks every time Rachel had finished feeding Quinn, were also helping the blonde heal. Helping her recovery along faster by both Rachel and Bailey's methods.
He nudged her shoulder and she smiled a small thing and he kissed her forehead. The two sat in silence as they stared into the fire listening as Beth and Quinn reconnected after everything.
Rachel was kneeled on the ice. She stared down in to the thick frozen lake with a critical eye. She turned her head slightly and listened intently.
She waited and waited and waited some more than she heard it than instantly punched her hand through the thick ice immediately grabbing hold of a large trout. She smiled as it slowly lost breath in her grip.
She waited until it completely stopped it's flapping than laid it down using a fisherman's hook to hook it to her rod line that she uses to keep hold of it. She had caught two and that was enough.
After hooking up the second fish she stood up and laid the rod on her shoulder with the fish hanging as she walked off the ice toward the woods.
Now she had to hit one more special spot than she'd head back to the cave. Just as her feet made it pass a tree into the woods she heard a tree branch snap.
She turned and saw across the lake a figure and not just any figure. It was Beth's father.
Rachel's eyes narrowed dangerously. Her eyes dilated but instead of her vision being blurred it was completely sharp.
He sat down and began eating whatever he had from his back pack as if he hadn't a care in the world. Rachel grit her teeth. She wanted to rip his throat out.
She decided not to make her presence known. Beth and Quinn were alive and safe no thanks to him. So she'd leave him for the Groids to have. She took her leave.
Quinn and Beth were still talking quietly when everyone heard footfalls echo. All eyes fell to the entrance and Quinn's eyes bulged when Rachel emerged with fish, potatoes and apples?!
"Oh my-" Quinn said low and breathless.
"I know that's what I thought when I first woke up one morning and she handed me food." Beth whispered. "I don't even know where she gets it from. She never tells me. So I don't ask because I don't want to seem like I'm ungrateful."
"Good girl, it's never right to be ungrateful." Quinn said quietly as she watched Rachel and Caspian begin working on their breakfast.
Tina walked in some what of a daze. She wasn't hungry. She wasn't thirsty, and thanks to all the layers of sweatshirts she had on she wasn't cold.
What she is, is lonely. It had been a hard two weeks of being alone. She thankfully only came across that whirring sound once and it was from a good distance away but still she hid to be safe.
As she walked she thought of Mike, their group. She wonders if any one made it out and as that thought makes it's way to her brain she's thinks she may have conjured up an image but it's not the one she wishes it was.
No the stumbling, shivering mirage with it's arms crossed and breath puffed out in thick clouds a few yards from her is not at all Michael Chang. No it's.. It's..
"Sam?" Tina whispers with a furrow brow of confusion.
"S-Sam?!" Tina stutters louder in shock. "Oh my god, Sam! Hey! Sam! SAM, OVER HERE! HEY!" Tina's eyes are wide as she jumps flailing her arms to get his attention.
She watches as Sam's head shot up in anxious surprise looking back and forth frantically until he spots her. Tina.
"Ti-Tina?! Tina?! TINA!" Sam bellows in shock hoping and praying his not actually losing his mind after three days with no food or water.
He feels his spirit lift with hope as he uses his last bit of energy to run towards his first and only contact with another human being since whenever and it just happens to be a friend. What are the odds?
Tina's eyes fill with tears as she runs towards and obviously barely holding himself upright, weak Sam.
The second they reach each other they slam into an embrace, shaking uncontrollably as their whimpers begin before quiet sobs follow as they hold on to each other for dear life.
"Yo-Your real." Tina cries.
"Your real and your here!" Sam cries back.
The two continue to hug refusing to let go just reveling in the contact. Finally they pull apart.
They hold each other by the forearms still in disbelief, taking each other in. "God you have no idea how happy I am to see you." Sam chokes out.
"Me too." Tina says with a watery chuckle.
Tina takes Sam's appearance in. He looks bad and really weak. Slightly disoriented and exhausted.
"You don't look so good." She comments.
"Yeah uh.. M-My pack.. I ran out of my rations three days ago."
"Oh my god are you serious?! Here!" Tina says in a rush as she pulls her own pack off opening it and handing him a bottle of water.
Sam's hands shake with weak eagerness. The second the water hits his throat his eyes slam shut and he chokes slightly on it. As he drinks Tina pulls out two beef jerky's opening them for him to eat.
He does so hungrily. Tina watches him in sadness but hope blossoms in her chest that if she and Sam made it out alive maybe.. Just maybe Mike did too.
Sam is shaking from the cold so Tina takes off one of the larger hoodies from around her waist and gives it to him followed by another.
"Come on, Sam. We can't waste anymore time. We have to find a place to hide before we lose light."
"Yeah, good idea."
It was still midday but every second counted. Tina helps Sam back up and he grabs her second pack and the two trek through the woods in search of something close to shelter.
Quinn chewed her food with gratefulness. It tasted amazing along with her side of hash browns and apple. She felt like she was eating a meal made for kings that's how grateful and undeserving she felt.
She was still sat in her cot being sure to keep her injured foot elevated. Her other was flat on the floor.
Beth was sat beside her eating happily as they talked quietly to each other. Caspian was still sat with the little red head eating quietly next to the fire with their backs to them.
Rachel was in her own corner with a knife and a long stick of wood, shaving at the wood with concentration. It was all very peaceful to Quinn.
Rachel kept her eyes trained on the wood in front of her. She refused to look up. She had no idea why just looking at Quinn caused an uncomfortable feeling in her but it did and she didn't like it one bit.
Just than Caspian's hand froze midway to his mouth. His eyes were wide and unfocused, his parted lips dispelled a quiet breath that only Bailey and Rachel heard.
Rachel's hands continued their movements against the wood with the blade, acting as if what was happening to Caspian wasn't.
She didn't need Beth or god forbid Quinn asking questions. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Bailey also doing the same.
Whatever vision Caspian was having they'd know soon enough. For now they'd have to wait.
Caspian's heart sunk as the future events played out before his eyes. He was standing over a body.
A woman with blonde hair. She was dead but the outcry from her death wasn't by humans it was by his own people.
He felt everything as if it were happening there and then. His eyes welled with tears and they began to fall in silence.
Rachel kept side glancing him unsure of how long this vision would last. Thankfully his back was still to Beth and Quinn.
Just then Caspian snapped back to reality. He took unnoticeable shuddering breath. His head turned slowly to Rachel. The moment he did and Rachel not only saw his eyes full of tears but the sorrow and anguish on his face put fear in her heart.
What could that look mean for them?
