Ayla's eyes flew open. Her head ached, her body sore. She blinked against the faint light pouring through an old wooden window. She wasn't in the woods anymore. She was in… a cabin?
Panic hit her like a wave. She sat up sharply and gasped when she saw a man across the room. He was by the fireplace, crouched, stirring a pot. She didn't recognize him.
"Who are you?" Her voice came out harsh, and breathy, as she reached to push herself off the bed. "Where am I?"
The man turned slowly, raising his hands. "Easy now."
She slid her feet to the ground, already calculating how fast she could make it to the door. Her legs wobbled under her. "Stay away from me."
Before he could speak again, the door creaked open.
"Ayla!" Cassia stepped into the room, her voice firm but soft. "It's okay. He's with me."
Ayla froze. Her chest heaved. "Cassia?"
"You're safe now." Cassia walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We got you out just in time."
Then her heart skipped. "Rhett." The name came out in a whisper, then louder. "Oh my god—Rhett! Where is he? Is he alive?!"
Cassia didn't answer right away.
Ayla grabbed her arm. "Cassia, where is he? Is he okay?"
Cassia's lips pressed into a line. "He's alive. But he's not in great shape."
That was all Ayla needed to hear. "Take me to him."
Cassia nodded, turning toward the hallway.
Ayla followed, her legs weak, her heart pounding. The hallway was dim, the walls lined with old photographs. Her breath caught in her throat when Cassia opened the last door.
There he was. Rhett. Laid out on a narrow bed, still. His face was bruised, lips split. His shirt was torn and soaked in dried blood, deep gashes across his side and chest, and His face was pale, Bandages were wrapped tight around his abdomen, and his breath came in slow, uneven.
Ayla gasped and stumbled forward, falling to her knees beside him.
"Oh my God…" Her fingers hovered over his hand before she took it gently in hers. "Rhett... I'm so sorry."
Cassia stood quietly at the door.
"What happened to him?" Ayla whispered.
"He shifted too fast. Took on too many at once. He didn't stop fighting, even when he should've. They tore into him badly. We got there when we did because of… someone else. A helper, I guess."
Tears poured down Ayla's cheeks. She bent forward and rested her forehead against Rhett's hand. "He was trying to protect me."
Cassia nodded. "And he did."
Ayla laid her head beside Rhett's arm, holding onto him tightly.
Cassia knelt beside her. "You did what you had to do. You ran because he needed you to. You being alive means his fight wasn't in vain."
"I can't lose him," Ayla sobbed. "Not now."
"You won't. I've been tending to him since I found you both. He's strong, Ayla. He's holding on. He just needs time."
Ayla said nothing, too lost in the storm of guilt and pain inside her. She didn't leave Rhett's side. Not to eat, not to change, not even when Cassia asked her to rest.
It wasn't until the evening set in and shadows stretched across the cabin walls that she leaned back in the chair beside his bed. Her body gave in. Her mind drifted.
~~~~~~
She stood in the forest again.
But this time it wasn't the same one. The trees were taller, silver mist curling between them. A strange wind circled around her.
Ayla looked around, turning in every direction. "Hello?" Her voice echoed.
Nothing.
She walked forward slowly, the leaves crunching beneath her feet. The forest was too quiet. No birds. No insects. No life.
Then came the voice.
"I see you."
Ayla spun around. "Who's there?"
The voice didn't come from a direction. It was everywhere and nowhere.
"I'm always with you."
"Who are you?"
"Open your mind," the voice whispered. "And hear me. I'll lead you to the truth."
Something shimmered in the distance, a light between the trees. Ayla tried to walk toward it, but her legs were heavy.
"Please," she called out. "Tell me who you are, Show yourself!"
She walked toward the voice, her breath coming out in frosty puffs. She pushed through the trees, branches scraping her arms.
"I see you," the voice said again. "I've always seen you."
The voice continued
"I've walked beside you since the day you were born. Open your mind, and I'll guide you to me. You're ready now, Ayla."
"Ready for what?" she yelled, spinning around again. "What do you want from me?!"
The forest darkened suddenly, and the voice grew louder, closer, almost inside her head.
"I am the one you've been searching for. Follow your blood. Follow the signs. I'll lead you to the truth."
The trees blurred. The ground gave way. Ayla felt like she was falling.
Then she woke up gasping.
The room was still dim. Rhett was still beside her. But everything inside her felt different.
She sat up, her pulse pounding.
Cassia stirred in the corner. "You're awake."
Ayla stared ahead, her voice hoarse and shaky.
"Uncle Milo."
Cassia froze, "What did you say?"
Ayla looked up at her. "I think… he's the one reaching out to me."