Skylar

7-Skye, 8 years

Death is nice. Black, cool, nothing to bother you. Other than this buzzing noise that keeps getting louder...

Groaning, I came to. It hurt too much to open my eyes, so all I could see was black. Everything was hurting. My head was throbbing and there was a loud buzzing sound, almost as if my brain were dissolving slowly. I could feel a wet washcloth on my forehead and hear voices. Moaning in pain, I sat up and forced my eyes open.

I was sitting in a soft bed in a small room. The walls were blue and green and it smelled like the sea. Wait, what? I knew Maine bordered the sea, but I lived in Skowhegan, 80  miles from the shore. There were two people in the room, sitting in chairs by my bed. They were both tan, with long black hair and kind faces, and seemed to be in their mid-twenties. They stood up anxiously when I sat up. "Oh, dear, are you all right?" The older one asked.

"Where am I? What happened to me?"

"Well, dear, you're on a small uncharted island off the coast of Maine. You escaped from the Shield base on the other part of the island and fell down a cliff. You were really hurt when we found you, but we fixed you up and now you're here."

I still didn't understand. "I'm sorry, but I'm confused. Where is here? And who are you?"

"Oh darling, we're so sorry. I'm Lucia, and this is my younger sister, Annalise. Our village is on the same island as the Shield base you escaped from. There is a steep cliff that separates us from them. We don't bother them and they don't bother us. In fact, no agent has ever gone down the cliff. We don't think they even know we're here!"

"Are they looking for me?" I whispered hoarsely, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh, no," Annalise answered, "they think you're dead. Fortunately for you, you happened to fall down the least steep part of the cliff, which would be why you're still alive."

"When will I get to go home?"

This time it was Lucia that answered.

"Dear, you were really hurt. You're going to have to stay with us until you're better."

"Can I take a walk? If I'm going to live here, I want to see what it's like."

"You can try..." Annalise said doubtfully.

Gingerly I swung my legs over the side of the bed. It felt like every muscle in my body had been torn apart. Annalise and Lucia took my arms. Carefully I tried standing up. Rivulets of pain shot up my legs all the way to my skull. My head started to pound and my vision went blurry.

For the second time that week, I blacked out.

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Groaning, I forced my eyes open and sat up as the world around !e gradually became clearer. Annalise and Lucia were standing in the corner, talking worriedly.

"How long was I out?" I moaned.

Annalise and Lucia raced over, looking incredibly relieved. "Oh only a couple of hours this time, dear. Not three days like last time." Annalise answered.

I froze. Three days? "I was out for three days?!" I shouted, "Why didn't you tell me that?"

Lucia stared at the ground and mumbled, "Well, to be honest dear, you didn't ask."

I face-palmed her and sighed. This was not helping. "Why did I black out?" I asked, hoping I could finally get a straight answer.

"We presume it was simply because you were tired and overexerted yourself. When you fell down the cliff, you bruised some ribs and damaged a few of your muscles. Your body was trying to heal and wasn't ready for the stress of walking." Annalise replied matter-of-factly.

"How much longer will I have to rest?" I asked. I wasn't really sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh, a few more days should do it. Then you  can try walking again!" Beamed Lucia, as if it were something to be excited about.

Sighing, I gave up and laid back down. I guess the only thing to do was sleep. This was going to be a long few days.

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                                           THREE DAYS LATER

Finally, Annalise and Lucia agreed to let me try and walk again. That was probably a good thing, considering that my legs were beginning to feel like mush and being stuck in a bed for three days was having a very bad effect on my attitude.

They came bouncing into my room, smiling happily, as always. "Today's your big day, dear!!!!" Annalise squealed.

I grinned to myself. They were unusually excited. I sat up and looked them in the eyes. "I'm ready." I said confidently.

Annalise and Lucia took my arms. Carefully, I stood up and took a few steps. I already felt better. I walked around my room and out into the hallway. This time, the world stayed in focus, and I felt way stronger than before. I walked out onto the front porch. It felt amazing to see green trees and feel the sunlight on my face.

"You did it, dear! You're walking!" Annalise and Lucia shrieked in excitement and hugged me.

I smiled. You can't imagine the feeling of relief. "I would like to try and walk by myself, please." I said.

Annalise and Lucia looked doubtful, but obediently they relinquished their grip and took a step back.

I wobbled a bit at first, but gradually I regained my balance and began to walk more confidently down the cobblestone streets. I passed by dozens of small cottages like Annalise and Lucia's and a few small grocery stores. I was beginning to like this place.

Walking down the street, the sun shining, I felt a kind of freedom I had never  felt before. I could feel a grin slowly spreading across my face. There were some kids my age playing tag at the bottom of the hill. Running like the wind, I raced to join them. Running around, chasing the other kids, I felt like I belonged in a way I had never belonged before. Like I was somehow meant to be here.

I think I was starting to fall in love with this little town.

Maybe being stuck here for awhile wouldn't be so bad after all.

A/N:

I am so sorry for this absolutely terrible chapter! But I needed something to kind of close this part of the story so I can jump ahead a few years. This chapter is terrible, I'm so sorry, please don't hate me. There will only be one more chapter from Skye's POV and then it will be mostly Skylar. And OMG 100 reads thank you all so much!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!