I Choose You

Fifty-Six

Maven

Life sucks, especially now since Mare is gone.  

It's been just over a month since she disappeared, and life seems so empty and meaningless without her.  I haven't felt this way since Thomas died.  I've hardly left my office since she left, staring at the same maps for days on end.  

I swear, my diet has turned into coffee with the occasional glass of vodka. 

We have found nothing about Mare's possible location.  We did pinpoint that it was a jumper that took her, which is why we have no clue about finding her.  I have spoken with Shade, a fellow jumper himself and even he can't find any clues.  We have examined the gardens on several occasions and still left at a dead end.  

I still haven't given up.  

I take another swig of my coffee that's spiked with some vodka to keep me awake and to keep me from crying again.  

I continue to stare at the same old maps of some small towns in Norta, which I have memorized my now.  Mare would tell me that it's good that I am caught up on geography. 

I miss her and her witty comments. 

I hear a knock on the door and I tell whoever to come in, I turn in my swivel chair to see who it is. 

It's Eve. 

"Hello Eve," I say and turn back to my maps.  

"Coffee spiked with vodka?" She asks me as she leans against the doorway.  

"No," I say and read over the maps for the billionth time.  She walks towards my desk and grabs my glass without asking and takes a quick sip of it.  She then examines the taste then winces. 

"You liar," 

I chuckle under my breath and turn to face her in my chair.  

"How can you drink that?" She grimaces at the after taste. 

"It helps with my mental health," I remark. 

Eve then chuckles, "You are a terrible liar, you must get it from Mare." 

I do a quick laugh at how true Eve is.  Mare is a terrible liar.  

"Have you found anything," I ask with hope drained from my tone. 

"I haven't," She pauses, I lean forward, eager for more.  "But Thora did."

Thora?  The girl who bursted in and had a baby?  Her of all people?

"What did she find?"  

"You might want to talk to her in person," 

***

Thora is still in the hospital wing, her captors must have done a grand deal on her for her to still be in there.  She looks the same as she did before, and her one month old baby sleeps in a bassinet next to her bed.  Evangeline greets her and picks up her baby boy and cradles him.  

"You have information about Mare?" I cut to the chase. 

She adjusts herself so she is sitting up, a sign of respect.  "I don't have anything on Mare herself, but possibly who took her." 

I nod my head.  

"I just have to ask you a few questions, if that is alright with you," 

"That is okay," 

She clears her throat.  "I have a feeling they might be the same people who held me for years, they had a peculiar way of killing people, it was like their mark on a place," 

I think back, they killed the 3 guards.  A stab in the crotch and the back of the neck.  

"Was it a stab in the crotch and the back of the neck?" I ask her. 

"Yes,"

This is huge, huge, a piece of information I have craved for weeks.  

"They have a place where they always stay," Thora tells me.  "I wouldn't be surprised if Mare is there now." 

I quickly grab a map of Norta I have tucked away in my back pants pocket.  I pull it out and unfold it onto her lap and I hunch down to get closer. 

"Where?" I eagerly ask her.  

She examines the map for a little bit, then points at a place in northern Norta.  "There." 

I grab a pen from my blazer pocket and circle it.  "Any indicators I should take note of?"

She hums a yes.  "It's in a cave with vines.  It's pretty far deep in but the leaders stay on the right and the captives stay on the left. "

I write down her information frantically and click my pen shut.  "Thank you so much."

"Do you have a plan, Maven?" Eve pipes in.  "We don't know how armed they are." 

I sigh and close my eyes.  Eve has a point, but all I want is to run in there, scoop Mare into my arms, and take her away from them.  

"We will be trigger happy Silvers with no mercy," 

Eve continues to swaddle the baby in her arms.  

"We leave at dusk."  

I AM BACKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Sorry it took me forever to update, but life just got so hectic with my new job that I forgot about this story for a while but here I am. 

Some updates:  I have a Gravity Falls story up now, if you are interested, go check it out.  Hunger Games fanfic coming soon.  Twisted Wonderland One-Shots up now, go and check it out! 

Shadow.