CH5
A few hours later, Maria returned just as her sisters were serving up dinner. Maria ignored the looks they were all giving her and sat at the end of the table as usual. They squeezed in a few more seats for the boys there too. Dinner was a quiet affair. No one knew what to say or where to start or they were hoping Maria were to start the conversation. Maria just slowly ate her food with her eyes focused on her rabbit stew. She sighed after an hour of silence.
“I know you boys want to get back to your own world and I also know you want to be going the easy way back. But I’ll be honest with you boys. We have no power to get you back to your own world.” said Maria with a tinge of remorse.
Niall was in shock. He had seen the girls’ weaponry and knew they were powerful. But when he heard that they had no POWER, he realized what the difference was. They were powerful but had no power to help them. Louis and Harry looked at each other in disbelief. Liam just seemed shell shocked with the confession. Zayn just looked disappointed.
“So you can’t get us back home?” asked Niall. All eyes were back on Maria.
“We, personally, can’t get you back home but certain people can…” trailed off Maria, looking at her siblings.
“No!” shouted Lily and Olivia. Katrina just looked horrified at the thought. Angel just looked as if she was in deep thought. The boys, however, were confused… who were they talking about? Lily answered their question almost immediately.
“Do you want them dead Maria?! You know, first hand, of the Capitols fury! What would they do if they realized that there were Outsiders here?!” yelled Lily. Lily’s eyes burned with anger and horror. Zayn realized something from lily. They were scared of the Capitol. And with girls with such amazing skill (according to Niall) it was quite a daunting idea that they were afraid of the Capitol. Maria held up her hand to ask for silence.
“I know that Lily, but if we don’t give it a try, you know these boys will never get home. What if they have family… friends… lovers there wondering where they are?” Maria asked. Liam, Louis, Niall, Zayn and Harry looked at each other. Would their family or friends recognize their disappearance already?
Lily calmed down remarkably, sighed, and placed her head in her hands. Olivia and Katrina just still seemed shocked. Angel raised her hand to allow herself to speak.
“Maria is right. It is the only way we’ll be able to get the boys back. Obviously, knowing the Capitol, they will want something in exchange. We have no money or anything of value to them.” said Angel.
There was silence for a while before Olivia stood up.
“The only way we can do this is tomorrow. I can organize it now if you wish down in the town hall. You know the Deadly Games start in a few days and once they start, the Capitol will be less likely to be willing to handle serious matters for a while” said Olivia with a voice full of bravery.
Maria nodded at Olivia who nodded back and left.
“You boys better get to sleep. You have an important day tomorrow and it won’t be a happy ending for any of us.” said Maria to the boys once Olivia had left.
“What about Olivia?” asked Harry carefully.
“She can find her way back and a way in without disturbing you. I trust her. Angel and Lily, go make up the boys bed in the room below. They’ll be more comfortable there. We can sleep upstairs tonight on the floor.” commanded Maria.
The boys began to protest but Maria silenced them with a look.
“We treat our guests with the proper respect and priority they deserve. You will take our room down stairs.” Maria told them.
“But there is no down stairs” huffed out Harry. Maria raised an eye brow while Angel and Lily moved a rug away from the centre of the room to reveal a trap door. The boys eyes widened as their mouths fell open. Katrina giggled at their expression and continued to clean up the dinner table. Lily and Angel got the boys to follow them into the basement.
The basement was HUGE. There was an en suite bathroom and a wardrobe with all different hunting gear. Lily and Angel had the single beds facing the left wall. The wall behind their beds had a few patterns permanently marked onto the back. Katrina’s bed was opposite them facing the right wall. The wall behind her bed had a few sketches of people but mainly of the forest. Maria’s bed was hidden by to the right of lily’s bed facing her. It had diagrams of the forest with rough sketches and ‘x’s labelled in certain areas. Olivia bed was left of Katrina’s bed. It had a few pictures of her and her sisters but mainly of them at festivals. In the middle of the room was a glass table with a few bits of sketches with a vase filled with flowers. The candles were the only light in the room which wasn’t much.
“Please. Take your pick of beds and then we can leave and argue with our sisters” said Lily. It was obvious she was in a bad mood since the discussion. The girls left them alone to get ready for bed.
“What do you boys think?” asked Liam.
“I say I trust them” said Niall immediately. When the others looked at him with outrage, he felt the need to defend his choice.
“They could’ve left us out there to die in the water, but no, they chose to save us. They have fed us and now they are trying to find us a way to get home. I don’t know about you, but I am taking their help” he said to them, with the edge of defensiveness. Liam and Louis agreed with him.
“I trust them somewhat. They are scared of whoever this Capitol is. The Capitol seems like a person or thing I don’t want to meet with at all” said Harry. Zayn nodded in agreement.
“We have no other choice. If we don’t trust them, then how can we expect them to protect us against the Capitol?” asked Liam. Nobody answered that question but they knew what they had to do now. They had to trust these girls and hope to the gods that they can protect them and send them home ok.
