Stay Gold

On the Move Again

3rd person's pov

Elizabeth and her group set out early the next morning, she didn't want to waste any time getting back on the road. Even though, she didn't want to say goodbye, Xiumin and Kyungsoo caught the group on the outskirts of town. "I can't believe you were going to leave without saying goodbye. We have so much to thank you for." Xiumin crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at Elizabeth who only sighed and looked away. Kyungsoo frowned, noticing her sad disposition. "Liz hates saying goodbye." Jimin explained briefly, "Ah.. I get it." Xiumun nodded, "Well... I guess this it, huh?" He smiled at the group, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah," Jin smiled softly, "The town wanted a hold a feast to celebrate you guys and the fact they've been reunited with long lost family members. I'm guessing you guys don't want to stick around for that, yeah?" Kyungsoo explained, Jungkook and Taehyung smiled at the thought of a feast. "That was very thoughtful of them... Please give them our thanks.. And our apologies, we won't be attending. We have to get back out on the road." Elizabeth spoke before anyone else could accept the offer, leaving her group stunned. Elizabeth hadn't been one to ever turn down any kind of good hospitality, she usually was the first to welcome it. They watched as she walked away from the group, Jungkook frowned as she stopped a few feet away from them. Elizabeth always hated saying goodbye, her brother and friends back home could attest to that.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she tried not to slowly fall apart. She wanted to stay strong because the rest of this trip would test her in ways she didn't think would be possible. She wanted to be strong for her brother, who was suffering at the hands of Taemin. Though, she had no clue what was going on back home, she could only assume that things were not so peaceful. But she had strong hope that Baekhyun would be fine, she had no doubt in her mind that he was doing everything he could to keep their town safe. She shook her mind, freeing herself to only think about the journey ahead. Jungkook looked over at Elizabeth, silently worried about her mental wellbeing. She was trying her best not to let her emotions get the best of her, but all she could feel was the longing of once again being by her older brother's side. She missed him a lot and she was scared for his safety, she hoped that she wouldn't lose him the way they lost their parents.

"I'm sorry about her... She's been in a foul mood since yesterday afternoon." Jimin apologized, "No, it's alright. She seems ready to get back out on the road, we can't fault her for that." Kyungsoo said, waving his hand dismissively. "What's wrong with her?" Xiumin asked, "She misses her brother. I suggest we head out before we run into more trouble on the way back." Yoongi stuffed his hands in his pocket and looked at Namjoon, "Yeah, we're gonna head out. I'm sorry we can't make it to the celebration. Tell everyone we give our gratitude for them hosting us while we stayed here."

"Yeah, no problem." Xiumin smiled.

"Elizabeth, wait up!" Jungkook rushed off after her, worried about her safety. Jimin and Taehyung just shook their heads and followed the young vampire, both slightly amused by his behavior. Everyone said their goodbyes, leaving Xiumin to stand with his brother and watch the group disappear into the distance.

Elizabeth kept moving, she had been quiet since they left and it was starting to get to Hoseok. Jimin looked over at the guardian angel, wondering why he looked so bothered. "So we all agree that Elizabeth is acting weird, right?" Jin asked, breaking the silence amongst the group. Elizabeth had zoned out, she didn't pay much attention to the conversation going on behind her. "Well, I, for one, think she isn't. I think she's just focused on getting to the warlock's place." Taehyung chimed in, "Yeah, I think that too but something's off with her behavior." Jin crossed his arms, looking at Elizabeth. "You know, I think all of you are overreacting. Elizabeth is focused on getting her brother back. Besides, we haven't known her long enough to know that she's acting weird." Taehyung spoke up, "You may think that but just think of all the shit we've been through, it's safe to say we know her well enough." Jimin stated.

"I still think you guys are overthinking this," Taehyung shook his head.

"You can think whatever you want to think, Taehyung. But something isn't right with how she's acting." Jimin argued. Hoseok caught up with Elizabeth, who seemed to have zoned out completely. Her mind was racing with all these bad thoughts. The link that Taemin had cursed her with was still present on her arm, but she wasn't feeling anything from it which was starting to worry her.

Meanwhile...

Baekhyun sat down on the couch in Elizabeth and Damien's house, he was reading the letter that Elizabeth had written. He was amazed that in the short span of time she had been gone, she was constantly running into all sorts of obstacles and even sustaining injuries from the fights she had been in. "Jeez, she's been through a lot.. Hasn't she?" Sehun had read the letter from his spot next to his older brother, "Yeah.. She really has. I can't fault her if she's feeling disheartened. She's been facing all kinds of golems and supernatural beings." Baekhyun sighed heavily, rubbing his face as he placed the letter on the coffee table. "She might be feeling disheartened right now but I doubt she'll stay feeling that way throughout her journey. She has some really good traveling companions." Yeonjun chimed in, taking a bite out of an apple. "Yeah, Yeonjun is right. She's got a cool group of friends that have her back. Especially with Namjoon hyung in the mix." Taehyun reassured the brother's, "You know this Namjoon personally?" Sehun quipped, he worried about this mage. After all, Taemin didn't start out as evil warlock. He was worried they would have another situation like Taemin.

"Hyung, I assure you there's nothing to worry about. Namjoon hyung is a very sweet and understanding person, he's actually the main reason our town is still around. He saved our town a long time ago and ever since then, he's been keeping us safe." Taehyun smiled at Sehun.

"... I guess I have no choice but to take your word for it." Sehun concluded.