Blood Ties

Chapter 23

The days that followed were tranquil and uneventful, and Star was treated as a guest and princess. Bella actually thanked her for saving her husband, and Silas remarked once that he almost felt bad for ransoming her.

Bella had quickly emphasized the almost, a smirk on her lips.

They very soon neared the end of their journey, and for that, Star was unendingly grateful. Light was beginning to shine through the trees, and the fresh smell of a beach was wafting through the forest.

The light was fading now, though, and they began their preparations for the nighttime, kindling a fire and laying out their pallets. Star no longer felt the need to be close to the fire, so she sat a ways back against a tree, her eyes turned thoughtfully to the sky that she could hardly see.

Marco sat beside her, a frown on his face, and he broke the silence with, "We're about two hours away from Regis."

"Wow. We're close." Star smiled, turning her head to face him. Then her smile faded as she realized the implications of what he just said. "Oh...right. We're being kidnapped."

Marco's expression softened, and he smiled a bit, chuckling, "I forgot too."

"What should we do?" Star asked, her eyes widening a little as she pondered every possible outcome. "I don't want our kidnappers to get hurt, if that even makes sense."

"Yeah, but I honestly don't know what's going to happen once we reach Regis," Marco said solemnly. "Worst case scenario, they'll be hanged."

"Best case," She continued, chewing at her lips, "is them ransoming us and getting their payment."

Marco sighed, running his hands through his hair, "That's not ideal."

"What do we do?" she demanded, desperation beginning to tinge her voice, "I didn't just save their lives for them to walk into their doom."

He shrugged helplessly, his brows furrowing. "I'm just hoping you can pull some strings, princess."

Star pulled a face, her hands beginning to wring together meticulously. "Me too."

Marco stared at her with a meditative expression on his face before he drummed up a smile, remarking, "On a lighter note, how's your leg? I could probably take out the stitches now."

"Oh, yeah," Star answered, remembering, "It's good, I think. I mean it doesn't hurt anymore."

He nodded, shuffling over so that he sat in front of her, and motioned for her to roll up her pant leg. Pulling out the medical bag, he retrieved a pair of tweezers, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "This won't hurt a- Oh hey, I didn't know Bella could dance."

Star's face was comically confused as she craned her head, trying to catch a glimpse of the scene he described. "I don't see –ow!" She whipped her head back around, glaring daggers at him with now-tearful eyes. "That did hurt."

"Sorry," he apologized in a voice that suggested anything but apologetic, holding the tweezers high so that she could see the slightly bloodied string inside, "but that one was kind of stuck. I was trying to distract you."

Star stuck out her lip, saying, "Thanks. You helped so much."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," Marco commented, busily working at removing her stitches. He smirked slyly, adding, "That's more Bella's thing."

"I'm starting to think you have a crush on Bella," she taunted, watching in fascination as he continued to pluck at her calve, thread by thread. He just shook his head, grinning, but a tinge of pink flooded his cheeks.