The Labyrinth *editing*

Chapter 16

Hey, its Katie! Soo..this chapter is somewhat violent, and has a little blood in it, so if you're squemish....uh, then...er, sorry XD

Hope you enjoy the action in it. I had fun writing it! :D

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 The night fell quickly and quietly as we spent the day away, doing nothing, and mourning over our recent losses. I will not say we were at our emotional lows at this point, because at least we were clean and healthy, and most importantly-- free. But the tragedy last night had taken us hard. To think that they were so close to surviving through the night was unbearable.

 I felt like I could've done something to help them, but as I spent the day raking through it in my mind, I could not find a single reasonable thing I could have done. Even with this in mind, I still had difficulty grasping the fact that I was innocent. The guilt was overwhelming-- and survivor's guilt set in soon enough.

I sat on a rotting log, far removed from the rest, looking at the cold moon as the others built a small fire. The moon, I knew was the last thing that linked me to home. It was the same one that shone down on Athens. It was my symbol of luck and glory, hence that Artemis was the moon goddess. I tried my best to forget about the whole ordeal, but it was not that easy. I had not been particularly close to any of the deceased, but still I felt like it was even worse of a loss since I had wanted to know them more. I thought of Paris, who was still looking numb and dazed from the accident. After all, it was his best friend that was killed,

My thoughts returned to our future that lay ahead, but it was foggy and unclear in my mind. I knew why had three choices, all with totally different outcomes- We could turn ourselves in, which would result in death; we could try to survive in the wild without being discovered, which could result in a few things; or we could try to make it to Athens somehow. I buried my head hopelessly in my arms while I let a tear escape. It seemed that either way we turned, there was a very real possibility we would die. We seemed trapped in bitter situations that had no bright result.

I was so immersed in my thoughts of the horrible deaths we were going to encounter that I didn't notice as the air turned misty very rapidly. When I lifted my head, wiping my eyes and sniffling, I was startled by the sudden approach of the mist. I thought of it as analogy for my own life so far-- I was so caught up in my own life, that this whole ordeal caught me off-guard, and now there was no way around it.

The mist swallowed me so suddenly it was almost frightening. I stood abruptly, aware that it would be easy to get lost in the fog. It was still a warm night, and the air felt funny, like electricity was sparking through the air. As I tried to retrace my steps, I began to feel slightly worried. If this thick fog continued, we could easily get separated from one another, which would be horrible. At least it was warm, so nobody was going to freeze to death, but since none of us were familiar with the landscape or wildlife, it was dangerous all the same.

I hoped to Artemis that they had a fire going, or I feared I would not be able to find them again. Of course, even if I did get lost, I would most likely be safe until morning when the fog cleared up. Though it was the thickest fog I had ever seen, and I was in an unfamiliar place, I refused to panic. I had, over the last few days, experienced much more grave situations.

I continued in the direction I guessed I came from, and eventually I heard the welcome sound of voices. When I saw the blooming flame, I knew I had found them. I snaked soundlessly through the remaining forest toward them. When I reached the clearing in which they were situated, I said nothing as I sat on my stump. I didn't want them to know I was there.

"Where's Xenia?" Maya asked worriedly. I felt a rush of compassion towards Maya because she genuinely cared. She was truly worried, and that made me feel loved.