Once Upon a Midnight: Wanted

Chapter Ten

The following moment Casper woke Aeryn. The girl jumped a bit, not having realized she'd fallen asleep. She sat up, stretching before sliding out of the bed.

"Come. It is time to go."

Aeryn nodded, going to where she'd put her boots next to the door, pulling them on. When she straightened again, she was shocked to see Casper in front of her. She stumbled back a bit. What was with these siblings and personal space?

Casper merely smiled, reaching out to pull her hood over her head. His own hood was drawn, hiding most of his face from her. "Ready?"

"Uh-huh."

He laughed, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the room to where Claudia was waiting.

"I do not expect this should take us very long." She said as they made their way out of their home. Casper didn't release his hold on Aeryn's hand as they began the trek back up to the entrance of the Underground.

"No, I hope not." Casper agreed.

Aeryn used her free hand to pull her hood further down on her face. They didn't get so much as a second glance from the other Rahktar roaming about, most of them coming back from the night's hunt.

"The neighborhoods are maybe half a day's walk from here. We could either go the long way, through the trees, or cut through Downtown." Casper said. He'd released Aeryn's hand, but his now sat on the small of her back, guiding her as they moved through the Underground.

"Downtown would be riskier." Claudia hummed, smiling at a Rahktar who waved at her from a distance. Another called her name, and she waved at them with yet another warm smile. "Too many people roaming around there at any given moment. But the trees offer other dangers."

Aeryn started to ask exactly what these "other dangers" were, but another voice interrupted them.

"Got another one, huh Casper?"

The three paused, twins both smiling. It was Claudia who answered, "You know my brother. A different one practically every week."

"Hey, I am not that bad." Casper's hand moved to Aeryn's hip, pulling her against him. "Besides, those days may yet be behind me. I think this one here is a keeper."

The man who'd stopped them laughed, clapping Casper as he walked away. "'Atta boy! Give my regards to your father will you?"

"Of course." Claudia smiled as the man shuffled away and then they began walking once more.

"What was that about?" Aeryn asked, looking between the twins.

"Casper here is a bit of a ladies man." Claudia answer, nudging Casper with her elbow.

"Perhaps, but it is not every week like you say."

"Sure, okay." Claudia laughed, walking a bit ahead of Casper. "By the way brother, are you going to let the poor girl go any time soon, or do you plan on making her another of your conquests?" She rose an eyebrow, looking over her shoulder at him. "You have not let her go since we left the house. Afraid she will blow away in the wind?"

"Bite me, Claudia." Even as he said that the hand on Aeryn slipped away.

The girl made a face, shaking her head. "I do not think your particular taste appeals to me."

As they climbed out of the Underground, Aeryn winced, the sudden change of lighting hurting her eyes again.

"I hate being outside during the day." Claudia huffed as she stepped further into the sun. She tugged her hood down further.

"You could always go back." Casper smirked when his sister ignored him, walking towards the trees Casper had brought Aeryn from just days earlier.

"And leave her in the protection of you?"

"I am perfectly capable of protecting her." Casper huffed in response.

Aeryn couldn't help but marvel at the banter between the siblings as they walked. They had seemed so distant toward each other just the other day, and now they were teasing one another. She supposed that was how regular siblings interacted, but since she'd never had that before she couldn't be sure.

Despite her confusion, Aeryn followed the still bantering twins as they lead her towards away from the Underground. When they reached the edge of the forest, she slowed as she overheard voices. One of the voices sounded oddly familiar, though she couldn't place where she could possibly know the voice from.

And then they came within sight, and she froze completely. The twins didn't notice Aeryn stopped walking until Casper turned to ask her something, and realized she was staring past him. With a frown he turned to see what could have spooked her, and then turned back to Aeryn.

"What is it?" He asked her.

She could only point. Claudia, crossed her arms, looking to where Aeryn was motioning to. Standing just within the trees was Maira, talking to a few men in white suits. She looked upset, and completely different than she had when they were in the human village. Her brown hair was pulled into a bun, and she had on a black ball gown type dress. "Hm. Those men are members of the Council, and not Rakhtar. I wonder what they're doing all the way out here near the Underground."

"She's the one who chased me out of the village. She wants me dead." Aeryn said, shaking her head. She took a step back. "We can't go this way. If she's here that means she's looking for me, and I don't want you two to be in danger."

"Okay, alright." Casper reaches out to take Aeryn's hand again when she began to back away even more, stopping her retreat. "We'll just have to go through Downtown. It will take longer but at least we won't run into her."

Claudia simply hummed in agreement, turning on her heel and walking past the other two. Casper offered Aeryn a smile and tugged her behind him as they began walking once more.

"I'm sorry." Aeryn said after a few moments of silence. The twins look at her in question.

"For what?"

"Freaking out like that. It's just...I don't understand why she's here. If humans aren't allowed in Jyn then why is she? How did she get up here?"

"That is good reason to freak out." Claudia said, crossing her arms again. "If she is human as you claim, she should have been captured and put to death, not chatting away with members of the Council. It does not make sense."

Aeryn sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. She fell silent once again as they continued walking, too wrapped in her own thoughts to verbalize any of them. The only reason she could think of why Maira was here would be that she wasn't human. But then it made no sense as to why she would have been in the human village this whole time if she had access to live in Jyn. Who would choose to live in such a way when they had all of this at their disposal?

Aeryn was only brought out of her thoughts again when someone called Casper's name out, and the twins slowed to a stop. Claudia moved slightly in front of Aeryn, blocking her from sight, and the other girl tugged her hood down over her face more.

"Hey, Casper!" She recognized the voices, but she couldn't place where she knew them from.

"So did you ever eat that human?"