The Last Hope

17. Echo

    Shortly before dawn truly started, my numb nose and lips pulled me from my sleep. I rolled my face into her back. As much as I didn't want to, I slowly started to wake up. The patch of grass became prickly the more I adjusted myself. I realized we must have been gone for hours now.
    "Aria..." I mumbled into her. I breathed her scent; she smells like dew and musk.
    Aria groaned and rolled over to pull me closer, making my heart skip a little. "Aria... It's morning. We've been gone all night. We should head back to the others..." I insisted as I propped myself up on an elbow. She gently opened her eyes to look at me, the corners of her mouth turning upwards as she seemed to study my face.
    "Do we have to?" she smiled. I laughed as I sat. That's when I realized I had no idea where we were. She noticed the confusion on my face, and reassured me that she knew exactly where we were; she grew up to know these woods better than any other place on the planet. We dusted ourselves off and she directed me towards where we left the others.
    "Do we need to go get them?" she asked me.
"Yes, Aria, they didn't grow up in this forest; they'd be lost for weeks." I smiled.
"Aria, what is Everyone like? I mean, now. I remember them, but it's been two decades." She took a few moments to respond.
"Well, to be honest, I don't see them often. I've been so consumed with finding you; I haven't been home much in the last several years. I don't know much of what's happening in their lives. Nyx is a lot like she's always been; motherly and concerned about everything. Jasper is... going through things from what I know. You remember Loita, right?" she asked me. "Of course; She's the youngest sister. Why?" I returned.
    "Well, about a year ago, Loita was killed... It's a long story, but Jasper has been pretty reckless since then; After our parents were killed, they really stuck together. They were always together. I would have gotten to you sooner, but I came home to help watch over him. He tried to kill himself a few times..." She trailed off. My heart sank deep into my stomach. I really feel the time gap in how long I've truly been out of their lives. I want to hold him and help him numb the pain of that loss, but he probably wouldn't know me. I just got back my memories, making everything feel like just yesterday, but for them, they've felt every day since the last time I saw them.
    Since our parents were murdered.
    They have moved on. They have learned to live without me in their lives. Aria said "Come home and take care of him" and that she hasn't seen them in years, meaning they weren't looking for me anymore. They had come to terms with the fact that the Dolofonos had captured me and could have had me barely alive, or been torturing me. I almost wish that's what they had done. They basically killed me- who I was, and replaced me with 'Rae', who pulled Kota, and all the others into this mess.
    "Echo, are you okay?" Aria stopped.
    "I- I'm fine... I'm mad, but I can't change what happened." I didn't look at her. I didn't want her to see the tears welling in my eyes from the thought of my family giving up on trying to find me. "Echo- I tell me what you're thinking." She demanded as she turned me around when I tried to push away a premature tear.
    "It's just, I don't know... How long did it take for the others to stop looking for me?" I asked, my voice cracking, regardless of how much I tried to keep it stable.
    "Oh, Echo, they didn't! We haven't stopped trying since you were taken. An old friend of your mothers' found us, and cared for us as we absorbed all the knowledge we could on where the Dolofonos would be, how to track it, and its history. No one knew why they took you, what they wanted with you, but everyone we met told us that it wasn't good. We even trained in Spíti Kósmo. They didn't stop until Loita was killed in a fight, looking for you. I left Spíti Kósmo early, when I was only about 14 to start looking for you here. I saw them every now and then, on missions I needed backup, and to exchange information, but I lost the personal connection with them, I guess. We love each other, but I don't know them like you should know your family..." She sighed. "But I don't regret anything. I have you again." She smiled, as a tear fell and she wrapped her arms around me. I couldn't help but let the tears fall down my face; she is quite possibly the only person in the world who can relate with me on how I feel about this situation, or the closest.
    "Oh- how sweet." Kota grinded his teeth behind us. I stiffened, but she only held me tighter, looking him in the eye.
    I rested my hands on her hips and gently pushed her back, catching her hand as it was falling, in a way to reassure her that I didn't want her far away from me. "We need to keep moving. From what Aria was saying, our next meal is over that next mountain. I heard Alec weep lightly as he looked at the wide mountainous range I gestured to through some pines. "It should only take a day, if we don't stop every hour." Aria sneered. "Well, let's not waste time then. Come on."