Oblivion

02

"WE HAVE TO take her to Krauss." Lorenzo said.

"Look at her! She needs our help!" Skye defended. 

To Arabella, their voices sounded fuzzy. Like she was underwater, just floating, peacefully. She knew they were talking about her, and she knew who they were. She remembered how they found her in the house, and the way they spoke to her. She was too frightened to speak back. For fear that they would punish her for whatever she would say, that they would leave her there if she gave them the information they needed. So, she stayed silent. 

"Her injuries have remained untreated for almost two years, most of them, if not all, are infected. It's a miracle she's not dead. I might be able ton heal her," Informed Ashton, who was kneeling next to Arabella's sleeping body. 

"Enzo's right," Bax added harshly, "it's the rules."

Arabella could still hear them, but not like she was there. It was when Ash abruptly got up and he accidentally brushed against her torso that she finally opened her eyes. She gasped sharply and jolted so hard she felt her cracked ribs scratch against her lungs. Everyone in the room stepped closer, and Ashton rushed back to her side. She winced in pain as every bone in her body began to ache again. 

"Shh, it's okay, don't move." Ash said quickly

She hesitantly let her limbs relax but her mind was doing sommersaults. 

"Hey, Arabella," Skye approached her. Lorenzo and Baxter exchanged looks, but neither uttered a word. Arabella's eyes wandered from person to person and then to her surroundings. They seemed to be in a tent of some kind, there were holes in the beige tarp and it was musty and dark. She was laying on a horizontal rack of some sort with several blankets over it, but she could still feel the metal bars poking. 

"Wha-...where...?" 

"Astronomy Forest." Lorenzo finally spoke up. Slowly, Arabella peeled her eyes away from the tarp walls to look at him. 

"Y-you...carried m-me out." Speaking felt like sandpaper was rubbing against the inside of her throat. Her voice was raspy and she stuttered on nearly every other word.

All heads turned to Lorenzo. Not a sliver of emotion passed his face as he replied. 

"Yes. Though I shouldn't have." 

"Enzo!" Skye whisper shouted. 

His ocean blue eyes flickered from Skye back to Arabella, but the same stone cold look occupied his face. Without saying another word, he stalked out of the tent and left the rest of them alone. 

"I'm sorry," Skye apologized, "that's probably not exactly what you hoped to wake up to." She half smiled and laughed lightly. 

"None of you are." Arabella said with her eyebrows furrowed. 

Baxter smirked at her comment, but Ash looked back at Skye, who pursed her lips. They knew very well that the group had mistreated her in the past, but they'd had more pressing things to feel guilty about in the past two years. But now, they were face to face with the young naive teenagers they once were. 

"Er..I can try to...heal your wounds...if you'd like." Ashton tried to break the awkward silence that had overcome the group. 

"No." Arabella snapped, "don't t-touch me." 

"Yeah Ash, don't touch her. Let Krauss deal with it." Bax mocked. 

Arabella's eyes widened at the sound of that name. "No, no, no, no. Riley," she said under her breath. "Riley. Where's Riley? He's dead, isn't he? They killed him," she sobbed," He didn't come back, he didn't come back!" She screamed tried to get up but her back twisted and her arms were too weak to lift herself up.