The Survival of Four

Chapter 47

He turned to the door, folding his hands behind his head before turning back toward myself and Kyle. "What are we going to do? The archer is still roaming around Safe Haven."

"What does she want anyway?" Kyle questioned rhetorically. After a thought coming to mind, I groaned loudly and covered my face with my hands. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I sighed, removing my hands to look at the two boys in the eyes. "She told me," I remembered. "She told me why she was doing all of this." I shook my head, disappointed in myself. "...But I don't remember. She's had to do this on purpose. She knew hitting me hard enough on the head would cause some damage."

Dylan nodded. "We need to figure out what she wants before anyone else gets hurt."

I pushed on the mattress to sit up and a sharp pain coursed through my skull. I grimaced and grabbed my head immediately. Kyle instantly reached out and gently pushed me back down onto the pillow. "Take it easy," he told me. "You are still hurt."

"I want to go walk around the haven." I looked between the boys. "Maybe I can recognize the archer's voice if I hear them talking."

Dylan shook his head, shooting down my wants. "Later. You need to rest now."

I groaned, rolling my eyes. "I am perfectly fine," I lied.

Kyle mimicked my eye roll. "Yeah, obviously." His voice dripped sarcasm, making me roll my eyes once more. He only laughed in return.

"I'm going to go tell Carson she is awake," Dylan informed us. He turned around and left the room before we had time to reply.

We sat in silence for a moment. "How did you guys find me, anyway?"

He leaned back in his wheelchair before he started explaining. "Carson heard you sneaking out and tried to follow you. However, it was too dark and since you were running he lost you after you crossed off safe grounds. He called me and told me that you left. Luckily, Dylan was here with me and we immediately knew where you were going. So, Dylan left instantly and flew out to where you were supposed to meet the archer," he spoke. "He found you on the ground unconscious."

I nodded and looked down at my fingers that were fumbling with each other on my lap. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

He gifted me a sad smile. "I know." He scratched the back of his head before he continued explaining. "Once Dylan brought you back here, you took my place in the bed and we had Harper figure out what had happened." He chuckled unheartedly. "It didn't take us long to notice the blood coming from your head."

Dylan walked in a few minutes later with Avrey and Carson trailing at his heels. My brother rushed to my side, worry concealing his face. "Are you okay?" He placed his hand on my arm. I nodded and slipped him a small thankful smile.

"I can't believe you saw the archer," Avrey spoke with disbelief.

I nodded. "Yeah, but it doesn't help us because I don't remember. She hit me in the head pretty hard," I explained.

"She?" Her blonde eyebrows knitted together.

"I remember it being a girl," I told her.

"Are you sure she is okay?" Carson questioned, turning his attention to Kyle. "If she doesn't remember, is there any more damage that could've occurred?"

The son of Hades shook his head. "In her case, it's unlikely because she seems fine, but Harper might run a few tests to make sure." Carson nodded and looked back to me.

"Where is Mia?" I asked them all.

I noticed Carson's jaw tick after my words. "Riley—," he started.

I shook my head and cut him off. "It was a girl, Carson. She is the only girl suspicion that we have," I reminded him. "I'm just trying to be careful."

I watched the frustration being painted on his face. "Oh, like you were being careful last night when you ran off to meet a killer?" he asked.

I sighed and dropped my head back onto my pillow. "Carson, not now," I pleaded.

He shook his head. "They told you not to go. You could've been killed."

To my surprise, Kyle's laughter filled the space around us. "Yeah, it's not the first time," he informed my brother. "Carson, you are new to these situations, so let me tell you something...your sister doesn't listen very well."

The son of Zeus nodded, following Kyle's words. "Yeah, she has fortunately escaped death more than once," he added.

"That's only because one of you guys end up showing up at the last minute," I spoke, trying to transfer some of the attention onto them.

Kyle nodded, satisfaction written across his face. "Yeah, you are right. We are awesome." He turned to Dylan and they connected their hands in a high-five. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

Avrey walked across the room and sat in a chair placed against the wall. "So, what do you remember?" she asked, flipping her blonde hair over one shoulder.

I explained I only remembered the archer's gender being female and that I knew who it was. "We trusted the archer," I told them. Avrey nodded but never responded.

An hour later, the others had left, leaving Kyle and me alone once again. "Does everyone know what happened?" I asked him.

He nodded and sat up straighter in his wheelchair. "Dylan made an announcement as soon as you were brought back so everyone could keep an eye out for suspicious activity," he said.

I ran my fingers through my hair nervously. "How did they react?"

He shrugged. "Mostly shocked and angry, I guess. Most were upset that you and made a stupid decision that had almost gotten you killed." He stared at me and I caught a hint of frustration in his eyes.

"I knew the risks," I told him.

"And did you regret it at any point?" After a hesitation, I nodded in shame. His eyes never left me. "When?"

"I don't remember, but I was hoping one of you had known that I would leave and had followed me," I recalled.

He sighed and leaned slightly closer. "Well, you were lucky your brother called me and that Dylan was here since I am currently slow moving." He gestured to the wheelchair.

I nodded. "Thanks," I repeated for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

"We came to the rescue once again." My smile stretched from one ear to the other. He slipped me a small one in return. "You need rest," he mentioned.

I nodded and didn't bother disagreeing. I laid down and pulled the covers up to my chest. Kyle picked up another blanket off the bottom of the bed and neatly spread it out across me. I mumbled a "thanks" as I invited the warmth of the blankets.

He pecked my hairline before leaning back into the wheelchair. "You need to start listening to me," he said.

"I know, I'm sorry," I spoke sincerely.

He sighed but nodded. "I hate that you promised me and you knew you were going to break it," he admitted quietly after a moment.

I frowned deeply. "I regret it."

He nodded once again but never said it was okay. My frown remained on my face as I stared at the upset look on his face. He started wheeling his chair toward the door before stopping at the door frame. "Get some sleep," he told me. He turned out the lights.

"Hey, Kyle?" I called.

He flipped the lights back on. "Yeah?"

"I really am sorry," I told him. "I will never break a promise to you again. I swear to the gods, I won't. It hurts, knowing you lost some trust in me," I admitted honestly.

"I trust you just as much as I did six months ago," he told me with a small smile. "It's okay. People make mistakes...some more than others." He chuckled genuinely. "Get some sleep."

I nodded as he turned the lights back out and left, closing the door behind him. I was happy he accepted my apology, but there was a part of me that felt empty. There was a hole in my chest. I wanted nothing more than the feeling to go away.