Blend the Light

Run

The second time she moves, I know she did for certain. Her head moves from where it's leaning against the pillow. I step a little closer. She groans, and her eyebrows furrow as she lifts her hand to her face. In a fluid motion, she's risen to a seated position, and blinking against the lights. "Hey, hey. Why don't you lay back down." I reach out a hand to her shoulder. She ignores me, but slaps away my hand. Her eyes travel across the whole room before they fall shut and her breaths speed up. Shadows seem to swirl around her knees. What's that? How's she doing that? Her eyes fly open after another minute, and she leaps to the other side of the room. I take a step towards her, but she tries to back further into the wall. "Arrow, I won't hurt you. I promise." Arrow doesn't seem to listen, and she sinks deeper into panic.

Karla bursts into the room, Hawk and Adrien right behind her. The door handle slams into the wall, and Arrow jumps. "I'm here. What's u-. Oh, you're awake, Arrow. I can see that you're up and moving about. How are you feeling?" Karla asks. Arrow swallows, then ducks her head. She rocks from foot to foot, shaking her head as her fingers claw at her arms. "Calm down, it's alright. None of us will hurt you, Arrow," Karla says softly.

Arrow continues to rock. When she looks up from where her eyes were fixed on the ground, anger and fear burn bright in the green depths. I stand back with Adrien and Hawk. "Jay, you look almost as terrified as she does. What's going on?" Hawk whispers, leaning over my shoulder.

"I don't know... I can kinda understand why she'd be so afraid, but I just wish she'd calm down." I take a small step away from my brother.

"Eh, she will."

"Why are you acting so weird?"

"Why are you acting so weird?" Hawk scoffs, imitating my voice.

"Jay, Hawk, cut it," Adrien says in a low voice. We fall silent.

None of us move or speak, though Karla continues to try to calm Arrow. The girl's gaze is fixed on the ground, though she seems to be looking at something else. There it is again. Shadows swirl around her feet, tendrils of darkness lapping at her ankles. "Do you see that, Adrien? The shadows?"
"Wha-. Yeah. I've never seen that. Remind me to ask her later."

"I think you should let her adjust and get used to everything first before you interrogate her about the Wasteland, Guthrie Harper, and everything."

"I'm not going to interrogate her, I'm simply going to ask her some questions," he replies.

Arrow bolts, pivoting around Karla before sprinting for the door. She turns the corner and disappears. Hawk reaches out an arm, but he's just a split second too late. "I'll follow her," I find myself saying before I've fully processed what just happened. I follow where she went to the right.

"Hawk, you go to the left. Adrien, search the third floor. I'll take the first floor." Karla says. She says something else to Hawk and Adrien, but I can't make out what it is.

Jeez. This is harder than I thought. I've scoured the second floor of our base at least four or five times, with no word from Hawk, Karla, or Adrien. Vladimir helped me search for a little while until he got called away for some assignment. I Blend myself, hoping to find something. Once I'm fully in my dog form, I shake and start searching again. "Find anything?" Karla asks. Startled, I whirl around.

"No, I've searched, like, every single room at least four times. I'll try again. There must be some room I haven't checked, or she's moving around."

"Alright. Adrien's got people locking down the windows and doors, and some more searching. We can't let her get out."

"Sounds good," I murmur, then nod my head.