Fallen (MCSM Fanfic)

Chapter 9: The Storm

Petra awoke with a slight gasp, ripped out of the deep sleep she had been in.

She was slumped against a pillar, exactly where she had been sitting the previous evening, pondering over thoughts. She must have fallen asleep.

Petra was tired and drained of energy, her body drenched in a cold sweat. It took a few moments for her mind to properly wake up and remember what was going on around her.

Then the memories of the previous day's events hit Petra like a punch to the stomach. Immediately she glanced around the room, her eyes darting around nervously as she searched for a pair of familiar green eyes.

Jesse was indeed there, standing in a little group with Axel and Olivia, talking. Petra could also see both Magnus and Ellegaard, both of them clearly trying to keep some sort of distance between each other. Lastly there was Lukas, actually not too far from Petra, filling up a quiver full of arrows.

Petra's shoulders slumped slightly, a small wave of hopelessness washing over her. The warrior hated feeling helpless in any ways, despised it.

But for once she found herself in a situation where she didn't know what to do next. As if the previous day wasn't horrific enough already, the conversation she had heard between Jesse and her friends left Petra baffled.

On top of that, she could already feel herself weakened. Her wither sickness was increasing at a much more rapid pace than the previous time, and she could feel her condition deteriorating by the hour.

As much as Petra hated asking others for help, as much as she preferred to do everything by herself... she was desperate for another person to help her through this.

Petra glanced over at Lukas again, the blonde busy testing out the stiffness of his bowstring. He was her only hope... he hasn't shone any signs of being somebody else. He was just him, the Lukas she's known her entire life.

After all, Aiden sent her back without replacing her? This could very well be the real Lukas. The only question was – why didn't he seem to remember anything, and she did?

At that moment, Lukas lifted his head and their eyes met. Petra awkwardly broke eye-contact when he smiled at her. She internally groaned when he started walking right towards her, even more so when he knelt down to her level.

"Morning." Lukas said. "It's good to see you awake."

"Yeah?" Petra muttered, uncertain as to what exactly she should respond with. After all, Lukas probably thought she was on some level of crazy after everything she had told him the previous day.

"I know you don't like a fuss, Petra, so I'm just going to cut straight to the point." Lukas said with a soft sigh. "What's wrong? You look terrible."

"Thanks." Petra replied dryly. She loathed the sound of pity in his voice. The constant sympathy her newfound friends always had for her was not something she wasn't particularly fond of.

"You know that's not what I meant." Lukas replied, giving her that 'I'm not backing off until you talk' face. "Everybody's been up for hours, except for you."

"I had a long day yesterday."

"...and you're incredibly pale. I could hear you coughing in your sleep as well during the night." Lukas interrupted her interruption. "If something's wrong, you can't keep it to yourself, Petra. That's what the rest of us are here for, we're there to help each other. You're not alone."

"Actually Lukas." Petra said, turning her head to look him in the eye. "I am."

She didn't give the blonde time to respond, heaving her tired body off the floor, and stiffly walking away from him. Her sore muscles didn't feel like they were planning on letting her forget about everything she's been through the previous day.