Exile (Short MCSM Fanfic)

Chapter 2: The Memories That Scars Leave

It's been five weeks since Jesse was chased from her own home. Five weeks since she was exiled from Beacontown.

It's been the worst five weeks of her life. No matter where she and her friends went, no matter where they tried to settle down, they were chased away like a pack of stray dogs.

The word of Beacontown's traitor, had spread for miles. As far as they went, Jesse's face was planted on wanted posters. Littering every tree, every lamp post, every fence.

Now five weeks later, here Jesse was; spirit broken.

Her skin had paled, her expression had dulled. Her arms, legs and even her face were covered in various scars, memories permanently embedded into her flesh.

But worst of all... Her left eye was glazed over, the pupil glassy. Its rich brown iris faded to a sandy colour. An injury inflicted by one of her very own, beloved citizens, on the night she had fled. One blow from his dagger, leaving her blind in that eye, the sight in it forever lost.

It was the most painful injury Jesse had received, both physically and emotionally. Out of all three of them, she was the one who lost the most.

Jesse was sitting under a large oak tree, on somewhat of a foresty hill. There was a cave hidden in between trees, the entrance covered up with wood. The shadows of another person were moving inside.

Jesse's gaze was distant as she stared into the distance; the sight in front of her flat, with no dimension. A gentle breeze played with her loose brown hair, tugging at her battered t-shirt.

"Jesse!"

She didn't even flinch, hearing her name. Dulled footsteps sounded on the grass as Petra came jogging over from the cave, kneeling down beside Jesse. She looked quite different herself, her own clothes torn and scars covering her skin. There was a deep one across the bridge of her nose, left there by the same person that left Jesse with her one-sided vision.

"I got some news." Petra said excitedly, not even earning a glance from Jesse in return. It didn't seem to bother her, she knew Jesse was hearing every word she spoke.

"I got some news from Lukas."

This caught Jesse's attention, turning her head to look at Petra. While her left eye stayed lifeless, interest gleamed in the right one.

"Is it good or bad news?" She asked. Her voice was lower than it used to be, yet still as gentle as it's always been.

"It's great news." Petra said, her statement causing Jesse's tense figure to visibly relax.

A week ago, Jesse and Petra had split up from Lukas. The three of them wanted to try and travel overseas, in search of a place where they could finally stop hiding. Before leaving however, Jesse wanted to get one final message of goodbye over to Axel, Olivia and Radar.

Since Jesse was the most wanted out of the three, she and Petra had stayed together at their current hiding spot, a small cave on a forest hill. Lukas made the journey to Jesse's friends on his own, promising to send a message once he was able to make contact with any of them.

"As we predicted, Lukas was unable to get inside Boomtown." Petra explained. "But he was able to come face to face with Olivia in Redstonia. And Jesse, she had good news for us!"

Jesse nodded, encouraging Petra to continue explaining.

"Olivia found an old map among Ellegaard's things, back from the older Order's travels." Petra said, pushing a string of hair back in underneath her bandanna. "It marks the location of an uncharted island, quite a bit away and completely remote. Olivia is not only giving us the map, but also providing us with a boat."