Journey to a Better End (An Add x Ara Story)

Chapter 27

Chapters on this particular story are about to get more frequent. Sorry about that temporary delay. I finished another book so I've got some open space for now.
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        Ara could not sleep. The rest of their day had simply been a few meetings with the locals and the Crow Mercenaries introducing themselves. They were collectively quite a large group but it was clear that Raven's particular squad had the most skill. They would be the ones to execute tomorrow's mission which meant that Add was going too. They said his presence was absolutely necessary if they wanted a one hundred percent success rate.

        That's not what was keeping Ara awake though. It wasn't even that shocking vision or whatever that was keeping her awake. No, it was the constant fear of being attacked in her sleep that kept her awake. The more she thought about it, the more she decreased her chances of going to sleep. That and the ever so slight sounds of creaking that she heard outside of her and Add's door kept her wide awake. Add had seemed to be sound asleep and Ara had peeked over her shoulder several times finding that he remained unmoving from his spot. He had only shifted once but other than that, he'd given no signs of an uneasy sleep.

        They'd both argued for several minutes over who would take the bed and who would sleep on the floor. In the end, they'd both ended up taking the bed but Ara had made sure she had her back to Add and he had done the same. Ara had chosen the side furthest from the door but she now wished she hadn't because she felt a bit trapped considering that there was no other exit in the room except that door. No window, no vent large enough for her to crawl though, no anything.

        "If you are so worried for your safety and cannot sleep, why don't you sneak out and find a place to train yourself a bit. I'm sure you'd be tired enough to rest once I'm done with you," Eun suggested. Although it wasn't too bad of an idea, Ara didn't really want to leave the room knowing that she was already a person that the Crow Mercenaries had on their stalk list or something. And she also didn't want to accidentally run into Raven. Although her "flashback" hadn't been affecting her sleep as far as she knew, it was certainly fresh on her mind and she didn't want to be anywhere near Raven unless she had no choice.

        "I assure you that you won't be caught. If you borrow my power for a bit, you'll be able to use a particular skill that allows you a degree of extreme steal for a short period of time. In fact, one we get outside, I can teach you this technique. It might be useful in the near future," Eun coaxed, still trying to get Ara to go train. Ara sighed and carefully lifted herself from the bed. Training in a night gown didn't sound too cool to Ara but what choice did she have?

        Going to the bathroom a couple of doors down just to change into some decent movement allowing clothes would only make the situation worse. Ara sliped from under the covers that kept her from the biting cold and slipped on her shoes. Thankfully they were good enough to train in. The gown that she was allowed to borrow from Seris would likely be restrictive. Just before she reached out to open the door after walking to it, Eun's voice stopped her.

        "You aren't going to go out there like that are you? Didn't I tell you that you'd need my power to become stealthy to an extreme degree? I do remember saying that," Eun chided. Ara just rolled her eyes but before she could accept Eun's power, she heard her name being called. "Ara...where are you going? It's late...and I'm tired...need sleep," she heard Add mutter. She was startled by him at first but turned back to see his eyes slightly open and clouded with sleepiness.

        He looked a lot more serene than usual and Ara wondered why he hadn't had any more visions or memory flashes...not that she wanted him to have any but she was still curious. "Just go back to sleep. I'll be okay. You seem to need your rest," Ara whispered as she walked over to him and knelt down in front of him by the bed. "You aren't safe...don't leave," Add muttered, closing his eyes as he did. "I've got Eun with me. Besides I can't sleep so I'm going to go train a bit. Nothing will happen to me so don't worry," Ara said with a smile as Add fully opened his still sleep clouded eyes.