Unexpected Turns

Agony

Cold.

Amara was cold.

She whimpered a little and tried to roll over. There was a dull ache in her ankle but she grumbled and ignored it. Huh. Why wouldn't she warm up? When she reached down for her blanket, her hand dug into wet soil and a flash of plain flashed through her finger.

"Gah!" Amara screeched. She jumped up to clutch her hand. Other than her finger being in agony, her hands felt painfully numb. Actually, her whole body felt painfully numb. The cold felt like it seeped into her bones and froze them. Her head hurt so bad she checked for blood. If there was any, the rain must have washed it all away.

She squinted upwards, raindrops fell heavily into her eyes and made it hard to see. She could make out the opening of the ditch she had fallen into. Amara fought a sob. It was deep, as well as steep. Even without her sore finger, she'd never be able to make it out of here. She tried to stand, forcing her frozen muscles to stretch, only to scream and fall back down again.

Sore finger and ankle, it would seem. Amara breathed in short, shallow gasps as she reached down the grasp her ankle. She squeezed her eyes such in agony.

"M-m-mama, Papa," she bawled, barely able to make her frozen lips move. The rain just seemed to be getting colder, and harder. It hurt. Her white hair clung to her cheeks and forehead and her coat was so soaked it was useless. She looked back up to the entrance of the hole hopelessly, fear enveloping her like a sudden wave a sickness.

"N-n-no one with e-e-ever f-find me!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around around her legs to bury her head between her knees. Sobs wracked her small body. Her head hurt and her throat ached. She was so cold it hurt. It was actually hurting.

It could have been hours or minutes later, but suddenly, the pain was beginning to fade, and Amara felt her eyes drooping. But the pain disappearing only made her that much more fearful. She fought to keep her eyes open and tried desperately to cling to the pain she was praying to end. But she couldn't. It was too strong. Eventually, she slumped in the bottom of the soaking ditch, as the rain continued to thunder down on top of her.

"Amara! Amara, baby!"

"Mara? Mara!"

"C'mon kid, where are ya?"

Maka bit her lip to swallow a sob. They'd been searching for over three hours now and to no avail. They couldn't even track her with the storm. They'd split into each part of the city and looked everywhere they could think to find her, but it was as if she'd disappeared.

Maka turned her head to check on her partner. Soul's face was like stone as he shouted relentlessly for his daughter, stopping every now and then to try and hear a response. Maka's heart broke just to look at him.

"Guys, I really think we should check the outskirts," Blackstar suggested for the millionth time. "She could have easily found her self in the desert and fallen-"

"She would not have fallen," Soul growled. Maka squeezed her eyes shut. "Them things can go down thirty feet. Now, I'm not going out there to find my daughter broken at the bottom of one of those-"

"Soul. Soul," Maka interrupted, her voice tired. "What if he's right?"

Soul looked at her like she'd grown another head. Maka sighed.

"I know we don't want to believe it, and if it has happened, it would be horrendous, but what if our little girl is lost in the desert or injured? We need to save her."

Soul didn't reply. Instead, he offered a curt nod and headed off to his bike as Maka followed.

"Soul, can you drive in this?" Kid asked quietly, his voice hardly even audible in the pouring rain.