Star Crossed Lovers

Chapter 7 - Caught

"What do you mean not coming?" Peter burst; a mixture of shock, anger, and confusion laced in his voice.

Gani froze in surprise. She didn't think that Peter would be so furious that he raised his voice at her. She didn't dare look into his ocean blue orbs, instead tried to avert her gaze elsewhere, like his dirty blonde hair, bangs hanging low near his eyebrows. 

"What happened to the Gani yesterday that agreed to go on an adventure?" He continued, furrowing his brows with dismay. 

"Well, she changed her mind, Pete," Gani replied nonchalantly, braving herself up to look him in the eyes. "I just think it's dangerous that's all, and I think I'm not supposed to be poking my nose in something that's not my business."

"You're scared aren't you?" Peter's gaze softened as he scanned her face. 

"N-N-No, I'm not," she stuttered, "I-I told you what I thought about this."

Peter sighed in disappointment and went back to his marble cup of tea, sipping slightly avoiding eye contact with the girl. 

"We thought Gani could stay with King Caspian for the time being, while the four of us go on with the plan," Claire chimed in, breaking the dreadful ice between Gani and Peter. "Would you mind at all, Caspian?"

Caspian let out a hearty chuckle and smile kindly, "Well, it's fine by me. There are a lot of things she can do at camp, if that be her will..."

"Yes, that sounds perfect!" Gani smiled contently at Caspian, her eyes disappeared in a squint because of the smile. All the while Peter was right beside her, his face so awful-looking. His eyes dead, glazed with a hint of anger, and his lips seen turned into an unpleasant frown, even if he partially covered it with his teacup. 

~

Peter, Ed, Claire, and Caspian Jr. got their horses ready as they stood by at the gates of the camp. Edmund was stroking the muzzle of his stallion, while Claire and Caspian were fixing up their reins and stirrups so that everything was in place properly. Peter, however, still couldn't shake off the fact that Gani wasn't going to be coming with them. He kept staring at her conversing with Claire, as he stroked the light mane of his white horse. 

"You're super sure that you don't want to join us? We might find new things at the end of things," Peter overheard Claire convincing her friend for a final try, as he fixed the bow and arrows on her back. 

"Now, Claire, you know my mind's made up. Anyways, I'll be completely safe here, there's nothing to worry about." Gani replied, making Peter still disappointed but it didn't stop him from moving his eyes off her. Peter got caught off guard as Gani's dark orbs suddenly turned to him. Peter's eyes widened in surprise, shifting his body and looking elsewhere. And before he knew it, the girl was making her way over to him.

"Hey, Pete," she started with a kind smile, fidgeting her fingers together nervously, making Peter shift his eyes slightly to look at her before clearing his throat and completely turning his body to face her.

"Yeah, hey," he simply replied with no hint of emotion. His arms were entangled with the reins of his horse as he crossed his arms together. 

"I'm sorry," she said plainly. "I know you wanted to go on this trip together but I really don't like this. I have a bad feeling about this if I come with you guys."

"Yeah, yeah. I understand. You were always so cautious. That's what I like about you," Peter replied, mumbling the last part, but Gani could surely have heard it because she giggled as he finished his sentence. 

"I promise I'll be here when you get back. But you got to promise me something too," Gani smiled.

"Oh, and whatt--" before Peter could finish his sentence, Gani had planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Find Aslan and come back soon, safely," she continued her sentence after the peck, emphasizing the last word. 

"Y-Yes, o-of c-c-course," Peter blushed, as he stuttered surprised by her actions before getting on his horse. They all said their goodbyes before disappearing into the Enchanted Forest. 

~ Timeskip to 4 days.

Gani had been a great help to Caspian's people for the past 4 days. She was good at laundry and cooking. Literally, everyone in the camp enjoyed her company. Basically, a sit down with her was full of sunshine and smiles. Regardless of this fact, for the past four nights, she couldn't get a decent shut-eye. 

Every time she shut her eyes, a tingle in the back of her neck appeared, grazing her spine up and down. It was like a chill you get when you watched a thrilling horror movie, the time a ghost pops up to make its messy kill accompanied by a blood-curdling scream of the monster's latest victim. In addition to that, in the middle of the night, she would be drenched with cold sweat and heavy breathing. The nightmares weren't always the same, but they all had something in common: a large bird covered in flames flapping its wings in the air, destroying everyone in its presence. Gani couldn't put her finger on what the dreams meant, but she sure knew that they were indeed, unpleasant. 

On the fifth morning, since the group set off, Gani had been hanging some clothes near the lake on the hill by the side of camp. It was a pleasant place, the morning breezes were very comforting and she could see everything happening in and outside of the camp. She always hoped to see her friends and Peter while she was up there for the past few days. And... that day came.

The sounds of horses galloping caught Gani's attention and she immediately ran to the gate with excitement to see her friends again. She lifted up her dress almost as high as her knees, so she wouldn't trip over the flowy silk and look like a clumsy mess. As she arrived at the gates, her eyes changed from excitement to horror, seeing only Edmund and Claire have returned with 2 empty horses behind them.

They looked a mess. Edmund's face was black and blue, not to mention the gory black eye he had. It looked fresh, little drops of blood still dripping out. His left arm was wrapped in what looked like a piece of Claire's ripped dress. Fresh blood seeping through the fabric as Ed cradled it with his other hand.

Claire was no pretty picture either. The corner of her mouth was slightly bleeding and her cheeks bruised red like someone had slapped her real hard. When she had left, her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, but now that ponytail was nowhere to be seen, instead, in its place, was a messy pile of untidy curls. 

"What happened to you guys...?" Gani managed to spit out in horror, seeing her friend in a horrific state. 

"Shit, I'm sorry, Gan. We messed up." Claire blurted, still heavily breathing. 

"What--happened..." Gani asked again.

"They got them. They got Peter and Caspian."