Lost (Trequel to "Sight")

We're Not Out of the Woods Yet

"Hold on, I think the fog's clearing up." Rose waved her free hand around, trying to clear some of the fog. She had been right, and soon enough, they had reached the end of the forest, with no more fog in their faces. Nova and Rose collapsed onto the ground in relief.

"I am never going into a creepy forest again," Nova said, clutching some grass in his hands.

Rose laughed before sitting up. It didn't look like anyone else was out of the woods. We're they still trapped in there? "I don't think we have a choice."

"What?" Nova sat up, too, a look of shock on his face. "Why?"

"The others are still in there! We need to help them out!" She dug into her satchel to retrieve some rope. "And we're not going to be lost this time."

"What do you mean?" Nova asked as Rose helped him up.

Rose walked over to a nearby tree and tied one end of the rope around it, then tied the other to herself. "Now I can find my way back to the end."

"You? What about me?"

"You're going to stay here in case anyone else finds their own way out," Rose told him. "Now, I'm going in."

"Don't get lost!" Nova shouted after her as she returned to the fog-laced woods.

"I won't!"

Hours seemed to pass by, and Rose still hadn't found anyone. Had they all found their way out? Or were they just that lost?

Suddenly, she stopped. Voices. They were muffled, though, so she couldn't exactly tell who's they were. She tried to listen closer, to tell exactly where they were coming from. The left. Rose turned in that direction and continued forward.

The voices seemed excited, as if they were having a pleasant conversation. Rose didn't see how that was possibly in this dreary environment. But at least they had found something happy to talk about.

Finally, she could see just who was in front of her. Someone with raven black hair while the other had fiery red hair. Varian and Musica!
Rose didn't think she'd ever seen Musica look this happy as she talked to Varian. A small smile planted on her face.

She ran up to them, giving Varian a big hug that caused him to jump and scream.

"Oh, Rose! You scared me!" Varian yelled with a small laugh. He hugged her back. "Have you found anyone else?"

"Just Nova. He's safe and out of the forest. I came back in to help everyone else out," Rose explained.

"You came back in?" Varian asked.

"Relax." Rose tugged on the rope attached to her waist. "I've got this rope to help me get back to the outside." She held out her hand to Varian. "Now come on!"

Varian grabbed onto her hand as Musica grabbed onto his other. Together, they walked back through the woods, following after Rose's rope. Suddenly, there was a large thud, followed by some laughter.

"You big dope! There's rope here!" Rose recognized that voice; it was Rae.

"I'm sorry that there's a bunch of fog covering my vision!" Viper screamed back.

"Guys!" Rose ran forward, dragging the other two behind her. "Thank goodness we found you!"

"Rose!" Rae let go of Viper's hand, causing him to fall back down. She engulfed Rose in a hug. "Oh, I thought we'd never find you guys again!"

"So, what's this rope attached to you for?" Viper asked, getting up by himself. "Wait. Is it so you can find your way out of the forest?"

"Yeah!" Rose said. "Nova's already over there, waiting to see if anyone else finds their way out. Hopefully Kenny and Splash are already there." She nodded her head towards Varian and Musica. "Grab a hand and join the party!"

Nova waited anxiously by the forest's edge. Were they going to come back? He didn't like being left alone.

Sure, he was antisocial, but being left alone outside a creepy forest in the dark wasn't exactly something he liked to do. He'd much rather have someone there beside him, just for comfort.

Eternity seemed to pass by, and still no one had come back out. He glanced at the rope tied to the tree. Was Rose still attached to it? Had it broken? Was she lost now, too?

He started pacing, sometimes peering back at the forest. Was he the only one left now? Should he just go back to the Society?

No, a voice told him. You can't just leave them. They're still in there! You have to believe in them!

Nova sighed, and walked up to the forest, hoping to see something among all the fog. Everything was still, besides the occasional bird or squirrel. He leaned against the tree's trunk, before slouching down to a sitting position.

"Look! I can see the end!" Nova looked up. Someone was here!

He stood up to find Kenny and Splash emerging from the trees. Kenny was holding onto Splash's hand as the kid was shivering. Kenny gave Splash a big hug. "We made it!" Splash didn't stop shivering, but a smile came across his face.

Kenny looked over at Nova, still holding onto Splash's hand. "Nova! Are you the only other one who found their way out?"

Nova shook his head. "Rose had helped me out. But she went back in to get the others."

"Went back in?" Splash inquired, his eyes widening. "What if she becomes lost again?"

Nova walked up to the rope that was tied to a tree. "She's got this rope." He pulled on it slightly. Then five people toppled over him.

"You guys made it!" Nova yelled with a large smile. One by one, everyone got off of him. Rose held out a hand to help Nova up. Nova pulled her into a hug. "You are amazing."

Varian glared at them before he padded up to them and threw them apart. "Okay, that's enough of that."

Before either of them could say anything, Splash yelled, "Look! There it is!"

Everyone turned to see what he was talking about. Just a mile or so away was a small town, with just a few buildings and homes inside it. It didn't look like anything special.

"That's it. That's the village I saw in my dream," Rose said.

Nova stepped forward. "And my hometown."