TAKE TWO, kotlc

Chapter 29- Braelynn

"That doesn't look edible," Braelynn admitted, noting the spiky purple berry that Oralia had plucked off the nearest bush.

They'd been out in the forest for nearly three long, cold, hungry nights- and they hadn't been getting any easier.

"What do you expect us to do, starve?" Oralia snapped, stuffing the wild fruit in her mouth anyways.

Braelynn sighed- clearly hunger was not faring well for Oralia's already-agitated personality.

They continued tromping through the muddy mixture of leaves and dirt- even though they had no idea where they were going. 

"We can't keep doing this," Braelynn muttered, pressing a fist against her side to stop her stomach from growling. "This walking around aimlessly, stopping to take a break, and probably getting ourselves more lost than before."

"Yeah, and I suppose we could just summon a magical buffet in front of us and walk out of the trees, and- surprise! We're safe and sound at home, with zero charges against us, and Arella waiting right at the door," Oralia shot back sarcastically.

But saying her sisters' name seemed to calm her down a bit.

Braelynn was trying very, very hard not to lose it on her. But she considered herself the twig in one of those cliche spy-moments- once somebody stepped on her, she cracked, and then it was chaos from there.

"Water up ahead," Braelynn murmured, too exhausted to get excited. 

The sound of a rushing stream somewhere off to the side almost made the hunger better.

"Think we're in the Neutral Territories by now?" Oralia wondered as they tripped over a few overgrown roots and stumbled into the clearing.

"I feel like we've been walking so far, we could be at the ogre capital," Braelynn admitted, gulping down the fresh water like it was gold.

She really wished she'd payed attention during the hunger repression tips that the boobrie dude had gone over with her.

Braelynn splashed her face with the cold water- and that was when something moved.

"Did you just hear that?" she asked, glancing around wearily.

Oralia was too busy gulping down the fresh water to pay her any attention.

"Seriously," Braelynn said, kicking Oralia in the shin. She gave an agitated grumble before scanning the clearing.

"I don't see anything-"

"Look!"

A cloaked figure ducked out of the trees, and faster than she could blink, the elf whipped out a Medler and aimed it right at them. Braelynn screamed so loud she barely recognized her own voice.

"Who are you?" Oralia practically whimpered.

She sighed- courage had never quite been the Telepath's strong suit.

"The better question is who are you," the mystery person informed them, walking in a slow circle around them. The Medler was still pointed at their foreheads.

Braelynn stole a glance at the shoulder of her cloak- and was genuinely surprised when it wasn't imprinted with an all-too familiar white eye.

But if him or her wasn't with the Neverseen... why were they attacking them?

"What do you mean who are we?" Braelynn asked, when Oralia looked too horrified to respond. "We're just normal banished Exillium kids, lost in the forest-"

"Exillium?" the figure asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes Exillium," Braelynn told her. "You know. The school? For banished kids?"

There was dead silence for a moment.

The person just shook their head. "No, I know what it is. That school burnt down years ago."

"Years a... what? We were just there, like, four days ago!" Braelynn glanced at Oralia, trying to make sure she wasn't going insane.

"That... doesn't make any sense! That was ages ago!" the person insisted.

"But... I..."

Braelynn wished she could pinch herself and wake up like this was all a nightmare. They had just been there... right?

"Flip of your hood," Oralia said suddenly, making Braelynn jump. She'd hardly said anything lately- except for nasty remarks.

The figure knocked back her hood obediently- and Braelynn gasped so hard she was afraid she wouldn't be able to breathe.

Familiar blonde hair with the slightest tint of a strawberry color.

Periwinkle eyes.

But so much more grown up.

"Kinsely?" Braelynn barely managed to ask.

That was Dex and Marella's daughter- who, according to Braelynn's memory, was only supposed to be six. But why did she look like she was so much older? As in... as in her parent's age?

The wind blew both Oralia's and Braelynn's own hoods backwards- and Kinsely didn't have much of a different reaction.

"Braelynn? And... and Oralia?" She bit her lip. "You guys are supposed to be dead."