Nathan's POV
I come to a halt in the middle of the same clearing we fought in just hours earlier, looking up at the pink sky. It's too late; if no one's found her yet, she's dead.
I sigh and run back in the general direction of the cabin, but something hits me from my left and I go flying through the air.
"Holy shit, Nathan!" Freya's voice says from a few feet away. I laugh once I figure out that it's not a threat. Standing up, I cross over to Freya and offer her my hand, pulling her up. I brush the leaves from her arse, and she jumps, swatting my hand away and giggling.
Calming down, she looks at the sky and says, "So I'm assuming we both had the same amount of luck finding her."
"Yeah," I reply.
"I hope Tom found her," she says, taking my hand.
I start to walk, swinging our hands back and forth as I do. "He probably did. He seemed pretty intent on it."
"Maybe," Freya says, sounding doubtful. She leans her head on my shoulder. "I'm tired."
I stop and crouch slightly, and she hops on my back, gently wrapping her arms around my neck. "Ready?" I ask her. "Ready for what?" she says, but the last of her words erupt into a shriek when I explode into motion, weaving between trees and ducking under branches.
It's not long till we reach the run-down cabin. Freya slides off my back, her boots landing on the porch with a thump.
"Moment of truth," she says, and I nod.
I wrench open the door, stepping inside. I don't see anything immediately, and I open my mouth to speak. Freya clamps her hand over my mouth and points to the corner of the room, where there's a bed with two figures curled up under a blanket.
"Is that....them?" I whisper, dumbfounded. She shrugs and we step forward.
It's them alright: Tom's arms are wrapped around a petite, dark-haired girl, her snuggled into his chest. They're both fast asleep, looking plenty warm despite the chill in the morning air. And the expression on his face is something that I haven't seen in a long time. He looks truly, genuinely happy.
"Should we wake them?" I ask quietly. Freya shakes her head. "Let them sleep," she murmurs. "Let's just go."
Back on the porch, I can't help but shiver. Despite the fact that the sun is rising, the air seems colder then earlier. Freya and I walk close together, our arms wrapped around one another. I feel more relaxed, more peaceful, now that everything's alright. But that feeling only lasts for a few seconds.
Freya's POV
As we're walking along, Nathan kisses the top of my head and says "This is-"
"NATHAN!"
The scream comes from the woods we're approaching, making us both stop in our tracks.
Melissa emerges from the trees, her hair flying behind her. "They got them!" she screams. "They took them!"
I put my arms out to stop her. "What do you mean?" I say, worried.
"They took them," she panted. "They have Jay and Siva."
Melissa's POV
"Calm down, Mel. Tell us what happened." Nathan says.
I take a shuddery breath. "Rian came back and ordered that we all be put in solitary confinement, I guess so that we couldn't try to fight against them like you guys did, and Jay and Siva tried to hold them off so Sienna could get away, and they ended up taking Jay and Siva while me, Sienna, and Max escaped and now we don't know where they are or what's happening, so Max wanted to find you so we could all be together to plan what to do next." My throat constricts and I feel like I'm going to burst into tears.
Nathan and Freya exchange a glance. "Well," Nathan says finally. "Let's go find Max then."
Nathan's POV
Melissa led us through the woods, looking scared and deep in thought. She and Siva were very protective of one another; I wouldn't be surprised if she burst into tears at any second.
Max and Sienna eventually come into view. Max is standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree. Sienna's propped up on a stump, her baby bump poking out, looking at her feet.
"Hey," Max says. "Where've you been?"
"Helping Tom." Freya answers. "So what now?"
"I think we should go back," Sienna speaks for the first time. "If we try to stay away from Rian, when she wanted us confined, she'll do things a lot worse than just putting them in some closed off room."
"If we go back, we'll be in even more trouble." Melissa mutters, plopping down next to Sienna. She points at us. "You guys too."
"I don't see why Jay went crazy on them," Max mutters. "We all should've just gone with it."
"You know exactly why he did that!" Sienna practically screams. "He wanted to protect me!"
"How is he going to protect you when he's stuck in a room with Siva and you're in the woods?" Max shouts at her.
"Stop!" I yell. "I agree with Max that we shouldn't go back. If it's as bad as Mel told me, then it's not safe."
"But what about Siva and Jay?" Melissa says softly.
"They're smart. They'll know what to do. If the opportunity to escape presents itself, they'll take it."
Everyone nods in silent agreement.
"Where are we gonna stay?" Max says. "You know how cold it gets."
Freya gives a small smile. "I think I know where we can stay for a while."
this fanfic is going to be posted here as well as on a new account on IG, @death_by_tw_fanfics :) feedback plzzzz!
