Episode 22: Alone in the Woods (Patreon)

Although the Takers failed to get a hold of all the Givers within the auctioneers' grasp, they managed to find at least half of them. Madeline takes another look in the cages to make sure no one is left behind, and to her surprise, she finds a little girl sitting still in her cage even though the gates are wide open. Madeline slowly crouches near the little girl, and whispers.

"Hello there, my name is Madeline, what's your name?"

the little girl looks up to Madeline "Cindy" she says with a faint voice

"Hello Cindy, why are you hiding? don't you want to leave this place?"

the little girl shakes her head "I'm waiting for mama" 

"Hmm, where'd she go?" 

"She was in another car when we were brought here"

Madeline guessed that the poor little girl's mother was taken to be sold separately, for Givers that are separated from their loved ones are more susceptible to obedience, and are sold at a higher price. 

"You shouldn't wait for her here. The Takers will do all that they can to make sure she's safe, and back with you" Madeline spreads her arms for the little girl to grab onto her. 

Much like when Madeline and Evan were in the lab, the Givers being sold wore collar like devices, suppressing their powers. A device they could never forget. 

Whenever they used their powers it poked a needle into their spine paralyzing them, and only with their Oran eyes can they heal back to normal. Madeline carefully removes it from the little girl's neck and carries her to Evan who just finished assisting the remaining Givers.

"I'll leave the rest to you" Madeline hands the girl to Evan

"Yes... boss" though Evan is still concerned for Madeline who had overused her abilities, he had to finish what they started, leading the Givers out of the auction house and back to Moaria undetected.  

"They'll be fine under his care" Peter notices Madeline zone out as she watches the Givers take flight.

"I know"

"I've already interrogated the auctioneers for the whereabouts of the other Givers, so we're set for our next target. Luckily we found where they'll be held before being sent out" Peter notices Madeline's arm shivering subconsciously "How are you feeling?"

Madeline looks at Peter "A little sore, but nothing serious" she then looks at her hand and stretches her fingers

Peter sighs out load startling Madeline, and holds her hand to pull her close to him.

"W-what are you doing?" she whispers with flushed cheeks

"You got all dressed up, I can't possibly let you leave without a little dance, and lucky for us the music is still playing." Peter smiles and wraps his arm around her waste to support her. Madeline nods with a faint smile and allows for him to take the lead. She rests her head on his chest while smiling, and they dance near the passed out guards. 

Suddenly, in her weakened state, she feels a familiar yet terrifying presence behind her, immensely grinning like the devil with mischievous intentions. She swings her head to its direction, but no one was there. 

"What's wrong?" Peter asks

"It's.. nothing" she turns back 'perhaps the fatigue has taken over'

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(The Woods)

Mmm~

'Warm' 

Amelia snuggles on someone's lap. She feels safe in their presence, and subtle sweet scent. She could almost stay like this forever if it weren't for the small shivers she felt coming from the hand holding hers. Amelia quickly opens her eyes to see Lucas' sleeping face close to her. She panics and her face flushes in embarrassment, yet she didn't dare let go of his hand or attempt to wake him up. She notices the book he found next to him, but she gave it no mind. Instead she looks at Lucas's sleeping face, sitting with his back against a tree, and admires his handsome features. 

 Lucas had managed to take Amelia far enough from the house so she couldn't see it. Put clothes on her and wrapped an old worn blanket around them, which he had found in the house. But it wasn't enough to keep him warm in this cold night, Amelia notices his lips, which pale from the cold.

'Cold' Amelia enhances her body heat and holds his cheek to warm him up.

Not long after, Lucas opens his eyes and notices Amelia touching him all over.

"!" Lucas panics and holds her hand away from him on impulse. But that only upsets Amelia

"Hold still" She says and leans closer to him to continue touching him.

"Wha! What are you doing?" Lucas blushes, though he could tell she's trying to keep him warm from her red flared hand, he couldn't help but freak. 

"Luca cold!" she climbs on top of him as he attempts to fight his way out 

'Why does this keep happening?!' Just like when she was completely naked back in the alley the first day they met, or when she crawled all over him in her snake form, he had no idea how to react as he covers his burning red face. 

Suddenly his twisted ankle pulses from their movement.

"UNGH!" Though Lucas had wrapped his ankle perfectly with whatever scraps of wood and sheets he could find in the house, it's still painful to the touch. 

Amelia springs off him to inspect why he's in pain "Luca hurt!" and quickly inspects his ankle.

"It's fine..." Lucas tries to calm her down, "...Thankfully it's not broken, it should be good in a couple of weeks, I even found a stick I could use for when we decide to head back" He laughs nervously. But Amelia isn't taking it lightly and is almost on the verge of tears for him. 

He's touched knowing how much she cares for him, but this only made him feel worse. He feels useless for not finding a safe place for her, in fact, he exposed her to more danger with the bear incident. Now he's crippled and will only slow her down more. 

Lucas rests his back against the tree 'What am I supposed to do now? How can I be this useless?'  Amelia lifts her hands on top of his ankle and her eyes began to glow. The stinging he felt a moment ago starts to disappear. 

"STOP!"  Lucas catches on to what she was doing from her pained expression and grips to her arms, but he didn't stop her on time. Amelia has already taken his wound for herself, and her ankle is now swollen in his stead. Lucas quickly regrets raising his voice at her for the tears that collected in her eyes from worry, began to drip down her cheeks. 

"Luca can't get hurt too" She sniffles rubbing her tears "If Luca gets hurt too, I'll be alone. I don't want to be alone, I can't wake when I'm alone". 

'Can't wake? Is she talking about the white eyes?' Lucas gently holds her hand and wipes Amelia's tears as she sniffles her runny nose "Promise me you wont do that again?" Lucas leans closer to her face anticipating her reply, then she nods

'It must've been really hard for her after her family passed away.. I at least had Peter who would visit me and..' Lucas recalls a memory from his childhood of Jace nursing him after the fire 'I don't know what I would've done if I had no one...' Lucas embraces Amelia to calm her down. 

'Don't lose your trust in me' Jace's words echo in the back of Lucas's mind. 'Would Jace really help me protect her? If Jace really has his reasons, I can keep Amelia hidden in the mansion with me until Peter comes' 

"Hey Amelia?"

"Hm?" She looks to Lucas with her watery eyes

" I __" But before Lucas could continue his sentence, a sound rumbling in Amelia's stomach leaves him baffled

*Grooooowlllll* 

Amelia too was surprised at what came out of her.

"Ah, It's way past dinner time, no wonder you're hungry"

Amelia sniffles while nodding and holding her stomach. 

"I think I found some wild vegetable while I was looking around, wait here, I'll be right back".

Amelia sits back and relaxes, she then looks at her swollen blue ankle. 

In her head she envisions Lucas giving her a piggy back ride back since she's wounded, and that makes her very happy, but then she realizes that Lucas would get tired easily as it's a long way back to the mansion, which makes her really sad. 

Amelia, determined, reaches for the grass and hovers her hand on top of to use her magic. The grass begins to whither, as she absorbs its essence leaving nothing but ashes and dirt behind, and her ankle starts to heal.

she smiles as she wiggles her healed foot. And now she waits for her Lucas to come back. Suddenly she felt a presence surrounding her, she looks around, on guard.

The white wolf which appeared in her dreams shows itself from behind a tree in front of Amelia, "Why must you protect him?"

"Ma__" Amelia smiles, but then quickly shows concern

"Why must you wound your precious self for the likes of him?" The voice reappears as the wolf fades in and out "He is nothing but a scoundrel" 

"NO!" Amelia yells to his defense.

"A lier" 

"Stop it!" She covers her ears "Luca is good to me, he won't hurt me! Luca healed me, gives me yummy things and make me feel safe" she whispers to herself

"A human who will betray you. He had no plans of keeping you with him" Amelia shakes her head,

"Why do you think he brought you here in the first place?"

"NO!" Amelia cries

But the voice continues to grow louder "His promises are empty just like his heart" the wolf pesters Amelia into submission "He will betray you, just. like. your sister"

Amelia's eyes widen and spirals into white irises

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Lucas managed to find some carrots and tomatoes, though it's not perfect for a whole meal, it could give her some energy for their way back home.

As Lucas walks his way back to Amelia's location, he thinks for what he should do for her ankle 'I should grab some cloth and scraps of wood for her ankle, but it's still gonna be hard for her to walk, and that stick wasn't very comfortable, she might hurt her arm using it..' Lucas thinks to himself for a hot minute then comes to the conclusion 'Should I just carry her back?'

"Hey Amelia! We can head back after you__" Lucas stands in front of where he left Amelia, but she's nowhere to be seen. All that's left is a large white feather on top of the book he had found under the red tree.