Chapter 20

****

She stares at her skin. It's so pale. So pale. But then again she's also been in this cell for so many years. She stopped counting after twelve. Thinking it was hopeless. But soon realized it was something to do. To keep her sane. She knows it's at least seven hundred something years. Wait...no eight hundred. Yeah eight. She smirks, laughing at how old she is. She sighs, even breathing hurts.

She's forgotten what the sun looks like. The feeling of it's heat. She tries to remember, but she's pictured her memories so much, and every time you picture something mentally, it fades a little more. She tries to picture the arena. But she can't. Only a memory.

Sheila dumps her food onto the floor through the bars. She watches as Eve slowly reaches for the cup of spilt water.

"Thank you." she says,

Sheila shakes her head, turns and walks away. Eve lets the puddle of water in her cup roll down and into her dry mouth. Rather than helping though it seems to only sting her throat.

She sets the cup outside of her cell through the bars and reaches for the brown bread. She takes a bite and smiles, she looks through the bars where Sheila disappeared.

"Thank you Sheila." she whispers,

Normally it tasted like some rotten something because of the mold, but when it was Sheila who gave her the bread as opposed to Sylvia or Fynn or any other guard for that matter, she would occasionally give her better bread. It didn't taste moldy. It tasted like a bitter rock. Which was a blessing to her.

She takes her time, enjoying the bread. When she's finished she loses down on her back. She looks over, where Isabella once was.

She sighs, she didn't like being alone. She thought she would be able to talk to Isabella. But Isabella only hated her more, Eve looks back up at the ceiling.

'She's right, she was my enemy. I was stupid for assuming. I'm sorry.' she thinks to herself,

Maybe...if they had more time, they could've been friends, she could have helped Isabella want to be good. Eve could have seen her in the afterlife. There had to be one right? She wonders what she has to do to get to heaven, is there a heaven?

She tries to imagine what it'd be like. Is it something unique for every person? Oh what if it's like a world? She could live forever with her family, friends she made along the way. She thinks of being on a lake, the picture appears in her mind.

The summer lake near their cabin. Even though she can barely picture it, she smiles. It's probably the last time she'll be able to do so.

"The sun, shines so bright, to, light up the sky. Bearing our burdens, to carry us, through the night. Even though, you are lost in, the darkness, I will find you, and guide you, home."

She closes her eyes, wishing she could see the sun. She breathes in deep and breathes out slowly. She activates her sixth sense, feeling where the earth Watchdog is.

She's come closer. Much closer. But Eve knows better than to get her hopes up. She sits up slowly and faces the wall. One of the guards walks around the corner and unlocks the cage door.

"Already preparing?" he mocks,

She sighs quietly. "Yes."

He pulls his sword and draws back, ready to lunge at her. After hours of torture he finally stops and leaves.

She lies there, breathless, her face pressed against the stone floor. She coughs violently, she whines and moves a hand under her face. She can barely breathe when she does.

But her body heals just enough to leave her body black with bruises. The guard returns and sets down the tray and pushes it through the food hatch.

She groans and drags herself closer to the tray. She reaches out, pain still explodes throughout her body, but nothing she hasn't felt before. She bites into the hard rotten meat tasting bread.

She thanks the guard for the food and water. She spits on her and leaves, after he turns the corner, she sets bread down on the tray, sits on her knees, holds her hands together, closes her eyes and bows her head.

"Thank you God for another meal. Thank you for the opportunity I have to celebrate another day of my birth as well as my sisters. Happy birthday Lindsey, Happy birthday Kairi, Happy birthday Kate."

She opens her eyes, sits on her side and continues eating.

****

"So what do we do about Air and Fire?" Roux asks,

"I can sense Water. Pretty useless right now." Rola says,

"I can try to find Fire? It feels, oh man...they're north, far, far north." June says,

"But you don't know where." Lydia says,

"No. Unfortunately. I can sense them, but it's so vague I can't even really tell how far it is, I know it's past Old haven, maybe Recvan?"

"Recvan?" Caroline asks,

"I said maybe." June says,

"That's a ways away." Caroline says,

"We don't have anymore Materializers." Lydia says,

"Then we need to move as soon as we can tomorrow." Adam says,

"Agreed. If we are going to find fire, we need to go tomorrow." Lydia says,

"Why not tonight?" Violet asks,

"We are all tired dude. We won't get far, besides we got a fire." Rola says,

Violet rolls her eyes, "Okay. Fine."

Roux squeezes her hand, she looks at him and smiles, she is afraid to kiss him though, due to Lydia and Adam. However Roux agrees by squeezing tighter and looking back at them.

"Alright, we all rest tonight and move tomorrow."

"I call first watch." Rola says, her arm shooting into the air,

"We should have two watch at a time." Caroline says,

They all know she wants Lydia and Adam up together, the two blush. But they all agree. Lydia and Roux take the first watch. Then Rola and Violet and June, then Caroline and Adam.

He sits there, feeding the fire. "What are your feelings towards her? Granted they are definitely unsorted." she whispers,

Adam groans, "Can we not talk about this please?"

Caroline tilts her head, "I'm her mother Adam, whether she excepts me as such or not. A mother wants happiness for her child."

"Stop please." he whispers, more demanding,

"You have to address it sooner or later, I won't tell a soul. If one or the other had been dead, you wouldn't have wanted to live at all. So talk to me, or at least Roux, you seem close."

"The girl I loved betrayed me, As far as I'm concerned, I'm not even sure Lydia is even the one I love."

Caroline sighs, "Adam, we both know she's awake, do you really need to be so cruel?" she whispers softer,

"I know it wasn't her, but I don't know if I can trust her after Isabella."

"Not right away. But you won't give her another chance, even if she has to earn it slowly?"

"I want to. But part of me still feels like this is Is some trick."

"It's not, you saw Death."

"Yeah Isabella looked pretty convincing too....its the doubts Caroline. I really do want to trust her. But the small chance that you all are lying, terrifies me. You said it yourself, if she was gone....I'm on a cliff standing on the edge. There's that small chance you're all lying and if you are, I'm going over the cliff. So I'm sorry if I'm slow to trust."

"You say if we are lying, but you mean Lydia." she whispers,

Adam doesn't answer.

"I know it won't be easy...but...would you try to begin trusting her?" Caroline asks,

"Yeah...Ive already started trying. But I need to go at my pace."

"I understand. If it's any help or relief, she mostly talked about you. She thought you were dead."

Adam runs his fingers through his hair, "Yeah that actually is making it worse."

Caroline smirks, "Apologies. Who were you? In the life before?"

He looks at her frowning, then remembers Death. "Oh right....I was in school."

She straightens, "Truly? But you're so old. To what age do you stay in school?" she asks,

"There's different levels of schools, it depends on how many levels you progress through and if or when you want to take them."

"Ah, interesting. And how many did you progress through?"

"12 er...14."

"Are you serious? My you have many levels of school."

"Yeah, it's a lot." he snorts,

"Surely none prepared you for something like this world though."

"No. Never. I think I prefer my other world."

She grins, "I'm sure, was it simpler?"

"Much. No bloodshed, or rather not as much. Our world wasn't about how to kill to survive. Though it was about money and power, though a different kind, we didn't have magic there."

Caroline nods, "Ah, I see. Greed was strong in your world?"

"Many things were, but yes."

"Do you miss it?"

He thinks for a moment. "I miss a friend. I miss it sometimes but, I wouldn't be allowed to go back."

"You would though if possible?"

"I'm not sure. It definitely was less painful, but I've also seen good in this world. Even if I could I think I would want to stay. I won't leave this world to Xenix. And if this world didn't have him, it wouldn't be so bad."

Caroline sighs with relief and smiles, "Good. Just wanted to be sure your heart was in it."

"Why?" Adam asks,

"Because if your heart isn't in this world and fight, you'll be hesitant, if your hesitant it means you're fearful, if you're fearful, you'll move slower and the chances of us losing go up-"

"Comforting." he says rhetorically,

"But. More than that, it's good to know that our friend is dedicated to us and helping us bring peace."

"I guess."

He looks over at Lydia. She lays on her side, squeezing her arm acting asleep. Adam shakes his head.

"I'm an idiot Lydia."

She hesitantly turns to look at him, "What do you mean?" Caroline asks,

"You'd forgive me in a heartbeat. Regardless of what I do to hurt you. You'd forgive me so easily."

She sits up, "I understand Adam."

"I'm going to trust you."

"Adam, you've gotten hurt because of me twice now. When I almost died and with Isabella. It's okay to not-"

"No, Lydia. I'm going to trust you. I know you'd do the same. I fell in love with you to be with you, happy, not to get separated from each other. Even if you didn't tell me everything about you being Tetanus's or Caroline's daughter. I know you forgive me for being slow to trust."

Tears form in her eyes, "Is it okay if I hug you?" she asks shakily,

He nods, tears forming in his eyes as well. She walks over, sits and hugs him tight. They pull away, both their eyes shining and their faces bright.

"Well since it was Isabella pretending to be you this whole time. Why don't we start from where we left off?" he says,

"Okay." she says a little too quickly,

But neither of them care. It feels like a mountain has simply rolled off her shoulders as if it had been the weight of a loaf of bread. But it still pulls on her with guilt regardless of the fact she was powerless.

He smiles at her, she looks down at the ground, he forgave her, so why does this guilt threaten to drag her down to the underworld?

"Lydia, it's not your fault."

She nods, "I know. I would give anything, anything to take away damage done."

"There's no need. Im going to trust you okay?"

She nods, he hugs her again, she hugs back tightly. She lets out a soft shaky breath of relief. Caroline smiles at the fire, "Should I give you two a moment?"

They smile, "And there goes the momentum."

Caroline shrugs, "Sorry. I'm a mother."

Adam grins. Eventually the sun rises and they are on their way to the fire watchdog.