Chapter two

Lotte woke up an unknown amount of time later. A man was standing in front of her, holding a bucket.

"Come on now I know you're awake."

She opened her mouth to protest, to yell. Lotte wanted to curse out her kidnappers and make them sorry they did this to her. But her voice was still frozen. It was a louder squeak than before, but not nearly enough. 

The man set the bucket down in front of her. He rolled his sleeves up before grabbing her by the back of the neck and plunging her face into the water. The water was cold, it sent her body into a state of shock. It felt like tiny needles all plunging into her skin at once. Lotte's small jerks were useless at breaking her free. 

After a while she felt herself losing consciousness, her vision began fading to black and she could hear the sound of her choking. Lotte was pissed. Pissed that they kidnapped them from her home and onto a ship just to drown her. Her parents would never be able to find her body, and her attacks would never receive justice. 

Just as her body gave out she urgently pulled up again. She felt the comforting feeling of her back hitting the wall. The water that filled her lungs had been coughed back up. Each one felt like a break to her ribs.

"Jesus Christ you're going to drown her!" It was a different voice than the one that was drowning her. Soft whimpers left her lips as she relaxed into the wall. She couldn't tell if the liquid in her eyes were tears or water. 

The same man who saved her from drowning picked her up, throwing her over his shoulders. Lotte stared at the ground as he walked. After a couple of steps she no longer felt the breeze of the sea, she felt warmth. 

When she fell again she didn't land against hardwood. She landed on something soft, something cushy. Laying on her side she was looking at a desk that looked like it was in the cabin.

Had she been saved by the captain? He had short brown hair and pale skin. He wore a leather jacket that was slightly too small for him but highlighted the shape of his arms. He had a brown strap across his gray shirt that held his sword to his leg. Covered by his black pants. He looked about thirty. 

Whoever this man was, he was kind enough to untie the ropes she had been tied in. He pulled them from underneath her, letting them pile onto the floor. She went to move, to run. Lotte was stopped but by her own body, she felt betrayed. 

As the man walked away he started humming a song. Lotte watched him walk over to the desk. He sat down quickly, placing his feet on the desk. Their eye contact remained as if he wanted to have a conversation with her.

"I am truly sorry about that," he said." Please forgive them."

This wasn't a man she recognized, he wasn't in her room. Lotte couldn't even tell him to fuck off even if she wanted to. To show that she could hear him, she just simply stared at him. Her wet hair dripped on the sofa. 

"I hope your trip wasn't too harsh," he said." We did have to take some…security measures."

God, she wanted to tell him to fuck off. More than she ever did to Gunter Muller. 

"When you can chew and swallow I'll get you some food. Thirsty?"

He was saying all of this as she could answer and it was pissing her off. Lotte shook her head no the best she could. Knowing anything from him might be poisoned. 

He chuckled," You will be. If you don't drink you'll die. I can't have you dying." 

She wanted to scream, not for help; but why. Why was she so important to them? Why was she here? Why did he care about her? 

The man took his feet off his desk.

"The name is Black Jack. Welcome aboard the Dazzler."

Lotte glared at him with everything she had. Staring into the eyes of the man who was grinning so widely at her. 

Black Jack left Lotte on the couch as he stared at a piece of paper on his desk. She watched him examine the paper with his eyes like he was trying to find something. 

Lotte wanted to sleep so badly, but she refused to let her guard down. Adrenaline was still pumping through her. She felt like an animal being hunted. 

After a couple of hours, the pain in her arms and legs started to fade. Enough that she could push herself off of the sofa she was laying on. The caption watched her with amusement as she landed with a loud thump on the floor. 

"Hungry yet?"

Lotte didn't answer, she put all of her strength into trying to stand up. Her legs wobbled like a flag in the wind, collapsing to the ground.

Black Jack chuckled at her, shaking his head and clicking his tongue as he walked over to the cabin door. He shouted something to his crew before closing the door. The captain ignored Lotte struggling across the floor, going straight back to his chair. 

"I'm going home," she spoke her first words to him. 

Black Jack laughed so loudly he clutched his stomach in pain.

"My dear you will not make it out that door yet alone swim. Even if you could, there is no way home." 

Just as Lotte reached the door, it opened. Colliding with the side of her head. Lotte fell to her side, groaning. 

"Oh I'm so sorry," the pirate looked at her. " I had no idea you were there. The food you order is here, captain!"

The pirate was big but not like any other pirate. He was round and jolly-looking; like a short Santa Clause.

"Put it on the couch please Mr. Pete and put our guest back on the couch."

"Yes sir, right away sir." 

Mr. Pete quickly hurried a silver tray over to where Lotte was sitting. He placed the tray carefully on the cushion before hurrying back over to her. He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her so her feet were dragging on the floor.

"Up we go, Miss."

Mr. Pete made Lotte feel safe. Out of all the six-foot and above men she had seen, Mr. Pete was gentle. She knew he wasn't a bad person even if he was with bad people. He smelled like grease and dirt. Lotte didn't resist him. She allowed him to place her back onto the soft couch, opening the lid for her to her meal. 

"A blanket for you Miss?"

"Out Mr. Pete," Black Jack orders." Let our guests eat."

Mr. Pete was treating Lotte more like a guest than Black Jack was. But still, Mr. Pete complied, leaving Lotte back with the captain. 

Her eyes darted between the tray of food in front of her and Black Jack. She was starving and wanted to eat it. But she didn't trust him.

The captain stood up from his chair and walked over to the tray of food. He grabbed a piece of shrimp off of the plate and into his mouth. He grabbed another and another.

Lotte couldn't resist any longer, she reached for the food and shoved it into her mouth as fast as she could. Satisfied with himself, the captain went back to his chair. Staring at the same map he had been on for hours. 

With food in her stomach, Lotte felt the effects of the drugs wearing off a lot quicker. But even then she couldn't stop shovelling food into her mouth. She had almost finished, almost. 

The sound of a loud bang and men shouting came from outside the cabin door. Black Head jerked towards the door. Lotte should have chosen to run then, but she didn't. She felt the ship shake and the food from the plate fell from the.

Captain Jack rushed to the door, he quickly opened the door before shutting it. Rushing back to his desk, Jack Black ran back to his desk, pulling out a needle in front of his eye of Lotte.

"No," Lotte shuddered in fear," please don't." 

Black Jack trudged towards Lotte with the sharp object. Lotte let out a cry as she reached for the back of the couch, throwing herself over. Letting out a loud cry as she hit the floor. 

"Stop!" She yelled with Black Jack standing over her. Lotte could not stand to be in that pain again. Not when she hadn't even recovered from the first one.

Her captor stabbed the needle into her neck, even harder than the first one.

Lotte began to sob as she felt her limbs paralyzed. The same pain setting fire as before. She sobs as her vocal cords again. Captain Jack watched her as she silenced. He waited for her eyes to shut before leaving.

Black Jack stormed onto the deck of his ship, staring face to face with the boy he hated most.

"What have you done with her?"

Lotte felt like she was burning from the inside out. She opened her eyes to face a very handsome, blonde boy. His face was covered in dirt and had a wound on his forehead. He couldn't have been a year older than her. 

She let out a soft whimper that wasn't even hearable. The boy looked at her, studying her. 

Tears started forming in Lotte's eyes. She was scared and in even more pain than she was before. The sight of her distress seemed to snap the boy out of his trance. His face pulled away from her line of vision, returning a few moments later with something in his hand. He reached over Lotte, not making eye contact with her. She tensed but quickly relaxed when she felt something cold on her head. 

The rest of the room began to come into view. It looked like a tree house. The room around her was wood. Not like the one on the ship. This one had vines growing on it and flowers. There was a window where she could see trees. The floor the boy walked on creaked as he walked, and she thought she could hear the sound of voices far away. 

The boy reached down to her wrist, she tried to pull away but failed miserably. Lotte watched him in fear as he pulled up her arm, placing two fingers on it.

He was checking her pulse. 

She hadn't even noticed how fast her heart was beating until now. It had never been so fast in her life. Lotte counted it the same as the boy did. She knew it wasn't a proper reading but it was fast. Too fast. She estimated it to be around 190 beats per minute. It quickly became two hundred when she realized it. 

The boy also seemed to notice when her heart sped up, sighing audibly.

"Fuck you."

He didn't seem to be talking to Lotte or himself. He went into the corner of the room, grabbing something out of a makeshift cabinet. Lotte watched him grab a vile and a needle, she tensed. 

The boy came back and whipped something wet on her upper arm. Her eyes watched him anxiously, begging him to stop. Her new captor stuck the needle into a vile, drawing up a liquid. Just as he was about to prick Lotte, he stopped. Sensing the fear radiating off of her.

He held Lotte's hand very gently like he was trying to comfort her. Still, he stayed focused on what he was doing and Lotte felt the needle prick her skin. 

He seemed to throw the needle into a trashcan before wrapping up her arm where he had hindered her. 

Immediately after, Lotte felt her heart begin to slow down. It was still fast, but after a couple of minutes, she was back to a resting heart rate. She wanted to thank him. The effects of the drugs were wearing off a lot faster than before. But still, she felt weak. 

As Lotte calmed down she noticed that she was on something soft, something comfortable. Lotte shifted her eyesight to beside her, she was on a bed.

Still, in her nightdress, she lay on top of blankets, her head propped up on pillows. The more she paid attention to it, the more comfortable it felt. 

The boy caught her eyes and noticed what she was staring at. He walked to the end of the bed and picked up a blanket. He unfolded it before laying it over top of her. 

Lotte almost melted into the sheets. The blankets were soft and fuzzy, the mattress cradled her. Lotte no longer feared him as much as Black Jack.

The boy scanned over her one more time, making sure he had done everything right. Once he assured himself everything was done correctly, he walked away from the bed; sitting himself down at a chair beside the window. 

Lotte continued to watch him, caught off guard by his very lean and muscular body. She had never seen anyone so attractive before. He stared out the window that was just a square-shaped hole in the wood. 

She wanted to talk to him. She had no idea what happened or where she was but he was taking care of her. 

Every couple of minutes the boy would look back at her, making sure she was still ok. Every so often he would walk back over to her. Either to change the cloth on her forehead or check her pulse. Even though Lotte was exhausted she forced herself to stay awake. She was not going to allow herself to fall asleep again and risk waking up in a different place. Lotte's eye remained on the boy and nowhere else. She studied him, she studied the curves on his arms and legs, the dirt in his hair, the blood on his forehead. His clothes looked like they had been sown out of random pieces of fabric. 

Lotte put up a great effort to keep herself awake and stare at the boy. Although she was being treated for the drugs she knew her body needed to sleep and would force her to do so.

Her eyes closed slowly, fighting against them for as long as she could. Never once did she remove her eyes from the boy.

When the boy broke out of his trance, he looked over at the girl. The beautiful blond he had rescued had fallen asleep. He stood up from the chair he made himself, walking over to his bed. He changed out the cloth again and made sure his heart rate was steady before going downstairs. A group of young boys waited for him eagerly. 

"She'll be ok," he told them.

A bunch of sighs were let out amongst the crowd. 

When Lotte woke up she was still in the same place she was left. Only this time she was alone in the room. Her eyes searched for the blond boy, but he wasn't there. The cold cloth that was on her forehead was now warm. The blanket on her was heavy but not heavy enough that she couldn't push it off. The blanket fell to the floor, taking Lotte down with it. 

She gripped the bed for support as she pushed herself up. Without letting go of the bed she walked towards the door. Her legs felt numb and tingly. Lotte let out a groan, the loudest she had since she got here. After a couple of minutes, she reached the end of the bed. Attempting to steady herself, she took one hand off the bed. Her eyes stayed focused on the door, the key to her escape. 

Before she could take her other hand off of the bed, the door opened. The blond boy reappeared. 

Lotte quickly took her other hand off of the bed, making a run for the door.

She took a step, maybe two before she landed face-first on the floor. She choked back a sob as she felt her muscles seize. A loud clunk came from where the boy was standing before she felt his arms wrap around her. 

"Don't touch me," she croaked as he lifted her. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," he sounded the same age he looked. His voice was a nice medium between high pitch and low. It suited him nicely for his appearance. 

The boy had one arm under Lotte's legs and the other around her back. He seemed to lift her effortlessly as he carried her back to the bed; placing her down gently. 

It was then Lotte realized the faces of many young boys standing in the doorway. Her eyes shifted between all of them. 

The boy her age caught her gaze and quickly whipped around," Out!" He ordered all of them.

The group of young boys scattered, closing the door behind them. 

"I'm sorry," the blond apologized." Please excuse them, they're excited." 

Without giving Lotte a chance to respond the boy turned away from her, setting back foot towards the door. He bent over, picking up something off the floor. It was a small tray of food. It wasn't nearly as big as the one on the ship, mostly consisting of fruits and a few nuts. 

The boy placed it in front of her before sitting on the edge of the bed. Lotte wasn't quite sure what to make of him. 

As handsome as he was, she wasn't sure she could trust him. No matter how much she wanted to. 

The boy's eyes darted between her and the untouched plate of food when she hadn't moved. 

"Why aren't you eating? Are you sick?"

He leaned close to her much more than Lotte was comfortable with. She could not move backwards and just sat there, staring at the boy who was so close to her. 

The blond raised his hand to her forehead, flipping his hand back and forth. 

"You don't feel warm," he said after thinking. 

"How do I know," Lotte's voice was hoarse and quiet." That you aren't going to poison me." 

The boy searched around his head for a moment," would it help if I told you my name?"

He sounded excited like he just solved a very difficult problem. Lotte couldn't guarantee she would eat, but the name of the boy would help. Lotte nodded.

"I'm Fitz," he said," and I'm not going to poison you."

Lotte thought back to when he saved her heart and attended to her illness. From what she understood he saved her from her captors. 

"Lotte," she answered him.

A wide grin spread across the boy's face, she noticed he looked even better when he smiled," German?"

Lotte nodded the best she could. The smile on the boy's face remained. 

"I thought so."

Lotte couldn't understand why this was such a cheerful thing. The boy did not sound German. She was not so scared of the boy now then she was confused. But Lotte kept her promise and reached for the food on the small tray. The berries were rich and flavorful, they felt like they exploded in her mouth. 

"We're not in Germany, are we?" She asked the dreaded question.

"No, far from it."

"So where are we then?"

"They call it Anillia."

"They?" Lotte raised her eyebrows.

"Captain Black Jack and his men."

"You know Black Jack?"

Fitz looked at her like she had asked him the stupidest question known to man.

"Of course I do," he stood up from the bed. Anger filled him with the sound of the very name. " I hate that bastard with everything I am. One day, Lotte one day I'm going to get him. He'll be done for. He is going to pay for everything he's done!"

The conversation changed so quickly that it gave her whiplash. The boy was angry now, not at her, but at Black Jack. Fitz hated him more than anything. Unknown to Lotte, Black Jack had a business. A business of selling children to Looters. Looters were another group of people on the island who used children from Earth to fuel modicum. Modicum could make people fly and Black Jacks ship. One thing Fitz didn't understand was modicum could only be obtained through boys. So what did he want with a girl?

Fitz stopped himself, realizing he was yelling at a girl who had no idea what was going on. 

"I should leave you to rest," he said," you need to rest."

"Wait!" Lotte yelled in a whisper once he reached the doorway." How do I go home?"

Fitz halted, his hand on the doorknob," you can't Lotte." 

She opened her mouth to protest but no words came out. He was lying to her, he had to be. She had never heard of Anillia but no matter where she was, there had to be a way to get home. How else would she have gotten here?

Lotte waited for the sound of the door to close before she let the tears fall. She missed her mother, father, and her brothers. Who would be the first to find her gone? Would it be Hans coming to give her the alarm clock? Would it be her mother kissing her on her forehead before she left for work? Would it be her father checking on her from one of his midnight trips to the bathroom? Would it be Stefan asking if she wanted a ride to school? Or would it be lIse coming over when Lotte hadn't knocked on her door for their even run? She wondered if they had noticed already or were still blissfully unaware. She fell back onto the pillows, smothering her face into them. Lotte no longer resisted her choked-back sobs. Allowing the burning feeling in her throat to grow larger. 

"Why me?" She cried," How am I getting home?"

Fitz sat outside the door, his head in between his knees. The sound of Lotte's sob reminded him of his. He knew how she felt, he knew how much it hurt. He wanted to take it all away. Fitz didn't want her to suffer. 

When Lotte woke up the next morning, everything was quiet. 

"Fitz?" She yelled. No answer.

Lotte's limbs were no longer restricted and her voice was at full power. The food that was given to her last night was switched out with new ones. Lotte grabbed a small handful of it before going to the door. Beyond it was a set of wooden stairs. She walked down them carefully, keeping her eyes open for any attackers. 

"Fitz?" She tried again. 

The stairs led down to a wooden room filled with hammocks and weapons around a still-burning fireplace. Lotte counted seven of them. There was a large wooden table filled with dirty dishes. At the end of the table was a large chair that looked like a king's throne. After making sure there was no one home, Lotte went to the front door.

Jungles surrounded her, Lotte could taste the moistness in the air. Birds echoed each other.

Lotte couldn't deny the beauty of it. For a moment she forgot the dire situation she was in. Barefoot, she stepped out onto the dirt digging her toes in.

Lotte was taken back by the softness of it. Walking on the dirt felt like walking on clouds. 

She shut the door behind her to Fitz's hut before walking out into the jungle. The sky was the same colour as it was before. Rich in reds and oranges. 

For a moment, just a moment, she reconsidered her plan. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Maybe she would like to live here in this beautiful wooden house. As quickly as the warmth reached her, it left again. She needed to get home and if she couldn't do that, she wasn't going to be here at all.

Even with no sense of direction, Lotte set out into the woods. The sun was warm against her skin. 

Lotte walked for some time, probably an hour or two before she found what she was looking for. 

She could see the very faint silhouette of Black Jack's ship out in the sea. She spun around taking in the view of the entire island. It was breathless. Mountains and mountains of greenery stood around her. She had never seen water so blue. Below her, a field of roses. 

This felt right, she knew she was doing the right thing. 

Standing at the edge of the cliff, Lotte looked down. Her dress and hair were blowing in the warm wind. 

The beauty of the island stopped her; each time she went to move she wanted to take one last look. Stand in the sun for just a little longer. But she couldn't wait forever. 

Gulping down her fears, she picked up one leg and hung it over the edge of the cliff.

"If this is a dream, I'll wake up," she said to herself." If it isn't, I won't be anyone's prisoner." 

Once Lotte was sure she had engraved the image of Anillia into her mind, she was ready. 

"Goodbye Fitz."

Lotte stepped off of the cliff, her breath exhaling as she took the step. Her eyes were shut tightly as she did not want to watch the ground as she fell.  If Lotte had truly been kidnapped to an island unknown to the entire world and she lay dead in a field of roses, it would be ok. She was ok with that.

The only problem was that she didn't fall very far. 

"Lotte!" The sound of an exasperated and frightened voice came behind her." What are you doing?"

Lotte felt a pair of arms wrap around her chest and pull her back. She felt grass as they fell and the body of someone else. Panicked, she quickly stood up but was grabbed again by the person who stopped her. His arms were around her tightly and she knew he wasn't letting go.

"Fitz," she said quietly, Identifying who it was. Her mouth opened to reason with him, but she couldn't. Lotte couldn't think of anything to say. 

Fitz stayed quiet for a moment before he asked, "Why?"

It was all he said and nothing could have prepared Lotte for the hurt that came from his voice. She stayed silent, not having an answer for him. Lotte stayed frozen in between Fitz's legs and his arms still around her. 

"Let go Fitz," was all she could say. 

Her eyes burned and she tried so hard not to let them fall. She didn't want someone to see her this vulnerable. Someone who she barely even knew. 

"I can't do that," said Fitz," I can't let you." 

"Please just let me go home," she begged, her sobs were now audible.

A loud sigh escaped Fitz's mouth as he held her tighter. Fitz hated the idea of Lotte wanting to kill herself. He wondered if it was selfish to make her stay here.

"Lotte If I could take you home I would," he said." But this isn't a dream. Killing yourself won't allow you to see your parents again. I promise you that if I find a way I will take you home. But you have to promise me not to kill yourself in doing so."

Lotte didn't nod her head yes or no, instead, she just sobbed louder. Her head hung forward in front of her as she let herself go limp in Fitz's arms. Fitz quickly caught her weight as he pulled her into him. He allowed her to relax her head on his leg well while still keeping an arm around her waist. The grass was so soft and smelled so fresh. Fitz ran his fingers through Lotte's hair calmly waiting for the storm inside her to leave. 

Lotte would have never let anyone do this before. But Fitz had a way of making her feel safe, a feeling she didn't want to leave. 

"You'll be ok," he whispered in her ear. "I won't let anyone hurt you." 

For reasons Lotte didn't understand, she believed him. 

"I promise you Lotte you'll be ok. I know you're scared and I know it hurts. But come back with me, come back and let me show the beautiful things on this island. You want an answer to this, don't you? Let me explain. Come back with me and I will explain everything, I will show you everything."

Lotte nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. Fitz helped her stand up, his heart breaking at the sight of her red eyes. He stared at her, only for a simple moment before he picked her up and began walking down the mountain.

"I can walk," Lotte told him.

"I'm aware."

With much protest, Fitz still carried her back down the mountain. He had carried much heavier things for much longer times. 

Lotte couldn't help herself but stare at Fitz's muscles bulging out of his arms as he walked. She also couldn't help but notice the dagger he had tied to his waist.

"Why do you have that?"

"Have what?"

"The knife."

"I stole it from Black Jack," he said proudly." All of the boys have them."

"The boys?"

"I stole them from Black Jack too," he grinned. 

"You stole Black Jack's crew?" Lotte was astounded. 

"No," he scoffed," I stole them as I stole you."

Fitz placed Lotte back on her feet before the doorway. He stepped in front of her, opening the scene of boys attacking themselves with pillows and other unknown objects. 

"Attention," Fitz said as he walked through the door, all of the boys freezing in place.

Their eyes all locked on Lotte who was standing behind him. 

"Lotte meet, Trigger, Arrow, Axel, Cliff, Cutler, Diesel and Major," he listed them off between oldest to youngest. The youngest was no older than five and the oldest about thirteen." Boys, meet Lotte." 

"Hello," their voices called out in unison. 

"Is she a girl?" Major, the youngest asked.

Trigger, the oldest, slapped his hand to his head," Of course, she's a girl! Just look at her."

Lotte suddenly felt very conscious of her appearance. 

"But why would Black Jack want a girl?" Axel asked.

Fitz glared at him to stop talking. 

"She's very pretty", Trigger added.

Fitz cleared his throat," You will be kind to her, treat her as one of us. If I hear anything else there will be consequences. Any questions?"

"When's lunch?" Diesel asked.

"Give me two hours," said Fitz.

The boys seemed satisfied with that answer and continued their roughhousing. Fitz walked through them heading towards a different part of the house Lotte had yet to explore. Lotte not wanting to stand in a room full of kids she didn't know, followed him. 

Dodging the flying pillows and body slams, Lotte followed him. Through a tarp, she followed Fitz into what looked like the backyard of the house. Standing at the edge of the forest line stood bags of something. Painted on them were circles within circles, an archery range. Her eyes searched around for Fitz and she found him fairly easily. Only this time, he was shirtless and arrows slung to his back. 

Fitz either didn't care or didn't notice Lotte was staring at him. She watched him shoot a couple of arrows, each landing in the center of the bag. But what Lotte was paying attention to, was the scars on Fitz's back. He was covered in them, each one looking like he had been slashed by some knife or sword.  Her feet began walking without her permission and without thinking, her hand creased his back. Her fingers traced along the longest scar. It ran from his left shoulder down to his right backbone. 

"Battle scars," Fitz said, breaking Lotte out of her trance.

Her hand immediately jolted backwards, realizing the embarrassment she had just caused herself.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean–"

"It's fine," Fitz cut her off. " I have lots of them."

The boy turned around, showing his very defined abs but more importantly; the scars across them. 

"I was Black Jack's first capture," he said." The first to escape anyway. Ever since then he's had trouble running his business. Certainly made me pay for it though."

Lotte's eyes darted to the fresh wound on his forehead.

"Is that why you look after them?" She asked, referring to the boys.

He hummed, shooting another arrow at the bag.

"Why only boys?" She asked," Why am I the only girl?"

Fitz paused for a moment, searching for an answer he could tell her without scaring her. In response, Fitz took the arrows off of his back and dropped his bow to the floor.

"Walk with me, Lotte."

Fitz grabbed her by the arm as they walked into the woods. Lotte struggled to keep up with him at such a fast pace. Her bare feet stumbled over rocks and twigs.

"Where are we going?" She asked. As panicked as Lotte was, she did not try and pull away. 

"Somewhere no one can hear us."

"What about the boys?"

"They can handle themselves."

After walking through the woods for a few minutes Fitz released his grip on Lotte's arm but didn't let go. He hauled her through the woods and into an opening. 

"Sit," he told her, sitting down at the edge. 

Below them was a lake, about a ten-foot drop. Lotte sat down beside Fitz, their feet dangling over the edge. 

"Nobody knows about this place," said Fitz." I go here when I want to be alone. So, please don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Lotte said, still staring at the shirtless blond. 

Fitz stared at the water, swinging his feet back and forth in the air. Lotte stared at him, prying her eyes away from the scars.

"You're the only girl on this Island, Lotte," Fitz spoke suddenly. 

She waited for him to elaborate but Fitz stayed silent. 

"That is scientifically impossible," said Lotte," for there to be a population, a society there needs to be–"

"You don't need to explain the details," Fitz cut her off." I know. Only Looters were born on Anillia and they killed all the women."

"Looters?" Lotte asked, never hearing the term before. 

"The only people who knew about Anillia and Earth. Modicum was an enormous amount, but those greedy bastards used all of it. That's how Black Jack came here."

"What's modicum?" Lotte asked.

Fitz leaned his face close to hers," Modicum makes people fly. Black Jack was their first kidnap. He made a deal. He would kidnap other children, keep bringing in a constant source instead of killing him." 

"How–" Lotte started but Fitz cut her off.

"Modicum can only be obtained by killing people, children specifically. So they built Black Jack a ship, one that could fly. He found himself a crew and he found me. Kidnapped me in the night when I was seven. Drugged me just like he did you. One day he accidentally gave me the antidote instead of keeping me sedated. The first chance I got I jumped off that ship. I swam for two days before I found the shore. I walked to the deepest part of the forest I could find and started building myself a home. I only ever went back to the ship to steal things. Whether that was equipment or children."

"All of them," Lotte asked, looking behind her even though she knew the house wasn't there." You saved them?"

Fitz hung his head," I haven't been able to save all of them. Many of them I let down. All these scars are from battles I lost. It took practice, lots of it to be able to defeat him." 

Lotte put her hand on his shoulder, not sure how to comfort him. 

"No one could do what you've done, Fitz," Lotte spoke softly." You're a hero, to me and the boys."

"I'm only delaying the inevitable," said Fitz." If I keep stealing Black Jack's children they'll kill him and come looking for us. His ship is the only thing that can get in or out."

"Can I go home?" Lotte's voice perked up," With Black Jack's ship?" 

"Theoretically," Fitz said," I can steal a lot of things but the ship isn't one." 

"I'm sorry," said Lotte," that was insensitive." 

"No it's fine," said Fitz," I don't blame you. Listen, Lotte, there's something important I need to tell you."

Fitz grabbed Lotte's hands in his, pulling her up to her feet. She stared into his hazel eyes that seemed to glow. The boy was about a head height taller than her. Her forehead lined up perfectly with his lips. 

"Lotte," he began, searching for the right words to say." Modicum can only be obtained from my boys." 

Lotte stayed quiet, confused. She asked the only question she knew to ask," Then why am I here?"

"I don't know," Fitz's eyes stared at the ground." I don't know what Black Jack wants with you which is why I need you to be careful. Let me protect you." 

What was Fitz who had told her absolute insanity? Yes. But she had no reason not to believe him. Her being her was insane so maybe the answer was just as so. 

"Ok," Lotte said with a soft voice.

Fitz had nothing done to harm her and she was going to trust him until given otherwise. The boys seemed healthy and safe. Was it the most desirable living conditions? No. But for just one boy starting at the age of seven, it was remarkable. 

Fitz dropped one of Lotte's hands and raised it to her hair. Fitz took a strand and ran it through his fingers, admiring the softness of it. Lotte felt her face go hot and quickly dropped her eyes away from him. 

Fitz bit his lip, taking his hand from her hair and lowered it to her chin.

Gently, Fitz raised her chin to look at him.

Lotte cursed at her body to stop blushing so fiercely. She forced her eyes away from him so that he couldn't see. 

He leaned into her, putting his mouth to his ear as if sharing a secret," You're beautiful, Lotte."

An exhale escaped Lotte's lips, her breath colliding with Fitz's neck. Her heart began to race and her body froze. Not in fear of Fitz, but in fear of messing this moment up. 

Fitz did however not kiss her or lean any closer. The boy stepped back, bringing his heels to the edge of the rock.

"Fitz?" Lotte said, her voice full of concern." What are you doing?"

Fitz grinned widely at her, his pretty face beaming with excitement. Without warning Fitz let his weight pull him backwards, taking his feet off the ground. 

Fitz shouted in excitement as he fell. He hated serious topics. He loved having fun. He loved it when the wind of falling ten feet rushed through his hair. He loved the adrenaline it brought him.

Lotte snapped out of her trance when she heard the sound of a loud splash followed by silence. 

"Fitz!" She yelled, horrified that the young boy had just killed himself.

Lotte ran to the edge, diving to her knees to peer at the water.

"Fitz!" She yelled again.

Lotte watched in horror as the ripples in the water faded without the boy surfacing.

Just then Fitz emerged from the water, cheerful and alive as ever. 

"Don't you ever do that again!" Lotte," I thought you died."

"Oh I didn't realize I was so well cared for," he smirked as he floated to his back. "Are you coming in?"

"No," Lotte nearly choked on the idea.

"Why?" Fitz sat himself up," afraid of a little cold water?"

"No."

"Afraid of me?"

"No!"

"Then what?" Fitz chuckled. 

Lotte sighed, she didn't want to tell Fitz her embarrassing secret," I can't swim." 

"You're messing with me right?" Fitz cocked her head at her, chuckling at himself. 

Lotte grumbled at herself," I have thalassophobia."

"What's that?"

"I have a fear of deep water," she spat," but not because it's cold."

"So you're afraid you'll drown?"

"Well considering if I did swim I would sink straight to the bottom and that is a horrible way to die. So yes you could say that