Chapter Four

Her face was devoid of colour, washed white like a ghost. Her cheekbones were sunken, bones jutting out probably due to malnutrition and the harsh conditions in which she had to live in. Her lips were caked with blood, while dark blue rings framed the pouches of skin under her eyes.

Her body was another story. It was thin, so thin he practically could feel the shape of her bones through her skin and protrude through various joints. Scars and burns decorated her body in all sorts of places, and a surge of fury simmered at the base of his stomach when he thought of all the bad, unfair treatment she had been receiving from the North.

They were disgusting, and Luca promised that one day, someday, he'd get revenge.

He carefully moved her blood-filled hair to the side, away from her face, before focusing on the bullet wound on her right arm. The skin was torn and his hand came out bloody when he probed his fingers around the area, but he couldn't take the risk of letting it rot there. By the time they would reach the Terminal, it would be too late for her to be saved, and granted Luca just hadn't done all this effort to get her out only to let her die in his arms.

He sent a signal through his earpiece and a familiar alto instantly picked up his call.

"Luca?"

"Hey," he smiled despite the situation. It was comforting to hear his leader's voice so close to him. "Are you okay?"

It took all Luca's willpower not to break down there and then. He'd never been alone, nor had he ever stepped out of the Southern walls for so long, and this was the most frightening thought of all. Hearing his older comrade's voice so near yet knowing that he was so far scared him.

"I'm fine. I managed to get a prisoner," he responded.

"Good, good," a pause ensued, before the earpiece crackled again, "I'm proud of you." "You can flatter me all you want after I'm safe inside the Southern border."

"You're on radar. Do you need someone to be sent over?" Adam asked.

"I'm fine, but the prisoner got a bullet wound in the arm."

"I'm sending a helicopter over so just make sure that you're in an isolated place and no one's around to see you. Make sure the coast is clear, and check your back at every time okay?" Adam's concern was more than

visible, dripping from his rich alto, "hopefully it's gonna be just a few hours. We never really did test out those machines."

"Got it."

All Luca had to do was bring her over to an area big enough for the helicopter to land and far enough from the Northern border so that the noise would not attract any attention. Looking down at his captive, a frown caused his eyebrows to kiss at the centre. He was fine, his stamina could take on some more walking and distance, but he wasn't really sure if he should take the risk with his captive still so fragile and hurt.

He decided to wait for her to wake up first and then assess her physical state.

He successfully managed to extract the bullet out of her arm before wrapping it up with a piece of cloth torn from his black shirt. Satisfied, he settled down on an opposite bark of another tree and leaned back with a sigh, muscles easing when it seemed like there wasn't any danger around.

He was tired, he knew that much. His bones were screaming at him in protest whenever he moved, he felt like he had aged a thousand years.

Goddamnit, he was hungry.

Hours passed. It was boring and a little too dull for his liking. There was no danger in sight either. His mare would tell him that. But here it was, peacefully chewing on grass like it was perfectly at home. A pang of sudden homesickness stirred inside his chest. It had been a few weeks, of course he was going to feel homesick. He'd never been away from home for that long. He missed his team. It felt empty and lonely without them, as though there was a vacant silence that just didn't seem to fit.

His captive stirred slowly. Her body moved and her head rolled from one side to the other.

Luca stilled.

A groan fell from her mouth, so soft that it was a miracle his ears picked up the sound. He watched her, eyes wide and unmoving, as she shifted uncomfortably. It looked like she was trying to get into a better position

to sleep, and from the frown falling like a shadow upon her face; he knew that her wishes weren't being satisfied.

But he wasn't about to help her. For all he knew, maybe she was on their side, maybe she was North's Ally and would, at any moment, drop a bomb onto him.

Well he didn't have to be so dramatic, but still.

Better safe than sorry.

Soundlessly, his hand shifted to the dagger at his waist. His grip was so hard his knuckles turned white.

She groaned again, louder this time. Luca stopped breathing altogether.

Maybe she was dangerous; maybe it would have been better to bind her wrists and feet. But then again, she looked so weak and faint in his arms that pity had stirred within him at the sight. Oh, if only he could control time. Clearly, he didn't feel like dealing with a crazy girl that had no idea where she was, or what she was doing here.

Crack!

His head whipped around, towards the source of the sound.

Someone was there, he could feel it.

His mare had straightened up, ears perked on alert as it huffed softly. Reaching out to pat the animal's nape in comfort, Luca slowly advanced towards the girl and slipped her arms around his neck. He lifted her onto his back and quickly swung himself onto his mare. It was probably a Soul Reaper, from the shuffles and the uncomfortable grunts of his horse. He would have probably taken them on and battled it out fair and square if he was on his own, but the girl by his side was weak, and Soul Reapers had a desire to eat away at the weakest souls.

His earpiece crackled again as he attempted to find a signal, "Adam," he breathed while bucking his horse into a mild trot, making sure that the girl wouldn't fall off from his back.

"Adam, I'm changing location. Can you hear me?"

Nothing told him that the other man had received his message. Damn those stupid earpieces, Luca thought, feeling the desire to wrench it out of the shell of his ear and smash it against the ground.

Hopefully, the other man would be smart enough to check again on his radar before coming to his rescue.

The forest was coming to an end in front of him, giving him a full view of the path ahead. There was no place to hide there, making it very dangerous if he stayed on this road for long enough. He could see, out of the peripheral of his eye, a string of bushes lining a huge rock decorated with icy crystals. It was still a long way to go before reaching the South, there was no way he'd make it alive, especially alone. They had taught him that first thing in the Terminal.

He decided to trust his gut and directed his horse to the bushes. Up close, he could see that there was a slight hollow that was perfect for two individuals to hide. The rock was positioned in such a way that it created a small dent, a hole perfect to fit a pair of bodies. Luca quickly wriggled inside and shifted the girl so that she rested next to him, her head onto his shoulder. His mare followed suit, folding its legs to crouch low.

Night was about to fall, which meant that everything would be freezing over sooner or later. Luca removed his thin sleeping bag and managed to cover himself. His mother had chided him a few days ago for needing a new one, as he'd had his since he was ten years old and it was definitely too short to fit his body. That, and the fact that there were numerous holes and tears from the amount of time it had been used.

The girl beside him shivered.

He made as if he hadn't seen the first time, the denial much stronger than his guilt as he purposefully looked away.

But it was impossible to ignore her blue stained lips and her skin glowing a deathly pale sheen. And plus, he didn't want her dying before they got to the Terminal, or he'd have risked his life for nothing.

Reluctantly, he slid over his sleeping bag and placed it on her body instead, wincing when the cold came to bite at his skin. A sigh escaped his lips, the smoke dissipating in the air. He tried not breathing in the smell of blood and sweat of the girl's greasy strands, but being cramped up in such a tight space proved difficult.

He knew he shouldn't be complaining: things could've been worse, or so he tried to comfort himself of that fact.

"Luca," his earpiece crackled and with relief, Luca gasped and held on to his ear like he was clinging on for dear life.

"Adam," he murmured back.

He heard his older comrade sigh on the other end, "Damnit Luca, don't scare us like that. You practically went off radar."

"Sorry, something came up."

"Anyway, we're right here. Climb onto the rock and we're gonna pick you guys up."

The younger man released a sigh he didn't know he had been keeping in for so long, thank god.

-----

Lights bounced on and off, a triad of colours that caused her vision to pulse in pain. She felt as if she was spinning in a whirlpool, her body tilting this way and that as the surface rocked beneath her. Like a visual memory, she got sucked into an abyss of darkness and suddenly there she was on the floor, being whipped by one of the North guards. The pain was evident and for a moment she stared at her face. Was that how she looked? After all those years?

It almost seemed like she was floating like a free spirit, an entity detached from her physical body. Her eyes roamed around and caught sight of all the others, her friends, or what she'd have called before they all turned numb.

"Hey, wake up."

Her brows furrowed when the guard tilted her chin upwards with a sadistic smirk, "I said, wake up."

She had an urge to spit in his face.

"Wake up!" he reached over and shook her violently. Jolts of pains burst through her chest, a gasp left her mouth and instinctively her eyes shot open.

She screamed.

"Hey," someone grabbed at her arms and she screamed even louder, for his hands were pressing down on the bruises dotting her skin. She felt her wounds tear open and looked down in horror, still screaming, mouth open wide--

Only to find that there was nothing there.

White bandages covered her arms.

"Jesus woman, will you stop screaming?" the stranger snapped.

She jumped at the loud tone of his voice as she noticed their close proximity. Her first reaction was to push against him and cower back, hating the way he could touch her that easily. In the North, the guards were used to molesting or raping girls, taking it as an advantage due to their lack of response. She felt it now, the itchy way their fingers would travel over her thigh in a suggestive manner. She couldn't help but whimper at the thought.

"Ryder, what are you doing?" someone entered the room.

"I didn't do anything. She's the one who started screaming as soon as she woke up."

Who they were, what they were, she couldn't care less. Cowering back against the fluffy material that enveloped her body, she let her hair fall over her face and crossed her hands over her chest in an attempt of protection.

"Hey," her eyes quickly darted over to the new arrival. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"It's okay, we won't hurt you," tentatively, the other man sat down next to her. Alarm bells started going off inside her brain, warning her against the strangers. Had she been sold to another part of the Northern perimeter to act as a prostitute? Who were they?

"I'm Adam."

It wasn't like she cared much for his name.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Her traumatized orbs fixed themselves on his face. First instincts instantly made her think he was a bad man. He could have bad intentions just like the rest of them, and she wasn't about to trust him.

But his face was soft, relaxed, and open. In his eyes she found swirls of tenderness, something that managed to tell her that he wasn't a dangerous man.

Or maybe he was just putting up a front.

Slowly, she nodded.

A relieved smile broke over Adam's face and she flinched back.

"You're safe, we promise you that," Adam continued hurriedly. His voice was calm, poetic somehow. It managed to qualm her jittering nerves, "You're not going back there anymore. You're with us, you're in the South."

She gawked at him in shock and soft chuckles burst from Adam's lips, though he quickly hid his amusement when she shot him another traumatized look.

"Is she mute or something?" Ryder muttered from his place. Adam frowned at his teammate before turning back to the girl. "Do you remember anything at all?"

She shook her head slowly, looked down at her lap. It was then that she seemed to notice the wires extending out of her wrists. She shrieked again in panic, violently struggling to wrench them off her body. Alarm signals beeped on the monitors while Adam quickly grasped her wrists, not budging an inch when she aggressively tried to claw at him in defence.

"It's not hurting you, it's only giving you energy," he tried to explain while ducking from her attacks, "please, why would we steal you from the North to do the same? Haven't you heard of the South?"

As if his words had slapped her in the face, she froze. Her hands fell at her sides. She frowned.

"Please," the dark-skinned man murmured, touching her arm lightly and not failing to notice the slight tremor in her body as he did so, "we're not going to hurt you, we're only here to help."

Countless times she had heard this phrase, over and over again and yet, nobody abided by his or her promises. She'd be shipped, from cell to cell, and each and every guard would scrutinize her with those eyes of theirs, raking over her body and trying to undress her in the most sinful ways that left her scarred. Though they hadn't managed to force themselves on her, their lingering touches still haunted her in her nightmares. She sagged against his hold when she realized that no matter how hard she tried battling, she'd either be sedated or brought back to her cell.

Of course she had heard of the South, how could she not, when it was the only thing that kept hope glowing at the back of their minds? But she couldn't trust the man in front of her, not yet anyway. Much less the other individual standing by the door and watching her with an expression of disgust.

When it looked like she had calmed down somewhat, Adam let out a slow breath of relief. Ryder moved away from the wall where he had been leaning and said, "I'm going to tell the others that she's awake."

Others? Her ears perked up. There were more?

"Don't bring them in just yet," Adam ordered, "They might scare her."

The younger soldier nodded before walking out of the room. Adam flashed a soft smile at her curious frown before saying, "He's handsome isn't he? His name is Ryder Black. He's an orphan. The War fifteen years ago killed both his parents."

It wasn't like she cared one bit about whoever that Ryder Black was, but Adam kept on talking nonetheless. There was something about his voice, as smooth as velvet as it reached her ears. In comparison to the rough orders and haughty tones she was so used to receiving in the North, it was a total contrast to hear someone speaking to her as if she was an actual human being.

"I'm Adam Jehlani, but I've already told you that," he chuckled. The sound was so unfamiliar to her ears that she could only watch him with panicked eyes.

"We're at the Southern Terminal," He reached for the water jug and poured a glass of water, "you're probably very confused. It's okay, you can ask me anything."

He held out the glass to her, "here, I bet you're thirsty."

Thirsty? Her eyebrows furrowed at the use of the word. The transparent liquid looked a lot like the life source they used to give her back in the North, except that this time there wasn't any syringe and needle involved.

"Here," Adam placed her hands around the glass cup before tilting it slowly to her lips. The liquid touched her mouth and flowed through her gums. Weird, it didn't taste like anything. Her automatic reflex told her to gulp down the liquid, and she felt the dryness of her throat cool down as the liquid passed through her trachea. She coughed at the sudden intrusion and some of the water spilt over the white sheets.

Her eyes widened and panic blundered through her like a troop of elephants. Oh no, she split something, he was going to make her pay for it, she was adamant about it.

But she jumped in surprise when Adam only reached out with a paper napkin and wiped it across her face, "hey it's okay," he whispered, "I'm guessing they weren't giving you water the right way?"

"Wa—ter?" she croaked out with difficulty. But his eyes brightened at her attempt. "Yeah," He nodded fiercely, "Water, the thing you drink to keep you hydrated."

The girl looked down at her lap, and he didn't fail to notice the slight shaking of her hands before she shook her head slowly.

"You don't drink water?" he murmured as he tried to understand her silent language. She shook her head again as a sign of negation, and horror filled his stomach. No wonder she looked so traumatized all the time, what was she even allowed to do in the North, if not for having the basic life necessities?

Fury boiled within his blood, "what did they do with you?" he muttered under his breath.

"Adam," someone called out behind the door, opening it a second later to introduce yet another man that made her skin crawl. He had gentler, rounder eyes that flickered over to her for a second, before a smile graced his face. He looked old, with angular features and pale skin that looked like it had never been subject to a bruise.

"Hello," the stranger bowed to her, and she recoiled back in response.

When he lifted his face, his eyes met hers evenly and she noticed the gentleness in his dark almond eyes, "My name is Jin."

"Jin's one of the soldiers from our team," Adam turned towards her, "nobody is going to hurt you and nobody ever will as long as you're here."

She nodded once more, hesitant but more willing to accept whatever he was giving to her. After all, she really didn't have a choice. They didn't look like they would hurt her in any way, for they would have done it already if that was the case.

"We should be going. The Phoenix wants to see us," Jin said.

When Adam stood up from his seat, he was more than surprised when a hand latched onto his arm. Looking down, he caught sight of the girl watching him with fear etched across her face plain terrified at the prospect of him leaving her side when she was the most vulnerable. He softened slightly upon noticing the quiver in her lip and leaned down to gently extract her fingers from his skin.

He held them in his large ones, squeezing them slightly in comfort, "I'll be back, okay?"

She still looked as if she might pass out from being alone,"I promise." he murmured.

Her eyes searched for any glimpse of a lie he might be hiding from her. But when the only thing she saw was the tender smile on his face, her grip slackened. He placed her hands back at her sides then, squeezed her hand once more, and walked out of the room.

She hung on to that feeling of his warmth even long after he was gone, knowing that it was more probable that she'd been fed another lie to latch on to.

-----

"Cubs, you have all done an exceptionally great job at handling professional work," the Phoenix sent them a smile and Luca's stomach cartwheeled. He had never seen a smile so beautiful, so powerful and filled with so many emotions. He was acting like a childish immature brat crushing on his school teacher— he knew that— but it was such a great deal to be acknowledged by someone who held such a high position, who was of such an important status.

"Thank you," Adam said as the group of soldiers bowed. Luca could not hide the growing grin spreading over his face.

"You've gotten good feedback from your Elders. I think you all have so much potential. I hope to see more of you."

"Thank you," they chorused once again.

She chuckled, and waved a dismissive hand, "You are dismissed. Oh, and Luca?" She called when he was turning and about to leave. He paused, looking back over his shoulder before that smile blinded him again. That smile that blew his breath away, "you did a spectacular job."

"T-Thank you," he stuttered, before quickly joining his group to hide the blush glazing over his cheeks. He stumbled over his feet and collided softly with Ian's shoulder, causing the latter to shoot him a teasing grin. Luca turned his head away and tried to regain what was left of his composure, mainly because he was pretty sure Ian and the rest of the group would tease him mercilessly if they caught him so flustered.

"How is the girl?" Eli asked as they made their way back to their dormitory.

"Lost and looks terrified as hell," Adam said.

"She was screaming all over the place," Ryder grumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"She probably went through a lot," Ian answered as they turned the corner, "Don't be so hard on her."

Adam nodded in agreement, "she looked surprised that we were even talking to her."

As they continued down the corridor, they met a few Elders and bowed to them respectfully before continuing on their way.

"Can we go see her?" Ian asked.

Adam bit his lip in thought. She was still so timid and scared of what they might do to her, he wasn't sure whether that was a good idea.

"You can, but try not to go in all at once," he finally relented, knowing that he could trust his teammates well enough, "She's very sensitive."

"Do you think she was abused?" Jin muttered softly, but loud enough for him to hear. He looked at his older comrade, hoping that wasn't the case.

"I don't know," Adam remembered how scared she had been at the prospect of Ryder touching her, at the explicit fear in her eyes when Adam had advanced towards her. The kindness of their actions seemed foreign, alien to her. Pity coated his thoughts the more he thought about it.

Luca followed them to her room although he wasn't particularly interested in the said mysterious girl that seemed to spark the team's interest.

They found her room empty and one of the responsible staff told them that she had been carried off to the lab for some preliminary testing. Adam tensed at her words, before striding over quickly to the laboratory. Luca decided to follow him while the rest of the group split up and went their separate ways, some going back to catch some sleep while others were going to train.

Luca would have given anything to go jog around the neighbourhood and clear some of his thoughts running around in his head, but curiosity got the best of him.

When the pair reached the laboratory, it looked pretty clear from the panel of glass doors that the girl inside wasn't cooperating. Alarm bells were beeping on every machine she was wired to, for she was struggling against the group of people trying to pin her down and tie her up. Luca gaped the scene in surprise, not noticing that the older man had left his side as quickly as lightning to assist her in the room until he caught sight of Adam's figure walking over to the girl.

Her tense posture seemed to relax slightly at Adam's presence. He said something to the group of Medics before the team stood back without complaint. Luca strained his ears to listen in on their conversation:

"—She's just so terrified."

"It's probably because she doesn't know us."

"Adam might be able to calm her down."

Looking back towards the glass panel, Luca watched Adam crouch down as he murmured something to the girl while the staff started fiddling with the monitors. He couldn't identify what exactly was going on inside, but he had a clear idea of her questioning. From what he had seen in the North, nothing was pretty there. No wonder she was so traumatized. People struggled, people were kept in cages, people had no rights to liberty nor any right to speak.

"You wanted to meet her, right?" Luca was pulled from his thoughts to see Adam by the doorway. Behind his tall frame, he spotted the group of Medics wheeling the girl into her room, and nodded.