Random meeting and blood~Nick~

[Nitya Demont]

Titus is glad that his warning is taken seriously and that it didn't cause a confrontation of any sort. He and his brothers all knew what it would be like if Nitya found out they were having talks like this. Still, she was the 'baby' of the family, and after losing Indigo they had all become even more protective of her. "Thank you for your understanding," he said simply before sitting down himself.

He nodded his head at Nick's comment. "There is. It could differ by districts, but that's what we say here." Nick's next question makes him pause for a moment. His eyes go to his sister who nods to let him know she can handle it. With a deep breath he started to speak. "From what we hear, it differs depending on how long the person has been wondering, where they got to, and a few other things. Of course, that may just be rumor. You could be made an avox or be killed out right; those we know for sure. Anyone who helps you, as I'm sure you know, is in a lot of danger too."

It wasn't a pleasant thing to think about. Of course, not much information came in about wanderers, so everything was either by what people had heard or what some person had just happened to witness. "It does, but there's not much we can do currently about it. Any wanderer that comes through here has to be careful. You got lucky that you were with Nitya when you were caught. There are others that would've helped you, but there are so many more that would turn you in." He looked away for a moment as his mind went elsewhere, then he came back. "I'm not sure what else it is, but there probably is something."

Both Titus and Nitya looked at one another and then at Nick. "What makes you say that?" they asked at the same time with a smile. "We weren't always," Titus told Nick honestly. "We got closer as we got older though. She and I used to go at it until she was about thirteen." Nitya nodded along with him. "All of us are pretty close now. You'll see that if you're ever around all four of us at the same time." They really did have a lot of similarities. There were some large ones, but they were all still tight.

The politeness that Nick shows to Nitya impresses Titus. "I'm good as well, Yaya," he told her. The use of her nickname was something that was automatic. It was what he called her all the time at home, but it earned him a 'look' now. He probably shouldn't have use it around Nick even though he didn't think it was embarrassing. The two still smiled at one another as she went to the kitchen. Though he was happy to see her, Titus was still glad to get some one on one time with Nick. It would be easier to talk about things.

He listened silently as Nick spoke. Slowly, he leaned forward so that they could speak a little more quietly so Nitya wouldn't hear them. The comment that he has strong feelings for her gives him pause for sure. "You do?" he asks looking over at his sister by the sink. He supposed that it was bound to happen at some point. He wondered how deep feelings both ways went. He shook his head at Nick's next comment.

"I can try, Nick," he said softly. "The thing is that she won't listen if she really feels like this is where she wants to and needs to be right now. Gauis tried to get her to come home a few days ago, but she told him she couldn't. I'll try myself if that's what you really want, but that girl is so stubborn. I know you want her to be safe, but you'll have a hard time convincing her if she's made up her mind." He remained silent for a moment as he considered some options. "She might be more willing if you were to move closer to us so that she could still see you," he told her.

[Jack Lexington]

When he's telling me his sister won't listen to me he doesn't really tell me anything new. I've seen how stubborn and determined she can be. "If she wasn't so stubborn I might not be here now."
Silently I look over to her and mull over the possible punishments for a wanderers accomplice. If wanderers can be sentenced to death they could do very bad things to their helpers.
"I can't imagine her getting punished because she is so good hearted. I'd hate to see that. I wasn't aware how severe the punishment for wanderers can be around here." I actually makes me breathe a little harder, as if a tight ring was suddenly around my chest. Why did I choose district 4 out of them all when it could be my downfall?
"If moving closer will help I'd do it...but I only know of this place."
In my mind I work up stupid plans like being an ass to her so she'll leave me a save herself. Unfortunately I feel too attached to her to push her away.

"Give us a moment." I ask her brother before I slowly get up, bite back a groan and walk over to my beautiful friend. In the kitchen I lean against a counter to support myself and then look at her in a very serious way and tell her about her brothers and my conversation.
"I know you want to stay and help but I'm already better and I'm sure it will improve more over the next days. We're almost out of medication, which probably means that I don't need it anymore."
Judging by the look on her face she knows what I'm getting at so I take her and and smile weakly.
"I really want to be around you but you're better off if you're not near me. Once things blow over we can meet again. What do you say?"
I'm fully aware that getting through the daily chores will be a lonely struggle without her but her safety is worth it. As much as I'd like to dream about a relationship with her as little I want to endanger her.
Swallowing hard against the lump in my throat I rub her hand and hope she will agree to leave with her brother.

[Nitya Demont]

Titus sensed that it wasn't the time to say anything else. Instead, he sat in silence and watched as Nick looked at is sister. He wondered what was going through the guy's head, but at the same time he decided that it was probably better not to know. Besides, he was lost in thoughts of his own. He got the feeling that Nick might be more successful convincing his sister to leave, but he was worried about what sort of toll that would take on Nitya. She was an extremely loyal person, and she would probably not deal with things well if she felt Nick still needed her. However, this was really between the two of them whether the brothers wanted it to be or not.

"That's the one trait of hers that always has the possibility of getting her in trouble which is sad since it's also one of her best," Titus said. "The punishment for her won't be death, but beyond that we aren't sure. You did land in a rough district; we are pretty close to the Capitol after all." The upper districts always seemed a bit more harsh to Titus, but that was something he didn't say. Talks of politics wasn't something he engaged in. "At the same time, there are a lot more positive things here than a lot of other places."

Titus considered Nick's statement for a moment. "You know, there are a few places close to us that are abandoned. They are far enough away where it won't look like she's helping you directly, but it's close enough that she could still see you. Of course, that's really up to you two." It was a big thing for Titus to have even mentioned something like that. While he still wasn't entirely sure where he was placing Nick, he did like what he saw of the guy so far. He nods when Nick asks to give the two of them a moment.

I've been near the sink, cleaning and doing other little things to give the two some time alone. Though I'm not wild about leaving Nick alone with my brother, I know that eventually it will need to happen so might as well get it over with. When Nick walks up, I turn to give him a smile, but then I see the look on his face. Right away, I'm not sure I like where this might be going, but I remain silent as he speaks.

His comment about medication is true enough. I had been worried that we might have to go see the doctor, but he has made a miraculous recovery. Still, I know what this is a prelude to. He takes me, but I can still feel my heart beating and tears coming to my eyes which I quickly blink away. Though I know he is saying all of this because he cares about me, I'm still sad and have a mix of feelings flowing through me.

When he's done, I take a deep breath and lean over the sink for a moment as I feel my head swaying. The honest truth is that I'm scared about what this means. I'd finally admitted out loud how I feel about him or at least in part how I feel, and now he's asking me to leave. I want a relationship with this guy even if it's dangerous. There are things that can be done, and I know that I am going to hang onto the chance that this could happen. My mind registers that I haven't said anything for a while, so I force myself to form words.

"I want to stay," I say softly. "However, I know that it's important to you that I leave for now. I don't agree that I'd be better off being away from you, but I won't stay if this is what you really want." I knew this was coming, and as much as I want to fight to stay, Nick has made me feel so many things I had never thought I'd feel that I can't just write off his request. However, I'm not sure that I will go home after this. Eventually I will, but I feel like maybe some time on my own would be good. I don't want my family to see me upset.

"Shall I pack now?" I ask without looking at him as once again I blink the tears away.

[Jack Lexington]

I can barely bring myself to say these words to her because I don't want Nitya to leave. What if I get worse again? What if she gets in trouble while I away from me. What if she can never return and this is goodbye for good? Many thoughts silence me just as much as her. So I'm thankful for the little while she takes to think things over.

Then I turn my head to see her leaning heavily on the sink, juts like I am, except that she's not supporting her body but her mind. I feel bad for putting her through this. Especially now that I see tears glistening in her eyes and hear how joked up her voice is when she gives in to what I asked.

"It's better if they don't find you near me if they find me." My own voice is cracking. Not only because we have to part but because I'm truly afraid to have to fend for myself in the still weak state that I'm in and will possibly get caught. Whatever they'd do to me then can only break me.

'Shall I pack now?' I can only look at her because deep down I want to scream 'no, don't leave me'. Instead I take a step towards my girl and enclose her in my arms. My chest feels tight and heavy against her head. But I need to hold her right now before she leaves.
"Just for a little while." I mutter while I still hold her.

Then I hold her at arms length and look her in the eyes. "Make sure this is not for good. I want to be with you...under better circumstances. When we don't have to look over our shoulders all the time."

My voice is now low enough that Titus can't hear my words and I make sure she's looking at me. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
The line would sound weak and cheesy under any other circumstances but I don't dare asking more than that because I might just scare her away.
I listen closely but suddenly get worried that she might say 'not if you send me away now.' so I search for her hand with mine while I still look her in the beautiful dark orbs.

[Nitya Demont]

I hate how teary and choked my words sound. Though I can be open, I don't like being caught in emotions like these. Crying, especially in front of others, is something I try to avoid. My fingers grip tightly to try and keep myself from bursting out into tears. If this is goodbye for now, I don't want the last thing that Nick sees of me to be tears. That just isn't how I want to or envision leaving things.

Again I'm silent for a moment after he speaks. I need the moment not only to quell the tears I can feel rising but to but to gather the million thoughts that are buzzing through my head. However, there is no answer that I can give to his statement. Part of me knows that he's right, but from another angle he's wrong. Instead, I can only nod my head slightly.

The feel of his arms around me almost makes me break down. I've become so accustomed to being in them and feeling safe with him. The thought that something might happen to him and that this could be it, weighs down on me. I want so badly to stay but know that since he asked, I will go. It's so much to take, but at the same time I can't help but feel happy to feel him holding me. He really has got me. My ears register that he says something, but I feel that there is no need for response.

When he draws away, I quickly hold back more tears. What he says catches me off guard. It means so much that he wants to be with me and that he seems as unwilling as I do for this to be the end of things between us. I look back into his eyes as I respond. "I won't let it be for good." Then I pause; it's hard to think about just the idea of it being the end. "I want to be with you too," I finally choke out.

The question he asks next almost makes me fall down in shock. My knees tremble, and for a moment I can only stare at him as I try to process that a guy actually wants me to be his girlfriend and that it is a guy that I care about so deeply. "Yes," I answer him. It's the only word I can form, but I'm sure he can see everything written in my face when I give that answer. It's more than I could've ever hoped for.

His hand on mine helps me regain a little of the strength I had to not fall to the floor. I squeeze his. I know it's going to be even more difficult to leave him now. However, asking to stay when he's given me something I didn't think possible, is not a question to me. If he wants me to stay I will, but if not, as much as it will hurt, it will be worth it. He's always been worth it.

[Jack Lexington]

Nitya is struggling hard to fight her tears which is heart warming since it shows me how much I've grown to her. Sghe truly does care. When I see the glistening in her eyes and the redness in her cheeks it makes me well up as well because I know as much as her how much can go wrong and that this could be our final goodbye even if we don't want that.

Holding her tight I try to soak up as much of her as I can. I don't care about her brothers presence for now or what he might think of our long hug. To hear her say that she wants to be my girlfriend brings a smile to my face. I've had so many girlfriends that I didn't care about. I just slept with them and stayed with them for a while. Sure, I liked them but that was about it and when I thought it was time to move on I always did without flinching. This here was different. We haven't slept with each other but connected on a much deeper level, which made it awful to part.
"I know why I never let anybody get close to me. Saying goodbye is aweful." I try to joke but get choked up so I hug her again.
Running my hand through her dark her I bend down to softly place my lips on hers. Then I caress hers as gently as I can, suck on her bottom lip and let mine rest on hers with my eyes closed before I pull back.

"This way you will know that I'm not using you." I whisper.

It's time for the two siblings to leave so her brother is getting up and moving closer to us. He puts his hand on her shoulder and gives me a slight smile and a nod to let me know he's approving of what I'm doing.
Then he gently moves her to the door. I follow them although standing this long is becoming painful and I desperately want to lay down. It will probably take a few more days until I can walk around like before.

Leaning my elbow against the door frame I watch them step outside. For now I can pull myself together but I'm worried about how I will feel when I'm alone.
"Go before I change my mind." I give her a smile but my face feels flushed.

[Nitya Demont]

When he says that saying goodbye is awful, all my resolutions to not cry slip out the window. Thankfully, I don't bawl my eyes out as I thought I would, but the tears do roll down my face. I've been trying so hard to keep myself together since all this started, but now it appears my emotions have finally caught up with me. Quickly I try to choke them down, but it doesn't work as successfully. They still roll, and more replace them as I try to push them away. "It is," I manage to get out as he hugs me again. Honestly, I just want this moment to keep on lasting rather than deal with the idea of being away.

The kiss we share is different than any other we have had. There is no way to describe how it feels, and when he pulls back I feel as though for those moments I had stopped breathing. It was truly amazing. I don't believe that he would ever use me; we've been through too much for that. I don't say anything though; I don't trust myself to speak without crying. Instead, I simply nod my head.

When Titus touches my shoulder, I feel a little more strength come to me. He looks approving though I know he still probably isn't completely trustful of Nick, but I'm glad the two at least seemed to get along. I let him lead me to the door, and when we step outside, I square my shoulders a little and the last tears dry up a little on my face. Of course, I think I have it easier. For a while at least, I will have a family member with me; I'm leaving Nick alone. That thought makes me yearn to stay even more, but I have to trust that this is for the best.

I smile at him too. "Stay safe," I tell him though I want to say so much more. We turn away, and though I try to avoid it, I do look back once. It's enough to make my heart break slightly. We continue to walk, but I feel that I have left a rather large part of me back at his house. Titus seems to sense how I'm feeling and doesn't speak but just puts his arm around me.

~Later that night~

Being back at home is strange to me. While I do still have chores that need doing, I don't have to cook or do any of the things I did with Nick. I find that I miss them, and I keep feeling like I've abandoned him. My family has left me pretty well alone to my thoughts, but what I really want is to talk. Still, I don't want to worry them with how I am feeling. It's just not going to be easy to get used to for a while. I keep thinking of him and wonder what it is that he's doing now.

Finally, I can no longer take it in the house. I go out to the back of our house and walk down the little slope of beach until I get to our little dock. There, I sit and dip my feet into the water. Again my thoughts are on Nick, but out here they hurt a little less. Maybe it's because I'm touching the water or because I'm not surrounded by all the random things that remind me of him, but it's easier out here. However, I still do miss him.

"What are you doing, Nick?" I ask the night sky.

[Jack Lexington]

Nitya and her brother turn their backs on me and walk out of the house. I'm glad I'm using the door as support because when she walks away I feel a little bit of my strength walking away with her. It only takes that one look back and my heart crumbles. It's incredibly hard to watch her cry and then walk away. Even though I know I want her best it feels as if I'm hurting her, which is the last thing the I want. My chest is so tight I have to struggle to keep breathing normally.

I watch them until they are out of sight but then I'm glad. This moment had to be one of the worst in my life next to leaving my daughter and realizing how badly I had been injured during the shark attack.
I turn to wlak back into the house. Only now do I realize how much standing still takes out of me so I decide to lay down for a while.

With Nitya around I constantly tried to pull myself together and put a brave face on so I wouldn't worry her but now I let loose and fall into a deep sleep. It's goo though because when I wake back up I feel stronger. Blinking and yawning I realize it's already dark outside so i slowly push myself up to get some water. In the kitchen I realize that I will have to prepare my own food now so I resort to eating some of the left over bread and dried meat. Alone I sit at my table and chew but don't talk because there's nobody there to talk. So far that was never a problem but now that I've been around Nitya I miss it. Being here without here I feel alone and a little lost.

On top of that things are still quite strenuous since I've only just started to recover.
Yet there are a few things that need to be done like bringing in some logs for the fire, cleaning my dishes and washing my clothes which I put off until the next day.

The rest of the evening I just sit and stare into the fire thinking of her. Nitya has grown to me so much. Her loyality to me is incredible. I've never known such a thing but it surely teaches me how good people can be. Nitya doesn't look out for herself but others. She's so much better than I am. A true inspiration. I miss her so much. Now that she's not here I become aware of how much I like her. For a moment I wonder whether this could even be called love. If I never see her again it will be a true loss. With all my heart I hope it'll never go that far.

__

For the next two days I try my best to stay clean, warm and eat regularily, which is a huge task for somebody who is barely able to walk around. I do realize that my side hurts a little less when I move slowly and that I get a little less dizzy.

Right now I'm sitting at the old wobbly wooden table and look at the last shot of penicillin. I'm not touching it. Just looking because that alone gives me the creeps. How I wish she was here right now. I don't think I can do this by myself even though this stuff is precious and we've been specifically told to use it all. Finally I grab it and lift my shirt. My hands are starting to hake and I put it back.
"Maybe later.' i tell myself even though I know that later will be no different. So i get up and want to walk to the door but then I suddenly grow some balls and sit back down, grab the thing and administer it myself. It's truly much worse but I manage and am glad when it's over. Maybe if I can do this alone, I can get by without Nitya all together. This way she'll be safe.

Over the course of the next days I do get along better and better by myself but the more I get back into a routine, the more I miss her. It's not so much the physical help she provided, it's her presence, the way she talks, her smile. I miss her touch, too, her kiss.

--

Nityas family was very glad to have their daughter back home with them even thought the change of heart came unexpected. They embrace her but don't ask too many questions even though her brother is very curious.

When she walks out of the house that night he watches her with growing concern. Knowing her for a very long time he's aware that his sister is not happy so he grabs his jacket and follows her.

At the water he spots her and sits down beside her. "Hey, sis, what are you doing out here?" He puts his arm around her shoulder to show he cares.
When Nitya doesn't respon he tries to tell her that he knows what's going on in that pretty head of hers. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
For a while he watches the waves glistening under the moon and then breaks the silence by saying. "Why are you so taken by this stranger?"

[Nitya Demont]

Honestly, I felt that one of my brothers might follow me, but I'm surprised that it's Titus. He isn't usually one to talk about feelings or anything like that, so he really must be worried about how I'm doing. Though I have been trying to hide my feelings, I know that my family has noticed that I'm not my usual self. They'd have to be blind not to see it, and it makes me feel guilty that I am as sad as I am. I'm happy to be with them, but this new feeling I have experienced because of Nick is something that I can't explain. Without him, things just feel a little colder.

It takes me a moment to answer him, even after he identifies what it is that's on my mind. Though I want to talk, admitting what is wrong will make it even more real than it is already, and I'm not sure if I'm truly ready for that or not. I'm barely holding it together as it is, but maybe this is exactly what I need.

"Yes," I say slowly with my eyes out on the water. His next question is one that I have considered before. Falling like this isn't something I do, and my family knows that. Even I'm baffled at how quickly and easily it happened. I can see why I did, but the how is what I'm questioning. That's something I don't voice; instead, I simply answer the question posed.

"He's different, Titus. I mean, he's from another district, but it isn't in that way that I mean. There's something about him that gets to me. It's the way he talks to me, how we relate to one another, and just so many little things. I honestly think that I've fallen for him. He's shown me so much kindness, and the fact that you three even helped us in the first place kind of shows that I'm right about him."

He nods his head at the last, but I can tell that he still doesn't understand. After all, I have only known Nick a short while. I suppose it really doesn't make sense to others. For a moment he's silent, and then he asks something else.

"I suppose this had to happen eventually. Do you love him?"

There it was. Out in the open. It was a question that had popped into my head before, but it wasn't something that I wanted to discuss with my brother. Honestly, I thought it held the large likelihood of being love, but I didn't want to admit that until I was able to see Nick again. Until that happened, I didn't want to tell it to anyone. If I loved him, Nick should be the first to know. "Titus, that's something I really don't think we should talk about right now." My tone is even, but he gets the warning.

"Can I do anything?" he asks.

I look over at him finally and offer a small smile. This must be exceptionally hard for him. He and I always have fun together, but having this sort of discussion can't be easy for somebody like him. I love him for trying to help. "I don't think so...other than to just do what you all have been doing and be willing to listen if I need to talk."

He nods his head, and the two of us sit there in silence. He wraps me into a one armed hug, and that's all that really needs to happen right now. Eventually I know that I'm going to need to talk, but tonight is not the time. I'm not ready.

~~
It was a couple of days later, and I had been fighting with my parents. After spending so much time with Nick in his house, I'd brought up the idea of possibly living on my own in one of the nearby abandoned places. It would give me room to think and to try and get over all these feelings of sadness, but the talk had not gone well at all. Of course, I realized that they were just trying to look out for me, but they didn't seem to understand why I wanted to do this. Then again, I wasn't entirely sure either. Being alone in a house where I'd be thinking about Nick quite a lot didn't really seem like the best idea, but there was something about living alone for a bit that was attractive.

Now, I sat up on our roof looking out at the water again. It was hard to register how much time has passed since I'd seen Nick. It had only been a week, but it seemed as though it was longer since memories and thoughts of him came to me at all time of the day. This was really painful. I knew that my family were all trying to make me feel better and that mom and dad just wanted to keep me close right now, but I was fully capable of doing things still. Father hadn't even set me out on a job yet, and I know that I could have done something.

I thrust my head into my hands and tried to get my thought sunder control. It took a bit, but I was finally able to think on something else. I wondered about the doctor. Had the pks stopped watching his house? What about the guard that helped us? Yes, those things were related to Nick, but they didn't make me sad. Perhaps that was because it was more for settling the debt. Several times I'd considered going to see the doctor to offer him something in thanks, but I didn't want to cause attention to him or my family by going out there when they were on duty. Of course, I didn't even know if his house was being watched. Then, there was the debt that needed to be settled with the guard. That was something else ot do. Perhaps the key was to simply stay busy.

[Jack Lexington]

The days without Nitya make me realize how much I actually miss her. Not an hour goes by that I don't think about her. I try to focus on other things like the necesseties like food, wood and becoming healthy. Every little thing i do is so much more strenuous than usually. Chopping wood becomes a task of an hour because I can barely lift the axe above my head and definetly not bring it down with force. I can only let it drop and hope it will split the wood. My side still feels like it's tearing apart and I check a few times to make sure it's not bleeding.

Food is another big issue. I run out of dried meat after two days and have only flour and some pickled veggies left. So I set out to setup a few traps in the closer vicinity and hope that some snow rabbit will get caught.

The fact that I have to struggle so hard without Nitya makes me toughen up and recover faster though I beleive.

About five or six days after Nitya left I'm just checking one of my traps where a rabbit has been caught when I hear voices not too far away. Instinctively I duck down low and try to see who is talking. What I see almost makes me shriek. It's two peace keepers slowly advancing to my house. Holding my breath I watch them walk up to the door and knock. Whether they know I live there or are just doinga routine check I don't care. As quietly as I can I crawl away until I'm in the next ditch and run away ducking as low as I can. Every few hundred meters I look back but can't see anybody following me. yet fear drives me and makes me run as fast as I can into a small patch of trees that lies south of my place and seperates it from the great dunes near the ocean.
My side has tensed up and stings so hard I can barely run anymore but I keep pushing myself. I need to get away from this place, away from the keepers, away from the dark hole called detention center.
With my hand pressed against my side and breathing like an old mule I half limp half stagger through the frozen trees that look strangely out of place. As if they don't really belong here either. My head is spinning as I stumble to the ground, turn onto my back to catch my breath and see the tree tops dancing above my head. They are waving their long, dark, knobbly arms at me...maybe pointing the keepers my way. I squeeze my green eyes shut while the wind whistles a lonely song.

[Nitya Demont]

Time continues to pass, and it gets easier for me to do things. However, I find Nick floats around in everything I do. My brothers seem to be taking it in turns to talk to me about things. By far, the most helpful has been Hammil, but he has been gone quite a lot. Titus isn't good with feelings, and Gauis, well he tries. Mostly I just try to keep myself occupied. Thinking about Nick hurts especially since I don't know when or if I shall see him again. It's a hard thing to have that weigh on one's mind, especially when you care for some one so much.

Thankfully, I've started to act a bit more like my old self. Still, there are other things on the minds of us all. Peace keepers have been sighted near our house several times. We don't think they know that I'm back, and it could complicate things for my family if I'm found. The whole thing with Nick hasn't blown over quite yet, and I'm sure to be brought in for questioning at the very least. Of course, there might be some form of fine for my family. Besides, more things have been going on. So much seems to happen at once.

Later that day, I lay in the small nook that I call my room drawing pictures with small bits of charcoal and the other things I've managed to gather for my art. The house is quiet as the others are at the shop and on jobs. The chores are done, and it's nice to be able to draw even if what I'm drawing makes me sad at the same time. I'm all settled in when my ears catch the sound of quick footsteps coming towards the house. Quickly, I peer out the window and breathe a small sigh of relief when I see it is Hammil. However, that is replaced by concern as I know he wouldn't just come home randomly during the day in this much of a hurry.

I meet him at the door, and he takes hold of me and says in a dead serious voice, "Peace keepers are on the way here. You need to get out of here for now." The words turn me to ice inside, and immediately I grab the bag that we had packed for an emergency like this.
"What do you think they want?"
"There's no telling. They might be coming to see if you're back or something."
There is no need for any more explanation than that. "Did anyone see you?" I ask him worriedly.
"No, but I thought that I should be here when they arrive. Now, get out of here. Stay away for a little while."
I nod, and then I leave quickly.

I start to edge my way around the rock faces. I see the peacekeepers approach my house, and something in me says that they are looking for both Nick and me. More peacekeepers suddenly appear quite suddenly in the direction I'm headed. I'm worried they've spotted me, and I quickly duck behind the next rock face. For a while I wonder, trying to decide where the best place to hide is. This time I spot some coast guard, and I decide there is nothing for it.

Moving as quickly as I can, I make for the fence. When I reach it, I toss my bag over and follow as carefully as I can. The trees nearby give some nice hiding places, and I try to remain calm as I think on my family and Nick. Have they found him or what? I wish I knew what was going on.

Back at Nitya's house, Hammil stood in their kitchen thinking on what to do. The peacekeepers were indeed looking for Nitya. Apparently they seemed to think that they had seen her and the wanderer as well. What was he to do now? There was no telling where his sister had gone and if she'd come back. If she truly believed that there was danger to them, she wouldn't come back.

"Nick," he said almost to himself. He decided to go find Nick.


OOC: I wasn't sure entirely where we might go, so I went this route. If you'd like to do something else let me know and I shall rewrite.

[Jack Lexington]

It takes me a moment of lying in the dirt to calm down enough to realize I'm all alone in the forest and nobody is following me. When my chest finally rises and falls a little slower I roll over and push myself back up. Much slower I keep walking away from the place I called my home for almost a year now.

I sure hope that Nitya is safe. How on earth did the peace keepers figure out where to find me and what else did they figure out? Has anybody seen us or maybe ratted us out? I cannot be sure that this is not the case so I decide to go and warn her and then hide somewhere else.

When I reach her place after asking around for her family it's late afternoon and I'm completely spent. I reach her beautiful house and take it in. It's an older home but nicely maintained with decent paint and a garden. It's clear that these people care about their place.
Sneaking around the back I make sure nobody is following me before I knock on the back door.
I don't recognise the guy, who opens the door but he bears the same resemblance with Nitya as Titus.
"Is Nitya here?" I ask as if I was an old buddy from school.
His eyes narrow when he asks me. "What are you doing here? Are you crazy?"
Apparently this young man knows who I am.
"I came to warn her. Peace keepers have found my place. I'm not sure if they aren't going to try and get their hands on Nitya."
"She left...no idea where she went." he tells me but I'm not sure whether I should believe him. Since I have no other choice I nod and leave.

Not far away from a coast guard has made out somebody jumping the fence and it didn't take him long it was the girl he had seen in the station a week ago.
Quickly he closed the distance to the fence hopped over it with ease and then followed her into the trees behind the property.
The coast guard sees her move up some tree and is fast to reach up and hold her.
"C'mon down."
He pulls on her leg to makes sure she's not climbing up any further. Once she's slid back down he grabs her by the shoulder, turns her around and looks into her face. "I knew it was you...half the town is looking for you. The peace keepers have put a reward on your friends head and there's one for bringing you in as well."
With a smirk he adds. "Looks like I'll have a bit more in my wallet this month."

Half an hour later Nitya is getting half dragged, half walked into the local peace keeper station, where her presence causes a big stir. All eyes are suddenly on her and one of the higher ranking officers immediately locks her into a room and let's her know.
"We've been looking for you all over, Miss Desmont. Sit down."
He more or less pushes her into a cheap plastic chair and puts his boot against the front so she can't get up.
"I advice you to cooperate and answer my questions about your friend truthfully."

OOC: Great idea

[Nitya Demont]

It is miraculous that Nick showed up just as Hammil was thinking of finding him. However, he knew that it was not a good idea for Nick to be there. He wanted to talk to him, but here was just too dangerous. That was why he was short with him. Well, that and he was incredibly worried about his sister. It had been a while since she had run off, and he had expected her to come back after a little while. It just didn't sit well. Watching Nick leave was hard since he did want to talk, but he vowed to find the guy later. Hopefully Nick didn't think too ill of him; he had been short, but oddly enough Hammil was the one who trusted Nick the most.

-------------------------------------------

The moment I feel a hand on me, I feel my insides turn to ice. The voice is not Nick's as I was praying it might be, and I know that I'm in a considerable amount of trouble. The pull on my leg hurts as my hands were planted firmly on a tree branch. However, when I slide back down, I don't let the fear or slight pain show on my face. I need to remain calm. When he turns me around, I look calmly into his face. Meanwhile, I'm screaming for help on the inside.

When he makes his comment about the reward for Nick, it takes all the control I have not to take in a sharp breath. I can't let anybody know what I know. Honestly, I'm slightly surprised when he says there is a reward for bringing me in. They must really think that I will lead them to Nick. I'm glad that I've been caught here and not with my family. I remain silent and no that running is no option. He will be on me in a second.

It is a slightly painful experience being dragged somewhere. The stride of my captor is longer than mine, so I practically have to jog to keep up. Plus, he has a vice grip on me. As I'm being taken in, I note some familiar faces as we pass. One of them is Titus, and I see his eyes widen. Slowly I give my head one shake to show that I don't want him to follow; to anybody else it looks like I'm simply shaking hair out of my face. I see him start off towards the house. Then I lose sight of him.

I'm scared. Let's be honest about it. However, I refuse to show it. That will be the first thing they exploit. The man in front of me is a very imposing figure, and he makes it quite clear that I'm in here for questioning. I don't doubt that he is going to try his best to get some information out of me. What worries me is that I don't know how he will go about it. I nod my head once to acknowledge what he's said, but I remain silent. Hopefully Titus has reached the house by now.

--------------------------------------

Titus ran as fast as he could go once he was out of sight of everybody. The moment he got there, he opened the door to find that only Hammil was at home. The others were probably still out working. "Hammil, they got Nitya."
"What do you mean?" he asks all color going out of his face.
"I don't know how, but I saw a guy taking her into the peace keepers."
"Oh no. I told her to get away from the house this morning. Some peace keepers came looking for her. This can't be happening. What do we do?"
"I'm not sure. There's not much we can do; they'll question her regardless of what money we can pay or anything."
"We've got to figure out something," Hammil pauses for a moment. "We should also find NIck. He stopped by earlier looking for her to warn her; he needs to know."
"We don't even know where he is."
"I'll go find him. You stay here and tell the others."

Without another word, Hammil left the house. He had watched to see which way Nick had gone, and he followed the same way. It took a shorter time than he thought, but he managed to find NIck. As quick as he could, he ran up to the guy and gave him no chance to even offer a greeting.

"Nick, sorry for being short with you earlier, but it was too dangerous to talk there. I was going to try to find you later, but something has happened." He takes a quick breath and continues on. "The coast guard caught Nitya and took her to the peace keepers. She ran from the house only to get caught. Just thought you should know."

[Jack Lexington]

Even though I try to get as far from their place as I can to avoid anybody seeing me around the Desmont place I don't get very far. My strength has left me and I'm hurting so I only made it to the next patch of trees where I'm trying to hide behind a fallen mossy one to regain some strength.
I almost jump at Hammil when he comes searching for me but recognize him in time.
"You're her brother, aren't you?" I wonder.
When he tells me what happens my eyes widen in horror. If the peace keepers really have Nitya now I don't know what they will do to her.
"They've captured her before but let her go." I say with my chest tight and my voice close to cracking.
"Maybe they'll just let her go."
That possibilty is so unlikely that I frown when I say it. "What if they beat her or do worse stuff to her."
The thought alone that Nitya could be tortured because of me makes me so upset that I struggle to my feet pressing my hand against my strained wound and state. "I'm not going to let her suffer because of me..."
But what am I going to do? Turn myself in and risk being avoxed or killed? Wouldn't that be worse torture for her?
I want to go and run to her rescue because I can't bear the thought of anybody touching her but I know I can act on my impulses.
Bending over because I don't know what to do anymore or have any strength to do so I feel like I have to throw up. Instead I desperately ask her brother."What do I do? Should I turn myself in so they let her go?"
I look up to see his eyes that look almost like hers.

--
At the station a second man is joining the interrogation.
He only stands in the corner with his arms crossed over his uniform as an observer.

The other one seizes her up.
"You've been asked about Nick Travis' whereabouts and said you didn't know. We however found out where he used to reside and you have been seen near his place." His expression hardens.
"We don't believe in coincidence so you'd better start talking now. Tell us everything! Where is he, does he have weapons, what state is he in?"
With icy cold eyes he leans closer and whispers. "If you cooperate we won't harm you. If not you will be held responsible for helping a criminal. I think you know what that means."
Demonstratively he took the club off his belt and placed it on the table behind him.
Suddenly he yells on top of his lungs. "Talk!"

[Nitya Demont]

After he is finished speaking, Hammil nods in answer to Nick's question. "Yes. I'm Hammil; I'm the oldest." As the news hits Nick, he remained silent. Though the reaction was not as bad as Hammil had prepared for, it was still upsetting that he had to be the one to break the news to Nick. At the same time, at least he hadn't been the one to tell their parents. All in all, the whole situation was far less than desirable, and his chest tightened at the thought of what might be happening.

"Yes, but this time I don't think that will be an option for anybody." He doesn't say that what they really want is information to catch Nick; he felt sure that he knew. It would be a miracle if they did let her go before she talked. Still, there was always hope, and that was what Hammil was using to keep on going. It was difficult when he heard the crack in Nick's voice. It was obvious that this guy cared about her very deeply, and Hammil wanted to treat the situation delicately.

Again his chest tightened at Nick's question, but he managed to sound calm. Panicking would honestly help nobody even if that was what he felt like doing. "Nitya is a strong girl, and I don't think they'd do anything too bad to her. They obviously need her." It wasn't really the most positive thing to say, but it was the truth. There was no use pretending that they wouldn't beat her; they did seem to need her though, so he didn't believe that anything like death or becoming an avox was on the table for her. Then again, she was a female, so things could be a little dodgy there. It was best just not to dwell on it.

Hammil watched as the guy stood up. For a moment he considered going over to help, but perhaps it was better to let him work through this himself. At the mention of turning himself in, Hammil shakes his head and answers very seriously. "That won't do for a number of reasons. One, if she's already lied and told them she hasn't seen you and you come walking in there to save her, she'll probably be in even bigger trouble. Two, she's gone through so much to keep you safe. I can't let you turn yourself in. Three, if you did and something happened to you, I don't want to even think about what Nitya would do. You should've seen her when she was away from you. Of course, if you tell her I said anything I shall be quite upset. Anyway, you aren't turning yourself in. We are going to figure something out."

He leaned down and put a hand on Nick's back. "Nick, we are going to get her back. No matter what, we are getting her back, and she is going to be just fine." He wasn't only saying that to Nick, but he also was saying it for his own mind. Besides, if there was one thing their family was, it was determined.
--

I retreat behind my mask as the pk starts to speak again. It's the only thing that is going to help me get through this calmly. Vaguely I wonder how it is that they've seen me near his place since we were always so careful, but I don't say anything about it. It's not important, and it would make me look guilty if I jump right in on things.

My eyes follow him as he takes the club off his belt. The inside of my body tightens all over, but I continue to breathe evenly. Immediately, I know that I'm going to be in for it. Still, I am going to keep Nick safe. Clearly I take too long to respond since the next thing that happens is he yells. Being around boats and ships, one gets used to sudden yelling, so I only jump a little. The sound echoes about in the room, and I take a deep breath.

"I don't know where he is," I answer honestly. For all I know he could be gone by now. "All I know about his condition is how he was when I saw him when we first were taken into the coast guard. He was wounded. That's it." I hate lying, but this is for a good cause. Still, I know that I can expect that club to hit me at any moment, and I know that then is when I will show emotion for sure.