Chapter Five

In the Wolf's Cave

"Come, Naya, they're here!" Kayla excitedly announced, quickly walking across the room to grab the hand of a pretty nervous Keeper, who had seen her escape plan completely foiled.

"Erm... Wait, I..."

"Don't be nervous," the human girl said with a wink, as she dragged Naya out of the room.

On the living room, like she had assumed, were three young people, all staring at her with interest and curiosity. Immediately, her eyes went to the familiar face of her savior – Adam. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyeing her with a serious, perhaps suspicious, expression. His bright green eyes once again called for her and she noticed, for the first time, that his hair was pitch black and charmingly messy. His skin was clear, contrasting beautifully with his dark hair and the early beginnings of a carelessly unshaved beard. He had broad shoulders and a lean body, athletic but not too muscular.

His hypnotic eyes were mercilessly fixed on her, making her uncomfortable, with the feeling that he could see right through her, like he could actually see her feelings and hear her thoughts. She felt studied and judged but, at the same time, allured. It was unsettling.

Feeling what would soon turn into an embarrassing blush coming, she turned her attention to the guy sitting on the sofa. It had to be Matt and his attitude couldn't be more different. Matt was relaxed, sprayed on the sofa in what had to be an extremely comfortable position, looking cheerful and carefree. He was smiling warmly at her, a sentiment that reached his dark eyes. Like Adam, his hair was black, but shorter, and his skin was clearer than Naya's, yet darker than Adam's. He also appeared to be taller than the latter, more muscular and physically stronger, yet his attitude couldn't be softer. His smile actually melted some of her fears away as she felt an aura of friendliness and kindness emanating from him, just like she felt from Kayla. Matt made her feel welcome.

Sitting next to him, in a much tenser and straighter position, was the young woman she assumed was Nicole. While her expression wasn't nearly as serious as Adam's, it was also far from the softer Matt – she simply appeared to be mildly interested. She appeared to be taller than Naya, her body was definitely stronger and looked much more athletic and defined. Her skin was covered by black tattoos, her ears covered in piercings, her hair extremely straight and also raven black, reaching her shoulders. The most striking feature about Nicole were her eyes though – they were big, hooded, dark and had a powerful glint to them, a mix of peace and danger, which Naya found to be beautiful and haunting. Nicole looked tough yet serene, deadly yet elegant.

Finally, after noticing that Naya was returning her stare, Nicole smiled, which had a profound effect on her – she felt more confident after that small, accepting gesture.

"So, guys, this is Naya," Kayla began, facing everyone with a huge, confident smile. "Naya, these are Nicole, Matthew and Adam, who you already kind of sort of know."

Naya awkwardly waved her hand and displayed a nervous grin, muttering a very timid, "Hi."

"And is there something we can do for Naya?" Adam asked, although the way he looked at her and Kayla revealed that he already had a good idea of what was coming.

"Yes! Actually, there is!" Kayla replied, excited. "You see, Naya is lost and all alone and lost her memory, just like me! And so, I thought the best way to reciprocate how lucky I was when I was in her position, was to return the same gift to her."

"And that means..."

"Isn't it obvious? I thought maybe Naya could stay here with us. We could help her find her way," Kayla explained. What followed was silence and Naya desperately wished for a hole to jump into as three pairs of eyes studied her quietly. She felt so uncomfortable and awkward, standing next to Kayla, changing her weight from one foot to the other, nervously playing with her hair and avoiding everyone's eyes. In a way, she wished they would say no to Kayla's proposal, so that she had a perfectly valid reason to run away from their gaze and the threat they posed to her. On the other hand, she was weirdly afraid of their rejection and she craved for their approval.

Kayla finally broke the silence, her confidence not shaken by their lack of reaction, "So, what do you think?"

"I don't know, Kayla..." Adam replied. "Maybe Naya would be better off in the Shelter-"

"What?" the girl interrupted, visibly taken by surprise.

"There are people there that can help her," Adam patiently continued.

"No! Why?"

"It's the right thing to do-"

"No! We can do this for her! Why wouldn't we?"

It was weird having them discuss her as if she wasn't standing right there and the levels of awkwardness in her just kept rising. Feeling a mix of relief and disappointment at Adam's reply, particularly because the rejection was coming from him, Naya tried to interject with a clumsy, "Erm..."

"Matt? What do you think?" Kayla fiercely asked, turning to him and ignoring both Adam and Naya. She seemed to have taken Adam's concerns personally.

"Well... I don't see why not," Matt replied with a relaxed smile and a shrug, causing Kayla to smile gratefully and in relief and Adam to glare at him. "What?" he asked Adam, playfully defensive, "We've done it before and if we hadn't, we wouldn't have Kayla."

"Exactly."

"It's different-" Adam began, after a frustrated sigh.

"It's exactly the same!" Kayla insisted.

"Humm..." Naya tried to comment again, but was once more ignored.

"I say yes, if it makes Kayla happy," Matt proceeded. "Besides, we can totally help Nara-"

"Naya."

"Naya, give her a safe home and some support until she is back on her feet."

"Thank you, Matt!" Kayla cheerfully said, presenting the tall and strong man with a gigantic smile. Naya couldn't help but smile at Matt too, her heart melting at the giant's kindness. Adam groaned and rolled his eyes, which Kayla promptly ignored. "You're the best! Nicole?"

"Oh, don't look at me," the girl immediately said, looking surprised that the question had reached her. "I really don't care, man. This is not even my house. As long as you help with the dishes, you're more than welcome by me."

Kayla obviously took it as a yes, for she smiled triumphantly, before glaring at Adam with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Adam reacted defensively, spreading his arms with exasperation.

"What? Look, I'm just saying-"

"You, of all people. Really?"

"Times have changed, Kayla. You might not remember how it was before, but I know how things are way more difficult and dangerous-"

"All the more reason to let Naya stay."

"Look, guys..." she tried to interrupt, being met with utter failure for the third time.

"We can't trust just about everyone-"

"Oh, really?" Kayla furiously said, pointing at Naya as if it was obvious she was as threatening as the half dead plant in the corner. "Really?"

Naya, feeling one third insulted, one third grateful to Kayla, one third terribly guilty, wanted to tell them she would just leave. The last thing she wanted was to cause stress or arguments between Adam and Kayla - and living among Hunters was also ranking pretty high on her 'Avoid' list.

"I really don't want to start any trouble-"

"Adam..." Kayla said in a tone barely louder than a whisper. She was walking towards him, her face one of sweetness and plea, not a shred of her previous frustration on her face. "Don't you see? She's... me. She's the exact same person... Lost, lonely, confused and scared. Where would I be if it hadn't been for you? Who would I be if you hadn't brought me home?"

Adam seemed to be having a hard time resisting. He avoided her big, blue eyes and sighed.

"Kayla, we can't just go around rescuing everyone-"

"I thought that was your goal, your job."

"I can leave," Naya said, with a clumsy smile. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"You know what I mean. I mean we can't bring everyone we find in the streets home."

"I guess it's a good thing then that I only brought Naya."

"I understand... Really. Adam is probably right..."

"Please, Adam. Please."

"I will just... ask directions to the Shelter..."

"She needs us."

"Oh, alright, fine," Adam finally replied, after a deep breath, completely defeated. "You're right."

"Really?" both Kayla and Naya said, at the same time.

"She should stay."

"I knew it! Thank you!" Kayla jumped to hug Adam fiercely and he smiled wide, accepting her embrace. "Naya, welcome to the family!"

"Er... That's great!" Naya replied, trying to make her smile as genuine and convincing as possible, though not quite sure she was pulling it off. In reality, she was terrified. "Thank you?"

Matt got up from the sofa and gently rested his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little encouraging squeeze and sharing with her a comforting smile. "Welcome."

"Hey guys?" Nicole called, getting up from the sofa as well and stretching. "Don't know about you, but I'm starving. What's for dinner?"

"I think we have some leftovers..."

"Woo-fucking-hoo."

"We'll have to light up the candles, soon. Tonight is blackout night," Adam informed, as the four of them walked towards the kitchen.

"Argh. Again?" Kayla whined.

"Well, tonight is pretty much guaranteed. Johnny will want as much energy as possible to go to sustain the Lab. Damian will be up all night, for sure."

"What just happened?" Naya whispered, now completely alone in the living room. Still in shock, she allowed herself to slowly lean against the wall and slide down until she was sitting on the floor.

She was now living with Hunters. It was official. She had to be either the unluckiest or the most incompetent Fallen Keeper ever. She had no idea how she got into that mess and even less of an idea on how to solve it. She had no direction, whatsoever, none of her siblings had ever had something like this happen to them, she had never heard of such a story – sure, a few of them lived with humans, after years and years of experience and confidence built, but with Hunters? No. No way. Not even close.

Silently, Lucian emerged from her bedroom and sat next to her, giving her what looked like a reproving stare.

Naya knew she deserved it. She had somehow allowed this to happen.

"We are in so much trouble."