"Something that would make me happy?" asked Maia, leaning her head against the tree that was next to her.

It was the first time in a long while that she left the tent, and decided it would be a good idea to follow Annia in the near outskirts of the Nest, into the forest.

She thought it would do her good.

Besides, all her thoughts in the last few days were about a certain someone. Too confusing.

She wondered about all kinds of things. And sometimes the thoughts about him consumed her in a manner she couldn't explain.

She wondered how he got the scars that peaked from his back. Why his cheeks turned red whenever he was around her. Or what was the meaning behind the branding on his arm. 

She found it interesting how much he hated being in the sun, and how easily his skin got burned. His very rare smiles made her thoughts run wild. And his gaze made her chest sting in a weird manner.

She concluded that all that staying inside was making her lose the little sanity she had left.

"Yes, he wanted me to ask you what he could do to make you happy," said Annia, plucking a few herbs that sprouted next to the tree Maia was leaning against. "Rex," she paused tucking the bouncy curls that cascaded downward behind her ear, and looked up at her, "He..." She looked Maia up and down, then sighed. "Never mind..." she mumbled, lowering her head back to her business, tucking the plants inside the small bag she always carried around. "I can only imagine how hard it must be for you right now, given what happened."

Maia brought her hand to her neck, but offered no answer.

"I feel like I owe you an apology," she said, "I know how strange it must seem that I do what they want me to."

"Why don't you leave?" Maia asked, crossing her arms. "You must be one hell of a witch given what you helped them do."

"They saved my life," she confessed. "When I first was brought here...I survived only because of those two."

Annia exhaled sharply, and clenched her fists.

"Besides... powers aren't always a blessing." They locked eyes, and Maia sensed a chill run down her spine. She felt the tree melt under her touch, ever fiber, every leaf, and the grass under their feet, it felt like flames. Strangely enough, Annia's presence made her feel like she was burning. Foxgloves bloomed towards her, and the fragile vines struggled to reach out to her. "Power is often overrated," she told Maia, stepping on the foxgloves "It often consumes you more than you can make use of it. You must have realized that by now."

Maia felt the heaviness of her being pressing on the flowers, the tender grass strands ripping under the pressure.

"So..." she said, exhaling as her cat eyes gazed over the dense forest floor. "Is there something that would lift your spirit in any way?"

Maia swallowed forcefully despite feeling her mouth run dry. And she thought how nice it would have been to have been able to follow Rex instead of Annia, in spite of his advice to not follow him around.

"My things," she said, not giving it much thought. "I would like to have my things back..."

"Your things?"

"The ones I had with me when you brought me over, you know?"

"That's what you would want?" Annia questioned, placing a hand on her hip.

"I don't think you know how I wish I could get away from all this, and just mindlessly scroll through some cat videos or whatever."

"You want your phone..." Annia said, which left Maia trying to recall when she must have told her what a phone was.

"Yes...?" she answered, pressing her feet over the plant that raised from under her feet. She wondered how could she make it stop, the tingling sensation that occurred just before something like that would happen.

"I'll see what can be done then. Just the phone?" Maia nodded in approval, though she wondered if the phone had been affected by the water damage, for all she knew, it might not have been working at all. But she wanted something, anything, that would make her feel that her life as it originally was, wasn't gone forever.

"Are you coming?" Annia asked, as she was heading towards the Nest. "You shouldn't wonder off too far... For your own good."

"I'm right behind you..." Maia responded, looking back as she recalled the very first day she was summoned there. How she thought it was all a terrible bad prank. The first time she witnessed the gore that was Crassus metamorphosis into his beast form. Her multiple tries to get away, resulting in only failure.

Could she ever try to get back again? Would she get back?

The thought was tempting, the path seemed empty. But for some reason she headed back towards the Nest, pushing the tree branches that covered the path in front of her with bright green leaves, leaving the tempting thought to fade away in her subconscious. 

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully show my gratitude for your help," Rex's voice echoed in her ears, as she passed the path that led to Malum, and she instinctively turned her head around.

"The Dark King will provide bountiful reward, son of Nix," a raspy voice answered, and she instinctively hid behind a tree at the sight of the sons of Gamza, who were gathered around Rex.

"Are you sure you won't be staying until the ceremony?" Rex asked them, handing them a large leather wrapped luggage. "The borders of the Nest are always open then."

"As it is, I think we have overstayed or welcome..." said Prisscil, looking around as he stretched his back tentacles. "I am all healed now too, as you can see."

"We could stay for the ladies!" said Binge, his large grin revealing his two rowed teeth, causing his older brother to slap him over the head with one of his tentacles.

Maia gasped at the sight of the three men covered in scales. She thought she came to comprehend her surroundings and what the world brought upon her, but it seemed that there was still so much unknown out there. She carefully peeked from behind her hiding spot. She thought it was funny how Rex looked so mundane next to the other three men. Listening to the conversation unfold.

Her gut feeling told her she shouldn't be found out.

"Have you decided when you will mark her?" Prisscil asked Rex, "I know with what happened and all that, she might not be ready, but..."

"I am not going to mark her," Rex replied, fanning his face as the warm sunrays burned against his skin.

"Mark me?" Maia mumbled, bringing her knees closer to her chest as she pulled away, wondering what that even meant for sure.

She peeked at them again, her ears eager to know what they meant.

"You know the next full moon is soon... She is bound to lose control, and you know it! You don't know when she will go all crazy and try to murder all of you again! We barely managed to-" Binge blurted out, upon which Vision kicked him hard in the leg. "What did I do now?" he cried turning around, his gills flaring up at him.

"He is right, you know," Prisscil said frowning at his younger brother. "It is the only way to stabilize her state, Rex. I have seen how you look at her..."

Their words ringed in her ears, and she wondered what disturbed her so much. Her heart raced in her chest. Her knees felt week. And her palms were sweaty.

She was going to lose control again?

He knew it was inevitable.

Why did keep it a secret?

As many times before, since arriving, Maia felt that time and space wrapped into one another. Her surroundings blended together, into smudged hues, bleeding before her eyes. She suddenly felt the bugs crawling on her skin again. And she felt as if she was losing herself yet again, as if the world wasn't real, yet somehow it managed to swallow her whole.

She felt as if she was looking at herself from outside her mortal cage, and she didn't recognize who she was.

She was not there.

She felt her feet slam forcefully against the warm ground as she was running towards the Nest, leaving Rex and the others in the woods. She crawled in the warmth of her bed, burring her face in her palms.

She held her breath and counted to ten in her mind.

One. Two. Three... Ten.

She felt the panic raise in her chest. Ready to explode. The voices of the pack members outside buzzed in her head, and she wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't.

"And how are you tonight?" Rex's voice snapped her back to reality. "Annia told me you wanted to see some of your things, I wasn't sure what you would want with this..." He said, placing her worn-out converse backpack at the entrance, his voice lowered into a whisper as he turned to face her, his expression becoming pale.

She looked outside in a fazed manner, as the rain poured heavily against the night that had arrived without her notice.

"What happened to you?" his voice echoed close to her, mixing in with the raindrops.

She felt his warm hands caressing her cheek, then his palm pressing against her forehead. And then his eyes meet hers. 

"You must mark me, Rex."