Once again, I am being carried. 

Only this time, I’m draped across Sebastian’s back like a blanket –or maybe even a backpack. He doesn’t seem to be very happy about it, but at least now he’s stopped grumbling under his breath. My chin rests on his shoulder, eyes locked onto the gray landscape in front of us. He is quiet, but I can hear his heavy breaths. 

Jasper and Monique walk in front of us, conversing lightly. Last time I was paying attention, they were talking about Jasper’s nonexistent school career and Monique’s position as head cheerleader. 

I’m so bored. 

“Sebastian?” I murmur softly, still watching the trees as we crunch through them. They’ve started to grow even thinner, which gives me somewhat high hopes in that we’ll reach the dome soon. He grunts in response. 

“I need a nickname for you.” 

He pauses for a moment. His shoulders are tense, the muscles on his neck strained, and my gaze lazily shifts his way. Jasper and Monique don’t notice our pit-stop. “Sebastian is just fine,” His gaze darts back to meet mine, eyes ice cold.

“It’s a mouthful,” I snicker, adjusting my arms around his neck, “I am going to call you Sebby.” 

He twitches. 

“Hey,” I remind him, “It’s better than Teddy-bear.” 

Sebastian shudders.

I can’t fight a small smile –my lips ache from the effort to keep it off my face. I bury the lower half of my face into his shoulder, inhaling the warm smell of cinnamon that seems to waft off of him in waves. He readjusts his grip on the back of my knees so I don’t slide off his back and continues forward without a word. 

“Can we stop and rest for a bit?” Monique slows to a stop in front of us, head twisting to shoot a pleading look towards Sebastian, “My feet are killing me and I’m hungry.” 

“I’m perfectly fine,” I lift my mouth long enough to comment idly, grinning at the dirty look she flashes my way. Jasper chuckles lowly, eyes locked with Sebastian. Said male sighs and dumps me onto the ground lazily. 

My butt hits the ground with a solid thump and I let out a cry. 

“That hurt!” My fingers curl around a small rock and I chuck it at him. Sebastian easily dodges it, expression vaguely amused, and Monique appears at my side. She squats down and pulls my foot into her lap, fingers working at the vice-like sock. 

Jasper nods towards Sebastian, “Shall we go collect firewood, Teddy-bear?” 

Sebastian grunts. Jasper receives an annoyed look, but Sebastian ends up following him nonetheless. They disappear within the dead trees, becoming one with the forest of gray. I watch Monique’s fingers, lips pursed. 

“I don’t think it’s swollen anymore,” She says softly, eyes hard. Carefully, she stretches my other leg out and compares my ankles. Her body seems to move robotically, as if she’d been preprogrammed to heal patients at a hospital, and her face is analytic –soaking in information like a sponge. 

I nod, “And?”

“You should be able to walk by tomorrow,” She casts a small look my way, not really smiling or scowling, and I cringe when she begins to roll my ankle –stretching the tightly wound tendons inside. “Maybe when the guys get back, you can try to take a couple steps tonight.” 

 “Joy,” I press my lips tightly together. 

My ankle doesn’t hurt, really. The movement is just incredibly uncomfortable. It’s like trying to wake up a foot after it has fallen asleep and, for a moment, it feels as if it’s been submerged into a puddle of dull needles. 

I lean back, palms pressing into the crunchy grass to support my weight. I stare at the sky and search for a break between the heavy layers of gray clouds, for something to be different. But the sky is flawless –like a sheet of cloth or a blank piece of paper. 

“There,” Mo moves back, releasing my ankle, “Try rolling it yourself. Does it hurt?” 

I do as she instructs, “No. It just feels weird.” 

“That’s normal,” She nods and climbs to her feet, hands brushing the dirt off her shorts. My knees bend, feet sliding back towards my torso. I stretch and massage my calf. 

Monique stands in front of me, looking thoughtful. 

“What?” I glance up at her. If she expects some sort of thank-you or gratitude, then she’s got another thing coming. I never asked her to help me. 

Sebastian and Jasper reappear, small twigs gathered in their arms. Jasper is talking joyfully, lips tugged back into a wide and cheeky grin. His eyes flash playfully and I have the feeling that he’s just made a joke about Sebastian. And the way Sebastian glares at everything only seems to reinforce that theory. 

They both dump their sticks and Jasper strolls my way, chuckling under his breath. Sebastian crouches down in front of the sticks, fingers already working to make a fire. Monique glances back towards me and then moves to his side. 

Jasper smiles, “How’s the boo-boo?”

I twitch with annoyance; he has the magical ability to turn almost anything into something extremely childish. He plops down next to me and stretches his legs out, leaning back slightly. His palms press against the earth, supporting his weight. 

After a few moments of silence, Jasper gives me a pointed look, “Well?”

“It’s fine.”

He frowns at me, “What’s bothering you?”

I stare at him, eyes wide. I’d always been good at hiding my inner thoughts –keeping the emotions from appearing on my face, displayed like a billboard to the world. And I’d thought I was still doing a pretty good job at hiding my annoyance, my stress, and my worries. 

But apparently I am not, not if Jasper is concerned about me. 

“I’m fine,” I shrug it off, fingers tugging at a blade of grass, “Just tired and hungry.” 

He nods. I rip the piece of grass up –it was dead anyways- and toss the pieces aside, thoughts whirling around inside my head. My stomach moans, begging for a bite of food that we don’t have, and my eyelids are heavy. I want to sleep and eat and bathe and be warm –all at once. 

I want to be home already. 

I want to see my dad again. I want to hug Kayla so tight she’ll suffocate with my love and affection. I want to hear her freak out over my time spent with Jasper King and I can already picture her reaction in my mind. Maybe once this is all over, I can get him to sign something for her or even meet her. A crooked smile works its way onto my face as I imagine her screaming and tackling Jasper to the floor. 

The night passes slowly and uneventful. I fall asleep in my spot, sprawled out across the grassy floor like a child, and wake the next morning with an achy back. Stretching, I gingerly climb to my feet and swallow back the pain. My ankle throbs uncomfortably, but the feeling is manageable. 

I smile slightly. I can walk on my own again. 

I’m back in business.

*~*~*~*

Today passes in a blur. 

Night falls swiftly, covering the earth in a blanket of cool air and darkness. This time, Jasper and I are given firewood duty and we trek through the trees, eyes glued partially to the ground in search of suitable firewood. His gun is cocked and ready to use, fingers curled around the trigger tightly, and my right hand is already curled around the hilt of my sword. 

“So what are you going to do when we get home?” Jasper muses, a brow quirked in my direction. 

I look back, my lips pressing into a firm line as I think, and then shrug, “Probably find my dad and Kayla.” 

“Kayla?” Jasper’s head cocks to the side. 

I chuckle, “She’s my best friend.” 

Jasper feigns surprise, sucking in a sharp dramatic gasp. “You have friends?!” 

I scowl and swat him. The back of my hand catches his arm and he laughs lightly before reaching out to flick my forehead. I duck and avoid the blow, triumph twisting into my facial features. “You missed!” I tease.

Jasper sticks his tongue out playfully. I shove him away, shaking my head, and return to the task at hand. 

Bending down, I pick up a small twig and weigh it carefully in my hands. I snap it in half. It’s brittle and crumbles to pieces in my hands, staining my skin a dark charcoal black. I frown in disgust and drop the remains. I brush my hands together and wipe the rest of the smeared grit onto my shorts. 

These poor shorts; they’re not even a solid black anymore. They are splotched and splattered with random stains –torn near the hem, even. I didn’t think black could even stain! Setting the thought aside, I scavenge the floor for more sticks. 

Jasper moves silently behind me, breaking branches off of the smaller trees in his search for firewood.  “What will you do when we get back?” I ask nonchalantly, casting a small look his way from the corner of my eyes. 

“Hide from the fan girls,” Is his snorted and automatic response. 

I stare at him, silently pressing him to continue, but he shakes his head. After a few minutes, however, he seems to think better of it and takes a deep breath, “Actually, my grandma will probably hold some sort of press conference. I’m pretty sure most of my fans have realized I’ve been missing, and knowing them, things must have gotten pretty hectic.” 

And then he surprises me. 

His fingers curl around my wrist and pull me to a stop, baby blues flickering my way with a strange, unsettling emotion swirling within them. “Do you…” 

He is cut off by a loud, ear splitting scream.