It was a spacious, almost empty attic. The walls were made of old wooden boards, and several pillars were supporting the white roof. There were cracks everywhere, and the whole room smelled of ancient wood. A small pile of wood had been set ablaze in a corner, emanating a warm light that flooded across the room. Thalia hurried over to it like a moth, quickly deciding to never take warmth for granted again. The figure stood by on a nearby wall, leaning against a post with his arms crossed. She ignored the urge to glare at him and quickly sat down.

The silence was deafening, but Thalia greatly preferred it over talking to him. She hoped he would make no attempt at starting a conversation. It was taking all of her self-control to not say anything bad now, she would more than likely be unable to restrain the words should she be required to speak.

Her stomach groaned, a harsh reminder that she hadn't eaten since the night before. Without a word, she took off her backpack and took out the lunch box she had noticed Cass pack for her earlier. The figure only stared at her, watching.

She also took out the pajama shirt she had just changed out of and used it to wrap her arm into a position that felt more natural. It wouldn't help heal it any faster, but it would at least keep things from getting any worse.

She opened up the lunch pail and pulled out an apple and a pack of crackers. She wasn't sure what she had expected, it would have looked strange if Cassidy had tried to sneak up a sandwich to her. However, her stomach was saying otherwise, not to mention she only had a little bit of water left.

The figure was still silently regarding her. At first she had played it off as curiosity or caution, however it was starting to get very rude. Not that he wasn't rude already, of course.

She sighed. She was too tired for this, she didn't care what he did at this point as long as he left her alone. Which right now, didn't really feel like he was doing.

"Hey, could you stop?" She asked, the words coming out more hostile than she meant. She quickly followed it up, this time sounding more desperate than she meant. "Please."

The figure looked for a moment, as if questioning her, before turning to face a brown backpack against the wall opposite to her.

"Ava said to give that to you. Take it," he said, turning again to face something out the window. Thalia cautiously moved over to the bag, half expecting it to explode. It was old and dirty, however sturdily built. Normally, she would have paid three months of earnings for a bag like it.

She pulled open the zipper and examined the contents. A throw blanket, some sort of dress, a bowl filled with something warm, a water bottle, and...

Bandages. Thalia took a moment to thank the great spirit for at least someone being considerate. She glanced back at the figure, realizing at this point that they would be staying the night here. She picked up the dress and her phone and began downstairs.

The figure didn't even turn around as she passed. She guessed he knew as well as she did that there was no where she could go at this point, her survival was, as she hated it, entirely dependent on him. She turned on her phone's flashlight and descended the old stairs.

She wasn't sure what she had expected, however the dress was actually pretty comfortable. It was made of a soft, red cotton fabric that hugged her arms and legs for warmth. Once she changed, she glanced at her phone briefly in the hope that she had signal. That hope quickly vanished.

Thalia went back upstairs and set up next to the fire. She knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep, as much as she wanted to, but she set the blanket down anyways. Instead, she picked up the warm bowl and examined the contents.

It smelled delicious, like a combination of mint tea and tomato soup. Against her better judgment, she quickly began to drink it. The warmth of the liquid felt amazing against the crisp air.

"Give me your water bottle." The figure's voice startled her, for a nice moment she had forgotten he was there. She glanced up in suspicion. "Why?"

"Because I said so." The figure moved closer, reaching out for the bottle at her feet. His other hand had a small vial filled with a clear liquid. She quickly grabbed the bottle and shook her head. Was he trying to poison her?

"If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be standing here. Now give it."

She stared on in shock at his response. It wasn't aggressive, however it certainly wasn't friendly either. She quietly held out the water bottle and watched as he emptied the clear fluid into it. He handed it back.

Thalia silently set the bottle beside her, no longer feeling thirsty. It was probably poisonous. Though, he did have a point. He was definitely stronger than she was so if he wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. Maybe it was a mind control thing, the Guardians always seemed to be coming up with new inventions.

He snorted from next to her. She glanced over, attempting to read his blank posture. 

Thalia paused for a moment before nodding. The figure mumbled something under his breath "It's a painkiller, idiot."

She looked back down at the bottle, still unsure. She believed him that it was a painkiller, her trait wasn't saying otherwise. It was, however, saying that something felt off about it.

"Rei." He said a single word before sitting down against a wall.

"What?" Thalia responded, her thoughts unprepared for the topic change.

"My name. Now drink."

Thalia looked down at the bottle, feeling anything but reassured. A name helped, but it didn't change the fact that this man was dressed like the grim reaper. She didn't want to admit it, but she could tell her shaking legs were from more than just the chill. She pushed the bottle to the side.

Rei let out an irritated sigh. "Your loss. Now sleep. We have a lot of walking to do tomorrow."

She stared at him. Did he seriously think she could sleep? The dark hood stared back at her, unwavering. Defeated, she let herself sink into the blanket. Warm, but not warm enough.

Despite being unable to see them, she could feel his eyes watching her. Uncomfortable, she turned to the side and closed her eyes. Maybe he would leave her alone if he thought she was out.

Her thoughts began to get clouded. Despite her small attempts at fighting it, she could feel her limbs defying her commands. The last thing she remembered was hearing the sizzle of the fire going out.