A bright light tugged at Thalia's eyelids. Everything felt much warmer, much gentler, and much more welcoming than the night before. For a moment, she believed herself to be home. The moment ended quickly, though, as the smell of burning wood and pine reached her nose.

She wasn't yet ready to face the reality she knew was somewhere in front of her. Rei was there somewhere, waiting for her to wake up so they could leave. She had no idea when she would come back. This could be the last time she could smell the pine, feel the wind, or hear the birds flying above. This could be the last time she would be within walking distance of her family.

She wondered how long she could get away with before Rei would come over. If whatever she had last night had a time limit, he was sure to come over soon. She would enjoy the time while she could.

As Thalia's mind whirled with thoughts, she remembered the events that had trapped her there the night before. Her arm. Why wasn't it hurting anymore? Painkillers could only do so much, it wasn't even numb.

"Breakfast is ready." Rei's nonchalant voice rang out from somewhere behind her. She hoped he was just talking to himself.

"Get up. You're not fooling anyone." Thalia slowly turned over, suddenly wishing she were still asleep. However he knew, she didn't care. She just didn't want his snobby voice to be the first thing she heard.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the sunlight that had flooded the room. Rei was seated by the fire, using a metal rod to cook some sort of blue-stained meat. The hood was still draped over him, causing Thalia to briefly consider that maybe it was physically attached. She quickly shook the thought off as he tossed the meat over. She didn't catch it.

"Eat. We won't be stopping again for a while." Thalia shot him a look that was halfway between acceptance and disgust. Living on the poverty line, she had definitely eaten worse than a piece of mystery meat that had fallen onto the ground. She had been taught to appreciate what she was given, whether it was wanted or not. However, she had never accepted whatever... that was.

She decided to let her dignity fall and reached out for the slab. It was rough and dry in her already chapped hands, reminding her slightly of the school lunch before she dropped out. She gingerly bit down. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. It had a soft, nutty taste that was almost fruity. For a moment she was going to ask what it came from, but stopped for the likelihood that Rei would just taunt her again.

"Done yet?" He asked, gazing over her. She had barely gotten half way through the meal. "Hurry up, Ava's going to kill us both if you're late." Thalia looked over to glare, but again stopped upon deciding that it was better to just ignore him. If she just did what he said, hopefully he would leave her alone long enough to escape. She quickly ate the rest of the meat and packed what few items she had brought with her into the backpack.

Rei immediately began walking moments after she had finished. She watched in mild shock for a moment, wondering if he was going to leave without her.

"I have orders to bring you alive, not in one piece. I suggest you don't test my patience." His tone was as even as before, but the message was clear. Thalia hastily followed him, being sure to keep a slight distance between them. She just wanted this to be over.

They made their way back down the stairs and out of the building in silence. Rei never once checked to make sure she followed, despite how quiet Thalia made her footsteps. She was trying to test him, but he wasn't reacting to anything. The feeling in her stomach returned to alert her that if she ran, she likely wouldn't get far.

Thalia had to shield her face from the glaring sun as they stepped out. It was a beautiful day, with the colorful trees painted against a just as bright blue sky. The air felt cool and crisp, just enough to yet be considered cold. A harmony of birds could be heard chirping in the distance.

Rei began to walk behind the church to head farther into the forest. There was a strange effect around him, almost as if the birds nearby were silent. Thalia, though uneasy, didn't blame them. She was afraid of him too.

They descended the hill back into the treeline. Thalia decided that now was the time to begin thinking about escape opportunities. It was very clear that Rei knew his way around the forest, despite Thalia never seeing him before. Her best bet would be to run as quickly as she could to a populated area. As long as she stayed around people long enough, they would be forced to give up.

She looked around to get her bearings. They had been walking for maybe twenty minutes, and the trees weren't getting any sparser. Even with her experience, Thalia was beginning to struggle through the rough terrain. She attempted a rough estimate of where they were. Likely about a four-hour walk east from Richmond. It would be difficult to run for that long, but if she could make it she would be in an extremely well-populated area.

However, Rei would be a problem. From her brief encounter with him the night before, she could tell he was much stronger than he appeared. She didn't know how fast he was, but considering how quickly he had thrown the knife, she highly doubt it was slow.

She knew that this would be her only chance to ever escape. If she was going to do it, it had to be before he took her to the Traverse. However, she had to be patient first. Make him think she had given up and lost hope just long enough to leave her alone. Then she would do it.

She decided that she would run as far as she could before hiding. If she couldn't outrun him, she would have to outthink him. Once he passed her, she could run the rest of the way to the city. Maybe to a train station, maybe a shelter. Somewhere that would be packed no matter the time of day.

Thalia's eyes wandered back to Rei, who was still walking in silence several feet ahead of her. His eyes faced forwards, however she couldn't ignore the cold feeling that they were somehow still staring directly at her.

"Yes?" His emotionless voice sounded out from ahead. Thalia went closer, wondering if he was finally clearing out the awkward silence. "What?"

"You were staring at me. Hard." He briefly turned to scan her face. "...And still are." He again looked ahead and increased his pace. Thalia had to nearly jog to keep up.

Because you were talking to me, she muttered, glaring. "You're doing it again. What do you want?" His tone had shifted enough to have an annoyed undertone. Thalia was slightly impressed she picked it up.

"I was thinking and didn't realize I was looking toward you." She answered. It was somewhat true, up until the end at least.

"Quit. It's annoying."

It took all of Thalia's self-control to not retaliate at his words. Annoying? He wasn't even looking at her!

"Thinking doesn't suit you." He kept walking, his voice back to the same, inexpressive tone. Thalia was speechless. She struggled to maintain her composure.

All she would have to do would be to stay calm long enough for him to trust her. Then she could get to the train station and rant as long as she wanted. She took a deep breath and kept her pace.

They continued walking until the sun was higher in the sky, likely around noon. Neither of them had attempted to raise a conversation, and as far as Thalia could tell, neither wished to. If all she was going to gain from trying to talk to him would be more insults, she would find other means of gaining his trust. The entire time, she had been looking down at the ground, occasionally sighing or faking a tear. When she noticed the sun's position half-way across the sky, she hoped it had been enough.

"Erm..." She began, pausing part-way through. She was a terrible actor, she learned that when she took (and failed) drama class in her sophomore year. However, now was more important than any test she had taken in her life. She hoped his trait wasn't similar to Ava's.

"Can we stop here? I need to use the bathroom..." Thalia tried to force her voice to sound small and sorrowful. Rei paused, looking her over with an empty expression. There was a long moment of silence that only worsened Thalia's rising anxiety.

Finally, Rei spoke. "Hurry up." He moved to lean against a nearby tree. "Take longer than five minuites and I'm coming to get you. Understand?"

Thalia softly nodded, doing her best to hide the smile sneaking onto her face. She turned around and slowly made her way behind the trees. Five minutes.

She paused for a moment to collect herself. This was it. She would wait a moment to make him think she wasn't going anywhere, then take her chance. If her footsteps made a sound, it would be over.

Four minutes.

She took a deep breath and carefully began making her way through the trees. It was almost impossible to navigate the forest floor without stepping on any of the crunching leaves. However, she knew she had to hurry. She had minutes to get as far as she could before hiding. Too much noise would shorten that time.

Three minutes.

She glanced behind her. The birds were loud enough to likely cover up her footsteps. It was now a battle of distance.

She began running, her feet hitting the ground much louder than she would have liked. However, it was too late to change her mind. She would have thought the day before that she couldn't run any faster. However, even she was surprised at the power of the adrenaline that was seeping through her. The bright leaves blurred together in a way that resembled a roaring fire as she passed.

Two minutes.

Her breaths were already short and uneven. She could run for another minute before he would come looking. She had to stay strong, had to keep running for her sake and her family's.

One minute.

A little longer, she could risk a little longer. It would take him a moment to start searching. She had to keep going. Her chest felt like it weighed a ton, and it was taking everything she had to not throw up. Not that she would care -- as long as she lost him, she didn't care what happened to her physically.

Stop.