She nearly fell over from the sheer force of her legs halting their movement. Her eyes darted around her, looking for somewhere to hide. As far as she knew, there weren't any other buildings nearby. All of the bushes this deep in the forest were way too dense and thorny to safely take cover in. However, she knew it was likely the only chance she had. None of the trees were climbable, and even if she had managed to get into one, their leaves were not thick enough to hide in.

She took a deep breath and moved towards a larger blackthorn bush. She knew how much it would hurt, but also knew she wouldn't mentally have the time that it would take to prepare herself for it. The less she thought about it, the quicker it could be over with.

She held an arm over her face, with her other hand going over her mouth to hold in the cries she was afraid of letting out. She kneeled down and carefully grabbed a large branch to try to move it aside.

"Thalia."

Something echoed from around her. Not a voice, moreover, a feeling. Someone said her name. It was like a silent whisper that moved through the air itself.

Thalia dropped the branch and looked around her, having to duck to avoid it whipping back at her. Was it Rei?

It hadn't sounded like him, then again, it hadn't sounded like anything. She sat motionless on the ground, unsure of how to take the call. If it was Rei, she was too late. If it wasn't...

She shook her head, deciding the stress of the situation was finally starting to get to her. She carefully started to crawl into the bush.

"Thalia."

The same call, this time much clearer. She hadn't heard anything, but felt it. It was almost like she was dreaming. Thalia carefully let go of the branch and looked around.

"Rei?" Her voice was meek, barely audible. "I get it. You can come out now..." She tried to sound confident, but the words had trailed into nothing. No response.

"Rei? I said stop!" This time, she had been able to sound a little louder. It didn't hide the shaking in her words. Everything was dead silent. The birds had stopped, along with the wind, leaves, and squirrels that had been playing above her moments before. It was chilling.

However, something was different. Thalia was afraid, but she didn't feel her trait telling her anything was wrong. If anything, it was telling her the opposite. Whatever the voice came from was safe.

For the first time in her life, she didn't trust her trait. It had never been wrong, but every hair on Thalia's skin was telling her that right now, it was. Her entire body stiffened up as her eyes scanned the area.

"Thalia." Softer. Almost as if it could tell she was afraid. Suddenly, Thalia remembered what her trait was. Not feeling, instinct. If she focused enough, she may be able to tell where it was coming from. According to her trait, that wasn't Rei.

"Who..." Again, she tried to sound loud and commanding. Again, her words fleeted. Silence now.

Thalia suddenly looked around, realizing she was now disorientated. She had been standing there for several minutes and knew that Rei was likely looking by now. It was going to be better to keep going than attempt to hide.

The trees all looked very similar to each other, making it difficult to get her bearings. Deciding to listen to her instincts, she continued walking in the direction she hoped was correct. The creatures and sounds of nature slowly began to return as she left the area.

The trees only seemed to get denser as she walked. More than once Thalia had to stop to try and figure out where she was. It was hard to tell. She was lost.

It took Thalia a moment to recognize the feeling. She had a sense of direction that could always be relied on and never sent her in the wrong direction. She had never gotten fully lost, much less without any reliable way out.

However, she was near some of the biggest cities in the nation. If she kept going long enough in any direction, she would reach people. She only hoped it would be the right ones.

For another hour, she kept moving away from where Rei was. She glanced around, wondering why the trees were still not getting any thinner. If anything, they were continuing to get worse. There was nothing visible in any direction except dense leaves and underbrush.

Thalia decided to stop and rethink her decision. She definitely wasn't where she wanted to be, if that were the case she would have heard the excitement that cloaked the city far earlier. It was clear that she was nowhere near civilization.

If by nightfall she hadn't gotten out, she would have to call for Rei. As much as the idea frightened her, she knew the night would be nothing to be taken lightly. She would be better off with the Guardians than to freeze to death.

She sighed and continued moving. As hard as she listened, there were still no sounds of nearby people. Her phone wouldn't work so far into the woods, either. On more than one occasion, she debated on whether Guardian blood would allow her to climb a tree high enough to get her bearings. Decided against it.

Suddenly, a shockwave of energy hit her, causing her to briefly fall to the ground from surprise. Every sound in a mile radius began to sound like a gunshot. Despite the thick blanket of shadows from the trees, every drop of light that made it past the leaves seemed like she was looking into the sun.

It took Thalia a moment to register just how much danger she had to be in. Too much danger for Rei being nearby, this was a life-or-death situation. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the heightened vision. She scanned her surroundings the moment they could focus.

Nothing. Everything looked the same as it had, with thick layers of trees going in every direction. Something hiding within them?

Thalia began to look closer at every detail between the golden leaves. Her eyes could pick out everything, from the white-specks on some of the diseased plants in the distance to a young caterpillar preparing to pupate. However, nothing else.

Wait.

Thalia closed her eyes, allowing her focus to drift to hearing. The birds were chirping painfully loud from above her, making it difficult to hear more distant sounds. However, she thought--

There it was again. A very faint, very brief click. Almost like...

A gun safety. It sounded exactly like a gun safety being pulled back. Thalia thought for a moment about what it could mean. Likely a hunter, in which she was saved. As long as she could approach without startling them, she would be able to get directions back to the city.

She paused. It had clicked twice. Once on, paused, once off. Why would a hunter turn it off?

The noises slowly began to get softer as the blinding lights pushing against her eyelids dimed. Thalia opened her eyes, allowing them to again readjust to their vision. Everything was returning to normal. However, what it meant didn't make Thalia feel any better.

Someone was going to shoot her. Whether or not they mistook her for an animal was irrelevant; they were going to shoot her. What made them change their mind? The clicks were so brief she couldn't tell what direction they came from; she certainly didn't want to follow.

The ground seemed to roar from underneath her as she continued walking. Each leaf seemed like a death-trap, painfully alerting anything nearby of her presence. Thalia was starting to consider going back. The woods were one thing, for the most part she could find her way through them eventually. A crazed person with a gun was another. It almost made Rei seem like a butterfly sanctuary.

Just two days ago she would have been willing to do anything to not go with the Guardians. However, her mind was quickly rethinking. Was staying on earth really worth dying for? She thought back to something she read in her junior year that had really stuck out to her.

"Everyone thinks they're the hero until they're in a situation that needs one."

Thalia was only now recognizing how true the statement was. She had always imagined a situation like this, where she would stay strong and run until the Guardians left her alone. Or where she would die in the woods, content that she was leaving the world as herself.

What she felt now was anything but content. She didn't want to die, she wanted to live for the days she could spend with Cass. She wanted to live for the world she had spent so long trying to fit into. Wanted to live for their mother, who despite not being of blood had worked so very hard for her to be happy.

Thalia stopped walking and closed her eyes. The intense warning her trait had given her was completely gone. It was just as unfamiliar as being lost. Very rarely is anyone completely safe from physical or mental damage. Everyone was always in at least a slight amount of danger, even from something as small as a stray dog nearby. However, despite having just likely avoided being shot, Thalia felt nothing. It was a strange feeling, like a weight that she always had to carry had just been pulled away.

It meant that continuing in the direction she went in would be safe. Thalia took a deep breath and continued walking. She hadn't felt like this in years, there had always been something to be afraid of since Cassidy told her who she was. Right now though, that feeling was gone and she was ready to take advantage of it.

A small, bright blue light suddenly flashed on in the distance. Thalia then realized why her trait was still. It was the city. She was going to make it. She felt her eyes begin to well as her feet moved faster, ready to embrace the safety that would come with the people ahead.