Water dripped from a branch above into the tarp, forming a little pool.. My heart raced, we had only left her alone for a few minutes. We had failed to keep her safe and now she was gone.

"Is something wrong?" Rustles came from behind me and I spun, hoping to see her little form waiting to surprise me. Elliott had shifted, moving a pile of leaves beneath him. Worry and pain fought for control of his face as I looked him dead in the eye.

"She's gone." For the second time today, my eyes became blurry. We weren't meant to care for a child, we had already lost her!

Shooting to his feet, Elliott starting looking around in the bushes beside us. His hair was ruffled and gray in the early morning light. Twisting my thumb, I helped him search.

"We shouldn't have taken our eyes off her! Haven't we learned by now?" A flush crept up Elliott's cheeks as I looked back at him. We really hadn't learned. She wasn't a doll that we could play with whenever we wanted, she was a little girl who needed attention.

"I know, I know! We have to find her and do things right this time." The words felt empty as they left my mouth; how were we supposed to know what was right?

How did I ever know what was right for Mara?

"We have to find her first. Skylark! It's me, Elliott!" Cupping his hand around his mouth, he walked around calling her name. I did the same, creating a racket that scared up birds but no Skylark.

"Elliott she's really gone." I let myself crumple to the ground, stomach twisting sickeningly. Covering my face in my hands, the weight of failure fell onto my shoulders. I had promised Gemma I would keep Skylark safe. Even if I had left them, Elliott would have been able to care for her. Now she was alone in the dangerous woods.

"No, I'll go after her." 

I looked up at him, torn between helping and succumbing to the pain of my ankle. I could still walk but running was out of the question.

"Let me help. We could spilt up and cover twice the ground." Now what I did was his move. I honestly wanted to help but my ankle grew worse each time I stood.

"No, stay here. I don't want to lose you too." Elliott's hair grew messier each time I looked at him. My nerves were carefully screened away from the rest of the world but his were plain on his face.

"Be safe, please. I need you two to come back in one piece." He nodded, already looking down the path we would've continued on had we not stopped.

"I'm going to follow that path until I find her. You stay safe too." I nodded back at him, unsure of what I could say. He was horribly burnt but he kept pushing through to find Skylark.

Without another word, he began running down the path, feet pounding away into the woods. With him gone, the forest was quiet, lonely even. Birds around me sang their laments and I too began to lament. Everything had gone terribly wrong and i couldn't leave them with a clear conscience. We had one bag of supplies and Elliott's burn would only get worse. My plans to go off and find my Soulmate would have to wait, again.

I stared down the muddy incline to the settlement, drifting away into daydreams of where I would find him. Someday I knew I would, but the more I dreamed, the farther away he seemed.

"Birdie, where arrrre you?"

Snapping my head over my shoulder, I zeroed in on him. Regardless what Elliott said, I had seen my father mess with the fire.

"You! You're the reason I'm in this mess in the first place, why can't you just leave me alone?" My father was playing hide and seek with his little girl only I wasn't his little girl anymore. The visions had gone on for too long and I was done with this mess.

"Over here!"

My father turned to look at me, dirty and tired in his Creator grays. Finally, he would speak to me."I'm coming to find you!" As he walked closer I saw the dark circle under his eyes like pools of night. I didn't remember this side of him.

"You'll never catch me!" I could hear the child form of me behind my back, but I wanted to see who he would pay attention to; the ghost or the girl.

His voice was a murmur now as he looked right at me. "I know I won't, You're already so far from me, how could I ever catch up?"

"You could have. You didn't have to leave." My eyes trembled, filling with more tears. I stepped closer, wanting some words to excuse it all or help me.

"I did. Hasn't your mother told you why yet? I told her the first time I saw her again. I tell her every day to tell you but she never listens." Ghostly tears rolled down his cheeks as he came closer still.

I froze. She had known all along but she let me hate him. He had a reason and she wouldn't tell me.

"She said you wouldn't care, that seeing the truth wouldn't open your eyes to me. She just didn't want you to see me."

How could that be true? I didn't know the truth but he stood before me, plain as day. His dirt-smudged fingers were reaching for my face as we spoke, as we spoke.

"All I wanted was to show you how I felt, to explain what happened. I sat in that chair every morning, hoping to see surprise on your face, to know that you knew why."

"Why, Dad? What was worth leaving us?"

"I wa--"

"Melanie, I found her!" My father dissipated into the air as Elliott walked up to me, Skylark in hand.

I was lost in thought, staring as little Melanie ran by, black hair streaming down her back as she giggled.

"Starlight, the stars are out tonight." This was the day she wouldn't see the stars. I looked away from her, the memory was too painful.

"Melanie?" Elliott stood in front of me, studying me with a squint in his eyes. Squeezing my eyes shut, I searched for something to say.

"Where was she?" Opening my eyes, I looked down at the little girl whose eyes still glimmered sadly.

"Uh, she was looking for her parents. I found her on the path by some berry bushes." I knelt before her and pulled her into a tight hug. Her little heart beat quickly, scaring me. Those berry bushes were something I wasn't a stranger to.

Pulling her back, I looked closer at her little face. Somber grey eyes looked at me from her chubby-cheeked face, and her button nose sniffled but neither of those details worried me. Her lips were smeared with the red of blood, the red of death I had seen on a beak not too long ago.

"Elliott, she ate the berries." Standing painfully, I turned away to grab the guidebook I had left in the bag.

Behind me, I could hear Elliott begin to talk to her, shushing her and lifting her off the ground. This was bad, very bad and I hadn't thought this day could get any worse.

Book in hand, I began frantically flipping through section after section until I found a picture of a red berry.

'The Autumn Olive is an invasive species native to Asia and is safe to consume to survive.' Beside it was a picture of a Summerberry, round and freckled with yellow specks. This wasn't it.

Flipping the page, I found the berry that had poisoned the bird and possibly Skylark.

'The Holly berry contains toxins dangerous to humans and Poison Control should be contacted to receive specialized treatment dependent on age, weight and amount ingested. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and abnormal heart rate.'

"What does it say?" Elliott was a nervous wreck as he carried Skylark over to me. His injured arm across her back, it was clear he was making a terrible sacrifice to care for her.

Keeping my voice calm, I directed him. "Lay her down on the tarp and come back here real fast."

He nodded and turned away, sweat beading on his forehead with the effort of remaining calm. It wouldn't help any of us if his burn got worse.

The tarp rustled as he laid her down and she began to cry, her wails painful in the still air.

"It hurts. Make it stop hurting!"

His voice broke with the pain of her request. "I can't right now. You have to be strong for Melanie and I, alright?"

"I can't! It hurts too much." My heart broke, but now wasn't the time to succumb. I had to fix this mess we had made.

I stood unsteadily and walked over to kneel before the sick girl. Curled in a ball, she clutched her stomach and cried. Would I even be able to help?

"Can I show you something?" I held out my hand, hoping for her trust. Nodding, she gave me her hand.

Turning it over, I began a trick my father had used when I was little. Wrapping my hand around her wrist, I squeezed gently, hoping to trigger her Soul into calming her.

Normally your Soul is a bystander, watching the world from your eyes but in moments of extreme emotion it can calm or help its person. Sometimes it could even put you to sleep.

Wide eyes met mine and I warmed her wrist but she didn't seem complacent yet. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.

"Come fly with me, little birdie

Come fly away.

Though the ground is hard and cold for a bird

The sky is warm and bright.

Come fly with me, little birdie

Come fly away"

A little yawn escaped her mouth, relieving Elliott and I of too much worry. As she drifted off to sleep, I cleared my throat. I was no great singer like my father and the rendition had fallen a little flat compared to his.

Elliott crouched behind me, voice stiff as he spoke. "Thank you." His hair a frenzied mess, I only saw worry without an end.

"No, thank you for finding her." I ducked my head as I spoke; his blank gaze was hard for me to look at. I wanted the warm Elliott whose face didn't turn cold and empty when he looked at me.

Nodding, he started preparing to leave. I stood as well, staying back about five paces. Much the same as my mother, words when he was angry would only fan the flames. It was safer to let the forest burn.

I spoke up tensely, nervous to speak. "I've got the bag if you can pull Skylark." Carrying a backpack would be easy with my ankle but I wasn't sure about pulling the tarp.

"Sure." Walking back, he handed me the bag without even looking at me. His anger was in full burn.

On the path again, I lead the way. My hand never left the knife in my pocket for fear of a Guard or animal jumping out. As I grew more tired I grew more internal, finding thoughts to dust off and clear cobwebs off of.

I drew Recitations in my mind, weaving in with them the bright colors of Lessons. Above them all was a crowning piece, the Doctrines. It was a picture of massive meaning but the words fell flat.

The words had always fallen flat. 'Love is the original bond, that which without a Bond is but a falsity.

Simply said, 'True love requires two Soulmates and nothing less.' Love was so clinical in the Gathering because the laws read like ancient poetry! Only none of that really mattered right now. In the sled beside me, Skylark still slept, but for how long? When she woke, we wouldn't be able to help her. Poisoning required medical attention as did burns. If Elliott's didn't get better...

Only i couldn't think of anything safely! Everything reminded me of the danger we were in and sent shudders down my spine. Sending my thoughts outward, I looked for some distraction around me.

Where we walked was a cracked black path common in the Between. Like the settlement, it was a relic from the past, a remnant of history. Around us, branches swayed in the wind and rustles deafened us. Danger could sneak up on us silently, its forbidding footsteps imperceptible. Nervous, I cast a glance over my shoulder.

He looked straight at me, no longer content to just appear for little visions. He was going to be important, whether I liked it or not. Looking back forward, I wondered how long I could ignore him.

"Do you understand now?" His voice was clear over the leaves, too clear. He was in my head as only I should be.

I shook my head, hoping Elliott wouldn't notice. If he did, he showed no sign in his tight face.

"You don't? I didn't think you would. Little girls and their fathers, what a wonderful worship." Suddenly he was before me and I froze. The vision certainly looked like my father; everything from his salt peppered beard and freckles under his eyes but the eyes weren't right. They were hollow, a dim blue missing the fire of life.

"Melanie?" Elliott had stopped as well. Lately, I had been giving him more questions than answers but such was the life of a liar.

"Just thinking, sorry."

"You are always just thinking. What, was it about your Soulmate again?" Raising his eyebrows at me, he shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms and stared back at him. He had no right to judge me for my belief.

"The Doctrines are lies made to keep you complacent and working. Without it, there would be no need for Soulmates or work assignments or exile." A wide smile crossed his face.

"In fact, why are you following them still? You have complete freedom out here so why follow dry old rules?" Frowning, I couldn't come up with an answer.

Two sentences had silenced my faith, what kind of Soul was I? Biting my lip to keep from lashing out aimlessly, I kept walking. I had no words to sway him with.

Elliott was all fire and no smoke, a frightful inferno that burned and I was a twig. I couldn't withstand his forceful words or sureness.

He was still behind me, clomping his way across the dark forest floor with the wind whistling around us both. We were deaf to each other, caught in our own ideas and problems and I would not give in to his rebellious ideals.

Once, he had said we would all follow the Doctrines. He must not have meant that. Who was I to trust the word of a Severed? Elliott was holding up better than my mother had but even his strength would fall in time.

Beyond the treeline, I saw an end to our travels in the gray-green woods; the towering king of the Between was here to welcome us back to the light of tree-less travel. With his crown of red and gold he appeared as royal as any ruler in the dark history of the world.

He still stood, defiantly ignoring the tragedies in his kingdom. Where did that strength come from and how did I capture it?

We came limping up the road to the base of the tower, seeking the shelter of green grass beneath a rock ledge. Untouched by the rain that had soaked the grass around it, we had found a place to spend the night. Maybe it was far enough away from the settlement to keep us safe.

I collapsed first, ankle still burning from the long walk. As I had moved, the pain had dulled but now it remained as a steady fire licking up my leg.

"She's still asleep, should we wake her?" Elliott had sat down as well, looking nervously into the tarp-crib.

"No, the best thing for her to do is sleep it off. If she's in pain when she wakes up we can't help her."

This wasn't a lie. The day was once more ending and we were worse off than we had been before. If I needed to lie, the best I could say is that burns don't get infected and poisoned berries never killed anyone.

Neither would be believable.

Beside me, Elliott stared at his lighter as if trying to light it with his burning stare. As I watched, he lifted his thumb to spin the little wheel and ignite a flame. Then he froze.

"Are you alright?" Our argument couldn't extend forever so why not end it now?

"Yeah." He shut the lighter with a snap, stowing it in a pocket in a flash. Gruff and angry, I guess his fire still smoldered.

There was no use in trying to smother his flames, in doing so I might rekindle the fire that had blazed so righteously before. Everyone had their own idea of what was right and I was simply clinging to hope! What was so wrong with a little hope? Everything. My hope, no matter how much it helped me sleep at night, was apparently misplaced and misguided. I had to change my beliefs to make myself worthy of hope.

The air was tangibly still and suffocating. I couldn't sit beneath the overhang and pretend everything hadn't gone wrong any longer! Rising, I left the overhang without any question. It was as if Elliott couldn't bear to look at me, as if he didn't understand that my pain came from fear rather than a terrifying burn.

The sun was setting as I walked around the spire and my mind affixed to it. Grey clouds engulfed the scarlet splatter to darken the world. Already only a few streaks of crimson remained to light the world a deep gold.

Leaning against the rock, I looked out to a world too large and frightening, but still far more wondrous than the confines of the Gathering. A wind whipped my hair, blinding me with an inky black mass. Shivering, I clutched my arms tight to my chest.

There! A little figure flitted across the golden field, arms outstretched and face beaming. I hadn't seen her since he had talked to me. Maybe he wouldn't talk to me now. Closing my eyes, I tied my hair back in preparation and watched the show.

From behind the girl, my father came running. In the waving grass, he scooped her up to pealing laughter and spun her in circles. Dizzy, the pair collapsed in a heap, turning their chase into a tickle fight. What message could come of the playtime? This had happened so many times over the years that I couldn't imagine any important event. I just knew I wanted this back.

"Christian, Melanie, time to come in for dinner!" From behind me, a woman's voice reverberated. I spun on my good ankle and stood face to face with her.

"Mother?" My breath caught in my chest; I hadn't seen her like this in years. Here, she was dressed in the warm gray sweater she wore on the crisp spring mornings. Her curly, pale blonde hair was tied up as it had when she would work and she still looked alive.

I looked over my shoulder, waiting for the pair t respond and come to her. They kept playing as if nothing was said.

"Didn't you hear her? She called and you're just going to leave her alone?" My call went unnoticed.

Turning away from the playing pair, I watched her face crumble, tears in her dove grey eyes matching tears in mine perfectly. Holding her arms cose as if to hug herself, she started to turn away.

"Mom?" I stepped closer, trying to comfort her as I should have all those years ago. Just as my arm reached her shoulder to turn her around, she dissolved like fog in the sun. I was left facing Elliott, biting his lip as he looked at me. The yellow jacket he had brought fell to the ground as he looked at me.

My arm pulled back to cover my face with a pair of closed fists to hide my sadness. How would I hide the truth now?

"Melanie, what was that?" My tears overflowed quietly as he came closer. "What was that?" The curved fists of my hands tried to shield me from his unsteady voice but they were no match for his sudden compassion.

Warm hands enveloped my own and gently pulled them back. Releasing my hands, he placed a finger beneath my chin and tilted my tear-stained face up to meet his.

"What did you see, Melanie? Please tell me." His voice, soft with uncertainty, urged me on. I could find relief from the plaguing memories if I just told him this one truth.

Lying left my mind as the truth sped forth to do its deed.

"There's a reason I'm a Still Soul. My father Ended when I was little and since the exper--the Facility I've been seeing him. When I stare off into space that's what I see; his mocking face of love and care."

He was speechless and as I met his eyes, he dropped them to the floor. Why had I trusted him?
"What's the point of telling you? There's nothing I can do and you don't understand!" My cry hit him as I turned to leave and he grabbed my shoulder.

"Wait, please." Elliott pulled me tight to his chest, heart pounding as he held me. He pressed his lips into my head in an awkward yet comforting kiss.

"I don't understand. Seeing things? I can't imagine what that's like but I do understand the loss." He sighed, breath warming my cold head. Pulling back from me, he pushed a hand through his hair as he tried to explain everything.

"That lighter, it's more--it's more than just a tool to me," he said as he pulled up the sleeve of his right wrist, "because she was supposed to be my twin flame."

Burning bright on his skin was a white-hot flame surrounded in smoke. As I watched through teary eyes, it brightened, becoming a pillar of red and orange. Suddenly, what I had seen last night made sense.

"I know now how much is going on with you and I'm sorry for being so rude but Skylark and I are in as much trouble as you are. Wherever we end up, we'll be together." He pulled his sleeve back down, unable to look at the flames that marked him. "Stop running from us. It isn't just you anymore." Warm brown eyes held mine for a moment, impressing his words on me.

He was right, I was so used to running but I didn't have to any longer. For one moment I could enjoy having a little family again.

"You're right. I need to stop running." Twisting my thumb, I searched for anything to say. "What was her name?" Guilt threatened to overtake me with my selfishness and here was a quick escape from my terribleness.

"Julia Vasquez, but she's gone now." Biting his lip again, he continued hurriedly. "I don't mean to be harsh but so is your father. We both need to try and move on so we can make a new world for ourselves and Skylark." I nodded as I bent to pick up the abandoned yellow jacket.

As I pulled it on, I looked off to where my father and I had played. In the greying world we were alone and no shadows of lost loved ones taunted me from the field. Tucked in the jacket, I was sheltered from the wind that blew fiercely. It was time for sleep after a hard day of survival.

"Come on, it's getting dark." I turned to walk back around the tower, wiping the last traces of tears from my face. Elliott came along on my left, hand outstretched to meet mine.

Was this betraying my Soulmate? Did holding hands even matter in the whole scheme of things? If--when I found him I could beg his forgiveness but I needed Elliott right now.

Gulping down guilt, I reached my hand across to meet his. As our fingers laced, my fear evaporated, vaporized by the surprising warmth in my heart as we walked side by side to the overhang.

We didn't speak on the way around the rock but we didn't need to. We had said plenty and revealing more would be too much right now.

On the other side of the spire, the world was dark and menacing but I felt as light as leaf floating in a smooth pond. This was the closest I had ever been to total transparency with anyone. His kindness had been overwhelming and exactly the antidote to my fears, if only for today.

Breaking away, Elliott sat first, placing himself near our sole surviving bag and grabbing an energy bar out. Passing it to me, we both scarfed down our dinner. We silently agreed it was best to let Skylark sleep, however comfortable she was pressed against the hard rock wall.

I yawned and stretched, exhausted by the long day. Hope told me that was the storm before the calm but I couldn't believe we would be that lucky.

"Ready?" Elliott finished his energy bar as he looked at me with eyes that could fall shut at any moment.

Nodding, I let him make the first move. There wasn't room for us to use Skylark as a wall and I wasn't ready to make the choice. Either we would defile the Doctrines or follow them.

The urge in my gut to find my Soulmate was diminishing so far from the Gathering, banished by my newly honest feelings. I just didn't want to be the one to fully condemn my Soul.

Yawning again, every muscle in my body tense from the hard day and I didn't know how we would do it all over again tomorrow. Realizing how desperate we needed rest, Elliott pulled me to the tarp, taking my left hand in his. I glanced up at his compassionate face in the near-darkness, happy to see a smile curved on his grey face. His hands warmed mine, a comforting grip I didn't want to stop.

As we lay beneath the rocky roof we didn't make any attempt to remake the wall and instead laid side by side. Still linked by the hands that chained us to our respective fates, we stared at the ceiling together, happy for once.

Even as we fell asleep, neither one of us let go of the other. With every kind gesture, the eagle slipped further and further from my mind.

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