The medicine was gross, as all medicine was, but I knew I needed to take it. It would help me keep my strength until we got back and cleared my name. Then I could go see a doctor if I wasn't better.

I had Sebastian leave while I changed into the short clothes he had gotten for me. He said the place we were going was colder than this one, but I assumed the clothes were for me to be able to fight easier without being restricted by a skirt or lots of cloth. I quickly slid on the gloves. I hated seeing the mark on my wrist, and the thought of anyone else seeing it was an unwelcome one.

I called Sebastian back inside, then asked, "So when do we leave?"

He gave me a half smile. "We'll leave after nightfall. We can't risk anyone spotting us in the daylight."

I nodded. "James came back, in case you didn't know."

"I saw him leaving," he said. "What did he want?"

"He said he'd gotten worried since we hadn't shown our faces yet, and he wanted me to go with him. He said he could clear my name."

"I see."

"But I told him I had something I had to take care of, and that I had to do it alone. After a few more attempts at interrogating me, he gave up and left." I was trying to make the story sound less stressful than it actually was. There was no need to make Sebastian think anything other than that James was simply worried about me.

When he didn't say anything, I grew worried I might have made him think that, anyway. He was just staring at me. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Here," he handed me a small box of food. "You need your strength."

I took the box from him and then sat again by the fire. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I dug in. Once I was finished, I threw the box into the flames and watched it burn to ashes.

It didn't take long for Sebastian to break the silence that had fallen between us. "Are you feeling any better?"

I nodded. But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't have told him.

"Good," he said, seeming to sense my honesty. "You'll need to be well enough for our little walk."

"You aren't just going to carry me and run there like you usually do?"

"Getting lazy, are we?" he asked, smiling. I picked up the nearest item, a small rock, and threw it at him. He chuckled, unfazed as it bounced off him. "You haven't been doing much walking lately. A little cardio would do you good."

"Are you trying to say something, Sebastian?"

"Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought," I said, crossing my arms. I was far from lazy, and if he had been trying to call me fat, he couldn't have been further from the truth. James had been right when he said I hadn't been eating enough. And with all the training we'd been doing, I'd lost everything I ate rather quickly. I had just assumed he was going to carry me so we got there quickly. But if anything happened, he would be right there, able to easily pick me up and run off if need be. Besides, a walk did sound nice.

"I wonder what everyone in the neighborhood thinks," I thought aloud. "I wonder if they believe the rumors, or if they have faith in me." I looked up to Sebastian. "James said I'd been filed as a missing person and a possible serial killer. Do you think anyone tried to find me? Or are still trying? I hate to worry them."

"You are doing what you must to help your friends. We can't control what people think or do. But either way, everything will be sorted out when you return. They are probably more concerned about the fact that everyone from your home is missing. Not just you."

I nodded. He was right. I wasn't the only person they would be worried about. My house was abandoned for the time being. Everyone had disappeared without a trace.

"I just hope everyone is okay. If everyone knows we're missing, others may use the time to attack. We aren't there to prevent it anymore."

"I understand that it is hard to be away from everyone who is depending on you," Sebastian said, "but you must remain strong for them as well. If you go back weak and defenseless, they may begin thinking of you differently. Or perhaps they will not trust you to defend them anymore."

"But I don't defend them," I said. "I simply give them supplies if they need them. The only defense I give is my family name. People fear my parents and their reputation." I thought back to the people who had kidnapped me. They had told me that my parents would have to pay a ransom to get me back. Apparently, after 3 years, not everyone knew they were gone.

"What is the place like?" I asked, wanting to change the subject. I didn't want to think about my parents. "The place we're going. Is it another cave? An abandoned house?"

"It actually is another cave, hidden in the woods by many trees, and it has vines falling over the entrance. I have already searched it for animals and insects, and it was clean except for a few tiny bugs." He motioned to the pile of supplies he brought. "I have bug spray over there, just in case you can't handle them. Also, there is bug repellent, and another change of clothes, should you need them, along with more food and water."

"You think of everything, don't you?" I asked him.

He only smiled.

I yawned, then gazed back into the fire, where a small part of the box that had held my food was still burning away.

"You should rest before tonight. It is a bit of a walk, and you'll need your strength for it."

I nodded, then turned to the pile of supplies Sebastian had brought and grabbed the blanket. Even after the medicine, I was still shivering. I wrapped myself up and lay on the ground, falling into a restful slumber.