Three Lefts

[Teagan]

"NO!" Realizing her body could move again, Teagan shot up and covered her head with her arms. Stabs of pain shot along the length of her arms and a hammer seemed to beat itself nonstop against her head. It didn't matter. She couldn't let it touc-

A deep voice snapped her back to reality. "Careful, you're going to hurt yourself."

What?

Teagan opened her eyes and hesitantly lowered her arms. Instead of a musty dark room, the bland walls of the infirmary stood mutely in the warm summer day. She blinked, trying to focus on something other than the massive headache that dominated her attention. "Lucas?" Her mouth was dry, causing her question to come out in more of a whisper than she had intended. "What...what happened?"

He pulled up a chair next to her, and placed the bandages he held on her bed. What was he doing there? How did she get back to the camp? Had Aiden and Yuki ever arrived? Did they find out it was Scott all along? Teagan tried to form words as he started wrapping up her arm, of which was currently bleeding. "Did-what-how-Sco-" A wave of panic flew over her body as Teagan's last memories resurfaced. He had tried to kill her! Her breathing intensified, and she had to take a moment calm herself. Unable to voice any of question of importance, she resorted to a more simple one. "Since when are you a doctor?"

[Lucas]

“Since certain friends decide to rip out their IVs,” Lucas sarcastically responded with a faint smile. He quickly wrapped her arm, ignoring the IVs still on the floor. "We'll let Lorena put those back in if she wants. Now that you're awake though, you might not need them." He carelessly tossed the remaining wraps in a trash can at the foot of the bed as he rose. "She had to walk out for a moment, but she said that if you woke up you'd probably be a little thirsty."

Lucas walked over to the water jug across the room and poured the liquid into a large glass. "Probably more than a little. She mentioned you were dehydrated. Here." He returned to his spot on the side of her bed. "Drink this." Teagan took the cup from him gratefully, immediately relieving what had to be an immense thirst.

Leaning back in his chair, he met her eyes. Purely panicked, he noted. Normal for a human, but that was just Lucas's opinion.

[Teagan]

Rip out her what? Teagan glanced down, seeing wires and needles sprawled along the floor and a stream of blood rolling down her arm. Had she done that while raising her hands? "Oh."

Lucas threw away the bandages and returned with a glass of water for her, explaining at least a part of her current situation. Dehydrated? Hands trembling, she raised the cup to her dry lips. As the cool water entered her system, Teagan felt the immediate change. Her head stopped pounding and her voice strengthened. "Thanks," she nodded.

She closed her eyes for a moment, ensuring her system wouldn't freak out again if she asked the necessary questions.

"Lucas, what happened? Last thing I remember, I..." Last thing she remembered was the hand of death reaching for her soul. Consuming her with a pitiful amount of resistance. Darkness. Pain. "...I was in a cabin." Her eyes drifted to the window, beams of sunlight radiating through. "At night." She returned her gaze to her fellow counselor. "How did I get here?"

[Lucas]

He acknowledged her thanks with a nod of his own. Lucas would do anything to ensure his plans went accordingly. Sometimes that meant more difficult intervention, like deaths. When all it required was a glass of water? Piece of cake.

Lucas listened to her questions, not giving away any emotion on his behalf. Either she really didn't remember what had happened to her in the cabin, or she was modifying her experience for a commoner who had no background in the hunting world. Unnecessary, but she didn't know that.

"Long story short, your cousin showed up a couple of days ago. He and this girl named Kisa found you in a cabin, tied up and unconcious." Lucas tugged on one of the ties on his sweatshirt. "Apparently Scott," he spat the name like it had a foul taste in his mouth, "...kidnapped you and left you in there while he continued playing the role of an innocent counselor here in the camp. He's gone. Where, no one's sure, but the Rangers are combing the forest for him right now."

His eyes fell downcast, playing the role of the determined defender. "Don't worry though. He won't find you he-"

The blanket that had layed over Teagan fell on the floor at his feet. He looked up in surprise. "What are you doing?" The foolish girl was trying to get off of the bed! "You should wait for Lorena to get back!"

[Teagan]

Teagan gripped the cup tightly and closed her eyes as she listened to Lucas recount the activity of the past few days. Days? How long had she been gone? Her cousin...her cousin...oh, right. She had written Aiden's name down on her emergency contact list on the first day they had arrived. Even if he had ignored her message (which she hoped he had, seeing how things had turned out), the camp would have alerted him to her disappearance.

She wasn't sure who Kisa was, but if she had to guess, it sounded like a name Yuki would go by. Her fake names always had to do with some anime thing or another. So they had found her? Teagan mentally sighed with relief. That meant they must have killed Scott after discovering what he was. Good, maybe they could explain how he caused the children's illness to her on the way home.

...home? Would they let her back to Portland? Teagan wasn't sure, but it had to be worth asking. After the week she had just gone through, there was no way she would remain here the duration of the camp. The walls started to threateningly close in, confirming the thought.

Ignoring whatever Lucas was saying, she threw off the soft blanket and swung her legs over the bed. Dried mud caked to her shoes chipped onto the floor as her feet hit the ground.

"I'm getting out of here Lucas." She raised her eyes to his, confidence bursting through her layers of exhaustion. "No, I'm not waiting for Lorena. I'm leaving now. Don't you dare try to stop me."

Teagan rose, hesitant about her ability to walk. The headache hadn't completely disappeared, and technically, she hadn't taken a step in days. This is not the time for indecision, she chided herself. Teagan forced her feet to start walking. See? She could do it perfectly-

Her stomach lurched and vision started to fade as the effects of dehydration took over her. Teagan fell to one knee on the floor. She slowed her breathing, trying to regain orientation. If the world would just stop spinning, she could leave.

Lucas's hand gripped her shoulder tightly. Teagan froze in panic, the action too similar to the way Scott had grabbed her for her liking. Survival instinct kicked in, and she spun out of his reach. "Don't touch me!" she shouted, panting heavily.

[Lucas]

"Teagan, I'm not trying to stop you from doing anything," Lucas rose with her. Most of the time if people pulled anything on impulse, it made it that much easier to bed toward his goal. But injuring herself further wouldn't get the child anywhere. Could she not see that? "If you overexert yourself you're going to get hurt."

Proving his point, on her first step Teagan lost her balance. Lucas rubbed his temple. Of course. "See what I mean?" He reached for her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!"

Lucas jerked his hand back in alarm, wondering what on earth he could have done to upset the child. She stood and turned toward him, emerald eyes wide in fear.

That wasn't a logical reaction. She shouldn't be shaking in fear of him for another couple months, if everything went right.

"Teagan? Are you sure you shouldn't lay down for a few more minutes?" Lucas eyed her warily.

[Teagan]

"No," Teagan firmly answered. "I can't stay here any longer."

She burst out the door of the infirmary with determination. Teagan shielded her eyes from the intense sunlight, burning eyes an unwelcomed addition to her splitting headache and queasy stomach. She walked at a brisk pace that even with her short legs she made it back to her cabin in record time.

Teagan slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. The silence weighed heavily on her mind and she slid down against the door. Kidnapped and tortured? She shook her head in disbelief. Her heart raced at the memory of Scott's cold hands sliding down her neck, pinning her down firmly. It really existed, the supernatural. All of it and more.

As long as someone could give an ample amount of evidence, Teagan would believe anything. But when she had arrived in Keystone and had this world revealed to her, she blew it off as a the product of an over-active imagination. For a good month or two, Aiden and Yuki had tried to convince her their adventures were real while Teagan scoffed and mentally named every possible way each event could have been rigged.

How much more evidence did she need? What more could anyone put on the table as proof? Teagan gritted her teeth, hating her ignorance. But that would be a thing of the past, she swore to herself.

She rose to her feet, wincing as black spots danced in her eyes. It might wear her out, but the quicker she changed and gathered her belongings, the quicker Teagan could put the Big Brothers Big Sisters camp out of her memory forever.

Five minutes later, she stood in front of Keith's office, ready to bid him a final farewell.

[Yuki]

"Yuki? You alright?"

Eyes fluttering open, Yuki awoke and saw Aiden staring back at her from across the floor. He was in bad shape. A searing pain surged through her head, and she lifted her hands to its location, feeling the trickle of blood on her fingers. What had happened? She had fired the gun...and the shtriga had come after her. She couldn't remember anything after that. But, since Aiden was alive...he must have killed it. He must have. She closed her eyes in relief. Nankurunaisa.

Beginning to lift herself from the ground, slowly and painfully, she took the moment to respond to Aiden's question. " 'Alright' is not my word of choice for the state of being in which I find myself in right now, considering I am bleeding short of profusely, but if we are speaking relative to today's events, then yes, I am quite alright." It took all of her strength to get up, and when she did, the room spun around her. Blinking and clutching her head, Yuki's gaze drifted from Aiden over to Teagan, who was still on the floor. Rushing over the her side, she felt her pulse. Still breathing. She looked absolutely frail, as if one movement would cause her to shatter. Teagan needed to be treated immediately.

On their way back to camp, Yuki was silent as Aiden carried Teagan the entire way. She would have carried out the task of bringing her back, but he had lifted her before she could get the chance to do so. She thought about protesting, especially since Aiden was in no condition to be carrying someone else's weight, but she felt that perhaps this was a task he needed to perform himself. Yuki knew Aiden still felt a considerable amount of guilt, the events of the past few days taking a toll upon his honor as a hunter. He would want to aid Teagan in any way possible.

Upon arrival at their destination and after inventing a cover-up story and hospitalizing Teagan, Yuki sat in an empty room with Aiden, the two of them treating their wounds. She had been lost in thought ever since their return to the camp, reviewing her actions in their battle with Scott. During the fight...she had maintained the element of surprise for some time, that much was true. But...she had thrown it away so quickly at the expense of a teammate's well-being. Had that been the right thing to do? Or had she let her feelings of protectiveness interfere? She stood besides Aiden, who was sitting upon the bed, and began applying an herbal cream upon his neck, where the shtriga had apparently held him a chokehold and subsequently left deep scratches, Yuki bit her lower lip in thought. Looking back, if she had remained in the closet, surely Aiden wouldn't have died. He would've only been injured. And then she wouldn't have been knocked out. According to Aiden, Teagan had almost died, and where was she? By the fireplace, unconscious. Yuki felt she had been to hasty, too rash. Even if the situation turned out fine in the end, it was no guarantee they would be as lucky the next time.

Taking a seat next to Aiden, she began applying the herbal cream to a cut on her own arm, eyeing Aiden from the corner of her eye as he examined the cut on her head, too absorbed in her own musings to protest his help. She thought about Teagan, and the way she had been motionless on the floor--pale, weak, defenseless. Aiden and Teagan...they were her teammates. And that meant she she should protect them, aid them, fight with them...right? She looked down idly at her bruised wrists as Aiden deemed the wound treatable by her own hands. Yuki massaged her head, staring blankly ahead of her. She knew that at the same time...that desire to protect could cloud her judgement, cause her to act illogically. It was somewhat alarming that within that short time span, she already held that sense of...what was it? Sense of belonging? Comradery? ...That sense, whatever it was, that told her that she was getting too close to the two hunters. It was dangerous. The battlefield was no place to harbor such emotion. To fight well, one needed to be detached and analytical.

But honestly, what could she do? She was stuck with them. They functioned best as a team, as a faction. They were a bit dysfunctional, true, but when push came to shove, they always defeated their opponent. Sighing, she knew the whole situation was useless to ponder if she was only going to arrive at the conclusion that there was nothing she could do about any of it. Mendokusai.

The weight of the bed shifted as Aiden fell back on it. Yuki stared at the wall ahead of her from the corner of the bed, listening to his words. "I do not think 'I told you so' is going to ameliorate any part of this situation, Aiden," she said. Then, she turned to look at him and added in an after thought, "Even if it is true."

Yuki turned back around to face the wall. "As far as apologies go, I myself may have to swallow my pride and ask for forgiveness where forgiveness is due. i suggest you do the same. Even if you do not know what to say, I believe that as long as you are sincere, what you feel will come across to her."

With that statement, she stood up, folded her arms and looked down at the floor. She felt odd. She couldn't quite pin it though. She felt sorry for Teagan. She felt as if she may have been too hard on the child in the past weeks. She felt as if she had been too cold towards both her and Aiden, when they probably had good intentions. She felt as if she wanted to see Teagan again, but also felt that it was going to be an awkward confrontation when they finally did see her. She felt as if she wasn't sure where she was going anymore, or what she was doing, and why she was doing the things she was doing. This had been about her mother. That's how it had all started. So why was she here, at a place where Yuki knew she would not be found?

She shook her head to cast the thoughts away. The injury from the fireplace must have induced all of this. It had to be the combination of the exhaustion, adrenaline rushes, and the head wound that was causing her to feel unlike her usual self. All of this was unbecoming of her. She blinked, taking a few seconds to realize Aiden had said something.

"...Oh--yes. Making our way over there would be best. It is highly probable that Teagan is awake now."

[Aiden]

Aiden let out a short laugh at Yuki’s response, and pushed himself off the ground. “You’ll be fine,” he said with a chuckle, and held out a hand to help her up. He too was realizing just how rashly he had acted, he had been so caught up with killing Scott and saving Teagan that he hadn’t waited long enough, his shots hadn’t done any damage, and as a result, he had led Yuki to get hurt. And while she would be fine, and she wasn’t bleeding nearly as bad as she said she was, he still felt responsible.

Responsibility. It was something that Aiden had lived with on the most basic of levels for years now. He only had to worry about himself; he didn’t have friends or family to stress over. But now he was some faction leader, someone that was supposed to teach people how to hunt. He thought he was being responsible when he told Teagan to leave, and now she was in mortal danger and he was there trying to rescue her. No, he did rescue her, and now he was being responsible and getting her away from the camp.

So was this a lesson for Teagan, or a lesson for Aiden? He was used to being alone for so long, he thought that he could just make one more annoyance in his life vanish because he told her to leave. It wasn’t that easy, and because of his behavior, all three of them had been put in danger, not to mention that this whole ordeal had taken longer than it should have. If Aiden had just been responsible and answered the first message, he would have been there before Teagan had been taken. He felt stupid because it was only after the camp called telling him about her disappearance that he sped there, much like a madman and out of his norm. His ‘norm’ was maybe ten miles above the speed limit, maybe fifteen unless he was chasing someone or running from someone. The girls often exaggerated, and he let them because it was usually all in good fun.

So he was a hypocrite. He ousted Teagan telling her that she needed to leave, and now here he was dragging her back. Technically, it didn’t make sense, but Aiden had his reasons. If he didn’t want Teagan back, he could have easily left her there to die. He wasn’t that kind of person, he was her faction leader; he was responsible for her, and now that they’d been through all of this, he realized that there was a connection there, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He cared about her, he cared about Yuki, and he wanted to make sure they stayed alive and in perfect health.

“See, even you know it’s true,” he breathed, closing his eyes and letting his body lay on the bed, while his legs hung off the side. “I won’t say anything like that, don’t worry,” he said calmly, and then opened his eyes and looked at Yuki. “I know it won’t help, in fact, she probably is still angry to some degree with me, but I just…” Once you started a life of hunting, there was no way out. There just wasn’t. You either ended up hunting again, or dead. Now Teagan would be hunting again.

Aiden shook his head, and glanced at the Japanese girl again. “Yeah, but you’re not the one that kicked her out, ignored her calls when she was actually in danger, and then almost left her to die,” he said, frowning. “Whatever, I’ll figure it out on the way.” If it wasn’t obvious that he wasn’t good at these sorts of things before, it had to be evident now.

Walking out of the cabin, Aiden strolled across the grass. The slight breeze washed against his skin, the summer air warm, the smell of the surrounding woods much more unmistakable after the storm from a few days ago. His shoes were still wet, now that he thought about it, but he was distracted by a wavering figure near the administration cabin. Teagan, up and moving towards the door. “Crap,” he whispered. She shouldn’t up and walking around, she should be sitting in that bed and resting. He picked up the pace, moving in her direction.

“Hey, Teagan!” he called, stopping short in front of her. He looked her over, and he was right; she still didn’t look like she should be up and moving. “Why are you out of bed? Lorena needs to help you, you’ve been dehydrated and—“ Behind them, the door opened and Aiden turned around to see just who was listening in on their conversation. When the face met his gaze, he frowned, and then turned to Teagan. “Sorry about this,” he said to her, and then turned back to none other than Keith. “What the hell is your problem?! She sat there in a damn cabin a mile into the woods, and you can’t find her? You had a frickin’ map showing the cabin! Cheese and rice, it’s a wonder that you’re the head of this camp when I can wander out into the woods, and find my cousin when you or the state officers can’t. Are you stupid?!” He stopped himself, and then glanced over to Teagan.

“I’m taking her home,” he said simply, and then lead Teagan away. “Let me know if you’re going to fall or anything,” he said quietly to her.

[Yuki]

Yuki followed Aiden out of the cabin, arms folded, trying to push the previous thoughts out of her head. Instead, she focused on what she would say to Teagan when they met again, and wondered what Aiden would say as well. What could she say? There were no words that could pinpoint her sentiments towards the child. Perhaps silence would be better. Yuki silently sighed to herself, and she felt a slight throb in her head. Wincing, she rubbed her head. It would take a while for that wound to go away.

And then, from a distance, she spotted the familiar figure--Teagan. Wasn't she supposed to still be hospitalized?! Why was she up? She needed her rest. With the extent of her injuries, she was in no condition to be walking. Her wounds would open up. The girl was dehydrated, even the simplest movement could lead to over-exertion. Yuki ran up to her, placing her arm behind her in support, lest she fall. A door opened behind them and a man came outside. Staff, presumably. Yuki noted that Aiden tensed upon seeing the man, and then, out of nowhere, Aiden began to verbally harass him. Was this the man from before, the one that had angered him?

...Clearly. Yuki stood by with an eyebrow raised, unsure of the origin of the tension before her. She considered slapping Aiden, for his outburst could draw unnecessary attention to them. However...she did in fact agree with everything he was saying. And besides, Teagan needed her support. The child was a bit physically disabled, afterall.

[Teagan]

Teagan knocked three times on the wooden door in front of her. Three loud, determined times. Despite her headache interfering with her ability to think straight, she was sure Keith would be perfectly understanding when she checked herself out for the remainder of the camp. He was a generally nice person; the conversation would probably last two minutes. If even.

She hoped she could last that long.

Teagan felt her balance suddenly disappear and took a step back, trying to orientate herself. Now was not the time to collapse. She needed to get through this conversation so she could spend the rest of her energy on finding Yuki and Aiden. Or rather, getting through what promised to be awkward conversation that would undoubtedly follow. It already was going to be difficult enough apologizing for the prank (again, since she never confirmed he had even received her message), but now to add an apology for making them risk their lives to come find her when she wasn’t capable enough to fix the issue herself and put the lot of them in danger? Not an easy task. On top of that, Teagan hated apologies. Sarcastic ones were easily handled. Honest to goodness, deeper than the ocean apologies didn’t quite reach the same status.

“Hey Teagan!”

Jolted from her thoughts, Teagan turned around to see Aiden and Yuki heading toward her. Oh crap. Of course fate would cash in on the opportunity for an apology as soon as possible. “Hey guys,” she waved meekly as they hurried over to her.

Teagan hadn’t expected to ever feel a sense of relief when chastened by Aiden, but as he began to rant about dehydration and what else she mentally eased. It was a major relief to know that he wasn't initially mad at her, and that for a moment, she was safe. While being secluded in a camp in the woods should've been considered a safe place...being around someone who knew the importance of salt was a good thing.

She also mentally thanked the heavens for Yuki. If she hadn't put an arm around Teagan to support her, she might have tipped again. At that moment, the door opened and Keith frowned at the scene. Oh crap, he was probably mad at her for disappearing or he knew she was coming to sign out and didn't want her to leave and-

"Sorry about this-" Aiden turned to her apologetically. Sorry for what?

Her mouth dropped as a rant expelled from Aiden's lips. She watched Keith's face grow redder and redder, kinda like the cherries he kept stashed in the fourth drawer down in his desk (...not that she knew about them, nudge nudge). Line after line Aiden shot toward the man, silencing the rest of the camp.

All she could do was blink mutely in shock as Aiden guided her toward the car. What...what the heck was that about? Clearly Teagan had missed out on something, because everyone else in…well, existence held good relations with the Director. What on earth did Keith do to tick Aiden off?

“I’m…okay for the moment,” Teagan returned in the same quiet tone, still in shock. She threw a glance back at the dumbfounded Director. “Thanks, um, I think. But ah...what was that about?"

The Camaro came into view and Teagan found herself itching for the chance to sit in the backseat and drive far, far away. She was done with Nevada. Done with children's camps. Done with freaky monsters popping up in places they shouldn't be popping. Her face paled at the thought of it, and for a moment her body refused to breathe. Teagan's hands gripped the edge of the car door and she leaned on it for support.

"I ran into Lucas a few minutes ago," she spoke quietly, leaning on car instead of getting in. "Gave me some story about kidnapping and..." And torture, but she didn't want to say it. "...and I was wondering: what really happened?"

[Aiden]

Halfway through his rant to Keith, he realized that both Yuki and Teagan would be completely lost, though Yuki might have more of a clue than Teagan would, simply because Yuki had been there upon Aiden's exit the first time they had gotten into it. Aiden couldn't wait to leave this place so he would never have to see that man's despicable face again, hear his pretentious voice, deal with his excuses. He'd explain what happened to Teagan later, for now he needed to get his frustration off his chest before Keith had a chance to say something he'd later regret. Maybe he knew arguing with Aiden wouldn't get him anywhere, but whatever the reason, he remained silent, with a look of surprise on his face, and before he had a chance to reply, the three were walking away.

What was that about? Aiden couldn't help himself. "The guy is thick headed, pretentious, only cares about his money and his reputation. A counselor disappears in the middle of the night, yet he can't spend more effort to walk through the frickin' forest and find her in a stupid cabin that was RIGHT THERE! And to sit there and argue with me and tell me I was wrong when the damn state rangers couldn't..." he trailed off, realizing what he was doing. "He ticked me off because he wasn't doing more to find you."

Lucas had gotten to her before she left? Aiden frowned because Lucas knew the fake story, he didn't know about the shtriga. Glancing around, he looked back over the car at Teagan. "Get in, and I'll tell you. Subject material, you know?" Once she was in, and the doors were locked, he sighed. "Well..." he said awkwardly, "I guess the start of the story lies in you. I assume that despite telling us that everything was faked, you found evidence of supernatural creatures here, tried to investigate, and it took you when you were vulnerable. The camp called and told us you were missing, so we came here to check it out. Turns out that Scott was a shtriga, and he kidnapped you when he realized you were on to him, kept you in a cabin, and fed off of you to keep you down. We figured it was him, killed him, and now we're leaving."

He didn't mention he'd driven like a literal mad man to get there, or he didn't know how to say sorry, or a number of other things. He kept it basic. "Now come on, we're going home."

[Yuki]

Walking away from the stunned camp director, the three hunters made their way to Aiden's car. Yuki watched Teagan carefully, ready to catch her in case she began to fall or passed out, but the girl made it to the vehicle without such an incident. Once inside, Aiden told her (in a rather brief way) the story of what had happened to her--the real story. About the call, about Scott, about his being a shtriga, about how they found her in a cabin and about how they had killed him. The story made the entire situation less dangerous than it had been, but of course, perhaps that was for the best. There was no point in needlessly worrying the child, especially in her condition. Yuki looked back on the events that had transpired the past few days. Days. Not even a week had passed since their stay at the camp, yet it felt like much longer. She was more acquainted with this site than she would have liked to be.

Without the engine on or any of Aiden's music blasting through the speakers, Yuki found the car to be unusually silent. The awkwardness loomed in the air. She knew that they all had the same thoughts running through their minds, but neither member of he faction knew what to say, nor how to start. 'I'm sorry,' might've been a good way, but the words would not pass through her lips. She couldn't apologize for the days of torture the girl had suffered through. What was she supposed to say? Sorry for not convincing Aiden to let you stay in Portland and for not coming here quickly enough to help you? Sorry that you almost died? Sorry that we almost didn't save you? Sorry that we almost let Scott feed off of you while you were unconscious? Yuki bit her bottom lip and stared down at the floor of the car. The engine came to life as Aiden turned the keys to the ignition.

What now?

Yuki turned around slightly in her seat to look at Teagan. She really did look awful. She was pale, had several bruises across her body, and looked as if she hadn't slept in months. They had some water in the car, as well as some food, but other than that, there wasn't much they could do for her, at least not until they arrived home. "Um..." Yuki began, avoiding eye contact with the girl. "Are you alright, Teagan? Are you sure you do not wish to remain at the camp and rest until you are fully healed?" She turned back around and faced the window. "The drive to Portland is long, and you won't get the same medical treatment here in a car with two hunters that you would receive in a cabin with a qualified doctor."

[Teagan]

Without need for a second invitation, Teagan nodded and slipped into the backseat. Her backpack took its usual spot on the seat next to her, within reach. If everything went as planned, she would use it as a pillow once they got on the road.

She remained quiet during Aiden's explanation. Before she might have taken offense to the subtle jab at her previous denial, but all she felt was a wave of guilt crash over her. If she had believed them the first dozen times around, maybe they wouldn't have had to drive who knows how long to Carson City and risk their lives to find her. Teagan wasn't aware of what a shtigra was, but it had fed off of her? Her teeth gritted, trying to push down the fear clawing through her stomach as he continued.

"The camp called you?" Teagan frowned at the end, wondering how dysfunctional her phone was. "My message must not have gotten through then. I tried calling for help. Or advice. Or suggestions. But all I got was voice-mail."

The car was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Teagan internally cringed. He was still mad at her, probably, for the pranks. And then she made him drive all the way to Nevada because she couldn't do anything right. She wondered why he even bothered wasting his time on her. Why did he even let her back in?

The purr of the engine broke the silence, and Yuki turned toward Teagan, unable to meet her eyes. Wait-no, no, no, no...they couldn't do that to her!

"Don't make me stay here, please. I...I can't." Teagan's eyes widened in alarm. "I'll be fine on the drive, promise. We can just stop for a cup of water at the occasional fast food place. Dehydration can't be that hard to hold off, right? And I don't have any broken bones, or, or, coughs, or open wounds or anything else. I won't be trouble, I promise."

[Aiden]

He wasn't sure if Teagan would interrupt him during his rendition of the story or not, and when she didn't, he was both worried and relieved. This was a very traumatic experience for her, and she was just sitting there taking it like it was. Was that safe? Bottling things up usually ended up bad, but then again, she could have been unconscious for most or all of it. Nevertheless, he continued on, telling her what he knew.

Aiden felt a pang of guilt when she asked if her messages had gone through or not. What was he supposed to say? 'No, I got them, but I didn't believe you and thought that you were creating a prank that was worth the trouble of having me drive the ten hours to get here?' No, that wouldn't really work, now would it? Keeping his eyes off Yuki, he shook his head slightly. "No, didn't get them. The camp called telling us you were gone. By the way, never use cousin again. Step-brother might be better. Everyone here didn't really buy it."

The silence got to Aiden too, it was so heavy it felt like it was pressing him into his seat. But he didn't know what to say. Well, yes, he did. Sorry. But he didn't know how to say it. Teagan was almost killed because of him, and he was just sitting there without apologizing for the event. Some faction leader, no, some person he was. He sighed, right as Yuki began talking so he didn't know if her words had masked it or not.

"I'm with Teagan on this one, Yuki," he said. "I won't be able to stand one more minute here with douchebag director." He turned to Teagan, hearing her reaction. "Calm down, I said we were going home. What are you worried about being trouble for? Besides, you're always trouble," he teased. He then realized that might sound like a jab, so he amended the situation. "And so is she, and so am I. Besides, if you leave, I'll be..." he trailed off, and leaned back out of Yuki's peripheral vision, mouthing the words 'stuck with her cooking' and pointing a finger at her.