I sat there for a while, rethinking my decisions. Regret, hurt, confusion, sadness, hate, deceived, cold. The coldness hurt. My whole body feels numb. It feels like I’ve been sitting here for hours. Maybe I am. The sun is no longer visible, and everything else is dark. The only light comes from their house.

They must be comfortable there.

Suddenly, all of my hurt and sadness were pushed back in the farthest corner of mine. Anger and hate replaced them. Even if they can’t see me, as if they’ll bother to check on me, I still glared at the house. Hoping that my glare would penetrate the door just to make them aware of how angry I am.

I really hope they run out of water in the middle of taking a bath and soap got into their eyes. Oh wait, that would be impossible. They bathe in the rivers, damn it. I can't wish for rivers to run out!

I just hope that... that a bed bug would bite them in their sleep! Or they'll suddenly wake up at midnight to pee, then when they return to bed, they won't be able to sleep again!

Oh!! I just came up with a better one! I hope that they'll have to walk a long journey, but their socks are wet or filled with beans! YES!!

I wanted to shout, but I have no time for my emotions right now. (Wow. It’s not like I really give time to my emotions). OK. I NEED TO ESCAPE!

I struggled for a bit, hoping that somehow my movements would loosen the rope. To my luck, it did not! I looked down and observed the rope. My hands are stuck to my sides and I can’t see the end of the rope or the knot.

I grew frustrated, as I can only wiggle and struggle in this damn chair. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back before letting out a sigh, but it came out shaky as I started to tear up. The constant friction from the ropes hurt my skin. So, is this it? Am I going to die because of hypothermia? Not because I did something stupid? I really thought that I would die because of me. I remember the time I almost impaled my neck with the chopstick I used to keep my hair up. I was fangirling so hard that when I leaned back; I felt the chopstick poke my neck. I swear, I could’ve died when I leaned with a little more force. That could traumatize my family, and stupid for me. Oh, there are also moments when I’m so deep in thought that I forgot how to breathe. I really can’t with myself.

What am I doing again? OH RIGHT. I’M DYING. . Those can’t be my last thoughts! WAIT, I NEED A FEW MORE MINUTES! I’ll just think of something meaningful. Uuuhhhh…. My best friends! My family! My dogs! My idols! What else… Ok… I’m thinking of them… I can’t help but smile when I remembered the times when my best friends and I were being idiots, but at the same time, I thought philosophically. My mom, who I just became closer to in the last few years. I’m just happy that I can be more open to her. My dogs… Idols…

I can feel myself getting weaker. I panicked at this. I need to live! I don’t want to die in a strange world. I have to at least outlive my enemies or something. When God heard my prayers, I noticed the ropes loosen up. YES! My constant struggle worked!

I squirmed for a bit, then FINALLY, the ropes fell off of me! I stood up, happy with the new strength I’m feeling. I have superpowers?! Then let’s put that to the test. Instead of dashing in the woods and escaping, I ran towards the house. It surprised me that I still have some strength left.

I gently opened the door that I heard the wood crack at the impact, ready to beat the out of these motha ers. However, none of them seem to acknowledge my presence. They didn’t even look at me! I was about to shout at them when I finally took the time to observe what they’re doing.

Jayce was frantically running around the house, getting some items for Aziel. He then, almost desperately, placed more logs in the fireplace. Are they stupid? That would only make it harder for them for the next few days! They were the ones that told me it’s hard to get logs during winter. I shifted my attention to Aziel sitting beside the big lump on the bed. They moved the bed in front of the fireplace. I decided to hit him first, since his back was facing me. Charging at him, I raised my hand to smack him in the head, but froze in my tracks when I saw the big lump on the bed.

It was me.

3RD PERSON’S POV:

“Did you have to go too far?! She almost died! Being harsh on her was unnecessary!” The young man yelled at the older who was busy trying to keep Maisie warm. Even with the heavy guilt on his shoulders, he kept his composure calm as he focused on Maisie. The young man doesn’t have to rub the elder’s mistakes to his face, because the elder can do that to himself. He regrets being hard on her. Still, he never wavered from his belief.

“If I were to teach her, she needs to learn that the world won’t go easy on her. It’s her life we’re talking about, and you are fully aware of how dangerous it is out there. One step out, then she dies,” Aziel replied to the young man, trying to keep his emotions at bay. He may act like a child most of the time, but he’ll never fail to set a good example to the people he cared about, especially in serious situations.

“I am aware. However, you know that she’s not from here! It’s clear how she didn’t grow up in poverty! You should’ve eased her first into your damn training, instead of suddenly pushing her to her death!” The young man exclaimed, getting frustrated at Aziel’s attitude. He firmly believes that Maisie must be treated with care. While he agrees that the world out there is dangerous and Maisie needs to toughen up, he still disagrees with Aziel’s way of teaching Maisie.

“All the more that I need to be strict with her. Your view of her as someone fragile puts her more in danger. She’s a lot stronger than you think,” Aziel said while hovering the hot cloth over Maisie’s face. Jayce paused for a second and took deep breaths, like how Aziel taught him when he feels overwhelmed.

“Even if she’s stronger than I thought, you should’ve at least warned her. Now, she thinks we betrayed her. You know how difficult it was to get her to trust us. Just when she starts reaching out...” Jayce said, calmer this time, but there’s a mix of sadness to his tone.

“Then that’s her mistake. She shouldn’t trust anyone,” Aziel said with finality in his tone, leaving no room for arguments. Jayce sighed in defeat and left Aziel to heat more cloth. While Aziel continued trying to warm Maisie up, he can’t help but stare at her sleeping figure. Even if he’s staring at Maisie, his mind seems somewhere else.

He won’t deny it really is difficult for Maisie to come out of her shell. It’s clear as daylight how hardly Maisie trusts anyone. However, even if he has no ill intentions, he still feels disappointed when Maisie lets her guard down around them. Maisie trusted them already. Aziel’s thoughts and beliefs are conflicted with whoever Maisie trusts. On one hand, he wants Maisie to be comfortable around them, but his beliefs say otherwise. Maisie shouldn’t be too comfortable. She might deny it, but he can see how Maisie unconsciously trusts them.

“I’m sorry… Dana,” he whispered, before kissing Maisie’s forehead. He fixed all the blankets they have, hoping that it will help warm Maisie up.

It went on for days. Maisie’s still bed-ridden while the two men are busy trying to keep Maisie warm. There’s little progress made; Maisie could respond sometimes when they try to call for her and she can be awake for a few seconds before sleeping again. With Maisie still weak, there’s a silent war between the two men. They didn’t mind at all, as they only focused their minds on Maisie’s health.

Finally, the day the two men are waiting for came.

1ST PERSON’S POV:

Every ing thing hurts. I have a headache. I have a stomachache. I’m hungry. My whole body is stiff, it hurts. I’m angry. I FEEL WEAK AND VULNERABLE. I hate it.

I woke up in the middle of the night and I can’t go back to sleep. My brain is tired from slipping in and out of consciousness that now I’m ing wide awake. I tried getting up, but my arms feel like noodles. I glared at the dark in frustration. Even stretching is hard.

I lay there for a while before realization hit me like a bus. Well, a bus has not hit me, and I never want to experience it, but ya’ll get my point.

I’M ALIVE!!

HAH! I’m too pretty to be gone in this world. I don’t know whether I should be happy because I really thought that I was going to die. I don’t even know what to do now. I don’t have afterlife plans.

Wait, so if I died in that world, then… AM I BACK?!

I tried my best to get up, only to be disappointed by the view I came familiar with in the past days. I’m still here…

I wanted to cry, but no tears were coming out. I weakly leaned back on the bed and tried to remember what happened. This led to my second regret this night. Right, they betrayed me.

Before having the chance to lie back down again, I heard some shuffling on the ground.

“Maisie?” Just great. Aziel groggily said, as his head popped into view when he sat up. I scowled at the sight of his face. I weakly laid back down and turned my back on him. Lucky for him, I easily hold grudges. Just when you thought I forgave you? You got it all wrong, babe. One mistake and all of your past mistakes come along with it. I heard him sigh as I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.

A few days passed by and my body feels a little better. I can sit up without getting intense dizziness, but I’m still dizzy. Not because I was bedridden for a long time, but because I refuse to eat anything that they give. I only eat fruits or anything that’s not cooked.

“Maisie, I know how healthy it is to eat fruits and vegetables. However, you need some meat in your body,” Aziel sounded desperate as he tried giving the bowl of soup to me. I looked away to show defiance, and low-key because “meat inside me” sounds totally different in my mind. I’ve been giving them a cold shoulder in the last few days. I’m still hurt by what they did.

“I know. You must be tired of hearing my apologies. However, I am truly remorseful for what I have done to you. I thought that would be the best way to prepare you for the real world. I should have been more gentle… Or I should have warned you beforehand… I’m really truly sorry…” I admit, he did nothing but take care of me, apologize, and explain his reasoning. I already saw and understand his logic. But I’m hurt. What can I do? I already chose to loathe him and it’s very hard to let go immediately of such heavy emotion. Getting angry one minute and trying to just accept and let go the other minute is mentally and emotionally exhausting.

Besides, he doesn't want me to trust anyone, even them? Does that mean that he doesn't want to be friends with me? I wanted to trust them because I want to be friends with them!

When he saw I won’t budge, he lets out a deep sigh and left me.

After gaining enough strength to get up witho