Lost

chapter III

Valerie recovered her voice, rising to her feet. She could already feel anxiety pushing forcefully down on her lungs.
"You have got to be joking! There's no way anyone would bother with us. We're just kids and nothing else! What could we do to benefit any shitty soldiers?" Hysteria had worked it's way into Valerie's voice.
"I don't know!" Matthias snapped. "All I know is that most of the kids our age have been taken to god knows where and they're having god knows what done to them!"
Valerie sunk slowly to her knees. Maddie, her sister... her best friend in the whole world. The air was forcefully pushed from her lungs as Valerie desperately tried to catch her breath. She was desperately close to hyperventilating now; if she didn't calm down, Valerie would faint soon. Tears had begun to streak her face and terror was seizing her.
"What is happening to her?!" Terrence shouted at Alexandria.
"To fucking hell if I know!" Alexandria snapped back.
"Guys calm down! Terrence help her onto the bed and Alexandria, grab a water bottle from our bags. Get a cloth also," Matthias instructed.
Valerie had begun to sway. Her vision filled with spots and she knew she was close to fainting.
Two strong arms lifted her off the floor and laid her down on the bed. A hand gently stroked her own and her tears were wiped off of her dirty cheeks. Valerie wasn't even aware that she had closed her own eyes, but when she opened them her hazel, panicked gaze was met by Terrence's steady, green one. Valerie felt her heart rate slowing as she gained control of her breathing. Alexandria stood in the edge of her peripheral vision, watching silently.
"Are you... okay?" She asked, clearly out of her element when it came to caring.
"Never better," Valerie croaked, sitting up. Matthias silently walked to Valerie's side and handed her a water bottle, holding a cold cloth to her forehead.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Alexandria asked, her eyes widening.
"My mother used to have pretty bad panic disorder. My father used to help her out- I picked up a couple things from her attacks," Matthias responded cooly, his gaze never leaving Valerie's.
"Thanks," Valerie murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes traced over her surroundings and she processed the recent information. Carefully, she pushed herself off of the bed and was met with a rush of dizziness; let out a low groan before letting herself sink back into the bed. She could hear Alexandria and Matthias whispering, but where was Terrence?
"Hey, are you okay?" A voice said next to her ear. Valerie yelped and opened her eyes, startled for a moment. A low chuckle sounded as a gentle hand grabbed her own and tugged her into an upright position.
"I'm great. Never better," Valerie grumbled, mock irritation in her voice. She ran her fingers through her brown hair, trying desperately to untangle it. She growled in frustration after a moment; it was a futile attempt. Terrence's green eyes peered into her own, and he cocked his head as though trying to understand a puzzle. He was gentle and cautious as he ran his index finger over her flushed cheek, pulling a stray strand of hair away from her face.

"There you go," Terrence murmured, the casual smirk on his face fading into a soft smile; the corners of his pink lips barely turned upwards but it was enough to give a faint impression of a smile. Valerie offered a feeble, cheeky grin in return as she rose to her feet for a third time. She was nervous now; she didn't want to stumble to the ground like an incompetent imbecile. Without even realizing she was doing so, she reached for Terrence's hand for support.

Meanwhile, Alexandria and Matthias had managed to sneak off to the suite beside the one Valerie and Terrence were occupying.
"How strange... We've already split up. Perhaps this is their way of separating us so they can kill us... Maybe I should check on Valerie, I mean like she is a quite anxious person and what if she is in trouble?" Alexandria thought. She decided against it when she glanced into Matthias brown eyes. He was gazing patiently at her expectantly, as though he was waiting for Alexandria to say something.
"Sorry... What? I totally zoned out,"
Matthias chuckled as he shook his head.
"That is a lovely sound," Alexandria marvelled, unable to help the flirtatious grin spreading across her face.
"I was saying how Valerie and Terrence have seemed to hit it off. They were so busy ogling at each other that they didn't even notice us leaving- and if they did, they didn't care to stop us," Matthias buffed, his eyes sparkling with humour.
"Is everything you say a speech?" Asked Alexandria flirtatiously. She subconsciously bit her lip; she didn't notice she was doing so until Matthias's eyes trailed down to where her teeth were grazing. Flushing a soft pink, Alexandria dropped her eyes to the ground as her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"You've got a smart mouth," murmured Matthias. "I wonder what it takes to quiet it," he mused, as he moved closer to her. Alexandria could feel her breath hitching.
A hand gently brushed under her chin, directing her gaze into his. Now Alexandria was really excited. She took a moment for self doubt; he had literally slapped her 20 minutes ago, and now it seemed as though they were about to kiss.
"Fuck it," Alexandria thought, her eyes shifting to Matthias's full lips. "He's hot and Christ he's got some nice lips. The world is quite possibly ending and like a wise woman once proclaimed, girls just wanna have fun," She reasoned with herself mentally. That was her last thought before Matthias's lips were against her own, and her hands danced through his soft hair. She felt warm hands grip her waist as Alexandria became lost to the world around her.

The door creaked open loudly, breaking the spell.
"Oh god, was I interrupting something?" Valerie helped, as Terrence's loud laugh boomed through the quiet room.