The First Lost Girl

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Everything's Going To Be Okay

Felix's P.O.V.
I spotted Rufio sneaking up behind the captain. He must have seen me looking at her because he turned her way. I silently cursed myself for giving her away, but she seemed to recover easily and swung the chunk of wood she had at the captain's head.
"Run Beau!" She yelled when the captain hit the floor.
And that's when all decided to move. Each lost boy either grabbed his weapon from the ground or fought a pirate to get it back.
It became total chaos all over again. I slammed my mace into a pirates side, causing him to collapse in pain. I was about to finish him off when I heard a sickeningly loud crack from somewhere behind me. I turned to see Rufio lying still on the floor, with the captain looking down at her from the upper deck.
I ran to her side. Was she dead? No, I wouldn't believe that. Rufio wouldn't go down that easily.
"Rufio?" I called, lifting her head gently by bracing her neck against the palm of my hand. I checked her pulse. It was beating a steady pace.
"Pan!" I called. I needed to get Rufio out of here.
"Right here." Pan said from beside me.
He knelt down and felt her pulse as I had done before.
"She's unconscious, but alive. We can't keep her here though. Think the boys are done?" I asked.
"I'd say." He smirked. "I'll call them off."
He stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth, giving a loud rooster call.
"Come on boys!" He yelled.
I gently picked up Rufio as the boys repeated the rooster call and began to crawl over the boat side.
When I reached the boat side I carefully leaned Rufio over my shoulder and followed the boys down.

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We made it back to camp by the time the sun went down, leaving us boys to work our way around with only fire light to aid our vision. I pushed past the flaps to my tent and laid Rufio in her bed. After dressing the cut on her arm and making sure she was as comfortable as possible, I left her there and got into my own bed, not even bothering to change my clothes. I was a bit tired from the events of the evening and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

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Rufio's P.O.V.
I woke up to a white hot pain shooting through the back of my head. I was in what seemed like an unfamiliar place at first. It was dark, and quiet. I wondered if I had been taken captive again by the Pirates. I listened hard, but I didn't hear anything that would indicate I was in a boat. No sounds of water sloshing against the smooth wood. No creaking of wood when someone would walk around in the floor above. No wind causing cloth sails to flap around wildly. None of those things. What I did hear was the sounds of crickets and night owls singing, the rustle of leaves against the wind, and the smell of fresh earth. I sat up. If this is where I thought it was, then why was it so dark? Why didn't I see the sliver of light that always showed between the two tent flaps?
"Felix?" I whispered. No answer. He must have been outside.
I carefully and quietly slipped out of the my bed. Or at least...I thought it was my bed. It must have been, I felt the many different textures of fur and skins of my blanket. It must have been my tent. But why did it feel so strange?And why was it so dark? I slowly made my way forward, holding my hands out in front of me since my eyes still hadn't adjusted to the dark. I felt the tent flap and pushed it aside, gasping at the result. Which was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just empty darkness. I was beginning to panic. Where was everybody? Why couldn't I see anything?
"Felix?" I called, louder this time. Still no answer. I felt around wildly with my hands. Why weren't my eyes adjusting to the light?
"Felix?! Felix where are you?!" I cried.
"Rufio?!"
"Felix!"
I heard him emerge from the tent and felt him grab hold of my flailing arms, I gripped his sleeves, assuring myself that I wasn't alone.
"Rufio what's wrong?!"
"I-I can't see anything, where are we?!"
"We're at camp, right outside our tent. What do you mean you can't see anything?"
"What's going on?" I heard Pan's voice sound from somewhere next to me.
"I don't know, I just found her like this. She's freaking out, I don't know why." Felix answered, worry sounding in his voice.
"Rufio? What's going on guys?" It was Beau.
"Yah, what's with all of you?" I heard Patch ask.
"All of you go back to bed, I'll take care of this." Pan replied.
"Come on Rufio." I heard Felix mumble quietly in my ear. Since I hadn't let go of his sleeves, he had to twist his wrists around to take hold of my hands. "Let's get back inside okay?"
All I could do was nod. I was scared. What was wrong with me?
Felix brought me back into the tent, followed by Pan.
"What's going on Rufio?" Pan asked after I sat down on my bed, Felix at my side. I had a death grip on his hand, but I couldn't make myself let go. I was so scared. I was glad Felix was there, his presence comforted me. And right now, I needed that.
"I can't see anything..." I whispered with a shaky voice.
He was silent for a minute. Then he spoke.
"Felix, turn up that light, as high as it will go."
"Rufio you're going to have to let go." Felix told me.
I nodded but didn't let go. I was trying, but my body wouldn't let me.
"Rufio." He said calmly, rubbing my hand. "It's going to be okay. Just let go." I forced my hand to go slack and he pulled away. My hand went down to my blanket and I gripped onto that now.
"Okay, now look at me Rufio." Pan said.
"I can't see you Pan, I can't see you!" I cried.
"Rufio calm down, just...just calm down." Pan said.
Felix had come back to me and was rubbing my back, whispering small things in my ear, trying to calm me down.
I cringed and grabbed the back of my head as it throbbed harder. Felix and Pan were silent for a minute.
"Rufio..." Pan started. "I...I think you've been blinded."
My heart seemed to stop beating.
"What?!"
"You took a nasty fall didn't you? You hit your head hard enough...hard enough to take away your sight."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"She's blind?"
"I'm certain of it now. When she fell she must have hit her head just right. I'm...I'm sorry Rufio."
I couldn't respond. I could hardly even think. I was almost certain I would pass out again. I felt dizzy and sick and confused. I heard Pan stand up. There was a light pressure on my shoulder and then it left, Pan along with it. Leaving me with the news.
"Rufio-" Felix started, but at the slightest noise of his voice, all of my emotions were released.

Felix's P.O.V.
Rufio started to sob uncontrollably. She bent over on herself, crying into her hands.
I didn't know what to do. I just rubbed her back and held onto her. She was blind. I could hardly believe it. It was like it wasn't true. She couldn't be blind. But deep down inside, I knew she was. And there was nothing I could do other than be there, trying my best to console her.

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I woke up for the fifth time tonight to Rufio's crying. She must have woken up again. I quietly got out of bed and entered hers, wrapping my arm around her and whispering to her, trying to calm her down again.
"It's okay Rufio, I'm here." I whispered. "Everything's going to be okay."
After a few minutes her crying quieted back down and her breathing went to a steady pace. She was asleep. And I too, couldn't resist the tug of quiet slumber.