Descendant's Future

Disappearance and Trust

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~❶Jay❶~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I wake up in a dark forest, stuck in a deep rut. After a quick assessment, I realize nothing broken, only bruised. I stand up and try to figure out what's happening. This place is strange. I haven't seen this area of the island before. As I look around, I see trees bent and broken. "Carlos?" I ask. "Evie? Mal?" I hear a groan coming for somewhere. "Hello?!" I run towards the sound as someone groans again.

The closer I get the more destruction I see. When I reach the center, Mal lies in the deep hole in the ground. "Mal!" I cry. Moving quickly, I slide down the edge and crouch beside her. "Mal, can you hear me?" I ask. She groans again but doesn't move. She has cuts and bruises along her entire body. Her arms are covered in strange tattoo like marks, similar to the wands. I pick her up and she feels slightly heavier than usual. How did she manage that?

Stumbling along, we eventually reach a small cottage hidden in the darkest part of the forest. Dust coats every surface and cobwebs hide every corner. I set Mal on a table nearby and look around. All that's left is furniture. I tear my shirt into strips, bandaging the worst of her wounds. As I finish, Mal's eyes flutter open. "Mal, hey."

She seems dazed and confused as she looks around. "W-who?" she asks.

Now I'm in shock. "Mal, it's me, Jay. Don't you remember me?"

"Mal?" she asks. It's hard to hear her voice, it's so soft and hoarse. "Is th-that m-me?"

I collect myself for a moment before sitting next to her and making it so she can see me easily. I brush the hair from her face and give her a small smile so she's not scared. "Don't worry about anything. I'm gonna take care of you, alright? Just rest right now; you're exhausted."

Her eyes close before I finish and she's out like a light. I rush about, trying to clean the place up and make it habitable for us. It looks like we're going to be here a while.

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After cleaning up and finding some food, I set Mal down on the bed, pulling the blankets over her. Through the hours we've been here, her skin seems to sink in towards her bones. Three days since we've landed, it stops. She's so thin, almost inhumanly so. When she's awake, I try to give her some water and small scraps of food but it's never enough and she just falls back asleep. I'm nervous she's not getting enough. She always tries to eat as little as possible.

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Three weeks after the crash, she starts to stay awake for longer periods of time. Her hair has turned mostly blonde for some reason with small purple highlights. I'm able to get more food in her and try to help her remember things. I don't understand what's going on with her, but she's getting better.

"Mal?" I ask her. She looks at me, curious. "How do you feel today?"

She takes a deep breath and gives me a small smile. "A little better."

"Good. That's really good."

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We've reached the end of the third month, Mal's able to sit up on her own and move around for short distances. Sometimes she doesn't recognize me and is terrified when she sees me. Even with how little she eats, it seems like she's gaining enough weight back. Her hair is completely blonde with on small purple stream of bangs.