Sydney sat at the edge of Casey's bed, examing her now patched up leg.
That's definitely going to leave a scar.
It still hurt a little when she walked, and she knew Carli had said for her to stay off of it as much as possible, but that meant she would have to stay here a lot.
Elena was great, but she wasn't exactly the type of company Sydney was used to. She was also wary of spending too much time with people, in fear that they might figure her out.
Knock knock!
Without hesitating, Sydney walked over and opened Casey's bedroom door. On the other side of it stood Elena, with a pile of clothes in her hands.
"Sorry to disturb you, dear. But I gathered some more clothes that should fit you nicely. Thought it best you get them now," she said with a warm smile.
"Thank you," Sydney said, accepting the clothes.
She was still uncomfortable being in need of so much help from strangers, but she wasn't going to decline it now.
After saying goodnight, Elena left, and Sydney could see Casey setting up his spot on the couch. She still felt bad that he had to give up his room, especially after the way he helped her get here. But he wasn't going to go against his mother's wishes, so she wouldn't fight it.
Closing the door without Casey noticing, Sydney laid down on his bed. It wasn't as good as the mattress in her dorm room, but it was better than the floor. And the sheets smelt of pine and cinnamon.
The scent calmed her, and she found herself dreaming of better days.
"I can't believe you're back," Jasper said, smiling down at me. "You have no idea how much I missed you."
"It sucked not having you out there with me, Jasp. It's good to be home," I shared, hugging him. I didn't want to ever let go.
I was back home, back with my family; Back with the only person left that would always have my back.
"Come on. I want to take you somewhere," Jasper said, grabbing my hand.
"Okay, but it better be worth it. I didn't come all this way back from the Western Region for you to take me somewhere lame," I teased, glad to be back.
Jasper turned his car down a familiar dirt road, and the trees started to get denser the further he drove. My heart swelled as I realized where we were.
He took me back to the lake we spent the day with Liz at. The last place the three of us came to together, alive, and happy.
"Why are we here?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed.
"We're here because, if you wish hard enough, you'll see her," he said, looking out at the lake.
"Stop lying, Jasper. That's not funny."
"I'm not lying. She's still here, with us. All we have to do is wish, and she'll show up."
I wanted to believe him with everything in me. I wanted to believe that Liz would come back if I wished hard enough. So I tried.
I closed my eyes and focused all my thoughts on her. On her smile, her heart, her friendship. She was my family, and she couldn't be gone.
"Syd, open your eyes," Jasper said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
When I did, my heart stopped.
"I missed you too, Syd," Liz said, pulling me into a hug, and I hugged her back.
Sydney woke up, her body feeling rested. She thought back to the dream she had and smiled. Even though she knew Liz was gone, she realized she was always with her.
After changing into a pair of jeans and a small grey tank top, Sydney went out to the living room.
There was still a bundle of blankets on the couch, thrown all over the place, and Sydney could hear Elena cooking in the kitchen.
"Good morning," she said, trying to be more friendly to the people that took her in.
"Oh, good! You're up! I'm already working on dinner, but there's some fresh rolls on the counter that I made this morning. Help yourself," Elena said with a smile. She still had flour on her clothes, and some kind of sauce on her cheek.
"Thank you. I will," Sydney returned, walking over to the food on the counter.
Just then, Noah crawled out from under the table and latched onto Sydney's leg.
"Hi," he giggled, wiggling his fingers, trying to wave.
Sydney couldn't help the smile he brought to her face.
"Hi, buddy," she greeted, bending down to his level. "Good morning."
"Actually, dear, it's three in the afternoon," Elena spoke, correcting her.
"Three! Really?!" Sydney asked, surprised.
"Yeah. You seemed tired, so I let you rest," she said.
"Oh. Well, where's Casey?"
Noah clapped his hands at the mention of his brother, echoing his name the best he could.
"Asey, asey, asey..." he said, grinning the whole time.
"My son is quite the early bird. He's always out hunting by the time I get up. I wouldn't expect to see much of him until dinner time," Elena answered, knowingly.
The rest of the week went the same as that day. Sydney would wake up, Casey would already be gone, and wouldn't see him until dinner time. She'd spend the day cooped up in the house with Elena and Noah, following the instructions Carli gave about staying off her leg. Another week went by, and still, all she had seen was the inside of Casey's home.
But, today she was determined to get out of the house.
When she woke up, it was still dark out; too early for even the sun to be up.
She quickly got dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a white tank top, along with her sneakers she wore the day she left Galdon. Expecting to do a lot of walking, she pulled her hair back in a high ponytail, although some shorter pieces fell around her face, framing it.
Looking at herself in Casey's mirror, she was pleased. Most of the cuts and bruises she had on her body were now non-existent; minus the healing scar across her leg. But, she was happy to no longer carry so many physical reminders of that terrible day.
When she left Casey's room, he was still sleeping, his body sprawled across the couch. His mouth was slightly open, and she could hear soft snores coming from him as he breathed.
She sat down on the floor in front of the couch, leaning back on it as she waited for him to wake up. Eventually, she felt sleep welcoming her back into its arms.
The sudden shuffling of legs behind her woke her from her nap. She could see that it was still dark out, which meant it hadn't been long since she sat down.
Turning to face Casey, he was starting to wake up.
"Mmm...Aaaaaaaah!" he shouted, startled by her presence the moment he opened his eyes. "What the-What are you doing?"
"I'm coming with you," she announced, placing her hands on her hips.
"Coming with me where?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I don't know. Wherever it is you run off to every morning."
"Ugh, no. Not gonna happen," he rejected firmly.
"Why not?" Sydney asked, annoyed by his demeanor.
"Because I said so. I don't want you out there distracting me," Casey said, getting up off the couch and walking away from her.
Where does he think he's going? I'm not finished talking to him!
"Excuse me? What makes you think I'll be a distraction?!" Sydney questioned, stalking over to him.
"Look, you just would be, okay?" was all he said as he brushed past her.
Sydney was not okay with that answer. She had spent two whole weeks without doing anything and it was driving her mad. Back in Galdon, she was so active and free. She couldn't stay in this house another day, but she still wasn't comfortable enough to go out on her own.
She rushed past Casey, blocking the door to the bathroom before he could go in. She barely made it to it before him, slipping past his arm right as he was reaching for the door handle.
"I'm not taking no as an answer," Sydney pressed.
There wasn't much space between the two of them, especially since Casey tried to ignore her and push the door open.
"Either you take me, or I'll follow you. Regardless, I'm coming," she said with authority, and it seemed like she was getting her point across.
Casey huffed out a sigh, his body so close his breath warmed the side of Sydney's face.
"Fine, but I'm not taking you with me hunting," he said, stepping back and putting some distance between them.
"Why no-" Sydney started to protest, but Casey continued talking.
"But, I guess it's time to show you around LeHorn," he said, reluctantly.
LeHorn? I guess that's better than nothing. I just hope no one gets too interested and starts asking a lot about me.
"Okay. That's good enough, for now," Sydney said, raising an eyebrow at the end of her sentence.
She was far too interested in finding out where Casey went every morning to just drop the subject for good.