ੈ♡₊˚•. ˖⋆ ━━━━━⠀WONDERING !
▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ⋯ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ˓ 𑁍ࠜೄ
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 THREE ・*:·. ⇌ ஜ .·:*
⇢ present day
the ground.
Millie exhaled lightly, closing one eye. Her fingers delicately gripped the arrow, other hands tightly wrapped around the bow; she lined up the shot. A small squirrel sat in her line of vision, sitting peacefully on a tree branch eating a nut, with no idea that in a few seconds, it would be dead. She reopened her eye, and let go of the bow, letting it soar through the air. The next sound she heard was the light thumping of the squirrel falling onto the forest ground.
Grinning triumphantly, she slid the bow and arrow back into the holster on her back and marched towards the now-deceased squirrel. It sat unmoving on a leaf, the arrow going straight through its middle. Perfect shot. She picked up the arrow, lifting the squirrel at the same time. Blood soaked the tips of the arrow, killing the small defenseless animal.
At first, Millie felt remorse for killing the animals, but she soon realized it was her or them and pushed her grief to the side. There weren't many, to begin with, most of them were deformed and inedible anyways. She trudged through the leaves, skillfully stepping over the branches and rocks on her way home.
Over the past two years, Millie was introduced to all the horrors and gifts the earth was full of. Trikru wasn't the only clan she had the pleasure of running into, but seven of them. She's sure there was more, but she wasn't so inclined on introducing herself. They weren't all so different from each other, aside from small kinks and traditions that made them their own. No matter how kind and giving, not one allowed her to stay. They all opposed her as a threat to them, sending her off on her own without a second thought.
But out of 7 of 13 clans, none were as brutal and malicious as Azgeda.
Her cave wasn't a place most people would've liked to call home, but Millie didn't mind it. The cave was a sanctuary in the storm, a calm place to regroup and become stronger. It was a small cozy cave on the side of a mountain. Moss and dangling leaves covered the entrance, giving it the illusion of a door. Inside was dark except for the lowly lit candles on each side of it, giving her just enough light to move around without tripping over everything. In the right and far most corner was her bed; which was made of blankets that had been gifted generously to her.
On the left was her food, filled with berries, meat, and edible plants. Her clothing and weapons lay not far from the food, and personal items next to that. The only personal item is a woven bracelet made for her by Apollo. It normally was on her wrist, with the exception of hunting and swimming. It wasn't much, but it was home.
There was a spot for fire right outside of her cave where she cooked her meals. Today was no exception. She slowly turned the squirrel over the fire, occasionally glancing around the dark forest out of instinct. She had been blindsided one too many times.
It had been two years since she woke up that one dreadful day, and to say her life changed was the understatement of the century. She was no longer a desperate and insecure girl, but now a strengthened and vibrant woman who couldn't care less about the people who left her alone. Lie number one. She didn't need them, she had herself. And that would have to do.
Once her meal was done, she finished it within minutes and took her time putting out her fire. Most nights she did wish she had company. She could have, if she didn't leave Lincoln, she was aware that was her own fault. But when Apollo died because of her, she knew she couldn't lose the only other person she cared about. The only person who cared about her. Her loneliness was bearable knowing she was keeping him safe by staying away. They say once you have mastered being alone, you are ready for the company of others, that doesn't make it easy though.
For there are days when the brain becomes a cold fire, perhaps that is what others call panic, but when you are alone, who are you going to call? I guess the good news is that in time, after many unpleasant days, Millie was okay. Most of the time, she just wanted someone to talk about her day with, even if it was boring and uneventful. But Millie made a vow that she wasn't going to be the cause of Lincoln's death. She wanted nothing more— than to talk about the stars with someone.
The stars. Space was such a foreign concept to her, the stars included. Apollo told her once that they were just giant balls of gas and fire, but Millie couldn't help but be anything but curious about them. They were alluring, and oftentimes she found herself not being able to tear her gaze away from them. In every direction there is a star, should she fly into the universe any way would be the right way. Millie tilts her head, gazing upward, eyes more open than they can be in the fullness of day, not looking at one star, yet somehow seeing them all at once.
She let the corner of her lip quirk up before she went into her now dark cave, wrapping herself in her blankets, wondering what she would've done if the clan hadn't offered them to her. Probably frozen to death. Or killed by stealing some from one of the other clans. Either way, she was grateful.
The night came and went in the blink of an eye, soon Millie was making her way towards the small lake not far from her cave. Every morning she bathed herself to start off her day, the cold water often woke her up. Thankfully, unlike some lakes, there were no dangerous lake monsters ready to feast on her flesh. She wasn't provided with soap or anything like that, but the water got rid of the dirt on her body and made her hair feel and look less greasy. Not that she had anyone to impress but herself.
She stripped out of her clothes, yet not putting the knife down as she stepped into the water, letting it cover her body. She dipped her head under it, the coldness filling her senses. She could almost feel the dirt floating off of her and hummed in satisfaction. Her hair floated around her, she opened her eyes to get a better look at the way it swayed through the water. The water moved around her limbs in swirls, creating a buoyancy and sense of freedom. Occasionally she would take her time and swim for a few hours, but something told her today was not the day for that.
So she put her clothes back on and walked along the river bank, searching for fish for breakfast. Eating berries every morning could become sickening, believe it or not. If she was lucky, she would find at least one, maybe two fish swimming aimlessly. As she was staring into the water intensely, squinting her eyes as if that would help her see clearer, the sound of a loud explosion distracted her.
Instinctively, she grabbed her weapons and aimed for the forest. But she quickly learned that the sound didn't come from the ground, but from the sky. Millie tilted her head upward, using her hand to block the light of the harsh sun as she attempted to view what made the loud noise.
A relatively large mental contraption was falling rapidly from the sky, red flames from the atmosphere surrounding it. Millie flinched when the object hit the ground, the impact making her eyes pop out of their sockets. A cloud of smoke formed a bubble around it before it dissipated, not reaching Millie but covering the trees and mountain near its landing.
A million different thoughts swirled around in her head, but one stuck out the most. She darted through the trees, familiarly making her way home. She wasn't sprinting, but it was quicker than a jog. Millie wasn't one to run from a fight, but the explosion would surely attract each and every one of the clans. Millie against 13 different clans wouldn't end well for her. Once she was in the safety of the cave, Millie allowed herself to think.
A metal thing just fell from the sky. She scolded herself, it wasn't just a random piece of metal, there was more to it than that. Probably a spaceship of some sort. There was a point; but what was it? Was its weapons? Did someone send it down here to try and kill them all? Again? It didn't make sense for people to be on it, but Millie wasn't ready to rule that possibility out just yet. However, if there were people on it, they probably would've died the moment they hit the earth's surface.
What Millie didn't know was the metal thing from the sky was going to change everything far beyond her imagination.
Cassie speaks !
(sorry this is so short! i promise the chapters get longer, i just had trouble writing this one for some reason. i know, i suck. buttttt i've been writing a lot in the book and i've really been liking how it's turning out, i'm really excited to be honest. anyways, thank you for reading and don't be afraid to leave feedback!!)