•Marshall•

Flashes of light shine through the relatively still and quiet night.

Quiet, except for the shouting and running.

"Fionna!" Finn shouts once again, his voice hoarse for shouting her name for hours on end.

"Fionna!" I shout after him, pleading and praying for about the millionth time that Fionna will miraculously answer.

She doesn't. Again.

But we continue to shout her name and search for her anyway.

Because I'm NOT going to rest until Fionna is found, and I know Finn and Marceline aren't going to rest either, considering the fact that Fionna is Finn's twin sister and Marceline's best friend.

Until we find and rescue Fionna from Ashley, none of us will rest.

It's not like we'd be able to even if we wanted to; the very thought of Fionna possibly in danger or in pain has me freaking out to the point where I'm about ready to pull all my hair out.

I can tell Finn and Marcy aren't too far behind.

Who can blame us, anyway? It's been two days—nearly three—and we still haven't found Fionna, or Breakfast Princess, who was kidnapped along with Fionna.

I feel like we've searched every inch of Ooo, although I know we haven't. The three of us are exhausted.

But it doesn't matter; either we find Fionna or we keep looking until we do.

We aren't going to stop until Fionna is back at home and safe in our loving embrace.

"Fionna!" Marceline calls as she grips her flashlight in her hands, shining it all over the place.

Finn and I shine our flashlights around as well so we could see as we search. The police are off searching somewhere else while we search here.

Cake and Jake are still at the tree fort in case Fionna comes back home, and I'm sure Bubblegum and Flame Princess are still at the police station. After being informed of what happened, Gumball went with them, and the three of them have been camped out there ever since to ensure that if the cops found out anything, they'd be the first to know.

Finn's feet are probably killing him. Marceline and I aren't bothered because we're just flying the entire way. Finn, however, doesn't have that luxury being as he's human.

But, Finn goes on anyway; it was agreed that finding Fionna is more important than anything.

As we continue our search, we near the woods of Ooo. The very dark and dangerous woods, especially at night.

We haven't checked the woods yet.

"Are we going in?" Marceline asks.

"We don't have a choice," Finn replies.

I nod in agreement. "Finn's right--we have to. There's a chance Fionna and BP might be in there, or at the very least Ashley went through here with them."

So, armed only with our flashlights and determination to find a girl we each love very much, we step into the woods.

We continue to shine our flashlights all around as we make sure to stay together and watch out for anything dangerous or suspicious.

Horror stories have been told about the woods of Ooo. The kind of stories you tell around a campfire or at a sleepover to scare the shit out of each other.

Unfortunately, some of these stories are true.

People have gone missing and were never heard from again after they entered the woods.

Even so, my need to find the love of my life is stronger than my oh-my-glob-I'm-going-to-crap-my-pants fear of these woods.

I have a feeling Finn and Marceline feel the same way, considering the fact they're both searching the woods with me.

As we searched the woods, the idea of either Marcy or me turning into a bat and flying over the trees to get a bird's eye view of the area had been discussed, but it was quickly shot down as we each realized the trees are way too thick to fly through and over.

Suddenly, as we all are still searching the thick woods, I smell something that makes my eyes widen as I stiffen.

Marceline and Finn immediately notice and turn to look at me. "What is it?" they both ask.

I continue to smell the air. It smells richly of a scent I know all to well as I have been around it for years. A scent I have grown to love.

The scent of Fionna Mertens.

"It's Fionna!" I speak excitedly as I keep sniffing the air. "I can smell her! But... but the scent's old... Fionna was definitely here, but she isn't here now." I frown, disappointed that we haven't found Fionna.

Finn looks confused. "You can smell Fionna? How can you smell her if she's not here?" he asks.

Marceline explains before I can. "Finn, after a Vampire marks their mate, which Marshall did to Fionna, they form a connection with their mate that allows them to sense when their mate is nearby or if they were nearby. It also allows a Vampire to become even more accustomed to their mate's scent and be able to smell it wherever their mate is or was. After marking Fionna, Marshall's senses became heightened towards her, so that's why he can still smell her even though she's not here anymore."

Finn blinks at her. "Wow. You kind of sounded like some sort of a lecturer for a moment there," he says, cocking his head at Marcy. "And, what do you mean by marking...?"

Oh. Finn doesn't know about Vampire Marks. Right.

Marceline waves it off. "Either Marshall or I will explain it to you later. For now, we need to keep looking. And, since Marshall pointed out Fionna was here, I think it's a good idea that he takes the lead," she tells him.

I nod in agreement. "Good idea," I say before we continue to look around, Marceline and Finn following me as I follow Fionna's scent. "She was definitely here. And if she was here, that must mean BP was too. Ashley went through here to get to where she's keeping them, wherever that is."

"Well, wherever that is, we need to find it. God knows how long Fionna and BP can survive in the hands of Ashley." Finn shakes his head, which only makes my fear for the girl I love increase even more. I'm even worried about Breakfast Princess; even if she's our enemy, we all know she's nowhere near as bad as Ashley. Plus she was kidnapped too, and like Fionna, doesn't deserve what happened to her.

I swallow nervously as we keep searching.

We have to find them. We need to.

•Fionna•

The cell door slams shut after Ashley throws me inside the cell.

I still feel the searing pain on my stomach, from what Ashley had done to me only minutes ago.

I have some bruises and I'm bleeding a bit from her beatings. I've been here for almost three days now, and ever since Ashley kidnapped us, it's been proven that her favorite pastime is kicking me around. She also kicks BP around, but it's mostly me mainly because I offer myself up to her in Breakfast Princess's place, and most of the time she takes me and leaves Breakfast Princess alone.

But still; she, like me, has her own bruises from Ashley.

Thankfully, it's nothing too serious; Ashley hasn't broken any of our bones, at least.

When BP notices I am back in the cell and Ashley has left, she immediately comes to me, frightened. "Fionna! Fionna, are you okay? Is she gone?" she whispers frantically.

I try to summon the strength to get up and move towards her, but I was left too weak after what Ashley did to me.

Usually she just slaps me around, but this is worse.

And Breakfast Princess notices. "Fionna... what's that on your stomach...?" she whispers fearfully. She really sounds genuinely scared for me.

I don't get to answer as she lifts up my shirt and immediately gasps at what I know she sees.

The impression of a small letter A that had been cruelly branded on the side of my stomach.

A for Ashley.

"No... She...," BP swallows and looks at me in disbelief. "She... she branded you...?" she squeaks in terror, and I think I see her eyes begin to water. "Oh my God..."

My skin is still red from the burning.

I still feel the horrid pain from the boiling-hot metal when it was pressed unwaveringly against my flesh. No matter how small the branding had been, I had cried and screamed at the pain, some of the worst pain I had ever felt in my entire life. And that's saying something, considering my brother and I go out and slay monsters every day for a living.

Finn and I get attacked a lot.

But never had anyone ever branded me. Until now.

Ashley branded me.

I remember what she said before she did it. She said that I was her slave now and she owned me and controlled me and that she wanted everyone to know that. She also said that while Vampires nearly drained their slaves dry, witches branded their slaves.

She said all that right before she put burning-hot metal to my skin and laughed at me as I screamed.

Ashley had branded me for life; there was no getting rid of the mark she left and the scars it will leave behind once it begins trying to heal.

Luckily, Breakfast Princess didn't have to watch because Ashley took me to a different room and performed the horrific deed there.

"That's it, it's official--that bitch is legitimately mentally unstable! She has to be to be able to do something like this to a person!" Breakfast Princess rants, her eyes narrowed.

"She doesn't care because, in her deranged mind, I stole Marshall from her," I say as I slowly and carefully sit up. "She's going to kill me, BP. She's already made that obvious enough. And even though she's specifically told us that, she didn't have to."

Tears start spilling out of Breakfast Princess's eyes. "Oh God," she wails as she tries to stop herself from crying and fails miserably. "She's going to kill us—both of us! I can't die yet! I have regrets!"

I arch an eyebrow. "Regrets? Like wearing a scarf that clashes with a blouse or buying a slightly overpriced handbag?" I question.

BP narrows her eyes at me. "I'm serious, Fionna. I have actual regrets. Now, I never thought I'd say that ever, but here we are! And, I can't have you die either because..." She trails off.

I wait for a few seconds before I nudge her slightly. "Because why...?" I ask curiously. I really thought that if I died, it really wouldn't affect Breakfast Princess that much. In fact, I really thought she wouldn't care.

Considering she, you know, hates me.

"Because... because I need to apologize!" BP suddenly blurts it out.

Wait, what?

I blink in surprise. "A-Apologize?" I repeat in confusion, because I am indeed very confused as to why Breakfast Princess, the girl who's hated me and who I've hated for years, suddenly feels the urge to apologize to me for something.

Breakfast Princess nods. "Yes. I need to apologize to you, Fionna. Well, actually, I need to apologize to you and your friends..." she mumbles, looking embarrassed.

"Um... why?" I ask, even more surprised.

BP looks at me like I am stupid. "Are you serious? I've been a real shithead to you all the years I've known you and I wasn't too kind to your friends either! I called you names, made fun of you, insulted you, and did nothing but make you and your friends' lives miserable, despite how many times you and your brother saved my kingdom. I never once thanked you for it, but instead I let Ashley bully you and I helped her do it," she says before she took a deep breath and looks me straight in the eyes. "Fionna, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you and to all your friends for the awful way I've treated you for all those years. I was selfish, mean, and insecure so I took it out on you. It was wrong of me to do that, and I shouldn't have done it. I was just so wrapped up in being popular and doing whatever Ashley said that I never thought about how you guys might feel," She swallows. "Well, I never thought about it until after what you told me at the Birthday Ball... I thought a lot about it then, and it made me realize something I should have realized a long time ago."

I clear my throat, hanging on to every word she says. "And what's that?" I ask her curiously.

"That I shouldn't be mean to others for my own benefit and to make myself feel good," BP sighs, sounding honest. "If I'm telling you the truth, I never really meant any of the stuff I said to you guys and I only said it because Ashley told me to and I thought I was making her happy by doing so, and that made me feel good because I thought Ashley was my friend," She shakes her head and laughs stiffly, looking solemn. "Turns out, I meant as much to her as a wad of gum stuck to her shoe; she was only friends with me because I was popular and pretty like she is. She told me so after I questioned her about our friendship and what it meant to her. Well, apparently, it meant nothing at all. And considering what you told me at the Birthday Ball, I realized I didn't want a friendship where someone was only my friend because of my social status and what I looked like--I wanted a real friendship where someone genuinely cared about me for who I am on the inside. When I thought about that, I thought about you guys and how you love each other. From then on, I knew I was wrong and that I wanted what you all already had. I think that's one of the reasons why I was so mean to you; I think, subconsciously, that I was jealous of the friendship you have with your friends. I wanted something like that, and I still do. Yet, you had it right in front of me, so that made me mad. However, no matter how mad I was, it gave me no right to treat you the way I did. I'm really sorry, Fionna."

Oh.

My.

God.

Did BP just say what I think she said?!

Did she actually APOLOGIZE to me about how she treated me and my friends all these years?!

This can't be real.

This has to be a dream, yes, that's exactly what it is--a very realistic, weird, and horrible dream.

There's no other explanation for what just happened!

I simply keep blinking silently at Breakfast Princess, feeling like my eyes are going to pop out of my head any second now.

Eventually, I am able to form a coherent sentence. "Do you really mean that?" I mutter, still shocked.

BP nods, tears in her eyes. "I do. You were right all along, you always were," She laces her fingers together nervously. "I'd like to start over with you... with all of you, if you'd give me the chance. I've changed. Really. I told Ashley where she could stuff it after I realized you were right and Ashley basically told me I meant less than nothing to her. I know I was a monster to you guys and I nowhere near deserve your forgiveness, but this monster has changed for the better. And, I have you to thank for it; you opened my eyes Fionna and, basically, changed my entire outlook on life," she says emotionally before she shakes her head and sniffles. "But, all that hardly matters if we're stuck in here and Ashley eventually kills us."

I just sit there for a moment, processing what she said--everything she said.

No.

I stand up slowly and look down at Breakfast Princess, sudden newfound determination coursing through my veins. "We're not going to stay here and we're certainly not going to let Ashley kill us. We're going to get out of here and go home to see our loved ones again and we are going to be alive and well. I am NOT going to give into Ashley," I say, hands on my hips, still very determined.

BP looks hopeful. "R-Really?" she sniffs curiously.

I nod, a smirk on my face. "If there's one thing I learned during my years of being a hero, it's that heroes don't know when to quit. That's a saying I've been following my whole life. I never quit because I'm a hero and heroes never quit, so you better believe I'm not giving up any time soon."

Suddenly, before BP can respond, the sound of a door opening and closing is heard and footsteps follow.

Breakfast Princess turns pale. "She's back..." she whimpers, terrified.

I move in front of her protectively so hopefully Ashley won't mess with her.

The footsteps grow louder and louder until the person that is making them enters the room.

My eyes widen. So do BP's.

My voice has a slight growl to it. "Ash..." I whisper.