Layana gaped at her reflection in the crystal water. There were no mirrors in the bathrooms, providing them no way of knowing what they even looked like.

Nyla had helped all of them get dressed (the exact replica of their old clothes which were black leggings and shirt) and got into a 'pretty decent look,' as she called it.

Tortured yelps had been Layana's labor for a couple hours, she was absolutely certain it hadn't been for nothing. Layana's once long hair is chopped to shoulder-length, just barely grazing past her shoulders. It wasn't an easy job, cutting and brushing her hair.

"You should've cut your hair sooner in the cell," Andriette had said, silently thankful she'd threatened the old guard to give her a haircut. The guard cut Andriette's hair once, and now it's brushing just above her shoulder blades. Though to be honest, it wasn't very impressive on her end. She simply preyed on the newest of them, and bugged him to no end.

Now, Layana brushed her fingers through her soft hair, the scent of freshly washed clothes wafting around her. She smiled at her reflection in the water.

Behind her reflection , she could see the twinkling light bulbs contrasting against the deep blue sky, twinkling white stars winking at her. It was a pleasure to finally see the sky, only a couple minutes before now, she had seen the beautiful gradients in that canopy of heaven.

It had been a glimmering cerulean in the morning, where the sun shone high above her. The different hues of soft pink and brilliant oranges then framed the setting sun at dusk. Layana's eyes had never shed so much tears. Sally would be freaking out if she were with Layana, both of them would. They always wanted to learn more. Sometimes more in the sense of poems, writing, or maybe even the outside world. But... Her mind unwillingly drifted to the horrible nightmare that was last night.

'Stupid thoughts,' Layana shook her head as she blinked away tears.

"Hey!" She jumped as someone called her from behind. She swiveled; it was Mason. "Nyla's calling you, let's eat."

She nodded, "okay!" Layana jumped up from her seated position at the shores of the river, shaking pebbles out of her palm and her bottoms. An unsettling feeling brewing in her gut, she shivered when the chilling nighttime wind blew. It was as if she forgot the comfort that the darkness gave her, and replaced it with an unsettling fear.

She knew it was Mason, but somehow, someway, something didn't seem right. Not with the way he called her, or the way he's words didn't seem his. But with the way his eyes smoldered as it stared right into her soul. Even now, she could see his cerulean eyes, much like the bright sky earlier. It was bright as it has always been, but today was different. It shone in a bone chilling way. And the worse part is, much like herself, Mason has known her too much. And there was nothing she could see in his eyes, not so much as an explanation that would spill out.

What had happened?

Apparently, Mason was against their meal for that night.

Dinner was mournful, it had been the second time they ate dinner on a broken plate. And though the smoky meat burned their tongue, it couldn't mend the cold they feel when the wind blew by and everything reminded them of the three that could never come back again.

Layana had to admit, 'death' seemed inescapable, and thoroughly troublesome. She heard it from Nyla, there's little to no chances that Sally could've survived the torture of the guards. Just thinking about it made Layana's fists clench. 

She tried her best to keep herself from breaking down until evening. 

But as if with the mercury light slowly filtering through the flap of tarp, so did the tears start to rise. Oh but of course, the guilt. She couldn't escape from it. She couldn't deny it.

Layana rose from their tent. After dinner, Nyla had instructed them to go to sleep while she would stand guard.

Layana pried open the opening of the tent, it wasn't that wide but it wasn't that narrow to keep a human inside either. Trying to make less noise as possible, she sneaked out.

The crunching of leaves under her feet mixed with the gentle yet piercing sounds of tiny bugs in the night. Their newfound caretaker and friend had explained as much as she knew about everything that perked their interests (mainly Layana's). Nyla had managed to heal the cuts and bruises on her poor feet as well, and gave each of them a pair of feet covers (slippers) to protect them earlier on.

She noticed the pattern that the leaves and the silver light created on the ground. It was truly mesmerizing. The intricacies of this new world they had just step foot on, is both mysterious and beautiful. This is the outside world. The world that God made. But she couldn't help but think it seemed a bit too much like their cell, if not more. Mysterious and dangerous. Like a huge oddball, except bigger and undeniably rounder. A chill raised the hairs on her arm.

Layana exhaled slowly as she spotted Nyla. She was slumped over, head bowed to the ground, back pressed to a sturdy tree.

She held her breath and drew close to where Nyla was sleeping. Remembering all the techniques she used when she snuck around in their cell, Layana kept herself steady and noiseless as she crouched down beside her. 

She held a sinister smile as she drew her mouth nearer to Nyla's ear...

"Boo."

Nyla scampered in silence before immediately snagging a dagger and pointing it at her. It was such a speed that Layana wasn't even able to comprehend a thing before she felt the cold hilt of the dagger pressed right on her throat.

Her obsidian eyes widened, inching away. The sharp point still sat under her chin, ready to slice at any moment.

"Hey it's me," she rasped, slowly inching her hand to the dagger in an attempt to pry it away.

Nyla's eyebrows furrowed in the dark; she focused on the dark shadow that was slowly taking shape in front of her. She blinked, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, still slightly dizzy.

"Layana?" She quickly pried the dagger away before inching closer to her. Layana smiled nervously, nodding.

Nyla quickly took the dagger away from her. She yawned, shoulders drooping in relief.

"Where did you learn to do that?" She asked, leaning on a tree. Her untamed, curly hair framed her dark face, leaving her striking grey eyes on Layana.

"Do what?" Layana asked, sitting under the tree across from her. 

"Sneaking up on people," Nyla shrugged nonchalantly before turning her back away from Layana. She faced the tree and grabbed its trunk, easily hoisting herself up on it.

"I sneak to the corner every time whenever everyone's sleeping--can I go up too?" She said, pointing beside Nyla in the sturdy trunk of the tree.

Nyla nodded, offering her a hand. Layana took her hand and stepped on the creases of the tree to hoist herself up. Near-death experiences and failed attempts later, they sat side by side on the highest branch of the tree, overlooking the dark green canopy of the forrest. They have decided half-way up that they'd move to the highest branch.

Layana scanned the place with a smile, a breathless gasp escaping her. The cool breeze hit the two girls' faces and swept their hair away. Only now had she seen the source of the silver light. There it was, a large ball of silver, adorned with dark pools of grey and surrounded by thousands of hundreds of bright specks in the dark canopy of night.

"Is this what freedom feels like?" She asked as she reached out a hand to the bright silver ball. It felt so far yet so close.

"No, much, much better," Nyla smiled as she enjoyed the cool breeze. "I'll be sure to take all of you there, and it'll be much longer than the five minutes I relive every day."

What happened? Layana wanted to ask, but her voice seemed to snuff out as she saw the look in Nyla's eyes. Her face softened, her eyes glazed over, as if looking back into her past. A dark past, undoubtedly. No matter how curious Layana is, she couldn't bear to ask the girl what had happened. It might hurt her. Just like how she has hurt others.

"Nyla, what do you call that?" She asked cheerfully, swiftly changing the topic. The older woman seemed grateful for it, in a mere second, her face produced a soft smile.

"That's the moon, and those are called stars," Nyla answered, pointing at the bright objects fixed in the night sky.

"I can't wait for Sally to see this," silence fell upon the two.

Shocked, Layana stared into the sky. Soulless. Her eyes, mere dark pools in her face. She didn't mean to say anything. It lingered in her thoughts like an annoying ant, just hiding behind her tongue, waiting for its presence to be known.

The mention of her name left a bitter taste on her mouth. It's your fault. It's your fault. A whispery voice repeated in her head.

Her jaw clenched. She hated it. She hated herself. She hated how she stood there, watching Ian die, Sally dragged away.

Flashbacks of that night blinded her eyes as she felt the wind blow soft brown waves away. She hoped Nyla wouldn't sense the way her jaw is ticked, or how her fists clench against her shirt. Her best friend for all her years, dragged by the hair, hands flailing, dirt kicked upwards, splotching her pale face. Ian's torturous scream that was followed by the most horrendous squelch she'd ever heard. And his eyes, they were helpless, and Layana just knew he blamed her.

Layana remembered the teary stare Ian gave her, she felt it 'till now. And the unspoken words she threw at her. 'Why won't you help me?' His whisper drove a hole to her chest.

She was too caught up with herself, she didn't acknowledge his stretched out hand. His teary eyes screaming for help as the walls cracked his shoulder blades.

Layana should've helped him, the others were too far behind, she was the only one who could've helped him. But she didn't. She hurt him by not hearing his words of help.

She remembered now, and she regretted it, how she contemplated taking his hand and risking her life over his. In that millisecond in time, she contemplated, and she decided. She decided not to help. It was all her fault.

"I'm sorry," Nyla mumbled, patting her in the back. Her words were empty, or at least it sounded so for Layana. Words of comfort cannot help her today.

No, it can't. If she was as strong as she thought she was. She would rescue Sally. She couldn't risk another life over her own.

It was her or Sally. Her conscience ate her from the inside out, it made her heart rot and whispers continued to rampage in her head.

So, just like that same millisecond, she contemplated and she decided. This time, she decided something good for once. She decided to help Sally, vowing in her heart that she will save her.

But she couldn't tell it to anyone.

Tomorrow night, she would make sure Sally is back by the next sunrise. Tomorrow night, she hopes the nightmares of that moment would stop haunting her. She hoped.