Somehow I'm at ease in this dark new place. Having left The dirt we fell on is The best thing I did. Looking down made me smile. The girl is fast asleep in my arms; I've never seen her so look peacful. The bites hurt. Many things do. If only I knew what to do. Sleep tugs at me. I can't sleep! Not now! Howeber, I do need to stop. Upon finding a small clearing I stop. Once the girl looks comfortable I sit back watching, waiting for something to happen. For two sunrises I sit in vigil. Thinking of her, the child I watch. Her short cropped blue hair and big brown eyes. I've seen those eyes before but on someone else. I wonder if they are related. Is she his daughter? Sister possibly? No question about it, this girl and that man, Tei are related. Stars peek out of the canopy. Numbing cold strikes. Icy clouds form my breath. The child is alive. At least some good news; but I'm getting worse. A lot worse. The trees are thick and the ground is warming. Heat from below is nice. Almost to nice. The next sunrise brings some life with it. Birds fly between the tree branches. Little critters come curious of us. Sniffing and kind. The brown and green furs are soft to the touch. The third sunset brings more critters, and a pink hue of dizziness. Soft voices whisper of a world with  beauty and life from the sky. All the critters huddle around us. The warmth and purrs cause me to give in to sleep.

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Warm drops of sun lap at my face. A gripping pain surges my body. I wake with a start. Sadly I find myself on cold ground instead of an under ground tunnel. The child! I sit up. She pushes me back down."Not yet!" She says sternly. I look the only way I can, up. I've never seen trees before. They are beautiful! The green and brown take my breath away. Or is it the girl? It doesn't matter. I rest looking at the many different colors above. The pain subdues to nothing.

I wake once again. How many times can one person fall asleep? Conscious of my surroundings I slowly sit up. The girl is gone. A small fire is a blaze next to me. Trees and brush linger close. I wonder why they are not lit too. Maybe they aren't flammable. Strange sounds drift everywhere in the air. One crunching sound steadily grows near. Grabbing a stick from the fire I wait on my hunches ready to strike. Through the leaves I see the girl. Relieved I put the stick back. She walks in the small clearing arms filled with wood. She stacked them nice and neat in a pile next to the fire. "Questions." She states. I have so many I don't know where to start. I think a moment before saying, "Introductions first." "I'm Azeel." "Shay, nice to meet you." "Oh, don't be so formal. I just saved your life." Azeel said chuckling. Let's start there. "About that, What?!" The worst approach ever. "I'm different." She stated. "Obviously. Explain. What is it, how, when, why, the works." I rush. She starts by sitting cross legged in front of me folding her hands in her lap.

"I was born in that place. In that life. Stripped from my mother." She paused. "There ... They do horrible things there. He does - he has his servants take what is precious. They make sure you can't have children first. That's because of me I think.

Anyway they force you to do stuff.". Azeel ogot her courage and started yelling. "They experiment on you. Turn you into monsters! Then sell you to the highest bidder. ". She spat.

"They don't deserve to live. HE doesn't deserve to live! Anyway, my parents where experiments, so I have what they had. I was born with it. I don't know how or why, but it happens." I was dumbstruck.

"Stop staring!" "I'm not staring!" I was staring and new it. The sun has gone down at this point.  Both of our stomachs yelled, and laughed at each other. Once we stopped, she pointed her finger at something in the darkness, peridot green power emerged from her in short bolts. Smiling the biggest smile she ever had she went in after it, and brought out four large squirrels. Set them in front of me, then stood by the edge of the forest forming a ball of light in her left hand and went in. I prepared them to be cooked. Azeel came back with some plants. " Lavender, rosemary, and thyme grow wild here.".

After cooking it with her powers we ate it. While eating she told me more of her story. She said they had a torture chamber in the bottom of the impound next to the cells. One man is in charge. No surprise there. She has the whole layout of the place, the blue prints, plans, secrets, desires, full personnel profiles, everything. This girl is more than bargained for. I can't help but like her. Maybe even love her.
Maybe even call her my child.