When they finally reached the male dormitory, Jasper ran straight to his room, placing Sydney on his bed. Unsure of what to do, she watched as he scrambled through his dresser.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, taking in Jasper's room.

His dark grey bedsheets, his plain white walls. In all their time as friends, she'd never been here. It was against policy, and girls only snuck in for one reason. Something Sydney had never done and wasn't focused on. She had crushes before, but none of them became anything more.

"I'm looking for my keys. I haven't driven my car since we came back to campus, after winter break," he said, frustration lacing his voice.

"Jasper, you don't have to go through all this trouble for me," Sydney said, feeling guilty about what she was putting him through. "If something goes wrong and they find you helping me, they'll consider you an accomplice. I can't be the reason your future is ruined."

"Syd, drop it. You sound silly," he said, still rummaging through his things.

"No, Jasper. I'm serious. What will you do if we get caught?"

He paused, then turned to face her, exhaling a breath he must have been holding in.

"You truly must not see how much you mean to me," he said, as calmly as ever.

His blue eyes focused on her. She felt them trying to tell her something, but with everything going on, she couldn't tell what emotion they were portraying.

Loyalty? Affection? Hurt? All three?

"Syd, if you think I could live with myself if I didn't do everything possible to help you, then you really have lost your mind," he added.

Sydney fell quiet. She still had her reservations, but no more questions left her tongue. It was clear, Jasper wasn't going anywhere. That thought brought her comfort, knowing she wasn't alone, but she just hoped that he'd be okay at the end of this.

"Got 'em!" He cheered. "Let's go."

And he, once again, carried her out toward the garage.

"You know, you got me this crutch for a reason," Sydney joked.
She was trying to lighten the life or death mood hovering over them. He just smirked as they neared his car. After strapping themselves in, Jasper sped off toward his uncle's property. He lived in the countryside, but wasn't too far from the university.

As he drove, Sydney thought back to how life was, just yesterday. The three of them had spent the day down by the lake on campus. She and Jasper hadn't hesitated to jump into the water. Swimming and splashing each other without a care in the world. Liz, on the other hand, stood at the edge of the water, not too keen on hopping into "dirty water" as she put it. When Jasper gave Sydney his signature mischievous look, she knew what he was thinking.

They pretended they were tired and were taking a break, getting out the water and joining Liz where she stood. After looking to each other, they grabbed Liz and jumped back into the water, bringing her with them. She freaked out at first, but soon after she was swimming and splashing them back. Sydney enjoyed every moment they shared that day. But, it was destined to stay a memory that could never be relived.

Realizing it was the last normal and happy memory she shared with Liz, Sydney felt herself tearing up again.

"Darnit," she hissed, turning to look out the window, afraid Jasper would notice.

"We're almost there," he assured her, turning on the radio.

"...she is wanted for allegedly murdering dozens in Centre Park, including our beloved president. If anyone sees or knows of the whereabouts of Sydney Donovan, please don't hesitate-"

Jasper clicked off the radio.

"My bad, Syd," he apologized.

"It's okay. It's not your fault my country's betraying me," she said, leaning her head against the window.

She closed her eyes, letting the vibrations rock her to sleep. Maybe she would find some solice in unconsciousness. She hoped she might see Liz, full of life. She wouldn't mind never waking up from that dream.

About an hour passed by and the next thing Sydney saw was Jasper opening her door.

"Huh? When did we get here?" she asked, wiping the sleep off her face.

"About fifteen minutes ago," Jasper answered, a smile spread across his face.

"What's with the goofy grin?" Sydney chuckled. It was nice to see her friend in better spirits.

"Uncle Chip agreed to take you over Shadows Peak," he said, his grin spreading across his whole face.

"Wait, what? That would mean he's taking me into Western Region! I don't know anything or anyone there!" she shouted.

Sydney's mind went to her leg.

How am I going to make it in a foreign land with an injured leg?!

"It's the best chance you have, at the moment," Jasper asserted. "If you have a better idea, please let me know."

"I don't," Sydney didn't hesitate to admit.

She looked down at her lap, still sitting in his front seat. In this car, she felt safe. With Jasper she felt protected; she had someone who cared about her. It wasn't always like that.

The first time she felt that way was when she met Liz. That happened when Liz's family started volunteering at the orphanage she grew up in. Sydney was the only girl Liz's age, so they quickly became friends. It wasn't until much later that Jasper joined her life, and now he was all she had left. But, it seemed like he was leaving her too.

"It sounds like you're not coming," Sydney said, sadness leaking through with her words.

"I'm not," he said, returning her feelings.

"I'm going to miss you, Jasper."

"Hey, Syd, don't be sad. We'll see each other again," he said, grabbing her hand. "I couldn't live without you."

Looking into his eyes she could see he truly meant every word. She might not lose him forever.

"But how will we find each other when I'm over there?"

"You'll have this," Jasper said as he held up a little red metal triangle with a small bulb of light at the tip. "Uncle Chip puts one of these in every shipment he drops off. It's meant to track them so he can see that they got delivered to their planned destination."

He handed it to her, enclosing her hands around it.

"For me, it will let me know where you are and give me hope that I'll see you again," he concluded.

He kept his gaze on her hands, as she stared at him.

"Why can't you come with me?" Sydney asked.

A small grin filled his face as he said, "I'd love nothing more."

Now looking in her eyes he added, "But our lives are here. I need to be here, working on clearing your name, and getting justice for Liz."

Man, why did everything have to be so complicated?

"You're right," she exhaled. "I just wish today never happened."

Sydney closed her eyes, breathing in some of the last Galdean air she would for a while. She sat like that, silence between her and Jasper for what felt like a few minutes. Then he broke the silence.

"Hey, Syd?"

"Yeah?" she answered, turning to face him.

He looked conflicted, like he was having an internal battle. His eyes shifted, unsteady. She had never seen him look so unsure before in all the time she had known him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, concern starting to form.

"Nothing's wrong, you know, besides what's wrong," he said, a nervous chuckle following.

"Then what is it?" she asked again.

"It's just, I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now. It just never seemed right, and now, well...I just don't know if I'll be able to-"

"JASPER! WE NEED TO GO NOW!" Uncle Chip screamed from his plane. "I HEARD OVER DISPATCH THAT THEY'RE STARTING TO SEND OUT SEARCH PARTIES FOR YOUR GIRL!"

Sydney could hear the engine roaring. It was drowning out the sound of her heart beating, but she could feel it racing.

They're looking for me.

She felt the need to get away from Galdon burning all over. She felt the urgency to get out of danger.

"Let's go. You can tell me on the plane," Sydney said as she grabbed her crutch to steady herself.

Heading to the plane she imagined what awaited her. She noticed when Jasper caught up to her, helping her move faster. When they got to the plane on the runway, Jasper helped her in, watching her sit in her seat.

"Well, don't just stand there. Get in," Sydney stated.

"I'm not coming," Jasper said.

"What are you talking about?" She said, discouraged.

"This...This is where we say goodbye."

"But, but-" she stammered, struggling to get her mind around the sudden separation. She assumed he was at least flying with her.

"I can't risk becoming a suspect in your disappearance," he reasoned.

"Jasper."

"Just, try your best to find a doctor as soon as possible over there. You can't be a soldier if you're stuck a cripple," he joked, a forced smile plastered on his face.

"Okay," she agreed. She could see he was as uncomfortable as she was.

"ALRIGHT, BOY! YOU CLOSE THAT DOOR NOW!" Uncle Chip yelled from the cockpit. "WE'VE GOT TO GO NOW!"

"Got it!" he returned.

Jasper started to close the door, but Sydney yelled something before he could finish.

"Wait!" she yelled over the engine. "What was it you wanted to tell me?!"

Jasper looked at her, and she didn't like that it felt as if he was trying to commit her face to memory.

"It looks like it'll have to wait, yet again, Syd," he smirked. "See you soon."

And with that said, Sydney watched him go out of sight as he closed the plane door.

A few lonely hours later and Sydney woke up from some bad turbulence the plane was going through. She looked out the window, but could barely see a thing. It wasn't until the moon came into view that she could see the outline of mountains. A dark fog rested at their bases, and jagged black cliffs lined their peaks.

Sydney had seen plenty of pictures of this place, and heard countless stories, but never before had she seen it with her own eyes.

Shadows Peak.

Looking at it, she could feel fear trying to grow inside her but she shook it off.

It's just some mountains. A soldier is not afraid of some mountains.

But, Sydney knew that in reality, every soldier was afraid of Shadows Peak.

"Hey, girly," Uncle Chip's voice spoke through the intercom. It was nice to hear his voice without the yelling aspect involved.

"We'll be landing in about an hour near the town of Yorke. Try and get some shut eye if you can. You'll want to be alert while you're out there."

Taking one last look at Shadows Peak, Sydney decided to take his advice and get some more rest. She grabbed the dark grey blanket that was to her left and wrapped herself up in it. After everything that happened, she needed time to recover.

She woke at the sound of Uncle Chip's voice over the intercom, again.

"Alright now, girly. We're fit to land, so prepare for descension. If you look out the window you should be able to see Yorke. That's where you should head first."

Sydney made a mental note to see if there was a doctor there to check out her leg.

"Make sure you're strapped in. We're going down," he added.

Already strapped, Sydney took in deep breaths. She suddenly felt the plane tilt downward, filling her stomach with butterflies.

This is the worst part about flying. I hate it.

She thought back to all the trips Liz took her on. Those were the only times she'd left Galdon to see more of the Eastern Region. Looking back at them now, the memories had a bittersweet feel to them. She was the only person they lived on in; the only person to whom they still existed.

When they had landed, Sydney unbuckled herself. The only thing she had with her was her guns and crutch. Hopefully that didn't make her stand out too much.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your flight. Please consider flying with Chip Airlines again for your next trip," Uncle Chip joked, with his high pitched cackle following.

"I'll come and help you out," he quickly added before turning off his mic.

When Sydney reached the door, he was already opening it. Uncle Chip reached out and helped her down, steadying her as she readjusted the crutch.

"Thank you," Sydney said. "Without you I'd probably be in prison right now." She grimaced at the thought.

"Don't sweat it, girly. My nephew made it very clear who you were to him. I didn't have much of a choice."

"Yeah," Sydney said, wondering what Jasper said to make his uncle feel obliged.

"I don't have much, but here," he said, handing her a backpack. "You can't walk into town like that. I'm sure seeing a foreigner fully loaded would not be the best first impression."

"True," Sydney replied.

Taking the pack, she unholstered her guns, turned the safeties on, and then placed them in. She unpocketed her extra ammo, packing them up as well.

"Now I just look like an injured foreigner," she tried to joke.

"And take this," he added, grabbing the dark grey blanket out of the plane where Sydney was.

Looking at it now, it reminded her of Jasper and his room. It made her think of Galdon, her home; the place she may never return to. Now, more than ever, standing on foreign soil, she truly felt like a vagabond.

"Thanks," she said, again.

"Yeah, well...I don't want you freezing if you can't find a place to stay," he resolved.

Sydney looked to her right, seeing the town of Yorke in the distance. It wasn't too far, but she had a ways to go before she'd be there.

"Do me a favor, girly, and don't die on my nephew. I don't think I could stomach it," he said, heading back to the cockpit.

"I won't," she swore, though she wasn't so sure of it, herself.

As the plane began to take off, she realized she had no other options but to walk. But, she decided to take a moment to soak in the sights around her, first.

Green, green, and more green.

Everywhere she looked, there was signs of vegetation. Trees, bushes, grass.

And I thought Chip lived in the country.

A few moments later, she wrapped the blanket around her head, making it act as a hooded jacket to block the breeze as she began toward Yorke.

I never expected to need the help of a bunch of Westerners, but now my life depends on them. Could this be any more ironic?!

Despite being tired, and in pain, she pressed on, hoping to reach the city before night fall.