Maya- Secrets in the Shadows

"You're crazy."

That's the first thing I said to Alhaitham when he told me that he wanted to find out where the hunger games were starting.

"What do you mean?" Alhaitham asks me.

"I mean that's insane." I said to him. "You don't even have a single clue as to where it is. Plus if you get there, what if the people running it find you?"

"I'll take my chances." he said.

"Here I was thinking that you were smart." I mumbled to him.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said here I was thinking that you were smart! That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard! It sounds extra dumb coming from your mouth!"

"Just....get some sleep." he mumbles. "You're probably just exhausted."

I sigh. I don't have the guts to argue with him right now.

"Yeah you're right...probably just exhaustion."

We go to the corner of the cave, where we blend in best with the surrounding cave, lie down side by side, and fall asleep.

Then I dream. Of my story.

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A few years ago in Sumeru when I was fighting the withering. My brother told me about a dangerous one on the path to Sumeru City. I went to fight the withering and I defeated it.

But something else happened.

While getting rid of the withering I got attacked by a scorpion with the withering energy inside it. A few days later I got extremely sick and was on my way to visit Nahida in the Sanctuary of Surasthana. All of a sudden I felt extremely dizzy and fell to the floor. I was still conscious but everything was blurry.

That's when Alhaitham found me.

Alhaitham found me crouching in the rain. I looked up at him but my throat felt so dry that I couldn't speak. Seeing my condition, he carried me to the Sanctuary of Surasthana and took me to Nahida.

"I can't help you, I'm sorry." Nahida said to me. "I'm sorry."

Nobody could help me. If Nahida can't, then nobody can.

Alhaitham took me to his house and I layed down on their couch while Kaveh and Alhaitham tried to figure out how to help me. They gave me some water so my throat didn't feel so dry.

They had no idea what was going on inside of me. The Withering or dark energy was growing inside of me. Nobody I knew could help me.

I walked outside the house a few days later to get some fresh air. At this point I was on the brink of death. At this point the dark energy had almost corrupted me from the inside completely. That day is when I met Addie. I look up and see the faint blur of a stranger in front of me.

"Are you alright?" She asks. "Is there something you need?"

"Yes!" I say a little too quickly. "S-sorry no."

"My name is Addie." She tells me. "Tell me what you need."

I take a deep breath.

"My name is Maya, and here's what happened..."

I pour out my whole story to her.

"I may be able to help you." She says to me.

She focuses all her energy and uses her vision on me. All of a sudden, I felt so much better than before.

Over the course of a few days I was able to fight off the withering energy with Addie's help. Finally, when the last of the withering energy was gone. Addie managed to transform it into a little vision case. Specifically hydro.

"Addie I...thank you so much." I told her.

"Hey, it's no problem at all." She replies with a smile.

"Can I ask you...a question?" I ask her

"Be my guest."

"How's life?"

Addie smiles at this. At this point I've asked her this many times.
"It's chill."

I smile at the usual response.

"You're life is not always chill!" I teasingly yell at her.

We both laugh and chat for a little bit before she leaves.

Back inside the house Alhaitham and Kaveh were overjoyed to hear that I've recovered from the withering. I moved in with the two of them and we've been friends ever since. I still keep in touch with Addie as well. Then the dream transitions to a nightmare. About the death of all my loved ones.

And the cause is the hunger games

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I wake up and feel something soft under my head. I look down at it and when my eyes finally adjust to the darkness, I see that it's one of Alhaitham's sweaters. I look over at him and see that he did the same.

I lie down on his sweater and eventually fade into a dreamless sleep.