Our frantic state quickly diminished into silence.

I didn't know what to say, and neither did Seth or Adria. I was afraid to confront my thoughts on what had happened. I slipped in and out of sleep, but the short rests didn't help. The distorted memories only replayed, making the situation worse.

Seth never left my side. When I'd wake up terrified and in a cold sweat, he would be there. His arms protected me as I leaned on his strong frame.

Lincoln was in and out. He informed us that Eden was in a shock from the electric pulse and mental damage the Antipode had caused. This only made me more anxious about what we were getting into, yet I didn't voice that concern.

"This camp is safe," Adria finally said.

It had been hours since Lincoln had come in to give an update. Only Seth, Adria, and I remained in the hospital room. I was happy for the distraction her story provided; it was now evening.

"After we went through the vents, Lincoln found a way to the basement, where we hid. Eventually, the guards left and we escaped into the streets. We used drains to get out of the city. He managed to steal a boat to find his way to this island."

"I'm glad you're safe," I replied, catching her eye.

She smiled weakly.

The door to our room opened softly, welcoming Lincoln. Missy was no longer with him. I felt Seth tense beside me, his hand squeezing my arm nervously.

"How are you?" Lincoln asked me, focusing his attention on my bandaged hand. It was burned from the Antipode's contact, even though I had only touched it for a split second. "I think it's best if you stay here for the night, just to recover from the initial shock."

I nodded, hands beginning to shake from the underlying terror I couldn't appease.

He grinned comfortingly, refusing to make eye-contact with Seth. Suddenly, I remembered Jonathan. Did he go through something similar? Were there different forms of this torture?

I sat up at the thought, ignoring the immediate lightheadedness.

"Can I see Jonathan?" I asked, directing the question at Adria.

Worry released from her face slightly and she nodded.

"He's probably anxious to see you. I told him to stay where he was because..." Her voice trailed off, but she quickly recovered from her own anxieties.

"I can go to him," I stated, despite the dizziness I felt when I stood. Seth steadied me, grabbing my elbow. I ignored Lincoln's protests and my weakness, determined to see Jonathan. Last time I had seen him, his condition had been worse than mine.

When Adria was convinced I was stable, we hurried out of the medical facility.

No one glanced our way as we walked past the fires, then weaved through a community of small huts. Right in the middle, sheltered by trees, we entered a small, wooden building. It was like the storage shed that we had back at my house in the other reality.

As I began to think of home, I wondered with a pang of fear if my parents were still breathing.

"Jonathan, I'm back," Adria called softly as she opened the door.

I looked to Seth and Lincoln, who had followed us. Seth edged up beside me. Jonathan had provided Seth a place to stay when he had first been on the run. Lincoln had helped Jonathan escape. They already had ties with my family, and were worried like I was.

Adria released my hand to go to my brother. My eyes adjusted to the dim illumination of a flashlight and I could make out him curled up on a small bed. My sister shook him awake gently, and he held onto her for his sanity.

I couldn't speak. I don't know what I had hoped for. Maybe that he would be better or have his mind restored to him. Maybe that the strangers we were living among had cured him.

He looked weaker than when I had last seen him, nearly two days ago. It might as well have been two years. Absentmindedly, I tugged Seth along with me.

I took Adria's place, letting go of Seth to hold Jonathan's hand securely. Human contact was the only way he could think his own thoughts and not be captivated by lies that clung to him. He fought to smile at me, but he still looked in pain. I hardly breathed.

"Rowin," he said softly.

I waited for him to go on. He focused on my face as his eyelids drooped. He looked extremely thin, hollow, exhausted.

"It's okay, you can sleep--"

"I just wanted to say that I can't wait until we're all home again. I miss us being a family." He paused, his chest heaving like he was out of breath from the few words. He continued before I could interrupt again. "Being separated like this was harder than I thought..."

"I know," I whispered, pushing his hair out of his eyes. His forehead was sweaty, as if he had a fever. Was he getting worse?

"Will you find Mom and Dad?"

He looked at me earnestly, like a child hoping for his greatest dream. I couldn't lie to him, but how could I tell him that I had no idea? How could I make a promise that had a high possibility of not being fulfilled?

I swallowed, pushing back the revelation of desperation that my parents hadn't been heard from since he arrived. Not just at the camp, but in this reality altogether. How could none of us know nothing?

"Yes," I stated, my voice hardly audible.

"Thank you," he gasped.

I brushed his knuckles with my thumb as he closed his eyes. Adria's gaze was blurred with tears. If possible, my chest felt even emptier. I had never seen her try so hard not to cry.

Her lips trembled, cheeks tensed, eyes glued to me. She clasped her hands tightly, frozen, afraid. Alarm twisted my stomach.

Seth's hand was on my back, his eyes full of sorrow as he gazed at his friend. Lincoln stood in the doorway, unmoving.

"Stefen," Lincoln stated. He nodded out the doorway, gesturing him to follow.

Seth hesitated, unsure of how to react to his forgotten brother's instruction. I nodded, gazing into his eyes. He pressed a kiss to my forehead before leaving, giving me one last glance before shutting the door.

Even though it was safe, the nightmares nudged at me. Fear hung over my head, the anxiety growing stronger in my stomach.

I couldn't think about it.

Adria was on her knees beside me. I pulled her to my side. She buried her head into my shoulder. Jonathan forced his eyes open and watched us, his own expression troubled. He managed to slide out of his blankets clumsily, collapsing beside us before straightening.

My sister sobbed uncontrollably in a way I had never heard her cry. My heart broke, and I realized just how alone the three of us felt.

This didn't just affect me. Adria's been the strong one for nearly a year, with no one to comfort her. Who knows how long she's been holding in these tears. Jonathan has had his identity stolen. I suffer from the fear of being alone.

Those fifty-four days alone didn't compare to how much it hurt watching the strongest people I knew fall apart.

"J-Jonathan?" Adria choked out, lifting her face to his.

He tilted his head and looked at her, listening.

"I'm a-afraid of... of losing you," she managed.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding. He exhaled shakily, taking her hand.

"Rowin, I-I can't leave you anymore," Adria said next. I bit my lower lip, closing my eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry," she mumbled before breaking off into more tears.

Jonathan scooted closer to us, pulling each of us to him defensively like big brothers should. Though he was weak, his grip felt strong and safe against my shaking frame.

I began to overthink. What if we never returned home? What had happened to Mom and Dad? Could Jonathan's identity crisis kill him? How could I rest assured when everything was so uncertain?

My breathing began to pick up before tears began to roll down my own cheeks.

"I would never leave you two on purpose," he said quietly, breaking my thoughts. "I'm not going anywhere."

We sat like that for a long time, brother and sisters. Eventually, the three of us fell asleep. We clung to one another for assurance that the other two were still there.

{April 23, 2017}