SKYRING.

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LOST IN FIRE (book three).
°•        CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX        •°

"        I LOVE THAT KID, DIYOZA.
DON'T YOU DARE FOR ONE
SECOND THINK THAT I DON'T.       "

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SKYRING

Water was quickly filling Harley's lungs as she opened her mouth upon escaping from the glow of green that still surrounds her. She almost sputters in a panic but knows she'll ultimately sink back to the bottom with no air in her chest where a rock was already slowly forming. Harley seals her lips together and resumes holding her breath as she waves her arms above her, kicking furiously with her legs, blinking rapidly to see through the blur. She feels a higher sense of panic settling when her eyes gaze past Octavia's floating form and catches sight of dozens of floating... Jellyfish? A few of them are about her size, tentacles floating close but never touching, but Harley stays careful until she reaches the surface.

Her head pops from the surface as she keeps up the movement of her arms to stay afloat. Water started to spew from Harley's nostrils and throat as she coughs through the burn. She feels Octavia's hand bump hers and turned her neck to see the girl staring with worry, asking, "You okay?"

Harley struggles to nod rapidly as she finishes clearing her throat. "I'm - I'm okay," she confirms.

The last of the water dribbles past Harley's chin as she tilts her head back and stares at the blue sky above. The breath she needed had caught in her throat again at the sight. It was beautiful, the color was unlike anything she's seen before. A ring, a pale glow, rips through the clouds as if surrounding the planet. Harley feels as if she could tread the water forever as long as she can stare at it.

It's been so long since Harley's been swimming she feels as if she forgot how. It takes a long minute until the memory kicks in. She carefully thrusts herself forward, kicking her legs along the surface's waves, arms dragging herself closer to land. Harley can't help but think about the animals she saw underneath the surface. It makes her wonder what else was there and brings a spark of fear that slowly diminishes as her floating feet kick what felt like sand.

The dirt below kicks around as Harley stumbles to stand close to the shore. Octavia was panting beside her, both girls exhausted already with the strength it took to make it to land. Trees were scattered along with so many plants and so much green that Harley has to pause, allowing her damp boots to sink into the mud, and stare wordlessly in wonder. It made her think of home.

Octavia yanks the camouflaged jacket she had stolen from the Children of Gabriel, now soaked, and allows it to smack the ground. Harley shrugs off her own too. It was heavy on her shoulders now, where the clothes underneath were already sticking like a second skin.

She hears Octavia gasp and glances over. Her arm, once slowly rotting away, was clutched with her other hand as she stares at the limb in awe. Harley releases a deep sigh of relief as a smile spreads on her drenched skin. "It worked," she whispers gratefully. Harley's slow and cautious as she gently takes Octavia's wrist in her hand. She turns the arm gently to inspect it.

A sudden scream deep inside the trees causes both girls to jump. The familiarity of it hits Harley just as another follows. Diyoza.

The cry of the woman's name escapes Octavia's lips as they break out into a run. "Diyoza, we're coming!"

The dirt below starts to harden with thousands of rocks and pebbles that kept Harley from slipping. The soles of her boots are damp and still slide a tad when she comes to a sudden halt as they break through the bushes, stopping in an open clearing. A shelter was built there, made of splinters of wood with a beautiful garden before it. Harley tilts her head in another silent moment of amazement.

"What the hell is this place?" She mumbles.

Another scream comes from inside the house. "Do it!" Diyoza challenged. "Make your move already!"

A hundred different images fill Harley's mind as she wonders what the hell was happening inside. Someone surely must be torturing her. Harley's fists clench at her sides as she braces herself to fight as they sprint past the field and Octavia nearly kicks the wooden door down.

There's no one there but Diyoza. She's alone in this homey area, propped up in a makeshift bed upon ratty blankets, her shirt yanked up to expose her swollen belly, and a sheet draped over her lower half that covers her exposed legs. Sweat is painted across her skin and even soaks the hair she had pulled back in a ponytail. Diyoza's face practically melts at the sight of the girls whose muscles loosen as they realize there isn't a fight to be fought.

"Oh," the woman breathes. "Look who's here."

"What happened?" Octavia panics as she lowers herself to her knees before Diyoza. "Are you..."

She's cut off when Diyoza throws her head back and groans. Harley quickly joins Diyoza's other side in concern. She lays her hand over Diyoza's belly and gasps softly as she feels the baby inside twitch. "What's going on?" She questions. "You're - you're giving birth already?"

At Diyoza's swift nod, Octavia desperately shakes her head. "No, it's too soon. You said you were only six months."

"I've been here for three!"

Harley's eyebrows furrow. Three months?

She barely has time to dwell on that when Diyoza throws her head back against the pillows. The woman pants, tears filling her eyes as one hand squeezes Harley's fingers together and the other clutches Octavia's shoulder. "What took you so long?" She asks.

"We were right behind you!" Octavia insists.

Harley twists her wrist so she can clutch Diyoza's as the woman cries out again. She winces as the fingers curl around her palm and squeeze so tight that she was almost worried her hand broke. Diyoza notices and gasps an apology, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She releases Harley's hand and slid it up her arm to cup the other's cheek. "You have no idea how happy I am you're both here. I thought I was gonna have to do this all alone."

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay," Harley promises. She grabs the hand on her cheek again. Their fingers lace together as she reassures, "We're here Diyoza, okay?"

Diyoza smiles tiredly. "Let's pull this little spud out and the four of us can watch the sunset together."

Her face suddenly curls as she grunts and makes a horrible pushing sound of pain. Harley keeps her promise and doesn't move, squeezing the woman's hand. "Okay, you can do this," Octavia tries to convince her. "Just look at us and think of someplace else, a place where you're happy."

Diyoza groans. "Oh, not a lot of choices there."

"Come on, you can think of someplace!" Octavia insists.

Her head starts to loll on the pillow. Diyoza gasps a few times as her eyes began to flutter shut. "I think I'm gonna pass out."

"No way! We're doing this together!" Octavia continues and turns Diyoza's head towards her. "Just think... And breathe..." She demonstrates a show of inhaling and exhaling deeply. "Let it go."

A happy, doped grin spreads on Diyoza's face. She gazes toward the empty space in front of them. "I'm thinking of someplace..."

"Good, that's good!"

"Someplace I want to push!"

Diyoza suddenly shot into a sitting position. Harley winces again as she clutches her hand with a death grip, eyes squeezed shut as she grunts, face nearly purple as she pushes with all of her strength. "Oh God, it's happening, it's happening," Octavia panics. "Harley, you - you got this?"

Harley almost scoffs. She keeps her hand clasped with Diyoza, exclaims, "I don't know how to deliver a baby!"

"Do you think I do?!" Octavia counters.

It's Diyoza's release of a scream that stops them from fighting. They realize together that she needs them both and it's clear she's not going to release Harley's hand any time soon. Octavia bolts to where Diyoza's legs spread and crouches. "Okay, come on. One big one!"

They grunt at each other as Octavia mimics the breaths she should be making. Harley starts to smile widely as she realizes what's happening - a little miracle was being brought into this world. "Come on, Diyoza, you got it - it's okay, your body knows what to do, right? Just let it go," she eases gently.

"Yeah! She's coming!" Octavia encourages excitedly. "Okay, one more push! Come on!"

Another heavy grunt at each other follows as Diyoza gives one final push. A baby's wail suddenly fills the air.

The grip on Harley's hand loosens. Her blue eyes are wide but locked on the sweet, withering baby covered in blood, laid in Octavia's arms. Harley can feel herself tear up at the sight. Her heart is swelling as Octavia breathes out, "Oh, Diyoza. She's here, she's here."

Diyoza doesn't bother to try and hide her tears. They slip down her flushed cheeks rapidly as she tries to lean forward, closer to her baby girl. Harley can't imagine a time she's ever seen this steel woman like this or even a time they were friends, but Diyoza still gasps out, "Oh, Hope, sweetheart. This is Octavia and Harley... My friends."

The hand once clutched in Harley's slowly slipped out. Her head snaps towards Diyoza in a panic when she realizes the woman just went through hell. It's no surprise she's suddenly unconscious after uttering a few, first words to her daughter.

"Diyoza?" Octavia says anxiously.

Harley's hand slips to Diyoza's neck. Her skin was slick with sweat but she feels a quiet hum under her fingers. She went through hell, with no medication, surrounded by two girls who had no idea what they were doing. It's no wonder her body finally gave out. "She's breathing," she confirms.

Octavia looked shell-shocked and slightly afraid of the baby she was cradling. "Then, then what do we do with, um - "

She's cut off by the baby's sudden wail.

It pierces Harley's ears and makes her wince. She pulls away from Diyoza to quickly search around the cabin while Octavia tries to hush her. Harley kicks and knocks aside anything in her way as she tears into any corner in search of a blanket. She comes across a strange-looking doll and frowns. Her eyes barely gaze past the bold Z scrawled into the foot before knocking it aside and yanking the folded blanket off of the shelf they were on. Harley rushes to unfold it and races to Octavia's side again where she was cooing.

"It worked," she was whispering. "It worked. Just like me."

The cries start to fade due to the lanky finger Octavia had slipped past the baby girl's lips. She whines softly but suckles at the tip nonetheless. The only ones in tears then were Harley and Octavia, staring at their newfound hope.

"Here," Harley says softly and dangles the blanket between her arms. "Let me see her."

She doesn't realize she's never held a baby in her life until Octavia is carefully placing her into her arms. Harley's suddenly hit with a wave of terror that one wrong move will send the baby plummeting or an awkward position would make her scream her lungs out. She tries to keep one arm as still as possible while her free hand bundles her into the snug cocoon she made. The baby started to settle against Harley's chest. Her eyes fluttered shut and a soft snore comes from her tiny nostrils as her chest rose and fell.

Harley can't hold it back anymore once she's settled. Tears of joy finally spill and trail down her cheeks. The baby is beautiful. It was like holding the sun in her arms and no matter how badly it hurt, no matter what scars it could leave, she'd sooner burn alive than let go. Harley can feel the rays of flames singe her fingertips when she strokes the girl's full cheek carefully.

What did Diyoza call her again?

Hope.

Hope. It fits perfectly. Harley had almost forgotten what it was like to feel such a thing. She can't explain what this meant to her and why she feels this way. Maybe because she was there for Diyoza while she gave birth alongside Octavia. Or maybe Hope was every second chance Harley was searching for in the form of a baby girl.

Either way, Harley wishes there was something she could do when the baby cries in hunger.

They searched the cabin up and down after making sure Diyoza was comfortable and there was nothing else they could do to help her. There were different kinds of meats, vegetables, edible plants, but nothing they thought a newborn baby could eat. The sunset was as beautiful as Diyoza thought, for sure, but once night falls, Hope no longer wants to nibble at a finger past her gums. She's less interested in the sky even though the darkness really causes the stars and ring to shine. She wails for real food as they sit outside, Octavia gently bouncing her.

"Shhh," she hushes. "Work with me here." Octavia mimics opening her mouth, urging a quiet, "ahhh."

Hope cries loudly and pushes Octavia's finger away with a small, curled fist. Harley frowns and reaches over to wipe her tears with the pad of her thumb. "It's okay, sweetheart," she whispers. "We're going to find something to eat soon, okay? It's okay," she coos.

Soft footsteps crunch over the dry grass and cause Harley to jump with alert until she turns to see it's only Diyoza. The woman keeps a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, hunched over, limping with every step as she walks the path towards them. She's somehow grinning through it all. "Looks like she figured out that milk doesn't come from a pinky," she comments dryly.

"Should you be walking around?" Octavia asks.

Harley shot to her feet. She quickly stumbles around the log she had been sitting upon to glue herself to Diyoza's side, allowing the weak woman to lean her bodyweight onto her. "I got you," Harley promises as she grasps the woman's arm curled against her chest.

"I'm fine," Diyoza groans. She still accepts the help though and allows Harley to guide her into a sitting position on the log. "I just squeezed something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a grape. I'll survive."

Women were incredible.

It's then that Harley notices the admiring gleam in Diyoza's gaze, only something a mother could have. She cradles her baby close to her chest after pulling her breast out, finally feeding Hope once she quiets and latches. It's strange that a woman who was once labeled as a ruthless terrorist, someone who Harley had seen firsthand showed no mercy to her enemies, hold something so gently with a lovestruck stare, murmuring a soft hello.

Harley makes a note to pray for anyone who dares bring any harm to Hope.

"Sorry mama conked out on you back there. It'll never happen again," Diyoza softly vows.

"How did this happen?" Octavia interrupts. "We left seconds after you but got here months later." She pauses, eyebrows drawing together. "Explain."

Diyoza glares at her boredly. "Do I look like Einstein to you? Near as I can figure time between here and Sanctum doesn't square up. The good news is you can be here for years, and no one would miss you." She pauses. "I mean, Harley would surely be missed, but you..."

"Thanks," Octavia scoffs.

Harley is trying to let Diyoza's words sink in all while wrapping her head around this. She's never heard of anything like it. Where were they, a different planet? Was the anomaly an entrance to this place? And was it the only way to get back?

An even worse thought hit her. If she was here for hours, how long was it on Sanctum where Gabriel was waiting, where Murphy was wounded by her hand? How long would it be until she saw them again?

Diyoza did say that was supposedly good news so Harley is slightly worried about what the other hand was. "And what's the bad news?" She questions wearily.

"The bad news is there's no way off." Diyoza casts a gaze toward their surroundings. Her smile widens into something much happier. "On second thought, there's no bad news."

"That is bad news," Harley argues like Diyoza was out of her mind. "Our family is on the other side - "

"Your family," Diyoza corrects. Her eyes pin Harley down. They soften when Hope whines and avert back to her. "Look at this place. I've had time to scout. As far as I can tell, there are no threats. There's plenty of food, water, we have shelter... When you told me to think of someplace that makes me happy, it's here. That's why the anomaly called us." Her lips twist into a grin. "Thank God we didn't cut your arm off, by the way."

A soft hand pats Diyoza on the back. Harley can see the guilt Octavia was once again carrying, the apologetic frown she flashes the woman, the hidden meaning behind her words. "I can't stay here," she utters softly.

Harley nods. She's a terrible swimmer and it'll be a challenge to reach the green lights under the water but she can't just... Stay here. Everyone she loves is on the other side. She only left to save Diyoza and the woman is clearly okay on her own. Her family was waiting for her return. Harley feels even worse when it's clear Diyoza expected them to stay put, her features falling when Octavia rises.

"I'm sorry," Harley apologizes to her quietly before pushing herself to her feet. She glances at Hope one last time and wonders if she'll see her again.

"Where are you going?" Diyoza calls as the pair retreat.

"To the anomaly. Where do you think?"

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THREE YEARS LATER.

Harley never thought of herself as a powerful swimmer. She knew how to, well. good enough. She wouldn't have survived on a planet with bodies of water if she had no idea how to keep herself afloat. But when reaching the bottom of the lake is the only thing keeping Harley from seeing her brother again, she trained herself pretty well. She didn't give up. She practiced holding deep breaths even when she wasn't in the water. Harley had been close, so close at reaching the glow -

She huffs when Octavia's head popped out of the surface again. Harley didn't know why she held onto the hope that maybe this time things could be different. It didn't make sense. Two minutes and Octavia still didn't reach the bottom. The bottom didn't seem so far when they were swimming away from it. What made things different?

Octavia is silent in her frustration as she surrenders and trudges back to shore where Harley was waiting. They often took turns swimming while the other kept count of the time. This was in case one got too ahead of themselves and thought they could make it despite water filling their lungs. There wasn't any point for both of them to drown.

Harley offers her hand, but Octavia barely glanced at it. "Time?" She asks.

"One-hundred and twenty seconds," Harley mumbles, dejected. She slowly lowers her hand again as they retreated back to the cabin.

Every step forward felt like three steps back. Harley swore she could feel Octavia's eyes on her before she fell asleep every night. Then Octavia slams the door shut when she left after Harley suggests they talk. Then Octavia serves her a plate of dinner. And then she won't meet Harley's eyes, her lips twitching with the urge to say something, but swallowing the words since Hope was there watching them. Diyoza would have them both on their ass if they fought in front of her daughter.

And Harley tried. She was sick of the cold shoulder Octavia was giving her. She wanted her again in every way possible. And she tried to stay distant from Hope. Loving that child meant breaking both of their heart the day Harley made it to the other side without her. But Harley couldn't help it. She loved Octavia and Hope with all of her heart.

They trek through the small trail leading to the cabin. Octavia burst through the door first, muttering through gritted teeth, "Ugh. I was under for a hundred and twenty seconds, and it's still not long enough."

"Shh," Diyoza hushed the pacing girl as Harley quietly shut the door behind them. She gestured to her daughter laying on the bed behind her. "Hope just fell asleep."

"Sorry," Octavia apologized, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Maybe if we used heavier rocks to pull us down faster - "

Diyoza rolled her eyes. "Do that, and you'll be too far to come back up when survival instincts kick in. During my SEALs training - "

Octavia huffed. "Please no more stories about SEALs training."

"Without her SEALs training advice, we wouldn't be as far as we are," Harley argued. She sat in the seat across from Diyoza.

"Yes, but I'm at two minutes. If I get to three, I'll be at the glow," Octavia claimed.

"Holding your breath is not the hardest part."

Octavia rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, here we go."

It wasn't the first SEALs speech Diyoza gave them. Harley could practically mimic her words as the woman spoke, "The twenty meters, if you don't equalize right, your eardrums burst. Go deeper, an untrained diver like one of you, blood vessels burst in your trachea, your lungs fill with fluid. I mean, you might make it to the other side, but you just won't know it."

Harley huffed and tugged at her damp hair. The length was slowly surpassing her shoulders. It's just a reminder of how long they've been stuck there. Every single day for three years, she didn't give up. Harley did her share of keeping them alive, of course, but there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't dive into the water, hold her breath, and try to touch the glow. It was like a magnet. What was on the other side screamed for her.

"Three years. Every day you both try and every day you fail," Diyoza reminded them. "It'd be boring if it wasn't so depressing."

"Oh, screw you, Diyoza," Harley hissed. She didn't dare raise her voice in fear of waking Hope. She started to stand so she could storm off but stopped when a soft hand settled over her own.

A soft look filled Diyoza's face as if she wasn't taking Harley's words to heart. She kept her hand over Harley's. "This is our life now," she says softly. "Stop torturing yourself... And me." She glanced over her shoulder again so Harley would follow the gaze.

It's a miracle Hope was still fast asleep. She snoozes quietly amongst bundle of pillows, a ratty blanket pulled to her shoulder. Harley's heart softens at the sight. She loves this little girl so damn much. Hope was one of the best things to have happened to Harley. She made her want to be better, to be good, and to seek redemption. Knowing that this girl looked up to her made her want to always keep her safe from all possible bad things. She would never let anything harm her.

"Yesterday, Hope came up with a name for the planet, but guess who was underwater when she did?" Diyoza asked pointedly.

Harley sheepishly looked back to her again, her cheeks flushing with shame. Hope was everything to her. She was slightly on edge that Diyoza dared to think otherwise when Harley had been in her life since Day One. "I love that kid, Diyoza," she defended quietly. Her blue eyes hardened a bit. "Don't you dare think for a minute I don't."

A tense silence falls between the three women. Diyoza had locked her gaze with Harley as if she tried to read everything about her, but there was one thing she couldn't dare doubt: Harley did love Hope with all of her heart. But she loves Murphy too.

"So what's our planet called?" Octavia broke the quietness.

"Skyring."

The hard glare on Harley's face faded. The thought of Hope could do such a thing. She was amazed with the ring that tore across the sky. Everything about her adopted niece was sweet and adorable.

Octavia must feel the same as she exhaled, "Of course it is."

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author's note:

omg hey what's up!! it's been way too long!! we're finally starting season 7!! i literally had this chapter half written FOREVER and FINALLY got around to finish it. does anyone remember harley at all? or are we all just obsessed with stranger things now?

harley's relationship with hope is going to melt all of our hearts. so is her relationship with diyoza. i can't wait for the next chapter, it'll break and soften everyone. <3 octavia is on and off giving harley the cold shoulder cause this is technically shortly after she was poisoned by her, so she's still riding out that hurt. things will be fixed soon tho! get ready for the ACTION in the next chapter 😉 hopefully it won't take me forever to complete.

anyway, thank you for coming back to read. i'm hoping to have this book done within a year or so. ❤️

- koda