V

Before Sienna's consciousness was fully restored, before she thought of Jason or Myst, she thought of the mysterious horned being. She vaguely recalled the sweet sound of his music, a warm, radiant smile - the sound of his laughter echoing like chimes in her mind.

Sienna.

Her head throbbed. Truthfully, it felt as though there were a thousand tiny gods hammering away at the base of her skull. Meanwhile her heart struggled against her ribs. She could feel it roaring in outrage beneath her shivering bones, begging for release. Most days it frightened her. Today, it gave her hope. Wake up, dear.

"She's dead, Jason! She's dead."

It took what felt like forever and a moment for the ghostly pale girl to come to. She jerked upright with a gasp, her teeth chattering, her dark blue lips quivering. Water spewed from her mouth in a fluorescent red river onto the stream's bank. Her lungs burned with each breath she took; it felt as though a new knife was added to the collection every time she inhaled and exhaled, piercing and twisting into her chest and abdomen. "Get away from me."

Another cough racked Sienna's already frail body. Despite her request, Jason kept a firm grip on her shoulders, clearly relieved at her awakening. Next to him, Myst glared at her. As soon as he moved she started beating Sienna. "You stupid, foolish brat! I thought you were dead."

Sienna's eyes were focused on the immortal looming behind her. "What?"

Myst waited until she was done choking on any leftover water trapped in her system before pulling her close. Sienna rested her head against her chest and listened to the relieved drumming of Myst's heart. The most she could do was wheeze weakly. She couldn't erase the blurry memories of the horned being from her mind. They played over and over again in her head, curious and daunting. It seemed like the more she thought about them, the more distorted they became.

Jason thought it was one of the most wonderful things he'd ever heard. "Alright. That's enough of that."

Carefully prying Sienna away from Myst, he lifted her up and started the long walk back to the house. Myst followed, trying in vain to ignore the various mud pools scattered throughout the trail. Every time her foot sunk, Jason chuckled a little more. The younger of the two glowered at the back of his head. "What's so funny?"

"You." He replied, shifting Sienna's weight. "Haven't you ever been in the woods before?"

Myst rolled her eyes and began stepping on the back of his heels. Jason finally spun around sharply, causing Sienna to open her eyes and peer at the two with a flicker of annoyance. "Oi, fuckfaces. In case you've forgotten, I almost drowned in a stream - a stream, of all things! -, and the two of you are standing here eyefucking each other? That's cool. I think I'll just lay here choking up filthy brook water with my broken ribs."

Jason and Mystique immediately shut up. Still unimpressed, Sienna added quietly, "Yeah, I'm here too."

Now feeling horribly guilty, they closed the distance between the backwoods and the house in silence. Once inside, Jason set Sienna down on the couch and scrambled to get supplies. Myst stayed with Sienna. "Do me a favor."

"Hmm?" Sienna coughed again, her body convulsing slightly.

"Don't ever scare me like that again."

Sienna grinned. Just as Myst got comfortable, Jason returned with a roll of bandages and gauze. "Myst, I need you to go sit at the kitchen table. Sienna, I need you to sit up."

Myst reluctantly took a seat at the table. She watched on with worry as Jason cautiously shifted and drew Sienna into his lap and unraveled the bandages. As soon as she was comfortable, Jason got to work patching her up. Sienna gripped the faded blue couch cushions tightly while he worked. Her teeth clenched together against the waves of pain, constantly washing over her torso. She was surprised to find that Jason's chubby, child-like fingers didn't fumble.

"Hold still," He muttered, gripping her shoulder tightly.

The younger one gnashed her teeth. Every once in a while, a low, guttural growl would settle in her throat. Jason continued to poke and prod at her until at last, she was finally all patched up. Now came the dreadful task of clothing her. "Stay put, the both of you."

Jason returned moments later with a rather large faded blue t-shirt. He tossed it to Sienna, who caught it and slowly unfolded it, holding it up in front of her. She wrinkled her nose. "Jason."

With her help, he carefully eased the shirt over her head. Jason turned to face Myst. "You can sleep in Sienna's room if you'd like, for tonight."

Sienna began to protest when Jason interrupted, "Sienna will stay put for the night."

The bruised girl eased back into the couch and pouted. From her spot at the kitchen table, Myst nodded. "I think I'm going to make some hot chocolate. Do either of you want any?"

Sienna started to raise her hand, then quickly stopped. Jason sat down next to her on the couch while Myst got to work making their hot chocolate. Before either one of them realized it, Sienna had quietly fallen asleep with her head resting on Jason's shoulder.

"Sienna - "

Jason quickly shushed her. "Let her sleep."

When Sienna came to, she found herself curled up under a blanket. The numbers on the microwave were blurry. A mug of hot chocolate sat on the counter on the other side of the room. It appeared as though Myst had already gone to bed. "What time is it?"

Jason studied her still sleepy expression from where he sat, across the room at the kitchen table. "Seven thirty."

The younger one yawned and rubbed her eyes. She was quickly reminded of the pain in her bandaged ribs, and she clenched her jaw against the fresh waves of pain that flickered over the jagged bones. "There's a cup of hot chocolate for you on the counter, if you want it."

Sienna shrugged. Exhaustion still lingered heavily on her lids, and her voice was thick with sleep. "What happened earlier?"

"Myst and I found you caught on a rock upstream," Jason said. "You weren't breathing. You were pale - your lips were the color of a Smurf. We almost thought you were dead."

"Then I woke up," Sienna finished. Her voice was hoarse, and her throat was horribly sore. It took all her energy just to open her mouth to speak.

Jason didn't respond. He was still focused on the image of her body propped up against the rock, underneath his rough, calloused hands. He remembered the way her eyes flickered open in the face of all the chaos, like a spark exploding into an inferno, the way her body convulsed every time she choked on the water still trapped in her lungs.

Sienna watched him wearily. "Jason."

"What?"

"Nothing." She shook her head, and didn't press him about it. For a long while, the two sat there in silence. The only sound there was was the humming of the fridge and Jason's dog, Harley , breathing. Then Jason suddenly stood and walked over to the couch.

Sienna began to protest, but he ignored her and warily lifted her up, shifting her weight so she was on top of him. Finally content, Jason rested against the pillows and cautiously set his palm on the small of her back. The younger one shivered but didn't move his hand. With her ear pressed against his chest, she listened to the quiet drumming of his heart against his ribs. It calmed her tense muscles, and she relaxed. Her eyes slowly flickered close. "Jason?"

He cracked open a bleary lid. "Yes?"

"Thank you," Sienna mumbled, "For saving my life."

She lifted her head slightly from his chest and gazed up at his expressionless features. Another yawn settled in her throat, and Sienna turned her head to the side, facing the couch's back. "Don't mention it."

That night, she fell asleep snuggled against his chest, safe and sound.

That night, she did not dream.