Broken Aro (The Broken Ones)

by Wylie, Jen

  "So you haven't seen any of the others?" She tried to keep the desperate hope from her voice. It hadn't failed her notice how they'd avoided her question previously. "Kei or Kendric or Avery? You don't know what happened to them?"

  Bo and Cain both looked over at Prince, and the expressions on their faces told her that yes, they did know something. They just didn't want to tell her.

  Despite the sinking feeling in her gut she wanted to know. She needed to know. "Tell me," she begged, looking from one to the other.

  Bo sighed and ran a hand over his face. "We found Kendric. He didn't make it."

  She stared at him as his words sunk in. "He's...dead?" Suddenly dazed, she looked off to the side. Kendric was dead. She couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. He had been so alive. He had been someone she actually knew. She lowered her head as it truly hit her he was gone. She wouldn't ever see him again. He wouldn't ever tease her again. He wouldn't...

  "Aro? I'm sorry. I know he was your friend. I'll miss him, too."

  Bo's words, though kind, did not help. The urge to suddenly break down into hysterical tears flooded through her. She scrambled to her feet, struggling to hold in the tears. "I...I just need..." She didn't know what she needed, so didn't bother to finish as she quickly slipped down off the ledge to the next and headed toward the waterfall.

  She heard Prince say something behind her, but just walked faster, moving as quickly as she could by the faint light of the fire. The stars and moon helped after a short distance as she neared the waterfall. By the time she reached it tears had started streaming down her cheeks and she struggled to keep from sobbing.

  She moved around the pool edge, trying to keep out of sight of the others and sat down quickly. Wrapping her arms around herself, she cried, trying to do so as quietly as possible.

  It wasn't long before someone sat down beside her. She tried to hold in a shuddering breath but it didn't really work.

  "I am so sorry, Aro," Prince said quietly.

  "Me, too," she mumbled. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and kept her head down, trying to hide. She rubbed at her face, trying to wipe away the tears and keep them gone.

  "You are allowed to grieve."

  She choked on a laugh. "I'm supposed to be a boy, remember?"

  He sighed. "Boys, and men, feel sadness as well."

  She peeked over at him. "You're not crying."

  The frown returned. "I did not know him."

  She sniffled. "I didn't either really" she admitted. "He was more my brother's friend. But," She sighed and wiped away more tears. "He was someone I knew from home. Someone alive. He reminded me of my brothers, he had known them. And now..." She let out a shaky breath. "Now it's like everything is gone. There's nothing left."

  She leaned forward and put her face in her hands. "I don't know where I am, or what I'm doing, where I'm going. I have nothing. I don't know what to do. I'm so scared."

  His hand rested softly on her back. "We will figure something out," he said gently.

  "Gah." She snorted and shook her head and then the rotten tears came again and she cursed around them.

  He began to slowly rub her back. "Things will work out. I will admit it may take some time for things to be normal for you again. But I will stay with you and help you as much as I can."

  She nodded slightly and took shallow breaths, trying to calm down. She almost laughed at his words. She knew he only wanted her to feel better, and he had been careful not to make any promises. But he was trying. That was something. She sat up a little and looked over at him. "I don't want to be any trouble."

  He chuckled and shook his head. "You are fifteen, I'm quite certain you will be a great deal of trouble."

  She scowled and swatted him.

  He grinned back and gestured to the pool. "Wash up a little, and come back to the fire with me. We need to get some sleep."

  She fidgeted a little when the others watched her come back. They didn't say anything, for that she was truly grateful. She also had her horribly cut hair to hide behind, and Prince, too. He settled her down, told her to go to sleep, and stayed close to her as she did.

  She drifted quickly into that foggy almost asleep state. A strong grip on her shoulder startled her awake immediately and she awoke in a near panic. She looked around quickly and saw Cain beside her. Prince and Bo were gone.

  Cain raised a finger to his lips and nodded toward the woods.

  She bit her lip and sat up silently, straining to hear anything. What was going on? Whatever had happened, it likely wasn't good.

  She kept glancing ahead and then back at Cain, but he didn't look like he heard anything either.

  The noises came suddenly, and were barely distinguishable before they disappeared again. She looked over at Cain, wide eyed and afraid to speak. Her heart beat madly in her chest. She wished again she still had her knives. Or any kind of weapon. Even a big stick would have been nice.

  After long sickening moments she heard footsteps and quiet talking. She jumped up as a figure hopped up onto the ledge.

  "Avery!" She ran to his side and stopped herself from hugging him just in time, changing it into more manly shoulder and back slaps.

  "Hey, Aro. Cain." The young man moved over to grasp the other's arm.

  He turned quickly though, looking behind him. "Listen," he said, quietly. "There are two others with me. I don't know about them. Be careful."

  She frowned but nodded, effectively also shaking more of her hair over her face.

  Before he could say any more the others returned. Bo and Prince came immediately to join them, but the two strangers hung back, looking around.

  One gave a low whistle. "Nice place."

  She looked them over as Avery introduced them all. They were certainly rough looking, but she could say the same for her other companions right now as well. Still, she would do as Avery suggested, and be careful. She didn't know them after all.

  "This is Allen and Garic," Avery said quietly. "They washed up on the same beach as I did."

  Bo raised his eyebrows. "Where?"

  "North." Avery grimaced. "I'm not sure how far. We saw a ship in the distance, so took to the woods."

  She tugged on his sleeve and leaned forward. "No Kei?"

  His face turned sad and he shook his head. "You neither?"

  "No." She looked away, trying to hold in more tears. Boys didn't cry.

  He sighed. "He said he'd be here."

  She choked a little and covered her mouth with her hand.

  "What happened to your chains?"

  She blinked, noticing they still had theirs, though Avery's had at least been broken by Kei. She dug in her pocket for her nails as Bo explained how she had removed them for everyone.

  She did Avery first, and glanced at Bo and then at Prince. Both nodded and she went nervously to the new men, keeping her head down and working as quickly as possible. She could feel their eyes on her and for some reason their attention made her feel uncomfortable. When she finally finished she let out a sigh of relief and moved away from them as quickly as she could.

  The others all sat around the fire talking and she sat in an empty spot between Prince and Avery. Bo and Cain sat beyond them. The strangers remained together but apart from them. She wasn't sure if she should find their behavior odd or not.

  She curled up and listened while the others talked. She felt safe, with Prince and her other friends around her. That was something at least.

  Chapter 12

  What We Found on the Beach

  The next morning she was in a foul mood. She couldn't even really say why. Maybe from all the crying she'd done the night before. Maybe because the only person of their group not found was Kei. But even that wasn't true. He could be still pinned in the wreckage of the ship now under the sea.

  She washed up quickly and joined the others, spending the morning gathering wood, and searching for food or anything else useful.

  It didn't take long for Avery to join her. His pre
sence didn't surprise her much, they were closest in age. They had both been close to Kei.

  They wandered the beach together, everyone else off doing other things. "How long will we stay here do you think? On the beach I mean," she asked suddenly.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. Not much longer, I don't think it's very safe. Of course, now that everyone is here..." His voice trailed off and he looked away, his gaze going to the sea.

  "I miss him," she said.

  His face became sad and he nodded. "I do, too." He grimaced. "I thought he would make it. He was always so strong."

  "They wouldn't let me stay and help him," she said quietly. "I would have. In the ship."

  Avery looked over at her and she turned away.

  Avery didn't comment, but changed the subject. "So was Prince much of a problem?"

  She chuckled and shook her head. "No. Other than being an arrogant ass at times, and having way too many manners. He's not that bad." She grimaced slightly. "I wouldn't be here if not for him. He got me to the beach, found shelter and water and food."

  "He took care of you."

  She nodded. "He did."

  "Huh." He shook his head. "Though truthfully, I'm not too surprised. When you were sick on the ship he certainly was worried about you."

  His tone sounded questioning and she cursed mentally. "He thinks I'm a child, that's why. It's really frustrating."

  Avery laughed and punched her in the arm. "You're the youngest. You know all of us would have done the same thing."

  She mumbled a few curses under her breath.

  He laughed again. "I know. Being the youngest isn't easy. I was there not too long ago."

  She rolled her eyes as she continued to walk along the beach, kicking at debris, stooping occasionally to look at something. She looked up suddenly as Avery urgently whispered her name and cursed.

  "What is it?"

  "Something moving at the end of the beach." He stepped closer to her and pointed out a shadow moving by the far rocks.

  She squinted, trying to see what had caught his attention. "Slaver you think?"

  He shook his head. "I don't know."

  "Should we run? Tell the others?" Her voice rose slightly as panic started to flutter within her. Had they been found already? She didn't want to be in chains again. She took a step backward, ready to bolt and hide, but Avery grabbed her arm.

  "Wait." He went up on his toes for a moment, a hand above his light blue eyes, blocking the sun. "I think..."

  The shadow moved off the rocks onto the beach, becoming a person. She waited, her body tense. Would more people appear? One certainly wouldn't be a problem. Even without weapons there were enough of them here to handle a lone person.

  But as he drew a little closer she gasped. She knew that shock of hair, those strange, dark clothes. "Kei!"

  She tore her arm from Avery's hand and sprinted down the beach, stumbling through the sand in her haste to get to him. She saw Kei smile before she pounced on him, dumping him down onto the sand.

  "Ow."

  She sat up, unwrapping her arms from him as she blushed. "Sorry." She couldn't keep a smile from her face though. "You're alive!"

  He grimaced as he sat up, brushing hair from his eyes with one hand, the other going to his ribs. "Well, I was."

  "Gah! I'm sorry!"

  Kei chuckled and looked back at her, his smile softening. "I'm fine. You?"

  She nodded quickly, holding her hands in her lap and trying to keep from bouncing up and down like a fool girl. She couldn't keep the grin from her face no matter how hard she tried. Joy and relief at finding him alive coursed through her.

  She looked him over, seeing him for the first time in sunlight. A blush crept up her cheeks as she did. He turned out to be handsomer than she'd imagined with the sunlight in his hair and him smiling at her. A flush spread across his face as well as they continued to stare at each other silently. She looked away quickly, suddenly embarrassed.

  He looked past her and grinned. "Hey, Avery."

  "You're late."

  Kei laughed quietly and stood. She scrambled to her feet, a hand almost going out to him when he stumbled. She bit her lip slightly. He obviously wasn't fine.

  "Aro's been worried about you," Avery commented, punching her in the arm.

  She scowled at him.

  Kei looked back at her, a frown crossing his face, his brows drawing together in worry. "I'm sorry."

  She fought another blush and shrugged a shoulder as she ducked her head. She looked up quickly at him and grinned. "But you're here now."

  He reached over, moving some of her hair aside. She froze, until she realized he was looking at the cut on her forehead. His eyebrows went up. "Prince?"

  She didn't quite follow, until she remembered the purple paste covering the cut. She nodded.

  He frowned again. "You said you weren't hurt."

  She rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away. "It's not that bad."

  His boyish face turned stern. "What else?"

  She sighed and held out her hands, still roughly bandaged. "Just some skin scraped off. They aren't serious or anything either." His jaw clenched and she let out a deep breath. He was going be worse than her brothers. "Prince is way worse off. He kept me from hitting the rocks. His back is cut up really bad."

  Kei looked over at Avery who gave him a shrug in response. She poked a finger gently at his ribs, getting his attention again, and put her hands on her hips. "You aren't fine either, are you?"

  A half smile played across his lips. "A few broken ribs." He ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, Aro. I heal really fast."

  "Hmph. What took you so long?"

  Kei looked off to the side, his brows drawing down.

  "Kei?"

  "When he goes into the fury," Avery said quietly. "Sometimes it takes him a while to calm down again."

  "Oh." The fury. When a Fey's eyes turned red and they went wild, and got stronger. That explained how he got out of the ship.

  "Chains?"

  She stared at him in confusion until she figured out he meant hers were gone. The way he talked would certainly take some getting used to. He'd been right when he'd told her he wasn't good with people. Since the wreck he seemed to have gotten even worse. Had he cracked his head on the ship?

  He cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer.

  "Oh, I picked the locks," she said quickly, her hand going to her pocket for her makeshift tools. Then she remembered she hadn't put them back last night and cursed under her breath. "I can do yours, but my stuff is back at the cave."

  He nodded, smiling slightly. "You come across anyone else?"

  "You're the last one," Avery answered. He glanced at her. "Kendric didn't make it. But everyone else is here."

  Kei sucked in a shocked breath and whirled back to face her. "Aro..."

  She didn't look at him, couldn't. She didn't want to think about Kendric. Not when she had just been so happy to discover Kei alive.

  "Aro," he persisted, reaching out a hand to her.

  She stepped away and clenched her teeth a moment. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She kept her eyes to the sea, not wanting to see the look on his face. She hated pity.

  She stared at the dark spot on the horizon for a few moments before her mind recognized what she saw. "Wither me," she choked out.

  She pointed and the boys turned to look at the ship off in the distance.

  "We need to move," Avery said, his voice firm but quiet.

  She cursed and shot him an annoyed look. As if she didn't know that. She wasn't a total fool. She followed the boys with a grimace, glancing back to sea again and again as they made their way to the others.

  She was getting tired of having bad days.

  Chapter 13

  Into the Deep Dark Woods

  The men conversed quickly in quiet whisperings after their return and Avery told them about the ship. Kei was greeted warmly by Bo and Cain, stared at by the two new men, and glared at by Pri
nce. As far as she was concerned, everything had returned to normal.

  She removed Kei's chains while the others talked, sneaking glances at him while she did. She caught him a number of times watching Prince, a thoughtful look on his face.

  Eventually curiosity got the best of her. "What are you thinking?"

  "What?" He looked back at her and blinked in confusion.

  She smirked and jerked her head in Prince's direction.

  "Ah. Hmm. Yes."

  She raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?"

  His face screwed up in frustration. "Sorry. I'm...not used to talking."

  She rested a hand on his and squeezed lightly. "It's fine. Just think about what you want to say first. I don't mind." She smiled again to encourage him.

  He let out a deep breath of air and sat a moment. "Well, I was surprised he took care of you. I honestly didn't know if he would."

  She sighed. "He did. And he did a very good job of it. Truly, he's not so bad. I wish everyone could see that."

  "He's..." Kei saw her face and stopped, shaking his head. "I just don't think we'll ever get along. We're too different."

  "We need to all work together," she insisted quietly. "Will you try? Just try not to fight at least? You don't have to be friends."

  He watched her for a moment before nodding. He motioned to the two new men. "Am I supposed to do the same with them? I don't like them."

  She raised her eyebrows and her mouth twisted into a wry smile at his blunt words. "I don't think any of us do. But they haven't done anything. So..."

  Kei sighed. "Try to get along."

  "Exactly."

  By the time she got the last of his chains off it had started to get dark. The men continued with their quiet conversation. What could they possibly be discussing so earnestly? She could have listened in, but it wasn't like she could help. She sat beside Kei off to the side, partly hidden by flickering shadows from their very small fire. She grimaced as she stared at it, they didn't want to risk being seen. At least the cave hid enough they could have a small one. Still, it was going to be cold. Just thinking about it made her shiver.