"You all right?" a worried smile appeared on the man's face as he glanced down at Xena. He leaned his elbow against one knee and offered a hand to help the poor girl up. Xena hesitated for a second, but the recollection of what happened to her parents made her eager to hide from the soldiers' sight. Compared to the stranger's hand, hers seemed smaller.
He boosted her up and gently smiled at her.
"What are you doing outside on this day of the month?" the stranger asked. Xena couldn't give him a response. She worried that if she were to tell the man in front of her about what happened, he would most likely shoo her away.
"I... I was playing outside," she lied. Her gut feeling told her to do so.
"Suddenly, I saw a bunch of big soldiers. So I ran away," she lowered her head as was afraid of what the man might say. Xena realized she had nowhere to go, and that left a pit in her stomach. The man furrowed his eyebrows as he struggled to catch the gaze of the small girl in front of him.
"You're an Arken?" the word made Xena slowly lift her head up. It's the term she kept hearing during the chaos earlier. A question popped up in her head: could she be an Arken? Was her dad an Arken? People easily threw around that word that she never knew what could truly define as one. Could her mother be an Arken? Everything was one enormous ball of confusion.
Xena shook her head and stared at the stranger's deep green eyes. His face had a relieved expression.
"Good," the man signalled his hand toward a small wooden cabin. It was only a couple meters away from where they are. Xena looked at him dumbfounded.
"Come inside. It's raining and you'll get sick if you stay here," he offered. She looked back and tried trying to see if her town was still in sight, but Mirefield was already too far away to even appear on the wide horizon. Xena had no choice. She has no home anymore and nowhere to go. Being too cautious at a time like this could lead her to worse scenarios.
She trailed after the stranger. His persona and appearance reminded her so much of her father, and that thought alone almost brought a tear in her eyes. Zion, her father, died in front of her without bidding a goodbye. Just remembering the image of her dad lying lifeless in the living room gave Xena an overwhelming amount of grief and anger.
What did her father do to deserve death? Why must he die in front of his own daughter? Everything was still a giant blur to her—a giant blur she'll never get over.
Xena entered the wooden cabin that the stranger was leading her to. The cabin felt cozy. Inside, it had a strong earthy smell. It has warmth unlike any other. A fireplace stood in the middle of the living room and it gave off a comfortable feel. The ceilings were high and a small-sized chandelier hung from it.
Xena had never seen a chandelier before. The prime source of light in their humble home was a small LED light fixture. As Xena stepped on the floor, she heard a few creaking sounds. The wooden planks on the floor seemed over-used: there were several surface scratches and stains. The more they both stepped on it, the squeakier the floors got. Despite the worn-down floors, the cabin was a comfortable environment.
Xena scanned the living room and was wary about the fact that she had just entered a stranger's house. The man turned around and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not big, but it's comfortable." Her lips curved up into a faint smile and nodded her head slightly.
"Thank you, mister," she wrapped her hands around herself and felt chilly after running under the rain for so long. The man went into a room and came back with a dry towel in his hand.
"Here. Dry yourself up. My name is Steven, you don't have to call me mister," he assured her. Xena took the towel shyly. She thought about the man's name. It was an odd one—a name she has never even heard in her entire life.
"And, your name is?" Steven questioned while raising one brow.
"Xena. I'm Xena Withersfield." Almost as if she was murmuring, Xena replied quietly. Steven kneeled in front of her to meet her eye to eye.
"Okay, Xena. Once you're comfortable enough, tell me where your parents are." Before she could even come up with a response, Steven had already gotten up and entered another room. She clenched her jaw. How will she tell him about her parents? Just about three hours ago she was living normally as a resident of Mirefield. Now, she has nowhere to go, she's all alone and has no one to call her family anymore.
Xena recalled when she saw her mother, petrified. Dianne screamed and shouted at the two soldiers dragging her away, while she looked back at her husband dead on the ground.
A rapid flow of tears streamed down her pink-tinted cheeks. Xena was quick enough to wipe them off her face before Steven returned.
'I can't lose hope. Mom might still be alive,' she thought. Though, no matter how hard she tried to think positively, the negative thoughts still poured in.
Steven signalled Xena to sit on one couch that surrounded the fireplace. She wouldn't dare to disobey him, especially since he has helped her enough. She quietly sat down with the towel that Steven had given to her wrapped around her shoulders.
She stared long at the blaze in the fireplace. Somehow, it calmed her down. Meanwhile, Steven placed a hot cup of water on top of the glass coffee table placed at the center.
"Xena, child. Are you feeling better now?" she snapped back into reality. Steven's sudden question severed her thoughts. Xena lowered her head down and stared at the wooden planks beneath her.
"Yes…" She lied. The tears she tried so hard to fight back threatened to fall down once again. Xena felt a lump in her throat, most likely from holding her tears back.
"Judging from your voice. I can tell you aren't," Steven crossed his arms and leaned against the couch. He looked at the little girl in front of him worriedly, 'how can a frail girl travel so far away from her town? There must be something going on,' he wondered.
"Why were you running away?" Steven questioned again. To Xena, explaining would be like replaying everything that had happened. The pain was still fresh. It's like a newly opened wound. And if she were to tell Steven, it would cause her even more suffering.
He looked at her patiently, not wanting to pressure her into telling everything right off the bat.
"I was playing outside…" Steven let out an impatient sigh.
"No kid would play outside in the rain like that. Unless your parents don't care about you," The comment almost made Xena burst out in anger. How dare he make such an assumption? Her forehead creased as she glared at Steven.
"My parents care about me..."
"Then why were you outside in the rain? Especially on the annual hunt? No parent would let their child run around with those soldiers outside," Steven replied while his eyes filled with disbelief.
Xena let in a deep breath and released it anxiously. The man's deep green eyes shined in the poorly lit area.
"My father died...and I don't know where my mother is. The soldiers took her," her eyes turned glassy as tears collected inside it. Xena doesn't even know if her mother escaped from those bastardly soldiers, and that realization felt like a stab to the gut. Steven's brows furrowed. He leaned forward and looked at the girl before him.
"The soldiers took your mother? Is she an Arken?" Xena shook her head, but his question caused her to think twice. Why else would the soldiers forcibly take her? If Xena remembered correctly, the President stated he'd only capture those who are an Arken. Xena thought it was ridiculous. Her parents had never shown not one sign of them being one.
Except...that one time during the sweltering summer five years ago. Xena remembered how especially humid it was in their home; the air seemed so warm that she assumed she'd melt. But to her bewilderment, she woke up one day in a pleasant temperature. The air wasn't so stuffy anymore. It was chilly, in fact, as if her parents had installed an air conditioner. Xena never doubted the sudden change, she never paid attention to those things.
The vision of what took place five hours ago replayed in her mind. Xena recalled the sharp fragments of ice that circled around her father. It was so sharp that it could injure anyone near it. Xena shook her head in disbelief. Her father was possibly an Arken, yet both of her parents told nothing about it. How could they hide these things from her?
"I... I don't know. My mother is a human. I swear!" her lips trembled.
Steven placed both of his hands on his waist and he let out an annoyed sigh.
"Alright, I believe ya. Those damn soldiers. They take anyone who puts up a fight." His eyes drifted towards the little girl who was almost close to tears.
"Please…" She pleaded.
"Please, let me stay here until I can find another place to stay," Xena cupped her hands together. She was tempted to beg on her knees long as it increases the chance of her staying here. He looked at Xena with pity. The green in his eyes reflected the flame in the fireplace. He slowly nodded his head and let out a grave sigh.
"You can stay here for as long as you want," he declared. Xena's lips curved up into an appreciative smile. He did not understand how relieved she felt. To her, he's like a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
"Thank you," She bit her lip, while trying to suppress her joyful tears from flowing. The floor creaked when Steven got up. He looked at Xena with a sympathetic smile and lowered himself to meet her eyes.
"You're a very brave girl," Steven placed his hand on top of her head. The reassuring pat on her head filled her with hope.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents," Xena nodded her head. Her lips formed a faint smile, and she felt happy to know that there were still people like him left in this dying world.
Steven lifted his fingers and pointed at a door to the left in the semi-dark hallway. "You can rest in that room. There are also a few changes of clothes in there. It used to be my daughter's."
"You have a daughter?" Xena couldn't help but ask. Steven had a sad smile on his face as he shook his head.
"Yes, but she…" He paused briefly. Steven suddenly remembered the angelic face of his daughter.
"She died ten years ago," Xena snapped her mouth shut. She didn't want to bother him with any more questions. Especially about his daughter. That would be like opening an already closed wound. She felt comfort in knowing that both of them had their loved ones taken away. At least she no longer felt alone.
"An Arken killed her…" Steven added, and dismay lit up his face. She received a gentle pat on her shoulder while her eyes followed the man as he entered the hallway. He stopped in his tracks and turned around once more.
"Go rest up," Steven plastered a gentle smile on his face. Xena did as he suggested. She first scanned the chamber. It was dark, but the moonlight shimmered through a medium-sized window and provided the room sufficient light. Steven had organized the bed well, it looked tidy and comfortable. The wooden walls of the room had a few drawings and stickers. It gave Xena the idea that Steven's daughter was young when she was still alive. The room had a nostalgic feeling around it. Although that feeling soon turned into sadness.
Xena's eyes latched onto a pink drawer. She opened it ever so carefully, because of the anxiety that she might break it. To her surprise, the drawer had newly folded clothes, all washed, dried and neatly placed.
With Steven's permission, Xena put on a comfortable pair. She stayed in the room for an hour and tried to take in all that had happened. The memory of her father's death was still vivid and surreal. Her mind seemed to come up with an unlimited amount of questions—specifically about her mother. If she's still alive, Xena promised herself to save her...no matter where her mother was, Xena wanted to see her again.
The silence around the cabin piqued Xena's curiosity. She carefully tiptoed around the hallway to look for Steven. The crackling sounds of the fire acted as white noise. Xena hid behind a wall that divided the living room and the hallway. Her fingers wrapped around the edge as she slowly peeked her head out to see if anyone was there. She then saw Steven chugging a bottle of beer. Tears flooded his eyes as he kept wiping them away. He alternated between wiping them and drowning himself with alcohol. Besides Steven was a small table with an unorganized tray of empty bottles. One seems like it would almost fall off the wooden board.
It must have been agonizing to lose your daughter like that. It must have been painful to lose someone you love. Those were the thoughts that strayed in Xena's mind as she watched the man who saved her as he cried his eyes out. Xena no longer felt the need to watch further; her mouth formed a frown as she tiptoed back into the room. The best she could do was fall into a deep slumber.
Xena couldn't believe that her father passed, nor could she believe that her life turned upside down in one day. She felt as if everything was just a dreadful nightmare, and she wishes to wake up from it. Today was something she wanted to forget—to never remember ever again.
As Xena fell into a deep sleep. A droplet of tears streamed down her face. The continuous stream felt like Xena was re-experiencing the chaos all over again.