"Maia.. do you want yours with milk? Or choco?"
"Choco please"
A little version of me was holding up her cup towards a blond woman. She looked about 15 or 16 and she was smiling warmly at me. I was in a room, it was unfamiliar. I don't remember ever being in that room before.
"Maia"
I stared at the woman, who is she? I don't remember her but she feels so familiar. She walked towards me and enveloped me in her embrace.
It's… comfortable, surprisingly it is.
"You need to wake up. Maia"
Trees, lots of them. That was the first picture that registered in my head as I opened up my eyes. So I was only dreaming, these days it was certainly a luxury to even dream. I struggled to sit up and that's when I remembered about my right shoulder. I looked at it and saw it bandaged and the pain had subsided a little.
"You're awake"
I glanced over and saw Damian coming my way. I squinted my eyes and as if my whole being just finally awoke, I realized just what kind of situation I am in. Why is he here? Where's Iavan and Miisa and what did he do to them? to me? How long was I out?
"Where's Iavan and Miisa?"
He looked at me, rolled his eyes before pointing to the other side.
"They're sleeping"
I suspiciously eyed him, I still don't trust him. I can't trust him, we're in a death game and I would never trust anyone in here.
"I didn't do anything to them"
"How will I know that?"
He stared at me long before coming closer. Upon instinct I immediately backed away only to find my back flatten out on a large tree trunk, my shoulder throbbed with a slight pain and the pressure of having hit a hard object.
He clicked his tongue before kneeling so he was within my eye level. He then looked me straight in the eye. To say that it had little effect on me would be lying. I felt a little lump on my throat and an impending light blush that was about to creep in my face.
"Why don't you check on them yourself, and while we're at it why don't you search me yourself"
"Search you?"
As if he had sensed my confusion, he quietly stood up and took off his jacket as well as his polo shirt and pants.
"Hey what the hell!!"
I closed my eyes and as if that wasn't enough, I hid behind my hands. What was he thinking, suddenly stripping off and everything. We may be in a deadly game but I was still a girl and things like that. Well, things like that aren't really meant to be seen especially in times like this. And yes, I am still a child and it's embarrassing for me to even see a man's body.
Not a second later, I heard another click of his tongue as he grabbed hold of my head forcing it to look up. My eyes were still closed.
"I need you to properly look at me Maia, don't shut those damn eyes"
He hissed and that's when I felt him grab hold of my chin tightly making me flutter my eyes open. I gasped when I saw that glorious body right in front of me. He really was muscular overall but it was the perfect fit especially for his height. His undergarments looked smaller too considering that it looked so tight on him.
I bit my lower lip when I saw his upper body, damn those abs and muscles are so damn hot, even his broad shoulders were a sight to behold. I have to fight the urge to reach out and touch them. I wonder how it would feel like under that body.
"You done checking me out?"
Heat rose up to my cheeks when I was brought back by his voice. There was a little smirk playing along with his lips like he was actually laughing at my reaction.
"You… what the hell anyway. Don't you know that this too would be broadcasted"
I looked sideways as I tried to calm myself but he just shrugged it off. Hot shit Maia this is no time to be wondering what it would feel like to do that. You're going to die and all you could think about is that body. Fuck.
"I hope by doing this, you'll trust me a little"
I shifted my gaze to him who was now putting on the clothes that he discarded. Was that the reason why he stripped? Even though he knows that the whole nation would be watching it? It did a number of impressions on me, one being either he's overly confident that he could kill us even without anything or that he was willing to be vulnerable for a minute just to get my trust.
"Why would you want to join us anyway? You have nothing to gain from allying with us"
He looked at me as he buttoned up his polo shirt's last button. A small snicker left his mouth.
"I think you're mistaking something here, you guys are the ones who'll join me"
I slightly shifted my head.
"Uhh is there any difference with what you and I said?"
Looking slightly annoyed, he grabbed a bandage from his bag and walked towards me. He prompted me up so that he would have a little space by my side. There I noticed that I was only wearing my racerback shirt, the one I always wear underneath my uniform. If this was under any normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter much but it was different since he was casually touching me.
I shivered when I felt his fingers trace the injury on my shoulder as he took off the bandage.
"Your fever went down a while ago and don't worry I wasn't the one who stripped you off your blouse. Miisa and Iavan did it"
I swallowed the little lump that formed in my throat. Why was I nervous about this casual touching anyway? He was just replacing my bandages.
"About my question…"
I started off but was immediately cut off with just three letters.
"SDC"
My eyes widened and my whole body went rigid. Every cell in my body going in fight or flight mode sensing that everything about this man was dangerous.
"What?"
He stared at me before moving in close so his lips were near my ears. Another shiver ran up my spine as he whispered those two words. I felt time stop as he silently muttered those words.
"Seditionem Coeptabat"
I looked at him wide-eyed and mouth hanging open. As he continued to treat my injury, I was left wondering how he had known about that or who fed him that information. I wanted to ask more but asking would put me and the whole movement at risk.
But one thing was sure, he knew about my current predicament and it was one of the reasons why he saved me twice. It wasn't to gain my trust, no, it really was to save me.
The whole reason why he wanted us to join him was because of me.
And of the movement that will soon rise up in this country.