The City of Ionia

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking to clear the blurriness. My arm ached, and my body was wrecked in pain. I groaned as I slowly sat up; the soreness and stiffness devoured me. As my vision returned, I looked around my surroundings. I was surrounded by four walls. The bed and room were unfamiliar; for a moment, I thought I was in an entirely different world.

Where the hell…

I flipped the quilt off me, and that’s when I found something interesting. My arm was firmly wrapped around in a cast that pressed against my chest.

Who in the world did this? I looked around once again. It was an empty room with a window at a weird angle, and I could not see what was outside. The bed was in the middle of the compact room. Three people could comfortably fit, at best.

There was nothing in here besides a tiny dresser in the corner. A small wooden dresser with gentle swirls that ran through its surface. It was a cute little dresser, something Harley would probably like.

I pulled the quilt back to cover my lower half. I was still wearing the same clothes, and my socks felt damp. I dug my toes between my skin and fabric and ripped off both socks. I wiggled my toes around and briefly rubbed them against the inside of the quilt.

The temptation to leave circled my brain. I wanted to know where I was and how my cast had changed from a T-shirt to an actual one.

All these questions, yet no answer.

Well, that was until the door opened.

A man with the broadest shoulders attempted to walk in. He ducked and adjusted himself so he could fit through the door frame. Sometimes, I forget how big he really is.

“You’re awake. Great.”

“Is this your doing?”

“Ah, I’m happy to see you too.”

A rare joke from the man who never forgets his sword. In fact, I’m surprised it wasn't slung on his back. Maybe it’s somewhere else. I didn’t bother questioning since I didn’t care.

“How’d you find me?”

Silent, he pulled up a chair that I must’ve not seen and sat beside me at arm's length. And then…

“Nadia told me everything. Can’t say I’m surprised any of this happened.”

“What did she say?”

“Never mind that. Here. Look at yourself.”

He flipped open a pocket mirror. Specs of dust coated the mirror. A simple blow wouldn’t do the trick. It needed to be washed badly.

I quickly ignored the filth and focused on my face. It was swollen with angry bruises and dried cuts. From what I could tell, every angle was bruised. One rested just above my right eye, the size of a cashew. Thankfully, it wasn’t big enough to clog my eyelid. That wouldn’t have been fun.

“I’ve seen worse,” I said while giving my face a final look.

“Is that so? I found you in terrible condition. Asleep, wet, bloodied. Almost like a fresh corpse in the rain. I’m surprised she didn’t kill you.”

I wasn’t either. Nadia religiously followed Ruby. She cared for her indefinitely. How I only escaped with a bruised face was fortunate.

“How did she break your arm?” Randy asked.

“She didn’t. The SCAR agent did.”

“Do you mind if I ask how?”

“I don’t even remember. I think it flung me against a tree or something.”

“Really? Well, that doesn’t matter now. You’re safe. Just make sure to take care of your wounds and not do anything absurd.” He pushed himself off the chair.

I was surprised it didn’t break.

“Are you leaving,” I asked.

He turned back. “Do you want me to stay?”

“How’s Jeremy?”

“Your voice is breaking. You really do care.”

His statement caught me off guard. He wasn’t wrong, but I wish he didn’t point it out.

“Of course, I care. I’ve been with you all for years.”

“Yet you were willing to leave without saying ‘goodbye’ to any of us.”

I slumped, rubbing my forehead. “N-No. It’s more complicated than that.”

“I believe you. You aren’t the type to do something without purpose. Therefore, I have no right to judge or question you further.”

He took a step outside the room.

“Wait!”

He stopped to turn.

“How’s Jeremy?”

I gave him such a look that I hoped he wouldn’t ignore me. My face was droopy and filled with pleading desperation. All I wanted was an answer. Nothing else mattered.

“Jeremy… well… I’m not sure. Nadia told me everything in private. From there, I went to get you. I’ve been here ever since, waiting for you to wake.”

“Oh… so you know how Jeremy is doing? What about Quinn? Surely… he’s—”

“I don’t know, Jill. I wish I could tell you. I really do. I don’t know anything and won’t till I return.”

I gave a quick response. “I’ll come with you.”

He gave a quicker one. “You can’t.”

“Huh?”

And then he broke the most brutal news I had ever heard.

“Nadia banished you from returning to camp. She ordered a “kill on sight” if you ever step foot near campgrounds.”

“Huh…?”

My voice disappeared. Some mystical being came and swiped it. I couldn’t bother to lick my chapped lips. I was frozen in bed. The only thing I could do was nothing.

“I’m sorry. The new leader of the Bariac Cult, Nadia, demanded that you not be allowed to return to camp. There’s nothing I can do… but this.”

He walked over, reached within his brown overcoat, and plopped a bag filled with something next to me.

“This is 342 golden outis coins. If used wisely, they can last you up to four years. Take them and use them to start a new life.”

I glanced at the brown bag that was tied with golden thread. It didn’t look like it could fit all those outis coins, but Randy had no business lying. From what I understood, he never lied.

But it wasn’t that I cared about. I could care less about money or possessions. I just wanted to be back at camp with the people I have.

The first group of people who took care of me in the outside world.

But I guess I couldn’t do it.

There was no reason to fight for it. I was going to leave anyway, so it wouldn’t make sense to cause a commotion. I wonder how Jeremy felt. Oh, he must’ve puked or something. Me, Ruby, and Harley. We were all so close, and now he is the only one—all alone. He’ll probably be fine. He’s strong.

Citrus. I didn’t speak to him much. His cooking did most of the talking. His omelets. I could kill for one right about now.

Quinn. He’ll grow up without his mother. But that’s ok. I trust that he’ll grow up to be stronger than Ruby, though it was far-fetched.

I leaned against the bed frame.

Man…

I just wanted to see a few people’s faces one last time.

“A new life, huh? Sounds scary.”

I looked at Randy, who was standing by the door. He didn’t exit, which meant words were cooking in his brain. And I was right.

However, these words were something I didn’t want to hear.

“I hired a caretaker for your wounds. She should be here soon.”

“I can take care of myself.”

He smiled one last time. “Goodbye, Jill. I hope one day, you create your ideal world. And I hope I’m alive to see it.”

He closed the door before I could say anything to him. Instead, I spoke to the surrounding air.

“Thank you, Randy, for everything.”