"I'm Mateo, that's Hayate and Richard. You already know Evie and Cole." Mateo said as he introduced me to the rest of the main cast.

Hayate barely looked up from the knife he was sharpening. His powers in the book were weapon creation. He could turn anything into something of mass destruction. His black hair was cropped short, but aside from his name, there was a telltale scar along the right side of his jaw. It stood out against his pale ivory skin. His almond-brown eyes were focused on his weapon.

Richard gave a far more warm greeting and accompanied that with a wave. From the books, I knew his powers were more defensive, and he could create shields. His features were deceptively nondescript. He had nothing noteworthy, so he became the perfect mole later in the book to betray Rex.

Mateo was the friendliest of the three, but only because he was the mouthpiece of Rex. Mateo offset the taciturn leader by being a bright people person. Mateo's handsome features really helped sell the bit. His caramel skin made his white teeth shine as he showed off his pearly whites. Which he did a lot. His teeth have to hurt from constantly smiling. I was a little put off by it. Wyatt's fake smiles certainly killed my patience for such things.

Mateo's power was impressive because his ability granted him water manipulation. During the end times, having clean water cannot be understated. Like Evie's healing capabilities, his powers were among the most valued on the team.

It was awkward meeting everyone because Rex was holding me in his arms. After he caught me, he didn't let me go. I didn't have the strength to resist before, and neither of us said a word when he brought me here. This moment was as awkward as how strong Rex's arms were. I shouldn't seek comfort in him holding me, and he shouldn't hold me for this long. The only part that made it slightly okay was that he had no romantic feelings for me, and I was still very much in love with Adam...yeah that didn't sound right to me, either diary. But he wasn't letting me go, and my legs were too weak. I hadn't eaten properly in who knows how long, and I was being currently drained away by a growing baby.

"I'm Wendy," I said with a small smile and a wave of the hand. I had no idea what my expression showed, but my face was likely still swollen from my heart-wrenching tears.

I could barely see out of said eyes, they still felt tender. To combat this, I tucked my face into the crook of Rex's neck. His heartbeat pulsed comfortingly on my cheek, and I sighed, falling asleep.

Well, attempting to fall asleep, I should say. It was hard to drift into sweet blackness with Rex not letting me go. Instead of setting me down or putting me in one of the tents, he held me.

With me in his arms, he sat down at the fire that was going. There was food cooking in the pit, and from the smell, it was beef stew. It wasn't as fragrant as the recipe I learned from Mary, but it smelled good.

I opened my eyes to peek at Evie, who was stirring it. Cole was close by and whispering something in her ear.

Mateo and Rex spoke in hushed tones above my head about plans they were making for the clean-up of Green's Mountain. The rumble of Rex's voice created the illusion I needed to peacefully fall asleep.

I woke up in Rex's tent, but he was nowhere to be seen. I could tell from a single sniff that this was his tent. His scent lingered on the bedding and in the air.

Maybe I'm part dog, not witch.

I smelled like wood fire and was still wearing that ugly blue dress from before. I needed something fresh to change into. I slipped into my portable walk-in closet and breathed in the sweet scent of roses, lemon, and clean linen. It was a scent I'd coined together to become my personal scent, which was greeting me now.

I sloppily slipped off the horrid blue dress of memories. I didn't have time for a full bath or a shower, so I wiped myself with washcloths and soap. When dried, I slapped rose lotion and moisturizer on every necessary cranny and some deodorant. When I was done, I carefully sprayed my personal perfume in the best spots.

It was time to get dressed now. I slipped on a pale pink satin camisole as I perused my options.

It felt good to have so many. I thought about the Wendy's closet when I first entered the world. It was dinky and full of old, tired things. I spent many years carefully creating and bargaining for more until it overflowed with nice things. I had even more space and time to enjoy filling this one. If I had my literary power, I would have summoned more clothing to fill these hangers.

I allowed my fingers to grace the different fabrics as I went through each article of clothing that was hanging. Mordecai seemed to spare no expense because these couldn't be fake gems in these dresses. I couldn't put on most of what he gave me. It was too ostentatious for this world's setting.

I settled on pulling a red dress over my camisole. It was one of a handful that wasn't splashed with opulence. It was tastefully accented with tiny gems that blinked and sparkled but wouldn't blind. The skirt of the dress was plaited with orange and pink. I pulled on one of the makeshift shorts I made on the boat over it. I looked a little frumpy, but it would do.

Then, I brushed my hair and pinned it into a braided bun. The goal was to achieve simplicity, but it took a lot of work to attain with what I had on hand. I didn't have sneakers, only flats, so I slipped on a pair of black flats.

I was finally done, and before I could stop myself, I caught sight of my appearance in the full-length mirror. All the warm bubbles of happiness self-care had given me were taken from me now.

I looked tired. My eyes were still swollen, and my cheeks sunken. I didn't look as beautiful as I wanted to or felt as I carefully crafted my appearance. A whimper of self-pity escaped my lips, and I left my walk-in with a heavy heart my self-care couldn't fix.

I exited right into Rex's arms. I gasped in surprise as he caught me by the waist.

"Where did you go?" His eyes were dark, and his expression was hidden by the shadow of the tent. I couldn't tell what he was thinking from his voice either.

"I needed to put on something clean," I said without fully explaining as I wiggled out his arms. How could I explain that I had a walk-in closet that I just casually entered and out of?

The box was conspicuously on the bed, and I glanced at it with guilt. Rex's almost black eyes darted to it as well, and before I could stop him, he picked it up.

I reached for it and to my surprise Rex didn't fight me when I took it back. "It was a gift from my relative," I said. The only one that was worth it so far.

"The one who couldn't tell time?" Rex said, examining it in my arms.

I didn't want him studying it any more than he needed to. I quickly slipped the box into my space ring and gave what I hoped to be a convincing smile. "Yes. It was a gift because I'm pregnant." I met Rex's eyes as I said this.

I wasn't granted any reaction to this revelation from Rex. "What is that box?" He asked instead.

"It's a walk-in closet," I answered before stopping myself. Damn, his hypnotic gaze.

"That box is a walk-in closet?" His eyes were on my hand as he spoke.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"It is now. It's a new development, so I'm unsure how it works fully." I said with a shrug. Once I had access to one of my relatives, maybe they could just combine my spacial ring with the damn walk-in closet. At least one was always tied to me and not being left behind when I used it.

"That box was from the basket you were carrying when you returned," Rex said, musing things out loud. "I was unable to move it while you were in it."

That last part seemed like important information for me to tuck away later. Rex was deep in thought and seemed to be piecing something else together, but I wouldn't be privy to it because Mateo had opened the tent flap.

"The scout team is back." He said as his eyes darted between the two of us. There was something he clearly wanted to say just for Rex's ears, so I excused myself to leave first.

I exited the tent to see a group of three. I recognized one as Morgan, but the other two were unknown. They were tall, identical twins with heterochromia eyes. Each seemed to carry the color opposite the other twin. I found myself staring at the set of twins rather rudely.

"What is she doing here!" Morgan's sharp voice cut into this, and I lazily dragged my eyes from the two to look at her. She was dressed in all black, and everything from her hair to her temper was in disarray.

She must have been a part of the scouting team that went out. There was a bag next to her feet, but it was hard to notice with how her voice was attracting all the attention.

That was a good question. Why was I here? It may be time to think about where I would settle since I was stuck in this world and none of my ancestors were helping me. How can I get out of this situation without making things worse?

I made a face as I thought of the answer to that question. I didn't have time to develop one because Morgan's follow-up screech drew people from the other tents. Yeah, she straight-up screamed like a banshee to gain attraction to our conversation.

"Morgan, stop!" Evie emerged from her tent in a wispy bathrobe. Her hair curled delicately around her face. She was so beautiful I couldn't ignore the stab of envy in my heart. For all my pampering, I couldn't pull off that well-rested look that only true beauty could bring.

Evie grabbed Morgan's arm and tried, fruitlessly, to tug the other woman into her tent. "Don't do this right now."

Evie's words were strange; just like before, they only seemed to egg on Morgan. She ripped her arm away from Evie and sneered at me. "She's just some random woman Rex brought in. That's a useless mouth to feed, not including the growing one in her belly. Who knows how trashy father is, too, allowing her to roam around hooking up with other men." She said with a glint of cunning in her eyes.

I bit my lip to stop the inappropriate bubble of laughter that threatened to break my silence. Even with the writer's intervention gone, everything still felt so scripted and patent. I was too amused to take offense. If anything, once I looked past my amusement, there was something more pressing to take from this than offense.

Morgan had a point.

This public outcry from her was a wake-up call I needed to hear. I must put distance between Rex and myself. Over and over again, I said I would create distance, but whenever the wind chilled, I sought warmth in the harbor of his arms. I was sending the wrong message.

"I am pregnant, and I have a fiancé," I said with a quirk of my lips.

Morgan grinned triumphantly.

"I'm also far from useless," I said, holding out a hand. The wild plants at my feet sprouted and grew in my desired shape. A hand giving Morgan the middle finger was enough to show her what I could do.

Her smile faltered but was wiped away completely when the tent flap opened, and Rex's stiff body appeared behind me. "And her fiancé isn't letting Wendy run around to hook other men. Especially when she's carrying his child." His words could mean many things, but his arm snaked possessively around my waist, adding a different flavor to his words.

More than one person gasped at that verbal bomb drop, myself included. Rex's other hand touched my shoulder as if to steady me. I stiffened, ready to refute this, but Morgan was one step ahead of me again.

"That's impossible!" Morgan shrieked. "Evie said when she scanned her body, she saw she was almost two months along. How could it be yours?"

I forgot that health scanning was part of Evie's arsenal of skills. She could scan someone's health and heal the woes away. Of course, she figured out I was pregnant, but she shared that with Morgan. A woman who clearly hates me? How suspicious of the female protagonist.

"Besides Wendy, only I know how long we've truly known each other," Rex said, looking down at me. There wasn't love in his eyes but a glimmer of concern. My breakdown from the day before floated in my mind, and I balked at the thought that maybe he was just looking out for me.

Did he think Morgan's barrage would cause another bout of panic? I was made of sterner stuff than that. I opened my mouth to stop him from doing this, but he silenced me with his warm grasp on my neck. The massage he gave my neck felt so familiar I looked up to meet his eyes.

Against my desire, I relaxed against Rex, and this moment between us looked intimate, giving what he said credence. Even as I knew this was happening, I couldn't stop my body from reacting to his touch. He was clearly using it to keep me quiet, and sadly, it was working.

"All your points are invalid, so let it go, Morgan," Mateo said, holding up his hands to broker peace. "The two have clearly kept it under wraps, but you can see their affection. And Rex has never let someone sleep in his quarters before. That alone speaks for itself."

Is that so? It shouldn't be so startling to find out that. Rex and Adam were the private types. Obsessively so, they guarded information like a dragon over their hoard. One of the most private places for most of you was your bedroom, i.e., your inner sanctum.

Morgan's face was ashen, and she looked at Evie with stark pain in her eyes. Evie also looked pale and shaken. The only other person who looked upset was Cole, but his focus was on Evie and what she was going through.

What could have been an excellent, quiet start to the day had turned into a mess. The desire to be far away was strong, but Rex didn't seem inclined to let me go. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why.

The tension wasn't cut through by breakfast. It didn't help that Rex stayed glued to my side and intently ensured I ate some of everything. My mind drifted to the delicacy Mordecai said pregnant women should eat. I hadn't opened the jar because it was bright red. It reminded me of the things Sunny brought me during my first period. I shook aside those thoughts.

I needed to confront Rex!

My ire refocused properly on the one sitting in front of me. I was the only one worried about what just happened. There wasn't a hint of worry or concern about what Rex had done on his face.

"Rex," I said, trying to keep my voice as low as possible. "Why did you lie?"

Rex blinked slowly and took a bite of his breakfast ham instead of answering. I watched rather anxiously as he chewed slowly and thoughtfully. He finished and swallowed just as slowly before finally he said, "Did I lie?"

I scrunch my face at him. He's deliberately toying with me! All of his words had plausible deniability, but the conclusions he wanted everyone to draw were clear.

A low chuckle escaped his lips, and I blinked at the subtle changes this brought to Rex's face. "You make that face a lot." He said, lightly rubbing the bridge of my nose.

I pulled away to glare at him but wound up inching closer again to whisper. "Why make it sound like that?" Me keeping quiet during the whole thing gave us dignity in light of everything, but I needed to know. It didn't feel right to lie.

Rex's eyes shot down to look at my abdomen. "You can't leave this world to get back to your Adam. I'll take care of you both in his stead."

I shook my head before he finished getting the words out. "I don't want you to. I'm not giving up, and I'll make it back." One way or another, I was going to get back. "I promised him I would."

"How?" Rex asked me with hooded eyes as he took another bite of his ham.

"I don't know yet, but giving up means I never will. You said I was anchored before, and there's been mention of a prophecy. What do those things mean?" I said. I finally had a quiet moment with Rex to grill over these burning questions I've had for far too long.

"The prophecy is my mother's last words to me. She saw a fortune teller before her death because she was worried about me." Rex said before taking a long drag of his tea. When his mouth was empty, he again glanced down at my stomach where my right hand was. "The anchor is your tie to this world through the baby."

I didn't have time to process that before Rex had a far bigger bomb to drop on me.

"Our child has powers like mine. You've accessed them during your time here." Rex said as he watched me above his steaming mug.

"So when I've been teleporting around." My voice was barely audible over my heartbeat, pumping through my chest.

"It's due to our growing baby," Rex said.

There was silence as my broken brain tried to catch up to this development.

"Let's also allow them to believe what was said today to make it easier. This is what's best for both of us going forward." Rex said before standing up and striding over to where Mateo awaited him. I stared at the two, having lost my appetite.

What the hell do I do?

I was too stunned by everything to realize the full extent of his words. And it would be even later before I realized he hadn't explained the prophecy at all.

I didn't have time to dig into Rex for answers. His group was a well-oiled machine that set its sights on Green's Mountain. There was no way that vehicles could make it through the terrain, so that meant walking.

A lot of it.

I soon mastered the art of vomiting quickly, rinsing my mouth out, and catching up with the group. I wasn't alone. I noticed Rex's gaze more than once, and the guard at the rear, Hayate, was often in the back with me.

It was with relief, for countless reasons, that we made it to Green's Mountain. I handled this transition well. I didn't even cry when we passed where my forest should have been.