“Uh…..”

Someone had just woken up.

“Where am I?” she thought.

She was in a wooden room, inside a small rustic house. Still deep in the jungle.

“Wow, finally awake after almost two days…” said Mathias. “And you seem to be alright…”

They were in Aelin’s little house. Jackeline was lying in bed. It was three in the afternoon.

“Ah!” Jackeline exclaimed when she saw Mathias, and her first reaction was…

“W-wait, calm down!” Mat said.

Jackeline didn’t listen. She tried to attack him, but…

“No… this isn’t something he…” she trailed off.

“If I’m alive, and I’m not chained up or anything, then…” she thought.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“?”

“I’m sorry…” she said then.

“Don’t worry about it…” Mat replied.

“But… why did you help me?” she asked.

“How does he know Spanish…?” she wondered.

“W-why wouldn’t I? You were badly hurt and…” he answered. “You were about to transform.”

“What?”

“It’s true…” said Samantha.

“Your leg…”

“Yes, it’s fine now…” she replied.

“Sam, Aelin is still playing with Trixxie and the others, right?”

“Yes, yes,” she answered. “Oh, right… Could you tell us your name?”

“She speaks English like it’s her native language…” Samantha thought.

“Jackeline… that’s my name,” she replied.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jackeline,” Mat said. “My name’s Mathias.”

“That’s a nice name,” Samantha added. “And, well… it’s nice to meet you too… Oh, my name is Samantha.”

“I see… And… thanks, I guess…” she said. “But… wow, I really thought you’d be different. I mean… we fought a few days ago, yeah, but… even then, I didn’t think you were bad people. It’s different from what I was told… And now we’re talking as if none of that happened, like you just rescued me or something…”

“I see…” Mat said. “Well, you’re right about that last part, haha.”

“Um… Different in what way?” Samantha asked.

“Well, he’s the Spawn of Evil, after all…” Jackeline replied, looking at Mat.

“And that is…?” Mat asked.

“The Antichrist,” she answered. I’m capitalizing it because… well, anyone can be an antichrist, but *The* Antichrist is just one. You understand?

||||||

“I guess…?” Eliah.

||||||

After saying that, Jackeline spoke again, this time with a hint of sadness.

“And well… ah…” she sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Mat asked.

“Could you leave me alone?” she replied. “I need… to think.”

“…Alright,” Mat said. “Sam, shall we go?”

“Okay…” she answered.

“No, um… I’d like to go outside too.”

She said as she got out of bed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not leaving…”

Samantha whispered to Mat.

“…Hey, are you sure it’s okay to let her go?”

“Yeah, I think so…”

Mat then said to Jackeline:

“Alright, go ahead…”

“Okay…”

Jackeline left. It seemed like she went for a walk. She didn’t stray far since Mat could still sense her.

Jackeline, now by a riverbank, was left alone, with only her thoughts as company, as she put it. She had lost the will to fight them.