"What do you remember Carolyn?" I asked as I gently set her down on a chair. She winced and I flashed an apologetic smirk, then sighed. The Prophet pulled up a chair and sat down in front of her, leaning forward and surveying her, taking in as much as he could. He was intrigued- and it was pretty obvious that he still thought she was evil.

"I remember falling. I don't remember why... but I was falling. I fell into a feild in the middle of a forest... only it wasn't like a normal forest. All the trees were dead, and there were no animals. I didn't understand it, and it scared me. It was foggy, and dead silent which scared me. I ran as fast as I could, eventually I had to slow down- but I still made it out of the forest." She explained. The Prophet's eyes grew wide- as did my own. We both knew what forest she was talking about.

"H-how did you escape it?!" The Prophet interrupted, in awe of her tale.

"What do you mean? It was just a dead forest... I thought I heard things- but I'm sure it was just my imagination.... why? Do you know what I'm talking about?!" She asked, confused. The Prophet grew pale and just nodded.

"That forest... well, it's not really a forest anymore. It use to be a lucious and beautiful forest- people loved camping there, and it was so lively. It was filled with animals, vegetation, and it was never quiet. It was so beautiful. That was before F.E.A.R. formed. Once F.E.A.R. came, they... they did something to it- as if The Matriarch- the leader of F.E.A.R. cast a spell over the forest. The plants died, the animals left- well, the ones that could escape that is. Deep within the forest there are large ponds- only they aren't like normal ponds... not anymore. It's like tar- black, bubbling, thick and dangerous- except it's not tar at all. F.E.A.R. uses those ponds to create more Wretcheds." The Prophet explained, slowly and quietly. It was clear he was thinking as he spoke, trying to figure out how she escaped it so easily.

"Carolyn... nothing and no one that enters that forest gets out alive anymore... I don't understand... how could you get out without even seeing a Wretched?" The Prophet stuttered, staring at his fingers as he tried to figure everything out.

"I- I'm not sure... I just ran because I was scared... After I got out of the forest- it was like an instant desert.... like the one we're camping in now, only it was getting darker and colder... a lot colder. I wandered, desperately searching for someone- anyone.." She muttered, and was then interrupted once more by The Prophet.

"You're a fallen angel. How come you didn't just fly? You have wings." He asked, thinking through and poking holes into her story- obviously he didn't believe her yet.

"I fell. It hurt to move my legs and walk- let alone fly. Besides, I had been running- and walking for a long time... I was tired, worn out... and it takes a lot of energy to fly." She muttered, a bit taken aback at how he had interrupted her like that. I sighed and glared at The Prophet as my own way of telling him to shut up and respect our guest. He sighed and nodded at me, then gestured for Carolyn to continue.

"Anyway... uhm, so I was wandering the desert and I was cold, hungry, and scared. After a while, I saw someone. I tried to run closer to them, but then they vanished. I think it was imagining it... but I'm not sure. Then, the next thing I know, this thing.... just.... appears infront of me. It's got a weird skull like face, and a huge black cloak, and it's carrying this weird staff thing... It was scary as hell." She muttered, her voice grew quieter and quieter and she shook a bit. Her face became pale and she stared at the wall as she continued. It was obvious she was terrified and whatever happened next was extremely traumatic. I gently picked her up, sat down myself, and pulled her onto my lap. My arms surrounded her torso as I tried to calm her down.

"It's alright Carolyn. You're safe here. Can you please tell us what happened next?" I whispered into her ear as I slowly started rocking back in forth- desperately trying to get her to calm down and not be as terrified. The Prophet looked at me and raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised at how affectionate and caring I was being towards this fallen angel. It wasn't like me to do this... and I felt strange and awkward- but I knew I had to in order for her to feel safe.

"I... uhm.... well.... I heard this voice.... it sounded like it was coming from the beast- but it wasn't the beast's voice... it... it sounded like... a recording." She squeaked. I nodded and frowned.

"That beast is a Wretched, and the sound... do you remember what it said?" I asked, staring into her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, and slowly and reluctantly nodded.

"We expect the battle for humanity is about to begin. Within each uprising, a fake sense of safety will ignite in you, and unseen shadow will slip from doubt towards those who protect, and defend you. But let the thoughts slip away, and remain calm, stay close to F.E.A.R. only we can protect." She whispered, with no emotion in her voice. She didn't even stutter as she spoke the words. Andy and I looked at each other with widened eyes.

"Carolyn, what happened next?" I asked gently.

"I screamed. I turn and ran... but it just... appeared in front of me again and raised it's staff..." She muttered and shivered.

"What happened next Carolyn... please. It's important." Andy asked.

"I don't know... I just remember pain... and then laying on the ground. So much pain.... and then screams, banging and crashing noises, and a loud thud. Then I was lifted up and being carried. I couldn't open my eyes and I... I think I passed out. But there was so much pain... so much pain...." She winced at the memory.

"It's okay Rayne, you're safe now. It's okay. I'm going to take great care of you alright? We won't let you have to face them again until you're ready." I said, rocking her again as I desperately attempted to calm her down once more. I looked over at The Prophet.

"So... can you trust her now?" I asked him. He sighed and frowned deep in thought.

"She told me the story of what happened when she fell, but what is it that got her kicked out of heaven? She could still be evil or even working for F.E.A.R. for all I know." He said to me.

"You know... I am right here and can hear everything... right?" She whispered, then leaned her head into my chest. I looked up and glared at The Prophet. For being the leader of The Wild Ones, the leader of the misfits, the ones that are different, and the ones that don't belong- I never would have thought he'd be THIS judgmental and harsh.

"I know. And when you can tell me why you were kicked out of Heaven, then I'll be able to trust you. But until then, I want you to have someone with you at all times- and I'm volunteering Jake to do that since it was his idea to keep you alive in the first place." The Prophet ordered. I rolled my eyes.

"Andy, where is she going to sleep?" I asked, a bit annoyed at him.

"With you- you need to stay with her at all times. Was I not being clear?" He asked, I clenched my teeth together.

"But I only have one bed in my tent. Do you want me to go get a bunk bed from one of the soldier's tents?!" I asked, hoping that he'd give in and allow her to bunk with the rest of the soldiers.

"No, don't take anything from them. They don't have much, and taking away a soldiers bed is just cruel. Make her sleep on the ground for all I care." He muttered and turned back to his desk, going back to his work, writing something down.

"Andy... that's just inhumane." I said coldly.

"I have work to do. Don't let her out of your sight. It's almost sundown and that means it's about to get real cold really fast. I suggest you go back to your tent ASAP before the sun is gone completely." He replied coldly. I sighed and picked her up once more, and carried her out of the room.

"Oh god... it's freezing!" She exclaimed, then curled tighter into my arms as we made our way to my tent. I tightened my grip around her and felt myself smiling a bit- as soon as I felt it, I immediately wiped it off my face- confused as to why I smiled at her unconciously. We made it back to my tent and she was shivering. I gently laid her down on my bed.

"W-wait... you're not making me sleep on the ground?" She was a bit confused.

"No, I'm not. That's inhumane, and you are injured. It's cold on the ground. I may have recieved orders to make you sleep on the ground, but I think that we can just pretend. If he asks, you slept on the floor." I explained. She nodded. I lit a lantern to give us more light and I grabbed my blankets, gently tucking her in. She was still shivering underneath all the blankets.

"Wait... where are you going to sleep?" She whispered. I sighed.

"I dunno, I'll probably stay awake, or maybe sleep on the ground. I'll be fine." I muttered, and scratched the back of my head. I gasped as I felt her hand grab mine.

"No... it's your bed. You can still sleep in it with me. I mean, it'll be a tight fit, but I think we can do it. Besides, you're warm, and I'm cold." She muttered. We argued about it for a few minutes, but eventually she won. I then turned out the lantern, and crawled into bed next to her. I was being careful not to touch her, and it was hard to do that in my small bed. I gasped when I felt her lean into me, her cold skin pressing against mine. I wrapped my arms around her and eventually we both fell asleep.

Notes

Do I spy a budding romance? Hmmm probably not considering Jake is The Grim Reaper....

but then again... Carolyn is immortal now too because of him....

But what if The Prophet gets feelings for Carolyn? He could just be sheilding his emotions from everyone, pretending that he doesn't like her or trust her at all...

So many questions....