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They were supposed to stay together, that was the plan. Splitting up was dangerous, being apart meant no one was there to help if you got attacked.
But of course, of course Ryder had to be the hero. He couldn’t hold back and run away, couldn’t just stay. Stay with his friend and with his lover.
But still, Riya followed him into the cave. Because no matter what, she would not leave behind someone she cared for when she knew he would get killed if he tried to fight alone. She would not abandon someone she loved just because she would be in danger. She had training, she could handle herself.
So when Ryder turned around and ran into the cave, daring to fight the creatures that lurked inside, Riya didn’t hesitate before running after him. And wherever Riya went, Wren went.
The first thing she felt when she woke up was pain. Head, arms, legs, back, inside, outside, everything. It hurt.
For a few blissful moments she didn’t remember why. For those few moments, Riya deluded herself into thinking everything was okay and she was just dreaming.
Then the memories hit and she felt fear strike her body like lightning.
She remembered fighting, and desperation, and Wren on the ground, and Ryder bleeding, and then nothing.
She shot up in bed (Bed? Where was she?).
She let the black fuzz fade from her vision before properly looking around. She was in…a cot? Yes, a cot. And there were plenty more spread around her, some with people, some without.
Immediately she began scanning for Wren and Ryder. She had to know they were okay, had to know they were safe, and alive, and—
Someone grabbed her shoulders.
“Cross?” They asked. “Take a deep breath for me, you’re okay.”
She inhaled as much air as she could take before letting it out slowly. Everything would be fine.
“Where are they?” She asked.
“Who?” The person asked. “Your partners?” The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. A nurse, maybe?
Riya nodded.
“They’re alright, don’t worry. Last I heard, they were getting food and water from the cafeteria. I can take you in a bit, let me just check—”
“Please let me go.”
The nurse looked at her. Riya was sure she was trying to convey something with her gaze, but honestly? She didn’t really care. Her head hurt too much, and she was too scared to deal with a basic check-up. She was alive, anything else could wait until she found her partners.
She stared back at the nurse, not bothering to hide a single emotion she felt. She needed to leave now.
The nurse sighed.
“Fine,” she said, “but please be careful, let me walk you there.”
Riya shook her head and tried to stand. Her head started pounding ten times worse and her arms were stinging, but she really couldn’t wait. She’d persevered through worse, it was part of her job. She was trained for exactly this.
As soon as she felt more or less steady, she took off.
She knew her way to the kitchen from here, she’d made the trip for Ryder dozens of times. It was more muscle memory than anything, and good thing, because she probably couldn’t navigate herself to the right place otherwise.
But she got there eventually.
She heard Wren’s voice first. She couldn’t make out the words, but they were said with sadness, concern, and regret. Ryder replied in much the same manner.
She approached, and the moment she was spotted, Ryder came to her side and crushed her in a hug. It hurt but she felt bad saying that and looked to Wren for help.
All she had to do was place a hand on his shoulder and he pulled away.
“You’re okay!” He exclaimed.
“More or less,” Riya replied, trying to let a smile slip through.
“You had us worried,” Wren said. “That thing knocked me down, and by the time I got up, you were—”
She took a breath.
Calm, collected Wren, losing her cool because Riya got hurt. Some part of her was happy about it, that Wren cared enough about her to worry so much. But on the other hand, she felt bad for making her worry.
“You were knocked out,” she continued, “and there was blood on your face. It wasn’t pretty.”
Ryder nodded. “We thought you were dead for a second there, but we finished the thing off and got back here as soon as we could. We were told you were alive, but…”
“I’m sorry,” Riya couldn’t help but say. She made two people she loved more than anything sorry about her.
“It’s not your fault,” Wren said, rushing to place a hand on her cheek. For security, for comfort. “I shouldn’t have let Ryder go back. I should have stopped him before you followed. It’s on me.”
Ryder shook his head. “What are you talking about? I shouldn’t have gone back at all. I didn’t think that you would follow, I should have thought about it.”
“Of course I followed you!” Riya exclaimed. “Did you expect me to just let you march to your own grave? You know I love you, and you know I never leave behind someone I love. And Wren, you followed me. It’s not your job to keep Ryder in line, but when it counted, when I really needed you, you followed me, and I’m grateful for that. Let’s leave it at that, okay? I love you both, and I want you to know it’s no one’s fault except the creature’s that any of us got hurt.”
Wren’s gaze turned soft. She placed a small kiss on Riya’s forehead before saying, “I’m glad you’re alright, Riya.” Riya?
“I’m glad you’re alright too. But now that we have that settled, I need you to come over here and let me see that wound.” She pointed at Ryder and Wren carefully stepped out of the way.
She knew calling it a “wound” might have sounded a bit over dramatic considering he didn’t look like he was dying, but it was a cut on his body that had at one point leaked blood.
He stepped forward and tilted his head so his cheek was more visible. The wound itself was decently small, but it looked uneven and rough. It would probably hurt for weeks.
Riya leaned forward and kissed right off to the side of it.
“Kiss it better,” she said.
“Can you do that again? Still hurts just a little bit.”
Riya laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Only for you.”
“We all know that’s a lie,” Wren muttered.
Ryder couldn’t even look properly offended, because looking at her small smile, it was easy to tell it was a joke.
Still, he pretended to look offended.
That small interaction settled Riya’s heart. Everything was back to normal now. Everyone was alright, injuries were all minor, and they were joking around.
Everything was normal.