Orion was different compared to Carina. They had similarly colored hair, but Orion's had a rich golden tint to it while Carina's was a very light platinum color, and Carina's eyes were a simple warm brown color, but Orion's eyes were dark amber, closer to red than brown. Orion was taller than Carina, and Carina was rather slender compared to Orion, who seemed to be built for fighting.

Not to mention the fact Carina acted entirely too bitter towards me, Demi, and basically everyone including Orion, while Orion had a generally pleasant demeaner. He smiled a lot, made a lot of jokes in a vain attempt to make Carina laugh or crack even the smallest of smiles, and in some terrifying ways he reminded me of Rhett.

Beckett on the other hand was more of a healthy mix. He seemed to be serious most of the time, like Carina, but there were still smiles that I found almost nice to look at, and he wasn't nearly as bitter. More like he understood the severity of most situations and took them to heart because he understood caution, but also had a decent sense of humor.

Logan was incredibly quiet, although he was mute, so I wasn't surprised. There were times he looked like he wanted to yell at his group, but he would just end up rubbing his temples. I made the mistake of asking how he became mute, or if he'd always been that way, and he looked me dead in the eye before pulling down the neck of his shirt to reveal a grotesque scar along his throat.

I really had to learn to keep my mouth shut....

Maggie hadn't changed much. She used to wear more dresses and skirts before, heels and makeup and manicures, but she'd hung all that stuff up and instead started wearing jeans and boots with knives hidden in them. Which was cool, but weird to see. Gracie had always been the tomboy in the family, she hated when Maggie would insist they have a "girl's day", and refused to wear dresses because they weren't "practical" and she couldn't "hide shit in the pockets". Whatever that meant.

Mags was a lot like Gracie now. She looked like a force to be reckoned with, like my mom with a gun. That was a terrifying thought. God knows if that woman believed in owning guns I'd be dead already, but she was all for strict gun laws, or even outlawing them if those shady characters didn't get the hint and kept shooting people.

On the drive home I managed to avoid her questions by pretending I was asleep, but I could only fake that for so long. The drive from Pluto to the Phoniks Vidroh would take twelve hours at least. I was probably going to be dead by then.

"Hey," I hadn't even noticed the door was opened on my side, and peeled my eyes open to glare over at Beckett, who was holding a cup out for me, "Drink this."

"What is it?" I asked uncertainly, narrowing my eyes in distrust as he scoffed.

"It's medicine. Your face is pale, this should keep your energy up a little, at least until we get you to a real doctor."

I reached out tentatively to take the cup, tensing up when I felt the warm sides, "How did you warm it up?" I asked, because it didn't look like they'd made any fires.

"I put it on the engine and gunned it, just drink."

I rolled my eyes and shifted around, sitting straighter and holding the cup to my lips, cringing as the bitter flavor washed over my tongue. Arthur always said if medicine didn't taste gross, then it wasn't medicine, so I guess it was a good thing because they weren't drugging me, but god damn at least try to hide the freaking flavor.

"This tastes like ass," I bit out, and Beck pushed away from the side of the car, smirking at me.

"I'll take your word for it."

"Fuck off," I almost threw the cup at him, but decided to finish drinking the gross medicine before shoving it against Beckett's chest, "Why'd we stop?"

"Checking the perimeter just to be safe," he explained, one arm propping against the roof of the car as he looked over at the front, "We're coming to the Black Market now, so we need to be careful."

"Yea," I nodded my agreement, tugging the sleeves of my shirt and wincing when I noticed the fabric had been soaked with blood and dried against the gashes in my wrists, "How much longer till we get to the rebellion?"

"Four or five hours," Beck answered, tapping at a watch around his wrist, "Maybe less time if we book it, but we're going around the edge of town to avoid any foot traffic or gunfights. Hopefully we don't run into anything dangerous."

"I'm sure you idiots can take care of it," I said, leaning back in my seat, and looking to my right where Demi was slumped against my shoulder, "Since I'm out of commission you've got no choice."

"What happened anyway?" Beck asked, and I tensed up, "The Con Rồng caught you, that's what you said. Honestly from what Carina told us about the rebellion, I didn't think that was possible."

I scoffed, turning my head to glare at him, "Carina said something nice about us?"

"Yea?" Beck looked confused at my disbelief, "He's mentioned a bit, that he admires a few of you and has full faith that you and your group will be able to take down the Con Rồng easily if given the resources."

I blinked, still not really believing it, "Every time I've met the guy he's been a little prick," I said, "Yelled at Demi for having white hair because it would just make him stand out and get us killed, yelled at me for getting shot because I was leaving a blood trail, yelled at another of our members because he's irreversibly blind and therefore a liability. I didn't think the fucker thought of us as anything more than a bunch of dumb asses with guns and no plan."

"He's not a bad kid," Beck argued, looking away from me and over to where Carina was standing with Maggie, "He's been through a lot. Well, all of us have, no one living in this world can say they have no scars, it's not the best excuse to give for someone acting out, but that's just how he copes."

"Cass said something similar," I said, and Beck frowned.

"Cass," he repeated, narrowing his eyes, "That guy..."

I lifted an eyebrow, "You know him?"

"Nope," Beck turned to look at me, "Anyway, your group isn't the only one he chastises. He yells at us too. My fault is being too uptight, Orion is too cheerful, Maggie is too careless when out on patrol, Logan can't talk so he can't call for help if something happens. Usually his grievances have to do with us getting hurt. He's just worried he'll lose people, so he acts bitter and complains in the hopes we'll take his worries to heart and be less reckless."

"It would make sense to your group, but he hardly knows us."

"Doesn't seem to matter," Beck admitted, looking over at Carina and shrugging, "If someone is in any kind of danger, he just gets picky. Well, I mean, not everyone. He has good intuition, so he's usually only like that around people he deems as good. He and Orion both have pretty good instinct for people."

"Yea," I mumbled, "What's Orion's deal then?" I asked, reaching up to play with the pendant around my neck, "Considering the world is over shouldn't he be frowning more? Even when he seems serious he's got that stupid smile."

"I imagine it's just his own way of coping," Beck said, "He's not incompetent though, just because he smiles. What he's explained, or part of it, is he doesn't like looking too serious in front of Carina. He figures as long as he keeps a good front, looks happy and confident, then Carina won't freak out or get scared."

I looked away, "That's stupid. I hate people like that. People who fake smiles to hide something. It's like they're trying to manipulate the people around them into doing what they want. He should just be honest and look pissy like the rest of us. I might trust him more if he does."

"That's kind of a cold opinion," Beck muttered, and I glared at him.

"The last two people I met with fake smiles nearly killed me," I said, and his frown became heavier, "May god strike me down if I haven't developed some major trust issues."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Beck pushed off the car and stuffed one hand into the pocket of his hoodie, the other hand holding the car door, "Maybe in time you'll come to trust him, and the rest of us. We won't hurt you, if that means anything. Not before, certainly not now. You're Maggie's brother after all, that makes you family."

I just snarled at him, "How is it you never noticed I was her brother? Didn't Carina ever talk about the people from the rebellion he ran into?"

"He did," Beck nodded, "Just not in detail. Besides, we never knew Maggie had living family. Hell, we never even knew her last name. That kind of thing is knowledge we don't really have use for. Our last names are keys into pasts we don't want to think about."

"Carina and Orion, their last name is Ledger, right?" I asked, and Beck stared at me with a baffled expression.

"I... wouldn't know. How the hell do you?"

"Cass," I shrugged, and Beck's expression sagged a little, his eye twitching just slightly.

"That guy..."

"Let's head out!" Orion called, and Maggie spun on her heel with Carina lagging behind her.

"You feeling alright?" Beck asked me, and I sent him one last glare.

"Just shut the door and fuck off."

He rolled his eyes at me and stepped back, shutting the car door, and I settled back against my seat, propping my head on top of Demi's and closing my eyes. I swear if I wasn't in so much pain I really would sleep, but I just wanted to get home so I could take a shower, change clothes, burn the shirt I was currently wearing, and sleep for a month.

Somehow, I managed to slip into the veil between consciousness and unconsciousness, half asleep but still able to hear the conversation going on between Orion, Carina, and Maggie. They were discussing what they were going to do when they got to the rebellion, and it didn't sound like they had any plans of leaving after dropping Demi and I off, so that was unfortunate.

I didn't know what they thought they'd gain from doing this, trying to form an alliance, but I didn't like it. I mean sure they were helping me, Carina had been handing Cass information with no pay for years, but would Kailas really be dumb enough to ally himself with these people? God I hoped not.

I mean yes, Maggie was my sister, but that was just another reason I didn't want them around. I'd hid my past from the rebellion perfectly up till this point, and now I had to explain this lady was my older sister? Knowing Kailas, that information would just make him more willing to strike an alliance.

I was trying to think of ways to get out of this situation when the car started to slow before the engine shut off, and I forced my eyes open, a hitch catching in my throat when I recognized the massive white building in front of us. Moving hurt, especially since I'd been sitting still for so long, but I managed to unbuckle and shove the door open before falling out face first onto the ground with my feet still in the car.

"That was graceful," I heard Carina scoff as someone grabbed my shoulders and heaved me back to my feet, my vision blurring as I fell against their chest, mumbling in irritation.

I heard the front door to the rebellion open and several footsteps pounding over the porch, so I pushed myself back and glared up at Beckett before shoving past him and grabbing the open car door to keep myself up. Orion, Carina, Maggie, and Logan were all out of the cars with their hands up respectably, and I'd never been happier to see the people in front of me than I'd ever been in my life.

"Dakota?!" Kailas pushed through the line of soldiers who were aiming guns at the cars, and I sighed, dropping my head.

"Hey," I greeted when he reached me, grabbing my face in his hands and turning it from one side to the other to see the bandages, "I'm okay, Kai, seriously."

"You didn't listen to me," he snapped, and I winced, "I told you to get to the closest town and to hide, but you didn't!"

"I'm fine!" I yelled back, pulling away from him, "Look!" I pointed into the car where Demi was still unconscious, and almost felt my heart break in sympathy when Kailas looked inside to see him, a gasp falling from his lips, "I got him out, like I said I would."

Kailas gave me a pained look before climbing into the back seat to get closer to his lover, unbuckling him before pulling his jacket off and draping it around Demi, holding his face and choking as tears fell from his eyes.

"Holy shit," I heard Cass curse, and turned to see he was gaping at Carina, "What the actual fuck are you doing here?!"

Carina just dropped his hands to prop them on his hips and scowled, "You're fucking welcome for bringing your people home."

"Yea, thank you, but how did you even find us?!"

"You told me," Carina said, and Cass furrowed his brow.

"I did?" he scratched his neck, "When did I do that?"

"You were drunk," Carina said, turning partway, "Shouldn't you be more interested in your half dead companions?"

"Right," Cass spun around, "Mal, go get Arthur, tell him they're back," Malachi nodded and walked back towards the house as Cass headed towards me, his eyes wide in shock as he reached me and grabbed my face like Kailas had done, "Are you a fucking idiot?" he asked me, holding me in place so I couldn't turn away, "What was that shit you pulled, huh?"

"Ugh," was what I replied with, and Cass' face turned red in anger I rarely saw from him.

"Ugh?" he repeated, pulling his hands from my face and shaking me by my shoulders, "You idiot, you could have been killed!"

"I told you to trust me!" I yelled back, smacking his arms to make him release me, "I said I'd get Demi out and I did!"

"You look like you've been through a lawn mower!"

"Thanks, fuck you too!"

"Enough," Kailas said, stepping out of the car with Demi cradled in his arms, head against Kailas' shoulder and jacket covering him, "Dakota, I want you inside immediately, meet Arthur in the infirmary and get checked over, then take a shower and sleep. Whenever you're feeling better I want you to come find me and I want to know what happened, understand?"

I felt myself stand straighter and nodded furiously in understanding, watching him walk off towards the front of the building before stopping and turning to Carina's group, "You're Carina Ledger, yes?" he asked, and Carina gaped at him before looking down and nodding, "You've been helping us from the sidelines for a long time, and now you and your group have brought back two important members of this organization. Thank you. You can rest here if you need, I'll have someone show you to a few rooms. If you need anything just ask Cass."

"Uh, kay," Carina agreed, watching Kailas as he turned away before looking over at Orion and shrugging.

"Nice man," Orion hummed before smiling at Carina, "You did good."

Carina bowed his head and shrugged again, looking somehow nervous and embarrassed, but I just rolled my eyes and let go of the car door, taking a few tentative steps forward with Cass just behind me.

"Did anything change while we were gone?" I asked, and Cass laughed softly.

"Not really," he admitted, "Kailas kind of shut down for a while from shock, we had a quick funeral for everyone who died, then went looking for you and Demi. All we found was a crashed van and two snakes in the back, so we dragged them back and they're in the cells right now. They haven't said much."

"They're the ones that grabbed me and Demi," I said, looking down, and Cass hummed.

"We had a hunch. Come on, let's just get you inside to Arthur, then you can sleep."

"Thank you, that's literally all I want right now," I sighed.

Somehow, even with my hips still aching, I managed to walk by myself while Cass took care of Carina and his group from Pluto. When Arthur saw me he was understandably upset, sad because I got hurt, but mainly pissed off because I disobeyed both Cass and Kailas and recklessly went back to the enemy who fucked me over a little more before I was actually able to get myself and Demi to safety.

He didn't force me to talk, just had me sit so he could look over my injuries. He had to cut the shirt off me because of the festered burns and cuts Roy had so politely placed along my chest and stomach, shearing away the sleeves so only a strip was left stuck around both of my wrists. Arthur didn't want to risk tearing it away from the gashes, so he had me stick both hands into a bucket of warm water to try and soak the cloth away while he undid the bandages around my head.

A few of the cuts on my head were infected, the weird tally marks Blu cut into my left shoulder and collar bone were also red and pussy, and Arthur warned me that they would probably leave scars, but I didn't complain. From what it looked like, many of the gashes and burns would leave scars, so it didn't really mean much to me.

"These are pretty deep," Arthur stated when he started peeling the shirt away from one of my wrists, "From handcuffs. Did they tie you up?" I nodded my head simply but didn't respond vocally as he carefully cleaned my wrist before setting up a needle and medical thread to stitch it closed, "I promise I'm almost done," he said, smiling at me softly, "All I have to do is your wrists, then you can go. Are there injuries on your legs?"

I shook my head this time, stopping halfway, and reminding myself that now was my chance to tell Arthur what Blu did and have him check to make sure my hips weren't broken and there was no bleeding, but somehow when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. My throat had closed, and there was this horrible voice at the back of my mind.

You did this. You deserved it. Slut. Punishment for your sins.

I couldn't tell if it was my voice, Rhett's, Blu's, or my mothers, maybe a twisted hybrid of all four, but my mouth quickly closed before Arthur could notice, and I just shook my head again when he looked up at me.

"You got it all," I reassured, and he smiled warmly before looking back down at his work.

"Good. If that's the case you're allowed to get into the water, but just a bath, and don't get your bandages wet, okay?"

"Yea," I said, but that was a lie.

The minute I got to my room I was getting in the shower. I know Arthur would be pissed off, it would soak the bandages and wash the salve away, but I had an emergency kit under my sink, so I could just reapply all of it later. I couldn't go to bed when I felt this dirty though.

"Thank you," I mumbled, and Arthur hummed, finishing the bandages on my other wrist and smoothing his thumb over it before squeezing my hand.

"Go up to bed, okay?" he ordered, and I stood up with a nod, "Come back in whenever you wake up and I'll rebandage your injuries for you."

"Okay."

I tried not to flinch when Arthur hugged me, carefully so he wouldn't irritate the stitching, and patted his back nervously before stepping past him and towards the door. Miraculously I didn't run into anyone else as I made my way down the halls and up the stairs. Kailas was probably taking care of Demi, and hopefully Arthur was on his way to look him over now, so I didn't have anything else I had to worry about.

When I finally got to my room I flipped the lock on the door, something I never felt I had to do before, even after Rhett, because Demi was always beside me and I didn't feel unsafe. It was cold, empty, even with all my things, and I shuffled towards the bed, pulling out what I'd grabbed from Blu's dresser before leaving. I'd