The sounds of running footsteps and shouting awoke Dean earlier than usual the next morning. A pale light shone through the curtains, illuminating his room.
"What's going on?" he mumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Crawling out of bed, he made his way over to the window and pulled the curtains. He squinted as the morning light reached his eyes. Slowly, the courtyard below came into view. Men were running about and shouting. They didn't seem to be in a panic, but they were in a hurry. They were organized and spread out as if searching for something. Dean closed the curtains once again.
"Cold," he muttered as he made his way to the bathroom.
He flipped the light switch, and the old light flickered on. His sleepy face appeared in the mirror opposite him. His shoulder-length brown hair was a mess, sticking out here and there. He really should haven gotten a cut before coming here, but going to the barber was a pain that took too long and cost money.
"First, a warm shower, then I'll see what all this fuss is about."
A while later, he was getting dressed. A wool jumper and long jacket were needed on a day like today. Glancing over at the clock, he noticed that it was just past nine.
"Still early." He grumbled.
Checking himself in the mirror one last time, he left his room and made his way towards the dining room to see if anyone was having breakfast. On the way, he checked to see if Matin was in his room. As expected, he had already left.
"Always up at six-thirty sharp, that guy," Dean muttered before heading downstairs.
The dining room was much quieter than it had been for dinner, but he noticed Marianne having tea at one table. Methaeus was standing next to her, a serious expression on his wrinkled face. Marianne nodded to him as he approached.
"Good morning, Dean dear. Glad to see you up a little earlier today." Marianne said, taking a slow sip of her tea.
"Good morning. What's happening outside?"
"Oh that, nothing to be concerned about really, that orphan boy hasn't been seen since last night so Oscar has turned the place upside down looking for him."
Nicolas? Dean remembered how he had stormed out the night before.
"He's probably off sulking somewhere. Oscar gets so worked up about minor issues. What a bother."
Methaeus, who had seemingly not yet touched his tea, regarded Marianne with troubled eyes.
"Madame, I believe the situation is a bit more serious than you realize.Nicolas isn't the only one who has gone missing. The priestess also hasn't been seen this morning."
"Addi?" Dean asked, the tense feeling in his stomach instantly twisting into a painful knot.
Methaeus nodded.
"While a little less unusual as Addi has a habit of running off, the fact that the two of them are gone is cause enough for concern. And just before the solstice too." He said, shaking his head.
"Well said. Certainly, the priestess must be found. I can't believe she has gone and run off again. I believe it was your duty to raise her well, was it not, Methaeus?" Marianne asked, giving Methaeus a sharp look.
"Indeed. The responsibility is my own. She's always been free-spirited."
"A product of her flawed upbringing." Marianne added, unable to resist the temptation to use someone's inferior status as an excuse for poor behavior.
Having heard enough, Dean turned to leave.
"Oh, are you not having breakfast, dear?" Marianne asked.
"Nah, wouldn't be able to enjoy it while there's people out there missing."
"My, my. Your concern for your friends despite your long absence is admirable. Aren't you a good man?" Marianne said, her words lacking any sense of sincerity as she resumed sipping her tea.
Dean didn't reply and continued towards the exit. If it were Matin who had gone missing, she'd have a different reaction for sure.
Despite assurances of Addi's disappearances being a regular occurrence, he couldn't relax. Nicolas had clearly been unstable yesterday, and Addi mentioned that she was going to try to calm him down after dinner. It couldn't have been a coincidence that the two had gone missing on the same day.
The whole reason he had come back here and left everything behind was to help her. Fat lot of good he was doing at that.
As he was leaving the dining room, he came across Maria, who was rushing out of the kitchen. She almost ran into Dean in her haste.
"Ah Dean, morning." She said between deep breaths. Her hair was messier than usual, and there was an intense look in her eyes.
"Good morning, uh, you're in a hurry?"
"Yeah, well. We had an issue with Rosetta's uniforms this morning. Had to sort it out before she woke up. Anyway, that's not important. You're going to look for Addi, right?"
"Yeah, I heard. Was heading outside."
Maria barely stopped walking to continue the conversation and pulled Dean along with her as she walked across the entrance hall.
"Of all the days for those bitches to pull a prank," Maria hissed under her breath.
Dean was going to ask what she was talking about, but Maria didn't give them the chance.
"I could have been out searching an hour ago if it weren't for them."
"I better go wake Rosetta up. We'll go looking for her after that." She said once they reached the stairs.
"You're still fussing over Addi. Just like old times." Dean noted.
Maria smiled for a moment, though it didn't reach her eyes or calm her down.
"I don't usually worry when she goes off by herself. Goddess knows she needs time away from these people, but I got a bad feeling today."
Dean couldn't help but agree. Things around the monastery felt even worse now than they had when he left. It felt as if you could cut the tension with a knife whenever more than three people gathered together. He had to wonder if more was going on besides Nicolas' behavior.
They made their way to the second floor bedrooms. The corridor to the right of the stairs mirrored the one on the left, where his room was. Making their way down the corridor, Maria stopped and knocked loudly on one door.
"Hey, Rose! Get up, we have a bit of a situation here!"
Dean winced and wondered if it was necessary to knock the house down in order to wake Rosetta.
"Rosetta always oversleeps in the mornings. Not a morning person, that girl," Maria explained with her last hint of patience.
Maria knocked again.
"Come on, Rosetta, open up will you?"
After what seemed like an hour of loud knocking followed by silence, a mumble could be heard from the other side. The sound of the door being unlocked was followed by a creak as the door slowly swung open, revealing a dreadfully sleepy and disheveled looking Rosetta. Rubbing her eyes, Rosetta looked at them both.
"What do you want?" She mumbled.
"About time. Get dressed, Addi and Nicolas are missing and we need to look for them." Maria said, her voice tense.
"Wha?"
"You heard me, come on. Get dressed."
Maria's voice was becoming louder as her temper flared.
"But, early." Rosetta complained.
Her blond hair was all over the place, and her eyes looked like massive black holes. She looked so bad, Dean wondered if waking Rosetta up early was bad for her health.
"For the love of...Dean, can you go ahead? I'm gonna revive this zombie. We can meet up in the courtyard in five, ok?"
"Yeah, sure."
Dean had nothing else to say. Rosetta looked terrible enough that he actually considered the possibility that she was sick. As he turned to leave, he glimpsed Rosetta's room. It was dark, but what little he saw was a mess with clothes and other household items strewn across the floor. As he walked away, he heard screams and sounds of struggle that he chose to ignore.
Best to let them sort it out for themselves, Dean thought as he made his way towards the courtyard.
The courtyard was bustling with activity when he arrived. People who had been searching the town had gathered near the fountain. Dean spotted Matin in the crowd thanks to his red hair. His friend was carrying a large backpack and was wearing a heavy coat. Dean quickly made his way over to Matin and tapped his shoulder.
"Any luck finding Addi and Nicolas?" Dean asked.
Matin, startled by Dean's voice, jumped.
"Oh, Dean. No, not yet. Oscar was just about to send people searching elsewhere. We've already searched places like the library, gardens and Cathedral but we have had no luck."
"I see."
"Have you come to help?"
"Yeah, guess so. Nothing else to do."
Matin laughed. And patted Dean on the shoulder.
"You don't have to put it like that. I know you're worried sick about them."
Dean knocked Matin's arm away with a look of mild annoyance.
"Only when it suits me." He mumbled.
Once again, Matin snickered, clearly enjoying having the upper hand, however briefly.
"Come on, let's ask Oscar how we can help." Dean said, walking away.
He had noticed Oscar near the center of the crowd giving directions to the young men who had gathered. He paused when he saw Dean and Matin approach. Despite his expression giving away nothing, he had bags under his eyes, and it seemed as if he hadn't washed himself this morning. His graying beard looked just a little less neat compared to the night before.
"Matin and Dean." He greeted them in his low, gravely voice.
"We're here to help with the search. Is there anywhere that hasn't been covered yet?" Matin asked.
Oscar grunted and shook his head.
"No, not within the Monastery. I'm about to send men into the forest behind the Cathedral. You will join them."
Dean recalled the view from the library rooftop. They had often gone exploring in the forest as children, much to their parent's concern. He remembered their secret base, an old building near some cliffs, and wondered if Nicolas and Addi could have gone there.
"Sure, we'll be glad to help." Matin said quickly.
"Wait a minute." Dean interrupted.
Oscar raised an eyebrow as Dean came forward.
"It's a pretty big forest out there, and it's the middle of winter. Looking at the sky today, there's a good chance of snow. Are you sure it's a good idea to send people out there now?"
Oscar's face grew stern. Dean wondered if anyone ever challenged his orders.
"Neither Nicolas nor Addi are very fit. If they have gone into the forest, they shouldn't have gotten far. It will be safe enough."
"Ok, but wouldn't it be better to call the police? They have much better resources than we do."
"No."
Oscar spoke quietly, but the force behind this one word silenced the surroundings, and Dean actually felt his shoulders stiffen.
"Why?"
"We keep our affairs to ourselves here, have you forgotten?. We will find Nicolas and the Priestess ourselves."
Despite the desperate situation, Oscar's voice remained calm and controlled as if he were simply going through the motions. There was a hint of anger, but that was likely because of Dean's challenge and not Nicolas and Addi's disappearances.
"You know, you seem a lot more concerned for him than you did last night." Dean said coldly.
"Dean! I don't think-"
Matin spoke up, trying to diffuse the situation but was interrupted when Oscar took a step towards Dean, his eyes boring straight into Dean's
"Keep out of affairs that don't concern you, boy."
Oscar's face was right up against Dean's. He could almost feel the force of each word slamming against him.
Having said his piece, he gave Dean one final icy stare before turning his gaze to someone who was approaching from the guest house.
"You are finished with your other duties?" Oscar asked.
"Yes, sir." Two female voices replied in unison.
Dean turned to find Maria and Rosetta standing at attention behind him. It looked like Maria had managed to rouse Rosetta. Rosetta still looked a bit out of it, but she put on a strong face in front of Oscar.
"Maria, take Rosetta and these two and take the northwest path of the forest to the cliffs. Search all the branching paths"
"Of course, sir, as it pleases you, sir," Maria said with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Either not noticing the impolite tone or ignoring it completely, Oscar stormed off towards another group of townspeople, barking orders as he went.
The cliffs. Dean wondered if Oscar had sent them there on purpose.
"Huh, that bastards even more wound up than usual today. Did you guys say something to him?" Maria asked as she led them through the courtyard.
Matin threw a knowing look at Dean, but he just avoided the gaze and said nothing.
The group walked along the front of the library building towards the cathedral. Along the way, he noticed an old graveyard between the two giant structures. Best not to dwell on anything else but the current predicament, Dean thought to himself. Once they had passed the Cathedral a small garden appeared, which slowly gave way to wild pine forest. Maria, who was taking the lead, paused. It seemed Rosetta was struggling to keep pace with the group.
"Come on, Rose. I know mornings are difficult for you, but we have to hurry. Addi's out there all alone." Maria said.
Rosetta had been dragging her feet. She looked extremely concerned, and yet there was a hopeless look in her expression.
"I know, but what can we do? The forest is massive. It'll take days to search all the paths, so there's no way we'll find them." She moaned.
"Well, we have to try," Matin said, turning towards Rosetta. "Besides, we all know there's a good chance she's there."
Dean understood the place she meant. It was their old hangout, a place so deep in the forest that Oscar himself wasn't likely to find them, or so they thought in their younger years.
"Poor Addi, she's probably freezing out there. Or maybe Nick's done something to her? What if she's hurt?" Rosetta said, almost in tears.
"Nick wouldn't do that, come on. We're not helping at all if we just stand here moping.Besides, we all used to play around there once upon a time, there's a good chance they came this way."
Maria took Rosetta's hand in hers and began half-dragging her towards the forest. Rosetta followed without further resistance.
"You both seem really worried about Addi. I mean I get it, but what about Nicolas?" Dean asked.
"Addi is like a little sister to us, and Nick is a grown ass man, he can handle himself." Maria said.
Dean wasn't so certain. Although Addi appeared younger than Nicolas, there was no question as to who was more mature. Nicolas had also looked rather pale and gaunt when he'd seen him at dinner. He was genuinely concerned for Addi's safety, but he knew Nicolas was the one who needed help. Addi had a good head on her shoulders. She'd been thought by the best of the best after all.
And then there was Oscar's refusal to get the police involved. Dean struggled to comprehend the man's reasoning as the group entered the forest. Well, he was a politician. They tended to avoid attention when things went wrong.
"It's been a while since I've walked in these forests." Matin mused.
"We'd be able to go a lot faster if it weren't the middle of bloody winter." Maria replied.
"It's a pain to walk in at any time of year." Rosetta added unhelpfully.
Dean could understand Rosetta's complaints. They walked through what was little more than an animal trail, and Maria set a fast pace. She ploughed through the branches and undergrowth that got in her way. Unfortunately, some of these branches bounced back, hitting Rosetta in the face. The young woman was clearly not having a good time.Unconcerned, Maria charged ahead with little concern for Rosetta, her face stern despite the attempted levity in her voice.
"You doing ok?" Dean asked.
Maria, getting seemingly more and more impatient, had walked on ahead, leaving Rosetta to fend for herself. Rosetta looked nothing short of miserable.
"Why do you care?" She said curtly.
"I'm gonna care whether you like it or not, I suppose," Dean replied.
Rosetta was still treating him coldly. It was no surprise, but now wasn't the time to be worrying about the past.
"We're not going to find them like this. It's pointless." She said.
"Well we have to try, right? Better than sitting on our asses doing nothing."
"Look, if Addi and Nick have disappeared, it means they don't want to be found. It's not like this is the first time Addi's run off like this. I don't see why we have to go running around the forest looking for them."
Rosetta's voice had grown more shrill as her rant continued. Dean decided that it was best to drop the subject and avoid agitating her further.
It felt as if the forest was growing darker and colder as they continued. There were steep inclines, which usually caused someone, usually Rosetta, to trip and fall. Both Rosetta and Matin were covered in mud by the time they reached the first fork in the path. About three hours had passed since they had entered the forest.
"Ok, Rosetta and I will take the right path, and the boys can take the left." Maria said.
Maria seemed barely out of breath, and her clothes were mostly free of mud. Rosetta, on the other hand, was panting as she leaned over, holding her knees to catch his breath.
"Wouldn't it be better if Dean or I went with you?" Matin asked.
"Why?" Maria asked.
"Well, it's dangerous for two girls to be alone in the forest."
There was a brief silence as Maria raised an eyebrow at Matin. Dean drew in a deep breath and distanced himself a little from his friend.
"Look at yourself. Do you really think you're any better off in the forest?" Maria asked, her voice low.
Matin looked down at his soiled clothing and winced.
Hiking isn't really my thing." He said.
"Exactly, the teams stay as they are. Try not to say something like that again, yeah?" Maria said, her voice dangerously low.
"But even so-"
"Let it go, man." Dean said, putting his hand on Matin's shoulder.
Matin was about to continue the argument, but Dean decided to interrupt, pushing Matin towards the left path. Maria's gaze had grown sharp, and he didn't want to deal with a murder in the woods this early in the day.
"Our old secret base is to the left." Dean noted.
"Sure is." Maria replied.
She looked longingly towards the path that Dean and Matin would take.
"Don't you think there's a higher chance we'll find them this way?"
"Why do you ask?" Maria asked, a hint of tension in her voice.
"I figured you'd want to find Addi yourself."
There was a long stretch of silence. Maria gave no hint of her thoughts and simply laughed.
"Addi's been going on about you coming back for a while now. She's really been looking forward to it. I'd say being rescued by her prince is exactly what she's looking for."
Without saying anything else, Maria turned away and began walking down the other path. Rosetta hesitated a moment before following.
"Don't just go and say something so controversial and then leave." Dean muttered to himself.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, leaving them on their own like that?" Matin asked.
"They're much better off than we are. Come on, mister white knight."
Dean said, setting the pace as Matin followed.
"White knight? What do you mean? I was just being polite." Matin grumbled.
"Hey, I know you probably haven't noticed since you hang out with rich kids, but that kinda behavior isn't really appreciated these days." Dean said.
"Really?" Matin said with a dumb look.
Dean snickered.
"Come on, I'll give you some modern social etiquette lessons later."
"Mother's already hired a tutor for that sort a thing."
Dean winced. How much was Marianne paying for those lessons?
The two continued deeper into the forest.Along the way, Dean wondered what exactly Marianne had been teaching Matin all his life. Probably nothing good. It had been a few years since they had spent this much time together, but Matin had always been firmly under her thumb. He might say some weird things every now and then, but Dean knew he was a kind soul. He just needed to experience real social situations before running his mouth off.
Trudging through the forest gave them plenty of time to catch up on old times. With Matin trailing behind him, Dean felt nostalgic about his childhood when Matin would follow him around everywhere. Feeling like now was a good time to get some answers, Dean spoke.
"Marianne is up to something, isn't she?" Dean asked. "Something to do with you and Oscar."
Matin's face grew uncomfortable. However, realizing he wouldn't be able to avoid the topic while alone in the forest, he spoke up.
"Guess its kinda obvious, huh?" He smiled slightly. "Oscar is a politician who comes from an old noble family. He has lots of power outside the cities, and Mom wants me to study under him as his aide. She says I can get a huge boost to my political career if I start working under him."
There was probably more to it than simply working as the man's aide. Dean wondered what Marianne was trying to get for offering her son's talents.
"So that's it. Kinda obvious, really. Then where does Nick fit into all this?" Dean asked.
Matin shook his head.
"I'm not sure," Matin said simply.
"Oscar seems to have taken a liking to Nick recently. Maybe he's adopted him, and Nick is going to become the next head of the Durin family." Dean noted.
"That's not what Nick wants!" Matin shouted.
Dean was surprised at his friend's sudden outburst. Realizing he had raised his voice, Matin shrunk back a little.
"Sorry," he whispered.
"What do you think is best then?" Dean asked.
Matin was silent for a moment.
"It's never been about what I want." He whispered.
It seemed to Dean that Matin's life had been planned out for him since birth. Dean had tried to encourage him to be more independent, but he could never change him completely. He seemed content to follow the road that was paved for him.
At that moment, another fork in the path appeared.
"Well, I guess we're going to have to split up again." Matin said.
"This place looks familiar." Dean said.
The right path was lined with circular stone carvings covered in moss.
"If either of them went into the forest, there's a good chance they went to that old building." Dean said.
Matin nodded.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we used to hang out here, right?"
"Do you want to ignore splitting up and just go together?" Dean asked.
Matin shook his head.
"We're here to find them and bring them back. It makes sense to cover more ground even if there's only a slight chance of finding them anywhere. You should go."
This again? Even Maria had been oddly insistent on sending him this way. Matin noticed Dean's questioning look and shrugged.
"You were the one who brought us together in the first place." He said.
As if that explained anything. Dean felt pressure in his temples. The trust Matin and Maria had in him was all wrong. He was the reason they split apart. Why couldn't they see that?
Ignoring his own thoughts, he smiled confidently.
"Leave it to me!" he said, sticking his thumbs up.
Matin bit his lip as he peered down the right path. He then looked up at the gray sky.
"It's probably going to snow soon. Let's meet here in an hour, OK?"
Dean nodded.
"See you in a bit."
The two friends split up, and Dean was left on his own. Hoping to cover more ground and warm up, he quickened his pace. He liked hiking, so he felt more than comfortable making his way through the small paths. In fact, he felt more comfortable here than he ever did back at the monastery.
The path continued for a short time before something came into view. A small stone structure, crumbling with age but still standing and roofed. It looked like an old place of worship. There was no door, as it had likely rotted away throughout the ages.
"Home sweet home." He whispered to himself.
An orange glow emanated from the entrance. Someone was there. Was it Nicolas or Addi? He made his way towards the entrance and peered inside.
The room was empty save for some old wooden chairs and a single stone monolith in the center, which was illuminated by a campfire. There was a carving of a circle with a line going through it at the monolith's center. The inside smelled musty, and the air felt thick. Next to the campfire, sitting on an old wooden chair was a girl with pale skin and pure white hair.
"Addi?" Dean said.
Eyes widening, Addi jumped, knocking a glass bottle that had been on the ground in front of her to the ground.
"What? Oh, it's you Dean." she said after a moment of stunned silence. "This is a surprise. I didn't think you'd remember the way here."
Dean looked down at the fallen glass bottle. Red liquid slowly poured out onto the dusty stone floor.
"Have you been drinking wine?" He asked in surprise.
It seemed as if he had stumbled across a case of juvenile delinquency. Addi, however, didn't look the slightest bit guilty at being caught. She looked more hurt at losing the wine. With a sigh, she returned to her seat before speaking. Her mouth was a straight line, and her eyes had none of the luster he was accustomed to.
"It's a tough job being The Priestess, you know. So just like you, I'm just running away for a while." She said.
Her usual cheerfulness was nowhere to be seen, and Dean didn't know exactly how to react.
"Running away?" He asked.
"Yeah, you know, because I don't want to deal with things right now. Well? Are you gonna stand there all day?" She said, patting the chair next to her.
"It's warmer next to the fire."
Dean nodded and took a seat next to Addi. The two sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the heat and the orange glow of the campfire.
"You like it too, don't you?" Addi asked.
"What?"
"The peace and quiet, being away from people."
"Yeah."
"Nick does too. I think that's why we all played here as kids. Our own little secret base, our sanctuary. Here, nobody could bother us or tell us what to do."
Dean turned to look at Addi, who continued to stare into the fire without expression.
"Did something happen?" He asked.
Addi chuckled dryly.
"Not yet." She replied.
She was being vague on purpose. Dean decided to ask another question rather than dwell on something she clearly didn't want to talk about.
"Have you seen Nicolas? We've all been looking for you and him."
"Yeah, I spoke with him some time ago. He might have gone back to the town by now though. I'm not sure."
Addi looked down at her feet as she muttered her explanation.
"It didn't go well?" Dean asked.
"He's got his own problems to deal with. There's nothing me or you can do for him now."
Dean didn't really understand what she was getting at. Was it the wine talking? It almost seemed like she had given up on something.
"Well, we gotta get back to town. It'll be getting dark soon."
Addi turned to him, a hint of grim determination in her eyes.
"I didn't think things would get so bad so quickly this time." She whispered.
She seemed to be absolutely crushed by something. Her hunched posture reminded Dean of some men he had seen in bars, drinking away their problems in the middle of the day.
Perhaps it was time he told her why he was really here, how he wanted her and the others to return to the city with him, to escape from this accused monastery once and for all.
"Dean, you need to go back to the city." Addi said.
"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised by Addi's words mirroring his own thoughts.
"Things are about to get... complicated. It might not be safe for you here. Besides, I don't think there's anything you can do for us anymore."
Dean didn't speak for a while. He felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Addi had never spoken like this. In fact, her behavior was the exact opposite of the previous night. What had happened during her talk with Nicolas?
"Has he really gotten that bad?" he asked.
Addi didn't reply and continued to stare down at her feet.
She was probably right. If anything, his return had agitated the situation rather than fixing it. He didn't even like this place, so maybe there was some sense in leaving. Even so, he was not going to leave alone.
"Sorry Addi. I'm not planning on leaving until I can get you and rest out of this place for good. That includes Nicolas."
He hesitated.
"Although I didn't think you'd become the priestess, getting you out might be a little more difficult than I thought."
Addi smiled sadly.
"You could try just asking me, you know."
Dean was taken aback for a moment. Could it have been that easy? No, she was probably teasing him. He decided to take the bait, regardless. He reached out his hand.
"Let's run away from here, together this time. We can take the others with us and start living normal lives."
Addi smiled. This time she was more like her old self. However, she didn't take his hand.
"And if I said I wanted to but physically couldn't?"
"I failed my last physics test, so I'd ignore your complaints."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Addi laughed. "Well, even though I asked, I know there was no possibility you would leave, anyway. Just wanted to sound like a wise and protective priestess, I guess."
She took his hand and held it between both of hers.
"I can't leave, and neither can you. Just promise me you'll be careful, ok?"
"Is Nicolas really that dangerous?" He asked.
Addi shook her head.
"Nicolas isn't really capable of being dangerous. It's more the general situation. Sorry, I can't explain it well."
"Something does feel a bit off." He agreed.
Addi had grown quiet as her melancholic expression returned. She let go of his hand and stood up.
"Tell ya what. Let's grab Matin and the rest and we'll talk about the future. We might not be able to leave yet, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. Then we can live happily."
"Live happily, huh?" Addi smiled. "I thought you said city life wasn't all that good. All the working and noisy neighbors, the smells...."
Dean hesitated, scratching his head for a moment.
"Well yeah, I did, but..."
Dean turned to look at Addi. There was a hint of fondness in her otherwise sad expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Well, whatever. I said I was going to save you guys from this mess when I got on that bus, and I'm not leaving until I do."
Addi laughed, or rather scoffed rudely at his declaration. She stood up, her usual bright expression returned.
"Come on, mister hero. It's getting late. Let's get back to the monastery."
Her usual cheerful smile had returned, and yet her eyes remained somewhat empty of emotion.
"I thought you wanted to be away from the place?" He asked dumbly.
"There's no point in avoiding it anymore, and besides, I think you'll drag me kicking and screaming now that the snow has started to fall."
Dean turned to look outside the entrance. In the dim evening light, he could see snow falling.
"Guess you're right." He said.
Addi ran outside and then turned to face him once again.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." She said.
"Sorry? For what?".
"It's a secret." She said with a wink.
With that said, she turned and began making her way rather quickly down the trail before Dean could respond.
"Hey wait!" he yelled as he hurried to catch up.
The two disappeared into the forest as the snow slowly fell and the shrine was once again enveloped in silence.