Elena

I feel strong pain all over my body, my throat dry and burning. I force my eyelids to open, letting out a groan as my eyes adjust to little light present in the room I'm in. My eyebrows furrow in confusion when I realise I'm not in a room at all, a cloth surrounding me instead of walls, appearing like I'm in a tent of some sort. When I lift my head, my suspicion is confirmed, a small gap between the tent folds being the entrance, letting the sunrays seep inside.

I try to push myself into a sitting position, but my muscles ache, dull pain coursing through my left shoulder. I know that pain very well, I had it when I had dislocated it a few years ago during training and it sometimes hurts after I strain my muscles too hard. I lift it up, hissing slightly, but it appears it's luckily not dislocated again nor broken. My eyes suddenly widen as I realise I still have no idea where I am or how am I alive in the first place.

I notice a few bandages over my legs and right arm, one covering the area on my lower stomach, my skin littered with little purple bruises and healing scratches. I reach for the bandage around my bicep, pulling at the hem and hissing at a stinging sensation, realising I have a burn wound there, right where my flame tattoo should be. The skin on my back also burns, making me believe the whip wounds there have reopened. I can't help but wonder how the hell am I still alive.

"No lo toces pendeja, va a infectarse," (Don't touch it dumbass, it's going to get infected.) a familiar voice says, making my eyes snap up, seeing Lia standing at the entrance, shaking her head.

"What are you doing here?" I ask with a frown, using my hands to push my upper body, grimacing from the pain, but managing to do it after all. "What is this place? I'm dead. . . yes, this must be hell, I knew it."

Lia sighs and walks toward me, sitting on the bed beside me, grabbing latex gloves from a box on a cart aside. "You're on the West, on Wildfire's territory." She grabs a few medical utensils, turning to me. "Lie down, I'll rebandage your wounds."

I just stare at her blankly. "You've got to be kidding me, right? Why am I here and most importantly, why are you my nurse or whatever? If this is some sick joke, I'm ready to cut a bitch-"

"Ugh calm down, you talk too much." She rolls her eyes. "Look, you're here because someone wanted you here. You're here with Wildfire deserters in a makeshift village with nothing but kilometres of land and forest surrounding you. We'd send you to the proper hospital, but we were told not to do it, so I suggest you let me do my job here."

"Told not to? By who?" I watch as she reaches for the bandage around my arm, wetting it with water since it's sticking to my skin then slowly cutting it.

"You'll see. I can't believe I'm doing this either when I was the one giving you injures all those months ago." She snorts and I give her a look. "My job was to keep H safe or let's just say I was supposed to report about him to Wildfire. But then you and your brother came from Vortex and I was scared my mission will be jeopardised, so I took certain measures to get you away from Hazard, but I guess you charmed your way into staying."

"Reporting to Wildfire?" I look at her in anger and disbelief. "You're working for my uncle?"

"What? No, I'm not the one working for him," Lia says flatly. "Your uncle is not the leader is he?" She smirks slightly, making me realise who is she talking about as she removes the bandage from my skin.

I glance at the nasty wound, two layers of my skin are missing, a patch of red, burned area being there instead. It's so damaged my tattoo is now completely gone, a small rush of satisfaction coursing through me. I don't care I'll have more ugly scars all over my skin, they'll be a reminder whose side was I fighting for.

"Wait, so Anne -Harry's mother- is your superior?" I ask as she starts cleaning the wound, making me grit my teeth since it stings terribly.

"Yes. I was suspicious when you and Alex came to the base since I heard about two Vortex soldiers escaping the base and Seth sending a search party after them. But when Jess told me you two are indeed from Vortex, I knew I had to get you away from there, thinking you're spies or something," Lia explains.

"Jess? What does Jess have anything to do with all this?" My frown deepens, a scoff escaping my mouth as she applies some kind of gel over the wound without warning, making me glare at her to which she only shrugs.

"I told you I'm not the one working for your uncle, I never said he doesn't have loyal soldiers all around him," she tells me. "He has them tons in Vortex and Wildfire, and spies in Rogue and Hazard. Of course, he was smart and had only two in Hazard, the ones he trained specifically for that. One died in a mission almost three years ago while Jess stayed."

"But my uncle isn't leading Vortex anymore, what's the purpose of having a spy since he's on Anne's side?"

"Correct, but Jess is still loyal to him, I don't know the details. I had no problem with her as long as she was working for someone close to my superior aka Anne."

Unless my uncle isn't on Anne's side at all. He's an opportunist and I know his rage for having his base taken away from him hasn't diminished in years. Why do I have a feeling he doesn't want to destroy Vortex and get his revenge that way, but perhaps kill Seth and get his old position back. That would fix nothing, the war wouldn't be over and we'd still have soldiers dying every day. If my assumption is correct, I can't let that happen.

If Jess is loyal to my uncle, I'm sure she's been giving him information about everything in Hazard, including our strategy and everything else. All this leads me to the conclusion that maybe my uncle was using that information to his favour, wanting to speed up the process of Wildfire making the deal with Hazard. What if he was the traitor all along and Jess was helping him? What if he would give that information to Vortex so every single time we would attempt to do something, they would be there to stop us? It makes sense considering Jess was one of Harry's best friends and she was on every single important meeting.

I don't want to make rash decisions when I'm in no condition to take action, I'll have to wait until some of my strength is regained. "Wait. . . I've just remembered how did I get here in the first place. Where- where is Harry? And Alex?" My heart starts beating faster.

"Harry should be fine, he's in a hospital somewhere on the North," Lia says as she finishes bandaging the wound on my arm, moving to the one on my hip. "But I have no information about Alex."

My chest tightens at the news, fear and panic slowly taking over me. "What do you mean no information, is he not with them?"

"I don't know, all the bodies have been burned."

"He's not dead!" I suddenly snap, standing up from the bed, my knees wobbling, making me sit back down. I feel tears collecting in my eyes, but I'm determined not to cry, taking a few deep breaths. Somehow I know if Alex was gone, I'd feel it in a way. No, my brother is fine and I'll do everything I can to find him.

"Shit!" Lia shouts. "You're bleeding, lie down, I think you've torn the stitches."

When I look down at the wound on my stomach, I see blood leaking from it and staining the bandage, feeling a throbbing pain. My chest is heaving and I realise I'm having a panic attack of some sort, all the new information and my brother's disappearance taking its toll on me. "I can't- I can't breathe. . ." I attempt to stand up again, needing to get the hell away from here, feeling burning pain all over my body and hands trying to pull me back.

The ground suddenly starts moving up and down, my surrounding distorting, eyelids getting droopy. It's only when I turn my head is that I realise I've been sedated, my body heavy as I drop back on the bed, darkness taking over me.

. . . .

Exactly four days have passed since the battle, all the information I found out yesterday making my head dizzy. Or it may be because of the sedative coursing through my body, basically pinning me to bed. Whenever I need to go to the bathroom, someone has to help me since I'm too weak to move, but with taking a bath is where I draw the line. I wouldn't be dependent on anyone if it weren't for all those bloody pain medications the doctor here is so adamant I get.

I groan as I sit up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, lifting the hem of my tank top to inspect the wound on my stomach, then the one on my arm, and finally the ones on my legs. At the sound of footsteps approaching, I roll my eyes, knowing it's probably Lia coming to check up on me.

"Ah, you're feeling better I see," a female voice says, making me turn my head, my eyes widening. Anne's dark hair is tied in a low ponytail, body adorned in a grey uniform while her cold green eyes meet with mine. "Wonderful, since you and I need to have a chat."

I raise my eyebrow. "We do indeed. Maybe you can explain to me why am I here instead of in the North or at least in a proper hospital. I'm a soldier, not a deserter."

"Oh, you're a deserter alright," Anne says. "I'm not planning to let you interfere into war again."

I can't help but laugh. "Since when do you decide what I can and can't do?" Even though it takes me effort to do so, I stand up, towering over her now, not wanting to let her think she can order me around.

Anne takes a step closer to me. "My son almost died because of you. Besides, I don't see why would I let you be near him considering you were only using him to get what you wanted."

"Playing the protective mother card, I see." I force a smile. "And where exactly were you for the past seven years? I won't take any orders from a woman who abandons her family then thinks she's entitled to make decisions for them. I love Harry and I should be the one telling you to stay away from him after all the pain you put him through."

Her green eyes narrow slightly. "You're in my territory and I get to make decisions around here. You're not going back to Hazard, I don't care what I have to do in order to keep you away from it. The only reason I saved you in the first place was Isaac, otherwise I would've let you die. So, I advise you not to provoke me and stay away."

"And you think I can't escape? I escaped from Vortex three times, survived countless of battles and injuries, I won't let you stand in my way. Especially when you're standing between me and the people I love."

She smirks. "I can see the stories about you are true. But you don't know me yet, Elena dear, because I'm also motivated by the people I love. We happen to love the same people, that's our biggest problem. You'll stay here until further notice then you'll be shipped the hell away from this country. Your uncle agrees it's the best option."

"Excuse me?" I ask, watching as she turns her back on me, leaving the tent. I limp behind her slowly, pushing the tent folds, squinting as the early morning sun hits my face, seeing a bunch of tents scattered over the clear ground, forest trees surrounding the area. Before I can make a step further, two bulky men stand in my way. I know I'm in no condition to fight them, so I clench my jaw, getting back inside my tent.

My fists are knotted at my sides, my determination to get the hell away from here only growing. If that bitch thinks she can keep me away from Harry, she's dead wrong. I'll get out of here, and I'll do it soon.

. . . .

I'm standing next to the entrance of the tent, holding scissors in my hand, knowing Lia should come any second now to tend to my wounds.  My assumption is correct when she slips inside, stopping in her tracks when she notices the bed is empty and I seize the opportunity, grabbing her throat with one hand, making her gasp.  I pull her toward me, her back pressed to my chest as I lift the scissors, the sharp tip pointed at her carotid artery.

"Listen carefully," I say into her ear, feeling her erratic heartbeat beneath my fingertips. "If you fight, I'll kill you. If you as much let out a sound, I'll kill you. If you refuse to help me, I'll kill you. I'm pissed off, so I highly recommend you do as I say. Have I made myself clear?"

She nods vigorously. "Okay calm down, I'll listen to you- ouch, those scissors are really sharp."

"You'll go to Hazard, find David or Harry and tell them where I am. Explain them the situation and warn them about Isaac. You won't do it tomorrow or in two days or next week, you'll do it tonight. I'll let you go now, but if you try something, I'll cut you."

She nods again, her breathing quick and irregular. I carefully let her go, watching her every movement with narrowed eyes as she turns around, placing her hand over her chest. "So you're really that desperate to ask for my help?" She smirks but when I take a threatening step forward, her expression turns serious. "Okay, okay! Por Dios."

"I want you to repeat what are you going to do and when." I look her in the eyes, tilting my head aside as I glide my fingertip suggestively over the scissors.

She glances down at them, visibly uncomfortable." I'll go to Hazard and find Harry or David, tell them you're here. I'll do it tonight. But why would I do this for you, though? Why risk so much?"

"You're nothing but a mere irrelevant soldier here and I can tell you hate being here, so this is your opportunity to do a good thing and choose the right side in this war. Because once it starts, there's no turning back, and trust me when I tell you we'll win."

She crosses her arms and stays silent for a few moments. I instantly know I've won her over. "You know, you're lucky I really hate my position and you're my ticket out of here, otherwise I wouldn't accept."

"Oh you would, or you'd be dead," I say in a flat tone, twirling the scissors in my hand. "Now, rebandage my wounds." I motion toward the bed as I walk toward it, lowering myself on it. There's a pleased smile on my face knowing I'll get what I want, my heart racing at the thought I'll see Harry soon.

        
         
Harry

"Do you need anything, Harry?" Niall asks me as he adjusts my pillow, gently pushing me to lay down on it.

I finally came back to Hazard, not wanting to spend another minute in that hospital with Dr. Frankenstein and her fucking needles. I'm now Ethan's problem and I'll annoy him until he fixes me as soon as possible and lord knows I can be annoying as shit when I want to.

"I'm sooo drained from that emotional conversation from earlier, can you bring me like a bottle of water? Or maybe two or four," I say slowly, feeling absolutely tired. "Heyyy I have an idea, wouldn't it be cool if tears were in rainbow colours, just imagine, blue then green then red. . ."

"Okay, I think that's those painkillers talking, I told you not to take two- Harry what are you doing, why are you groping my ass," Niall says flatly, glancing at my hand on his backside.

I widen my eyes and retract it, looking at my hand as if it's the new world wonder. "Whaaaat."

"This makes me uncomfortable," Zayn says, standing beside me on the other side, blankly staring at my fingers poking his cheek then pinching his nose.

"Wow Zayn, you're so prettyyy," I slur.

He takes my hand and clasps it between his. "Thank you, Romeo. Now close your eyes and sleep."

"Niall, could you bring me Elena back, that would be amazing because I really reallyyyy miss her- hey whoaaa, your hair is so brown now. . ." I mumble.

"Okay buddy, I really think you should sleep." He pats my head. "And excuse me for being unable to bleach my hair at a time like this."

"Sleep. . . I should sleep. Do you think Elena is sleeping right now?" I pout, watching as Zayn pulls my cover further up my body, tucking me in. "That stupid knife is probably sleeping with her while it should be me."

"Is he jealous of a knife," Zayn says flatly.

"Sing him a song so he can fall asleep faster," Niall says.

"What, no." Zayn gives him a look. "Niall he's a grown man, don't treat him like a child."

"He's drugged as fuck and looks like a human pancake, of course he's a child," Niall retorts. "You better be on your best fucking behaviour by the way, don't think any of us have forgiven you yet for what you did, alright? We might be happy you're with us again, but we're all keeping our eyes on you and we're far from trusting you. If I see you making Harry miserable in any way, it's going to get real ugly between you and me, got that?"

"Listen Niall, I know-"

"You know nothing, Jon," Niall sarcastically says. "We're all pissed at you Zayn, I'm pissed and I get urges to kill when I'm pissed. You hadn't spent years watching him destroy himself and let his guilt take over him because of your death and now you think you can just swoop back in and be like "el-oh-el it was all fake, I'm good"  yeah, no. You're gonna have to work your ass off for our -especially Harry's- forgiveness. Elena and Alex have gone through hell and back to earn it for less than what you did."

"You're absolutely right, I'm lucky dad and Harry even allowed me to stay with them," Zayn says sadly. "The entire lifetime won't be enough to earn forgiveness, but I'll never stop working for it. Harry is lucky he had someone like you by his side, you're his brother more than I ever was."

I don't hear the rest of their conversation because the medications finally kick in, knocking me unconscious. I wake up hours later, feeling dizzy, my limbs heavy. A few urgent knocks on my door make me flinch in surprise, my eyes darting toward it only to see David walking toward me, a serious expression on his face.

"Good you're awake, there's someone here to see you," he says, turning his head toward the doorway.

"Wow, people have no respect for my sleeping schedule-"

He flicks the back of my head gently since I have a bandage around it. "Be nice."

My eyes widen at the sight of the last person I expected to see. Lia walks into the room with a smirk on her face, pushing her dark hair away from her face. "Hola, precioso. We need to talk."

. . . .

a/n: I don't speak spanish, so I'm sorry if I made grammar mistakes, feel free to correct me. :) btw I know some of you felt like they've forgiven Zayn too easily, so I hope this chapter and Niall's speech cleared that part up. They were happy he's alive, but they're all angry at him and that won't change so quickly x