“Perhaps it was because I saw myself,

     Or a forgotten piece of my past, but I spared them;

      Although I knew I was preparing my own downfall.”

VII

     Jack stopped. He blinked. She sat up. It wasn’t Sidney. Her saucer-like eyes were too large, nearly taking up her entire face. Her nose was too pointed. While her cheeks were far too sunken in. Her barely pink lips were cracked and scabbed over. Thin clear brows, that were arched high in fear. A pointed far too  chin. Boney thin shoulders, to jut from her skeleton of a body. But her eyes were the exact same shade of sage green as Sidney’s: sage like the forest, sage like the earth, sage like the Rift.

 She gasped and panted. Her body shuddered with the effort. Her hands flew to her slender throat and hovered there as she struggled to breathe.

 Shaking Jack retrieved his sword. Quivering, the point of the blade at her chest. 

 “Who are you?” Snarled Jack. She gasped once more before gazing up at the blue sky; she smiled. A soft sad smile. Then she turned her eyes to him and frowned at the sword.

 “Sheerre ...?” Her hand flew back to her throat. She gagged. Her eyes flickered with pain. Her voice was sharp, hard, and hoarse like a whetting blade; it wasn’t cruel, just weak and off sounding. “Ouuv..”

 Jack had never heard her language before. Normally he spent his free time wandering Alaxi's river port, where he heard plenty of forieng dialects. And learned a few simple phrases in each. But never once had he heard hers. 

 She touched her throat again. “Ouuv…”

 After a moment of pause, Jack handed her his waterskin. He noticed that her boney fingers were tipped with sharp talon-like nails. She snatched it and drank in deep greedy gulps. 

 “Are you speaking some off dialect of Zaynt?” Jack took a deep breath and tried a few words in Zaynt. “A’shair… si cud Azaynta…?” Greetings. Are you from Azaynta? She continued draining his waterskin.

  With his blade still aimed at her, he re-asked his question. She paused after her drink. Obviously thinking the question over. She pursed her lips, as her frown deepened.

 “Ussh…? … luvor fruv... Aaishk…. aishk ouuv...” Her voice wasn’t as harsh. But still, Jack couldn’t shake the thought of a honing blade. 

 “U d’now… U bevn trupsed theis” She looked up. “U hess set… buvve… ciilar…  U…. forse..” She looked sadly back at Jack, as she placed the waterskin at his feet. 

 Anger pivoted in Jack, as he saw her sage eyes flash where the Rift had been; he raised his sword. The girl flinched and raised her arm over her head. Red-eyed and trembling Jack paused. He knew what Sidney would have done. She would talk to this girl… no she would talk this creature's ear off. Jack glared at her but decided that he wouldn’t harm a girl, who as far as knew could be innocent. With great gusto, he sheathed it. 

 “I don't think you can understand me… I have no idea what you’re saying… I think I'll take you to Sean to see what he has to say.” 

 Gently Jack grabbed the girl’s arm and led her back to their camp. The whole way she took in the scenery with wide eyes, pointing at random things, and spouting nonsense in her language. And during the whole way back, Jack was quietly fumming, while fumbling within his thoughts and sickened soul. 

~

Sean was asleep, against a tree with a shovel in his lap. The bandage around his face had a wet yellow tent. Jack winced as a sharp prickling pain jabbed into his arm. A hushed gasping wail erupted from the Rift-girl. She was straing wide-eyed at the steaming body of the dissolving Démora. Her nails dug into Jack’s arm, as she hugged him tightly. Wincing, Jack’s eyes drifted to the pit. 

 In the pit, Sidney lay. She was half-covered in dirt. One of her hands unburied. The silver cuffing that had been on her wrist, lay beside her hand. ‘At least you're free… you are no longer a slave. You're dead, but you had no life ahead of you. Thank you for being my sister. Thank you for bringing a little bit of joy into my life. I'm sorry for how I treated you. I’ll try to live fully and happily the way you always tried to. I’ll do it for you.’

  He pulled the Nameless girl off his sleeve, and wiped the tears from his beary eyes. Shacking he grabbed the shovel from Sean. Jack pushed mounds of dirt over the girl's corpse. All the while tears threatened to spill.  

 As he buried her, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the girl. Her eyes were wide and soft, watery as if about to go to tears. She dropped to her knees and helped push dirt into the pit. 

 “Thank you.” Whispered Jack. She nodded and placed a hand over her heart. She seemed to get the gist of the words' meaning. 

 When they were done the sun was setting. Jack pulled out kindling and started a small fire. Sean was still asleep. Jack pulled out their rations and handed some to the girl. 

 He watched, confused, as she cautiously sniffed the meat. She then hesitated, before tearing the jerky into small strips with her sharp teeth and devouring it.  

“I’m gonna have to figure out what to call you…” Said Jack. He paused, then gently ruffled her hair. She sat up straight, and angrily fixed her hair. Jack laughed. She gave a frail smile in response. 

 Jack tapped his chest. “Jack.” He tapped it again and repeated his name. 

 She tilted her head to the side, the firelight reflecting in her sage-eyes. 

 “J..a-a..k?” Whispered the girl, as she leaned forward and tapped his chest. 

 “Uhh… yeah…” She looked at him confused. 

  She tapped his chest again. “Uth… ye…?” Jack shook his head. She imitated the action. 

 “Jack.” He said as he pointed to his chest. 

 “Ja...k..?” She said as she pointed to his chest. He nodded. She nodded back and smiled. “Jack… Jack..” She then ruffled his hair, and then sat back down, grinning. She then tilted her head, and grabbed his arm. The one with the silver shackle. She curiously tapped it. 

 Panic knotted within Jack, he yanked his arm away. She stared at him aghast. He pulled his baggy sleeve over the bracelet.

 Taking in deep panicked breaths, to still his nerves, Jack sighed. He forcibly smiled at her. Earning himself a confused expression, from the Nameless-Girl. Jack leaned forward and tapped her sternum. She frowned and shrugged. He tapped again. She gave him a blank stare.

 “Sydnei.” He whispered as he continued to tap her sternum. 

 She tapped her chest. And smiled. “Sydnei.”

 “By the Rift, who is that?” Sneered Sean, his voice uneven and slurred. Saliva dripped from the unbandaged side of his mouth, and rolled off his damaged lip. Following his voice was the scream of a sword being unsheathed.