#thalia.froggie

it wasn’t long before night fell on her, a full moon shining her way ever so slightly, but not even close to enough to pierce through the thick trees that still had most of their leaves intact. she was scared again. of every single noise she heard around her, of every single rustling of branches and trees, of every single step she took once the trail had faded. in just a few weeks, thalia, who had mainly lived under excessive care and privilege, had been realizing how vulnerable she actually was– how scared she was of everything around her: she was scared of being chased, she was scared of darkness, of the sound the wind makes against a window open ajar, of the light reflected in her mirror after a car passed in the middle of the night. she was scared of her own voice, her own mind and how easy it could flip and turn itself useless. she was scared of that moment right before recognizing a panic attack– that moment where you feel like you are about to die in about five seconds with nothing to stop it. she was scared of losing stevie, of never talking to ernie again, of never looking into wheezie’s eyes, or valentine’s, or any of her friends. but she was terrified of losing froggie, which she was sure would happen if she didn’t move faster, if she didn’t keep on moving despite the paralyzing feeling she had, that didn’t allow her to look behind her. 

she climbed for over an hour, however long stevie had told her. she had only her watch to count time, and after a couple slips and falls on the way up, the screen had shattered. her tights had holes over her knees, covered in dirt and scratches she would care for later, some other day. she could not feel any pain, nor her feet soaking wet and frozen after the entire trail. her hands were not safe from the injuries either, but she kept going for about ten more minutes to the left– “froggie?” she called for the first time, scared that her voice would disturb someone, something living around here. according to her memory, she would find the fireplace they used around there, but the dark had made it almost impossible for thalia to see anything. 

“froggie, if you’re around here... i’m so-” she said, stepping on some kind of branch, that initiated a series of noises that moved around her, paralyzing her yet again. some more rustling, something like a growl and footsteps. thalia stopped breathing for a moment, but the thud of her heart was louder in her own hears than any other sound. and then came some more rustling, another little branch cracking, except thalia had not moved. she knew of bears, deer, elks, mountain lions, all sorts of giant animals that could be found in the area, and when the smartest choice was to stay very still until every sound was gone, thalia listened to her survival instinct first and set off running. she didn’t scream, she didn’t have the energy for that, but she ran in the first direction she could find, away from the source of the noises, and she ran, and slipped and ran some more until she spotted a small almost torn apart cabin. thalia’s breath was so loud she would not even fool a bunny if she stayed still. and even when the cabin seemed like some sort of crack house, or scenery from a horror film, thalia opened the door and stepped inside, closing behind her and leaning back against the wood as if that was enough to be safe. 

the inside of the cabin was even darker than the outside, but it was quiet, warmer too. it was the first source of comfort she had found in the past hour or so. it felt like an eternity. she was not made for this life, no matter how much she would want to stay away from the princess role she had been seemingly assigned at birth. she sat there for a couple minutes, trying her best to recover, and asses her injuries and scratches– they were everywhere. her hands, knees, her legs, her face– her head too? she wiped as much of the dirt and blood with her clothes before she stood up, digging inside her pocket for a lighter to try and walk around, see what this place really was. there wasn’t much of anything, though. a couple tables, empty cans that had probably been there for days, weeks, years, who knew. 

thalia wasn’t sure where she was anymore, nor if froggie was anywhere near, if she had fucked up somewhere along the way and was now in unknown territory, but she knew her best bet was to spend the night under a roof, behind a closed door, and so far, the place seemed safe enough, as she tiptoed around what seemed like the living room. the dim light of her fire allowed her to see a door in the furthest corner of the room, one she probably should leave closed as it was, but there was something in her heart, rather than her mind, that told her to go inside. thalia then approached the door as quietly as she could, her hand on the doorknob trying to turn it without making a single sound and then it clicked– the door was open. the blonde took a deep breath and slowly opened it, cringing at the creaking noise it made as it moved and then–

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!” 

thalia screamed from the bottom of her stomach, emptying the air in her lungs as she instinctively threw her lighter at the figure right in front of her (the lighter turning off in the air, thank god). but the light of the moon was shining through one of the windows, and it was not long before she could see the figure’s shape– her features, her hair, her best friend’s face– no. her soulmate right there. 

“froggie–” it was not a question, but an affirmation– one that came almost desperate as the shorter girl threw her arms around the outer in surprise, if anything just to make sure she wasn’t dead yet or dreaming or something. “you’re here– fuck. you’re here... i found you.” she held her face for a moment there. she wanted to kiss her again, because whenever the thought of losing her settled in her heart, it was what her deepest desires wanted– to keep her close, to never let her out of sight, never let her go– not without her. “i found you– i’m sorry– please don’t leave,” she pleaded exhaustedly, not just physically but mostly mentally. “please don’t leave me.”