#varynn

“You probably saw this article on my phone, right?” Jake flashes the article of Ben’s death.

Taylor nods, appearing unimpressed.

“After some digging, you found out it was Rourke, who killed him. Am I right?”

He was laying out the facts quite right, but Taylor remained unconvinced.

He was too cocky, and those were always the ones not to be trusted.

“You figured i’m working with him, didn’t you?” Suddenly, Jake’s tone turned from a arrogant one to a more soft, caring one. He was talking directly to Taylor, as if there wasn’t anyone else in the room.

Meeting his eyes, Taylor gulped. “Yes” She breathed out.

“Taylor...” Something sounded awfully familiar in the way he said her name.

Taylor could’ve sworn she heard it a thousand times before.

“I’m not working with him. I’m after him. Just like you.” Jake admitted, and suddenly it clicked.

“You’re after him?” She asked.

It would’ve made sense just as much the opposite did.

“I want to take him down. Badly.” Jake’s gaze hardened and his eyebrows furrowed, turning that beautiful face of his into a frown.

Taylor scowled at herself for calling his face beautiful, and tried concentrating on the important matter at hand.

Was her sight blinded by the new feeling of excitement in her stomach, the one she tried to ignore and deny, or did everything just turned out the right way?

She had to take a leap of faith, and she shut her eyes.

What was her gut telling her?

Could she trust them? Could she trust Jake?

Protect... Him... The words echoed in her mind. She shot her eyes right back open.

Jake was still in front of her, eyeing her. Waiting patiently for her.

Her eyes wandered down, and then she saw it.

“Dog tags?” Without thinking about it, or asking for permission, her hand flew towards his neck and she grasped his necklace. 

Jake didn’t flinch back, but he did look at her in confusion. “What about them?”

Taylor blinked at him.

“I think I’ve made a huge mistake.” She admits. 

Jake, Aliester and Estela’s faces turn into a hopeless scowl, but Taylor hurries to prove them wrong.

“No, no... I mean by not trusting you earlier.” 

“Oh.”

Next thing she knew, they were texting the whole group, and inviting them to Taylor and Mike’s condo.

She had to text Mike, too, and inform him she was deeply wrong.

They arrived in their apartment, and Mike presented their elaborated evidence boards.

The rest of the group slowly started coming in, each greeting Taylor with a smile.

She didn’t know yet, but she felt she could fully trust them, now.

Whoever Vaanu was, he was telling her in her dreams she could trust them, all along. Taylor just didn’t interpret them the right way.

They had enough material to convict Rourke for a lifetime...

The only problem was catching him, first.

“Woah...” Aliester gasped as he looked around. “That’s way more than we have.” 

“Do you even have an evidence board?” Mike asks.

“Let me guess, it couldn’t have been your idea. So i’m guessing Princess here brought it up?” Jake asked, the words leaving his mouth on his own.

“Actually, yes.” Mike high-fived Jake, and Taylor tried to push as deep as possible the way Jake made her feel by calling her ‘Princess’. They had work to do. They had a bad guy to catch.

To think all of this started with her dreams...

Or maybe, just maybe - It didn’t.

“So we’re guessing Rourke couldn’t have gotten too far away from Costa-Rica.

He’s still a wanted man, even without all of the evidence we have here.

But... We don’t know where exactly he might be.” Mike was explaining.

“Actually, I think you’re wrong.” Estela interrupted. All eyes flew over to her, and she shifted uncomfortably, like she was hiding something.

“Okay.” Mike gulped, unsure what to make of it. “Where do you think he’d be, then?” He added, asking.

“Searching for La-Huerta, most likely.” She answered, clearly nervous. Everyone’s eyes widened, but Taylor and Mike were too concentrated on Estela to notice that.

After a quick search in his phone, Mike frowned at Estela. “There’s not ‘La-Huerta’ anywhere on the map.” He said.

“You won’t find it on the map.” She said, now regaining her cool and determined tone back.

“How can Rourke search for a place that doesn’t exist on any map? How does he know about it, anyway?”

“Admittedly, I don’t think that place exists.” Aliester jumps in, and Estela lets out a breathe, relieved she’s not the only one walking around the subject they all tried so hard not to tell Taylor about.

“Not anymore, at least.” Estela shrugged, agreeing with him.

Mike and Taylor were confused now. Too confused. But they were also trying their best to understand what was going on and trying to give Estela’s theory a chance.

“So?” Mike asked, prompting them to continue.

“Well, Rourke isn’t the kind of person that’ll let a small detail like that stop him.” Estela bit at her lip. She, too, wasn’t sure what should be their next move.

“Small detail?” Taylor was unconvinced.

“The place he’s searching for doesn’t exist. Anymore. How is that a small detail exactly?” She asked, gulping.

She stared at the gang, passing her gaze through all of them.

There was something they weren’t telling her - She was sure.

“What is it?” She demanded to know.

They passed uncertain glasses between them but no one spoke up.

After a long while, Michelle raised her gaze towards Taylor and opened her mouth.

“Just... Trust us on this one?” She asked. “We could hire a small plane, let Jake fly us there -- That place’s special. We’re sure there’ll be something there.

Something Rourke wants, and mustn’t fall to his hands-” Michelle tried explaining but gave minimum possible information.

Taylor took into consideration the pleading look over Michelle’s face. But it wasn’t enough.

“No. I’m sorry.” Taylor shook her head, unconvinced. “I’m trusting you a whole lot already. You’ll have to do better than that.” She said.

Mike nodded, standing beside her.

Finally, Jake took a step towards her. “Look, princess.” He said.

“That place... La-Huerta... Is special.” He told her.

“I already heard that.” Taylor’s gaze didn’t waver. Her eyebrows were furrowed into a serious expression. She was doubting trusting them in the first place.

She didn’t even notice the way her heart fluttered when he called her ‘princess’.

“We were there.” He said.

Taylor’s eyes widened. She looked at the gang once again, seeing them nodding and exchanging wary glances.

It was like they lacked a leader and no one was sure what exactly they were supposed to say. How much they should’ve told her and how much they should’ve kept to themselves.

“All of you?” She asked, looking at Jake.

He raised his hand, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yes,” Estela jumped in. “And you were there too.” She added.

A look of surprise and disbelief crossed Jake’s face, too - Not just Taylor’s.

She questioned what it could mean but she was too busy trying to let her mind wrap around the idea.

It sounded absurd. She should’ve remembered if something like that had happened...

But deep inside, it didn’t sound that absurd.

Her gaze finally softened, dropping to look at the floor.

“Taylor?” Mike put a comforting hand over the back of her shoulder.

“I... I don’t know what to say.” She raised her eyes, looking at Mike with a troubled expression.

“I don’t think they’re lying... But how can I not remember being there?” She asked.

“We all forgot.” Zahra burst into the conversation.

“We’re not sure how or what happened, but we’re pretty sure it has something to do with you.” Raj jumped in too.

“Me?” She asked.

“Yeah. You saved us. Somehow. We’re not sure how.” Diego said, joining in too.

“No... No. It can’t be.” She shook her head.

Can it?

It... Could explain her strange dreams.

Nothing made sense anymore... Only that it did.

“Maybe this will convince you.” A new voice joined in. A man was standing at the door, and everyone’s gaze turned to look at him.

Well - a “man” was a stretch in describing him. Since... He had blue skin.

“Oh my... Varynn?! Is that really you?” Diego didn’t waste any moment, and ran towards the stranger.

They hugged for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes before breaking away and staring at Taylor.

She gulped.

It was certainly convincing...

“Rourke’s on his way. La-Huerta is merely a normal island right now, but he’s out to find the island’s heart. Or what’s left of him, anyway.

My people are protecting it at the moment... But the prophecy clearly says that only you can stop the Hydra.” The blue man-- Varynn, explained.

“Prophecy? Hydra? Are we in a video game or some kind of Marvel movie?” Taylor’s eyebrows furrowed.

“No, I wish.” Diego said. He took a tentative step towards Taylor, placing an arm over her shoulder.

“It’s true. I promise. Come with us, please?” He asked her.

She still had some doubts, obviously. She wondered if everything they told her was real, and where were her memories if so.

She wondered how come she’d ‘saved them’, and how did she end up here.

But those were questions she’d never get answers to - if she didn’t go with them, she figured.

“Okay.” She finally nodded.