Chapter 14

The mushroom forest was filled with joyous slugs. The Flaringos pranced around, chirping in their own language. They all stopped and scattered, hearing footsteps heading towards them. A wounded female limped her way through the forest, panting heavily as she leaned against the mushroom the animals had been under only a few moments ago. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, and a few strands had escaped the ribbon she had used to tie her hair back. She groaned in pain as she grabbed her arm, which was bleeding. She slid down the plant, sitting down on the cool ground and resting her head on it. Her blue, majestic slug hopped off of her shoulder, giving its partner a concerned squeak. The blonde only smiled weakly, doing the best to assure the slug that she was OK.

"We just have to make it to the Shane Gang's hideout. We'll be safe once we get there," she mumbled to her companion, placing her slug on her shoulder again before getting up and limping away. She stumbled a little, supporting herself against a mushroom before continuing her travel.

The walk was long and painful for the poor girl. Her clothes were ripped in multiple areas, along with her skin. A deep scratch across her nose was still slowly dripping with blood, and she was positive it would leave a scar. The blood dried on her arm, and she prayed she would be able to treat it before it got infected and worse than it already was. Her energy had completely left her when she finally spotted the place she had learned to call home. Her spirits lifting, she was able to pick up her pace as she emerged from the forest.

"Kay!" a redhead exclaimed, sprinting out of the house and tackling her friend into a hug. Kay winced and gasped from the pain, causing her friend to immediately release her as horror filled her eyes. "What happened to you?"

"I had an… encounter…," Kay whispered, lowering her head as she didn't allow the tears that were blurring up her vision to fall. "There was this gang, and they were picking on some kids, so I stopped them. I didn't see the rest of the group until they had completely surrounded me. I was able to hold them off until the kids got away, but…" She froze, shuddering at the memory.

"Oh, Kay," Trixie sighed, examining her injuries. She brought her into the hideout, helping her towards the couch. The redhead walked into another room to grab some bandages and alcohol to clean up the cuts. The blonde sat down, leaning against the back of it as her breaths gradually evened out. Her slugs gave her a concerned look, but when their eyes connected with her blue orbs, she gave them a small, reassuring smile. The cheered up slightly and bounded away to play with each other, but the Mermaslug stayed behind.

"I'll be fine, Ariel. Go play with Burpy," Kay said gently. Ariel hesitated at first, but she ended up jumping down from the couch to go find the other slugs. Kay sighed as Trixie walked back in, a slightly amused look on her face. The blonde teen rose an eyebrow. "What?'

"How many times have I done this for you?" Trixie replied, a smirk evident on her face as she sat down beside her friend. She grabbed a cloth that had been dabbed in alcohol, carefully wiping the open wound on her arm. Kay winced at the stinging sensation, and she played with her fingers in an attempt to rid her mind of it.

"Beats me… I really do appreciate it though, Trixie. You've been a great friend to me," she sighed and felt a grin spread across her face. She chewed the inside of her lip as her friend wrapped her arm up. The redhead taped the gauze, making sure it was on tight enough. She looked at the cut across Kay's face and scrunched her nose, turning the cloth to a different side and dipped it in a little more alcohol. She carefully dabbed the wound, and Kay bit her lip as she looked to the side.

"Honestly, I don't mind doing this. You're just trying to help people, and it isn't your fault if you get hurt. I'm really lucky to have a friend like you," Trixie muttered as she concentrated on the gash. Kay's eyes lit up and she smiled. The green-eyed female hummed to herself, examining the cut before placing a couple bandages across it. She gave a sad smile, grabbing the cloth and bottle of the cleansing liquid. "Well, you should change out of those clothes. There all torn up, and we need to throw them out. That cut might leave a faded scar, but it most likely won't."

"Alright. Thanks, Trix," the blonde mumbled as she got off the couch and made her way up the stairs. Making her way to her room, she closed the door and made her way to her mirror. She looked at herself up and down and gave a small chuckle. She really looked beat up. Her hand reached up to the bandages covering her gash, tracing it lightly as she stared at her complexion. Sighing lightly, she turned away from the mirror and changed her clothes. She changed into a pair of jean shorts, a black cami with a red-checkered flannel, and let her hair down. She brushed her hair a little, ridding it of the knots and making herself look more presentable.

Bounding down the stairs, Kay took a sharp turn at the bottom, banging her head against a chest. She wobbled backwards, regaining her balance as she rubbed her forehead. Glaring playfully, she looked up and locked eyes with Eli. He rose his brow in amusement and chuckled slightly. The blonde huffed, crossing her arms. She looked away from his eyes when she saw the slugs playing, watching them chirp excitedly to each other. Feeling eyes on her, she removed her focus from the slugs and looked back at Eli. He frowned as he examined the bandages on your face, causing the girl to stir under his stare. Feeling uncomfortable, Kay cleared her throat, giving him a sheepish smile. He sighed as he gave her a sad smile, looking slightly amused yet concerned at the same time.

"You okay?" the dark haired male asked, his gaze flashing to Kay's arm for a minute before meeting her gaze again. She chuckled lightly, not feeling like explaining.

"Yep, just got a few scratches!" she said, sounding more cheerful then she felt. The Shane rose his brow, hesitating for a moment. He ruffled her blonde hair, and she scrunched her nose up at him. He grinned, walking past her as she was left to fix her golden locks. Glaring over her shoulder, her blue eyes locked with his own. He laughed sheepishly before he walked out of the room. Rolling her eyes, she felt a small smile creep up on her face. Forcing the heat rising up her neck down, she made her way into the living room where everyone else was. Hearing them argue over something pointless, she decided to sit on the couch and not intervene. She spaced out, thinking over what was happening now.

And what could be happening to her sister.

A/N: I know I haven't updated anything in a REALLY long time and I apologize for that. School kept me busy, and I'm officially entering high school in two months. (freshman… yay…) Please share this story, follow, and favorite! Thanks for reading!