She watched him, head tilting slightly in confusion as he searched his pockets. Marina’s features softened and her panic eased slightly at his words. As much as she wanted to tell him to stay there, be safe, her mouth just wouldn’t make the words. Selfishly, she didn’t want to be alone. She was terrified and Ignas seemed to be one of the few people on this island who made her feel at ease. Plus, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to dissuade him if she tried.
So, she nodded, her little, grateful smile returning to her face for a moment. “Stick together.” The shifter repeated, “Yeah, okay.” She turned towards the door, but paused for a moment to look up at him and say, “Thank you. Really. You don’t have to, but-” She paused, words tricky from how shaken she was, “I’m really glad to have you here.”
When she faced the door, she took a breath to get herself ready to face the world outside again. A look of determination settled onto her features as well, she pressed on the door, muttering mostly to herself, “Let’s do this.”
Once they were outside, Marina scanned the area, trying to figure out where to go next. She could go away from the carnival, and the chaos the rallied around there, but the likelihood of her sister being there was slim. Nora was there buying snacks when everything went down, so she probably wouldn’t be much farther away from it than she was now. “This way,” She said, putting on a brave face as she walked back in the direction of the carnival.
Ignas nodded as she pressed against the door to step out, and he followed close behind as he muttered, “You’re brave, Collins.” Collins. It was a nickname he’d given her when they first met at the bar. She’d asked for a Tom Collins, and he teased her for ordering it. They became friends rather quickly, but he’d never thought this friendship would be leading him into something like this just a few months later. But he cared about Nora, knowing she meant so much to Marina. And Marina was his first close friend on the island.
Ignas followed her lead as they both made their way in the direction of the carnival, surveying the streets of the town to keep an eye out for hunters. It brought back somber memories for him. The last time he encountered hunters it’d cost him his coven and they’d killed his brother. He would do anything to keep Marina from losing Nora. “Any luck trying to get ahold of her yet?”
