Silas was not conscious when we reached him.

He laid curled up in what seemed to be a cargo box, his chest rising and falling ever so slowly, his body covered in a blanket that came from who knows where. I'd learned not to question how Oliver always found the things he did.

Upon seeing him, I shot a look at Oliver, who shrugged smugly.

"He was in shock and asking too many questions. I got annoyed and thought he could use a nap."

Maya and I shared a look and then looked back at him, eyebrows raised.

Oliver threw his head back in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "He's fine."

We were silenced by movement in the cargo box. Slowly, Silas sat up, rubbing his head full of curls with one hand, and the other on the bruise that was starting to form on his cheek. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, his wet clothes not fully dried.

His eyes widened when he saw us, and his breathing halted for a few seconds. He frantically searched our surroundings, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of this nose. We were in the middle of the loading area, not another human in sight for miles.

"Where am I? What did you do to me? Who are you people?"

Question after question rolled off his tongue as he struggled to step out of the box, his poor coordination amusing.

This time, Maya stepped close to him, her small frame unbelievably menacing. She narrowed her eyes, her lips set in a straight line.

"Ask another question and we'll leave you here to die."

Silas pursed his lips, falling silent. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. He repeatedly tried to meet my gaze but I avoided him.

The truth was that I was frustrated. Now, he was caught in this mess with us. To leave him alone and let him return to his old life would mean letting him walk right into danger. And by keeping him around, he was in danger anyway. Our company wasn't exactly ideal. 

Maya and Oliver pointed out that it was best for the two of them to part from us at the dock. They had to clean up the scene as well as prepare for the days that we had ahead of us. It wasn't smart for the three of us to be together all the time. We were both stronger and more vulnerable that way.

"We'll see if we can get in touch with any of the others..." Maya had said, her voice full of hope. "Maybe there are some agents hiding, just like us."

Oliver nodded along, taking her hand in his. "We'll be in touch. Stay out of trouble, you two." He winked at the two of us, flashing a quick smile, before they went off into the night. My heart dropped a bit. Nothing was ever for certain in our lives. And I just prayed that I would see them again.  

It was when we arrived at the apartment I'd been hiding in that Silas decided it was safe to speak. 

"Where are we? I need to go home."

His tired voice trailed off when he realized that what he was saying was of no significance. I could see it in his mortified expression: he knew that his life would never be the same.

Undoing my seat-belt, I opened my door, unsure where to even begin explaining the situation to him.

"It's not safe for you to go back home tonight."

I stepped out of the stolen vehicle, making my way into the old apartment complex. A car door closed behind me and I heard Silas's feet hitting the ground as he chased me down the sidewalk.

"I have class early tomorrow," he said incredulously, adjusting his glasses, which seemed to be bent from one side.

I turned around and stalked towards him, placing a stiff finger on his chest, feeling a pang of guilt in my own body when I realized that he was still slightly trembling.

Whether it was from cold or from terror—I wasn't sure.

None of this was his fault.

"Listen." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in hopes that it would calm me down. "If you go back home  tonight, you may never live to see another class again."

I didn't mean to sound harsh; I was just never one to sugarcoat anything, and Silas needed to understand the magnitude of the mess he was in. For his own sake.

He nodded reluctantly, his shoulders relaxing. His head tilted upwards as he scanned the building in front of us.

"What is this place?"

I retracted my finger from his chest, digging through my pocket for keys.

"Home. For now."

»»————-　　————-««

Various guns and blades were laid out on a sheet on one side of the apartment, accompanied by ammo and straps. On the other side were gadgets I'd swiped from the headquarters and from Jupiter, and in one corner: my makeshift bed. I had four bed sheets laid on top of the carpet, as if the thin fabrics would provide any cushion for my body. One blanket was folded up so I could use it as a pillow and another was on the other end of the bed.

These were a mixture of items that someone had left there and that I'd scavenged within the past few days. Cash was scarce and until I figured out another way to get more of it, I had to be careful. I threw the keys onto the ground and made my way towards the ensemble, stripping off my boots as I walked and throwing them aside.

"These are..." Silas paused, looking around the worn room, "These are all yours?"

He finally asked, his eyes focused on the weapons. All I gave him was a nod as I continued to disassemble my poor excuse of a bed. I took two sheets and laid them out three feet away from where they first were, and put one of the blankets on top of the sheets, so that there were now two places to sleep. 

Stepping back to look at my work, I nodded, satisfied. We didn't exactly have pillows, but it would have to do.

I'd made more out of less before.

"I don't suppose there's a shower?" Silas asked sheepishly, rubbing his hand on his arm. He looked beat. His khakis were torn at the knees, shirt stretched from struggling, jacket hung over his shoulders, and the bright purple bruise on his cheek glowed.

Shaking my head, I zipped down my jacket.

"There is a shower. Just no water."

To my surprise, Silas laughed. He walked towards the spot that I'd set up for him and looked down at it, scratching his head in wonderment.

I watched as he crouched down and took one of the bed sheets. I was about to speak up and ask him why he was ruining what I'd laid out for him, but decided to just watch.

He took his jacket off of his shoulder and turned it inside out, so that the soft fabric was now on the outside. Wrapping the jacket up in the sheet, he laid it down and rested his head on it as a pillow, adjusting it over and over until he finally sighed in contentment.

He looked at my bed and raised his eyebrows, offering to do the same for me. I shook my head slowly, watching him shrug and wrap himself inside the blanket.

I rolled my pants off of my legs from underneath the blanket and threw them aside, snuggling into the corner, my body exhausted but my mind wide awake.

We laid in silence for countless minutes. Silas lost in his thoughts and I in my own. I couldn't imagine the things going through his mind at that moment. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, the only movement being his neck when he swallowed or his chest as it rose and fell. Bruises were tattered across his arms, and I wondered how he was so calm after basically being kidnapped. 

It was interesting studying him in the night. Certain things seemed like they never belonged in the darkness, and Silas was one of them.

I was about to speak when he beat me to it.

"Are we going to die?"

Nowhere in his voice could I detect fear or even emotion. The question was straightforward—the words that should have been heaviest of all were weightless on his lips.

Knowing that his eyes were on me, I shook my head, gathering my long hair and setting it to one side.

"I won't let you die."

He nodded, taking his broken glasses off and setting them aside.

"And you?"

Propping myself up on my elbows, I peered over at him. He was now sitting, his elbows set on his knees as he watched me curiously.

"You ask too many questions."

My words were cold again.

"Don't I have a right to?"

He didn't snap—his voice was gentle as he played with the watch wrapped around his wrist.

"Both of us need rest. We have to get up early tomorrow and I'll tell you what you need to know then."

I suppose he did have a right to ask questions; I just didn't know how to answer them. He took my silence as an invitation to continue, ignoring my previous statement.

"Your name isn't Rose, is it? I think I deserve to know your real name now."

Feeling irritated, I sat up as well, in the same position as him.

"Zara."

He smiled, a grin stretching from one ear to another. That's when I noticed a dimple on his right cheek, making him seem more boyish than ever.

"That's pretty."

I ignored his comment. It made my stomach twist with something foreign, and I hated feeling that way.

"Aren't you scared? Why aren't you freaking out or trying to call the cops or something?"

His smile unwavering, he shook his head.

"I'm terrified. The truth is I'm just hoping that I'll wake up tomorrow and realize that most of this was just a dream."

It was the most I'd heard Silas ever speak without stuttering. Maybe it was the night's adrenaline, or his exhaustion that had gotten to him, but he seemed more aware than ever.

I cocked my head to the side, arching an eyebrow.

"Most of it?"

Silas nodded. He seemed to be thinking to himself, various emotions flashing across his features, before he eased back into bed.

He opened his mouth to say something, changed his mind, and spoke again, his voice now slightly raspy from exhaustion.

"Nothing interesting really happens to me."

His green eyes shined with something new; something in the likes of excitement as they bore into mine. They were dark mint and maybe some gold dancing around them, ethereal emeralds that I refused to acknowledge. Whereas Silas was delicate, his eyes were strong; they were the part of him that intrigued me most.

He was radiating. From what, I wasn't sure.

"Interesting? Do you realize you could have died tonight?"

"But I didn't."

I sighed, frustrated at the fact that it was hard to figure Silas out. This was a side of him I hadn't seen; I was used to him cowering behind his own words, not arguing with me.

"Go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. I need to figure out how to get you out of this mess."

He nodded, yawning and laying back into his makeshift pillow.

"What is this mess, exactly?"

Annoyed, I shot him a look, one that may have scared him a bit. He nodded and shut his eyes tight, his hands folded behind his head. I watched his breathing slow, body relax. Something about watching people fall asleep was always so intriguing; they would slip deeper and deeper into a state of serenity. I thought he was asleep, until he mumbled something almost inaudible.

"Goodnight, Zara."

His words, although sweet, made an unexplained pain crawl through my chest. I hadn't had anyone to say goodnight to for longer than I could remember. And something about being in the night with Silas by my side, as strange as he was, was comforting.

"Goodnight Silas."

The night became silent after that, and neither him nor I bothered to turn off the lights. After spending an entire night in darkness, it felt nice to drift to sleep in something other than it.

I hugged the journal next to me close to my chest, wondering what tomorrow held for not only me, but Silas as well.

It was not my thoughts that sang me to sleep that night, but the gentle snoring of the person next to me.

(A/N) 

Here's a another Zara/Silas interaction for you! I'm having fun developing their characters. If you have any suggestions/feedback, please leave it below!

As always, if you enjoyed this chapter, please VOTE! Next one is coming up sooon!

Thank you for reading :)