AN: So, I saw this amazing movie on Netflix called The Ritual. It was eery, suspenseful, the monster unique, and it inspired a Star Wars fanfic because I've been reading a lot of them lately. Anyhow, I suggest you watch the movie if you like creepy ambiance and a wicked cool looking monster.

This is gonna be a 2 parter so keep an eye out for the finale!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or I would be hella rich and not struggling through school like the poor college student I am.

The Fertility Ritual

I stared out over the sea of endless green, blankets of mist weaving over the trees and fields, and quaint little cottages in euphoria. The air was cool, the rising sun not yet strong enough to fight back the fog that clouded the air. A feeling, an energy, caused the hairs on the nape of my neck and arms to stand at attention and I couldn't have been more pleased to be standing here. As an orphan restricted to a desert city, jumping from home to home, such a sight stole the very breath from my lungs. "I never knew there was so much green in the world."

Finn threw an arm over my shoulder. The move almost made me jump. It had been quite awhile, months even, since Finn touched me so casually. He had been so focused on Rose and their upcoming nuptials to pay me any mind. "Isn't great, Niima? Rose has been all over the world, but she saved Norway for last."

"Perfect for our ceremony, Finny!" Rose ambled past us, her giant backpack turning her strut into more of a waddle, and she inhaled deeply through her nose. "Can't you feel it? There's so much magic in the air! Perfect for a few rituals to kickstart our life together, don't you think, Finny-bear?"

"You betcha, Rosy-posy!" He left my side and joined his fiancée. I turned away, mildly sickened by the cutesy pet names they were trying out on each other.

Though Rose, the tiny ball of enthusiasm, would never be my best friend I couldn't help but silently thank her for the opportunity to be in her bridal party. I still held a bit of resentment towards her for stealing away my first and only friend from me, a boy that held out a helping hand to a poor little orphan girl in need, and plans on taking him on a three month long world cruise. Leaving me behind, probably forever.

I still remembered the day my life spiraled out of control. Finn and I, best friends and nothing more, had been living together. Finn had left behind the military lifestyle to pursue photography and I worked at a repair shop, fixing anything that anyone wanted to trade for cash or salvaged from the dump. It brought me no small amount of joy to take broken and rundown objects and make them into something beautiful again. Growing up in an uncaring system that led me to living on the streets a time or two, I had learned quite a bit about seeing the value in things others saw as garbage.

Finn had come stumbling in, pulling me away from a broken pocket watch. He began raving about this sweet girl he had met, how beautiful she was and funny and smart. Finn gleefully shared that he had asked her out on a date and she accepted. I waved after him as he left to get ready. I didn't think much on it then, but time went on and the two fell deeper in love. Three months went by with only greetings and goodnights shared between the two of us. My friend, someone I held more dear than anything in the world, was now more of an acquaintance.

He finally introduced Rose and me nearly four months in and it was hard to hate the girl. She was just so bubbly and sassy, always smiling about something or another, and she made Finn smile in way I had never seen before. I gritted my teeth made nice, not saying a word as Finn continued to shrug me off in favor of his girlfriend. Another two months and he proposed.

And now here we are, in Norway, because Rose wanted to perform a few pagan rituals to grant her and Finn a better life.

Fun.

The blare of a car horn had us turning to watch a canary yellow taxi van pulling up to the trail head. It came to slow stop, very different from our lift her, and three others poured out of the metal frame.

Jessika Pava, a petty bitch that lorded her position as Maid of Honor as if it were a bloody crown, sneered at the astounding view. She and Rose ran in the same circles since they were in diapers, but this rich girl was far less endearing than my friend's fiancée. Her clothes were designer, no doubt worth my home and everything in it, were more suited for the catwalk than hiking. Her boots most definitely weren't for hiking. I knew she'd end up twisting her delicate and perfectly pedicured ankles before the sun was down. She opened her mouth and the griping began. I dealt with enough attention whores to know that ignoring them was the best way to get under their skin. Jessika hated me. The feeling is mutual.

Carrying three bags, two too many, was Dopheld Mitaka. Mitaka was a sweet man and the very definition of a pushover. He was a friend of Rose, her personal shopper for six years. He knew more about fashion trends than I ever would, but he was a cowardly bitch when not directing rich assholes on the latest fads. The way the third and final member of the bridal party was bossing him around was proof enough.

Said groomsman, Finn's man of honor, was a man I hated above all others. He portrayed himself as a charming and respectable pilot, but I had seen the disgusting pig beneath that cocky grin. Finn and Poe had known each other for years. Both had been in the military, Poe was an Air Force pilot and Finn an Army foot soldier. I didn't know much as Finn refused to dive into that part of his history. All he said was that Poe's plane had gone down and Finn saved him. Finn left the Army after that, straight up quit, while Poe continued his service. Poe was discharged and became a pilot instructor.

Finn had once tried to set us up on a date after his engagement to Rose. He had us join him and Rose a night club and then vanished into the crowds to go makeout with Rose in a corner or something. Point is he abandoned me with a stranger I had only heard of but never met. We began talking as to fill the awkward silence and things weren't too bad, but he had quite the wandering eye. His brown eyes would stray to the females in his vicinity to eye up their assets. After the fifth time he leered at a girl I was officially done annoyed with the pig. I was prepared to tell him off for eyeing up women like a child in a candy store when he blatantly said that we weren't going to work. He continued on saying that it was obvious Finn was trying to set us up and that I had been quite the frigid bitch throughout dinner. He commented on my figure, or lack thereof, by straight up telling me that I looked more like a boy with mosquito bites. "I don't know what Storm was thinking setting me up with an obvious dyke. He actually thought a man would be attracted to you?" He didn't even look me in the eyes when he insinuated I was gay simply because I had no figure. It wasn't even my fault. I grew up severely malnourished, neglected by most of my caretakers. At my last checkup the doctor stated that my childhood starvation and constant stress had not only affected my weight but might as well have rendered me infertile. Though I could get pregnant, the odds of carrying one to term were slim to none. I left the bar with my head held high only to break down in tears behind my bedroom door.

And now here he was, slipping his hand in Jessika's back pocket. The girl tittered in a way I'm sure she thought sexy and started running her palms over his chest. It was sickening to watch, so I turned back to the breathtaking view of the Norwegian forests of pine. Rose and Finn waved off the taxi driver and addressed their small party. "Alright! Who's ready to hike?!"

Mitaka and I offered smiles, just happy to be here, and Jessika saw this as an opportunity to complain. "Why couldn't we have gone with my idea and spend the weekend at a spa? I mean honestly, who wants to go hiking before a wedding?"

"Because this land, that forest, is said to be filled with magic and I'll need all the help I can get to power my rituals." Rose adjusted her pack and turned to her soon-to-be-hubby. "In case anyone skimmed through the email I sent or straight up didn't read it, Jessika, I'm going to go over the plan once more. The trail we'll be taking is about a three day hike to the lodge. Once we're there, we will all get to sleep in before being tended by the spa therapists I hired for the entire day. Day five will be spent preparing for the ceremony and day six will be the day I become Mrs. Storm."

"Oh thank god! There's a shining light at the end of this hell fest!" Jess whined dramatically, clinging to Poe's bicep.

Finn sighed through his nose. I knew he found Pava as annoying as I did. "There's a small hiking shoppe over there. You all need to check and make sure you have everything you need and get it if you don't. Once we're on the trail, we will not be turning back. I want to get to the lodge on time."

I had already triple checked my pack, but better safe than sorry. It took all of five minutes to determine Jessika, in fact, did not have everything she needed. Finn looked put out that we would be delayed, but Rose was able to cheer him up with her perky nature and guided us all to a wooden cabin built into a hill.

It was warm and cozy inside with everything anyone would ever need for hiking these hills lining the shelves and walls. I gazed up at an elk's skull and ignored Pava's whining over the stock. Noticing the canteen's pre-filled with water, I figured it wouldn't hurt and grabbed one along with a plastic compass on sale. Finn had one that was much nicer, a gift from Rose and engraved with the words 'so you may find your way home' on the silver, but better safe than sorry. The front desk was manned by a little old woman with the biggest glasses I had ever seen. The way she looked into my eyes unnerved me. It was as if she were peering into my soul and weighing my worth. "5.76, please." Her voice, though a touch gravelly from years of smoking, was warm. I paid the due and stood aside and Rose and Jess came up to the till. The woman, her name tag reading 'Maz', shook her head. "Bad move dragging her along, dear. That city girl isn't made for the wilderness."

Jess sniffed haughtily and swiped her daddy's platinum card. "Got that right!"

As we made to leave, the woman called out to stop us. "Word of warning if you want to make it to the lodge: don't enter the forest."

Poe, taking offense that he couldn't handle a stroll through the woods, scoffed at the warning. "Why not? Is there a big, bad wolf in there?"

Maz chuckled, her voice dark and foreboding. "Child, what lives in those trees would send a big, bad wolf running with his tail between his legs. Anyone that has gone into that forest has not come out."

That only seemed to stoke Dameron's ire. He was most certainly the type unable to leave well enough alone. "I've done my research and the biggest predator around these parts is a fox!"

"He is not exactly a predator." The nonchalance of her tone sent a shiver down my spine. "Stay out of the forest and you'll be safe."

"Tch! Come on, Jessie. Let's blow this dump." Poe stormed out of the cabin with Pava clinging to his arm like a leech. Finn, Rose, and Mitaka followed after chatting between themselves. I made to leave too, but Maz stopped me before I could reach the door frame.

She stared into my eyes once more, again making me feel as if she was viewing every last moment of my honestly pathetic life. "I have lived a long life and met a lot of people. I have noticed that the same eyes can be found in different people. Yours speak of heartbreaking loneliness, abandonment, a need to belong."

It hurt to know that a woman I had known for only four minutes knew more about me than a man I had lived with four seven years. "Am I that obvious?"

Maz had since slipped off her stool and cam around her desk to approach me. She really was tiny, no taller than four feet surely, but her grasp on my hand was strong. "My dear, the belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead. Perhaps, even in the arms of someone as lonely as you."

I squeezed her withered hand and walked out the door, her parting words tumbling around my head. It was hard for me to believe her, that I belonged somewhere. All my life I had been on the outside looking in, had seven years of respite with Finn, only to be tossed aside again for a girl with more money than anyone needed.

"Rey, We're ready to walk!" Finn waved enthusiastically from Rose's side as she helped Mitaka adjust his straps. Poe and Pava were making out, eating each other's faces more like, and I again felt like the fifth wheel.

Shouldering my pack with eagerness to walk through such a beautiful landscape, I approached the party wearing a fake grin as I had done all my life. "Ready to go."

I was right. Pava had twisted her ankle. And I thought she was annoying before.

She was wailing like a banshee, cursing the heavens, hell, and everything in between as she clutched her ankle and rocked back and forth. "I think it's broken!"

A headache began building behind my forehead. It wasn't even noon yet.

"It's not broken, Jess, you just twisted it." Finn sighed as he examined her right ankle as best as he could with her hands getting in his way. "We'll just wrap it up nice a tight and give you a walking stick."

Jessika glared up at him. If looks could kill, Finn would be nothing more than dust in the wind. "You're still going to make me walk? Call me an ambulance! I'm sure they can send a helicopter to pick me up."

Rose looked ready to cry so Finn did all the talking for her. "There's no cell service out here, Jess. You'll just have to push through the pain for the next two days."

Poe gestured to the sea of pines and the lodge that sat on a hill, visible over the towering trees. "Why don't we just walk through the forest? With Jessie's ankle busted, it'll take us twice as long to reach the lodge, but going through the woods will cut our travel time in half!"

"Uh… didn't that lady tell us not to do that?" came the Mitaka's timid voice.

Poe only scoffed in derision. "That old bint was just trying to scare us. There is nothing in those woods that I can't handle."

I had this overwhelming feeling that his cocky statement would be proven false. "We don't know what could be in there. It's safer to go the route we planned instead of trodding through a forest full of all sorts of creatures."

Jessika scowled at me, no doubt trying set me aflame with her baby blues. "I agree with Poe. My ankle hurts like a bitch and I am not gonna take the longer route because you're too chicken shit to take a little trek through the woods!"

The bride-to-be heaved a watery sigh and addressed the group. "It'd be pointless to take the trail anyway. Jessika's injury would only slow us down. I guess we'll have to take the shortcut if we want to get to the lodge in time for my wedding."

Dameron and Pava both shot me nasty, smug grins. Poe helped Jess slip off her back pack and thrust it into Mitaka's arms. Mitaka took it without complaint as Poe helped Jess to her foot and assisted in her hobble to the treeline. The closer we got to the forest edge, the more nervous I became. Something deep inside knew that once we crossed the first pine tree that things would forever change. That same soundless voice told me that once I was under the safety of the branches I would never leave.

"Wait!" I stopped the group.

The party halted and turned to look at me. I took off my scarf I knitted myself with some cheap green yarn I bought for a dollar and tied it around a tree trunk. Finn looked between me and the tree in confusion. "Why are you leaving your handmade accessories tied to the local flora?"

I adjusted my pack straps. "If we get lost and fail to show up at the lodge by 2pm two days from now, they'll call out a search party that'll only be looking along the trail. Hopefully with my scarf in sight of the trail they'll know we took a shortcut and extend the search to the forest."

Rose's eyebrows rose in shock. "I hadn't thought of that! Good idea, Rey!"

"It's unnecessary!" Poe snickered condescendingly. "We won't get lost as we have a map, a compass, and Finn to guide us."

Finn jumped to my defense. "People get lost all the time. It doesn't hurt to be on the safe side. Let's get going."

We passed the border of the treeline and kept on walking.

Whatever creature Maz said lived here had better hurry up and kill Jessika before I did. The girl had been whining non-stop for the past seven hours and even Rose's endless patience was wearing thin. Pava had been piggybacking on Poe for four hours. Dameron looked ready to drop her into a ravine. Morale was low, everyone in the group on edge after finding an elk hung up in the pines, impaled on the branches and gutted. The kill was fresh, blood still dark crimson, proving to our party that we were not alone.

As it got darker, the clouds opened and drenched the earth and everything on it with torrents of rain. Jessika's bitching only got worse. It wasn't until we had been hiking in the dark after sundown, hunting for a spot to set up camp, that Mitaka caught sight of the cabin.

"Look!" We all pointed our flashlights in the direction he gestured.

Jess groaned, very much unhappy with the lone prospect of shelter from the rain. "The windows are broken and it looks ready to collapse at any moment."

I had gotten fed up with the uppity twat's complaints and addressed her in the same sickly sweet voice she used on people before talking shit about them the moment they left. "If you don't like it, you can pitch a your tent out here." I started for the door, climbing the three rotting, moldy steps.

Mitaka trailed after me, followed closely by Finn, Rose, and Poe still carrying Pava. "Rey, aren't you worried that this is someone's property and that we could be sued for breaking and entering?"

The iron knob turned easily and the door opened on squeaking hinges. I scan of the room with a flashlight and I deduced that no one had been here for a long while. It was dusty, sparse, and devoid of any signs of life. "No worries. Looks like it's been abandoned. See that gun against the wall? That's an 1870's black powder rifle. Whoever lived in this place is surely long dead. Awesome! A cast iron stove!"

There, sitting against the middle of the far wall, was an ancient stove. It was crudely made, the filigree on the sides worn down over the years, but in working condition. The door was missing, but it could keep us warm for the night. Finn peeked inside the stove with a wide grin on his face. "Hey Poe, Mitaka! Help me break some of this furniture down for firewood. Rosey-posey, I want you and Rey to check upstairs for any other source of firewood."

Rose and I left quickly just as Pava began complaining over how there wasn't a sofa for her to lounge on while the men built a fire. The bride made her up the wooden stairs with slow and tentative steps, unsure if they would hold our weight or break under the stress. We reached the landing no worse for wear and pointed our torches into the rooms on either side. Both were empty save for natural debris blown in through the broken windows. It was the last room, at the very end of the hall, that Rose found a creepy figure perched on a wooden chair. It was a human torso that looked to be made of straw and mud. The figure had no head, its arms lifted at a ninety degree angle with antlers tied to the stubs were hands would sit. If that wasn't spooky enough there were ancient Norse runes encircling the handmade mannequin.

Future Mrs. Storm was not nearly as spooked as she should be. "Oh my stars! Finn dear! Come look at this!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" I heard Jessika screeching at the men for leaving her alone as three sets of feet rushed up the stairs. Not wanting the pig anywhere near me, I slid into one of the rooms to let them pass. Finn, Poe, and Mitaka gaped at the sight in the room. Poe began spitting out curses as Mitaka merely crossed himself. "Okay, that's scary as hell."

With a roll of her eyes, Rose addressed her fiancé with a ecstatic grin. "Don't you see? A witch lived here. This is a perfect place to perform our rituals!"

Poe wasn't impressed. His voice was hard, but held an undeniable quiver, as he barked at the bride and groom. "That right there is devil worship. I say we take our chances in the rain and ditch this place before some demon kills us in our sleep!"

Finn turned to glare at Dameron, a glare so spiteful I never thought I'd ever see anything like it on the face of someone so laid back and cheerful. He held Rose close to him as she gasped. "I told you not to use those words! Rose isn't a satanist, she's a witch. There is a huge difference."

The tiny woman patted her lover on the shoulder and straightened her spine to stand against the pilot. "I know what I'm doing, Poe. You agreed to join us and to keep your opinions of my religion to yourself. If you don't like it you can just hike to the lodge by yourself, but I will be performing the rituals to grant Finn and I a happier life together!"

She stomped past him with Finn trailing after. Mitaka and I shrugged and followed. Dameron followed after staring at the figure for a few seconds before closing the door to the room.

Downstairs, with a fire roaring in the stove, Rose began setting up everything she'd needed. There were candles, dried herbs and flowers, ribbons in a variety of colors, chalk, her homemade body paint, and a handwoven fleece blanket. She drew a circle on the ground and ringed it with runes not dissimilar to the ones upstairs, and encouraged Finn to step into the circle. I hardly paid attention to the ceremony, focusing instead on the pouring rain outside the window. The rain had not let up. Flashes of lightning lit up the forest for brief seconds and was quickly followed by booming thunder that shook the house. Finally, everyone seemed to settle down into their sleeping bags. Jessika had been given sleeping pills from the first aid kit to knock her out. It was easy for everyone to fall into the arms of slumber in the first respite from her voice we'd gotten all day. Everyone, it seemed but me. And Rose.

"Hey Rey, are you asleep?" she whispered softly, afraid to wake the others.

Having enough trouble falling asleep, I decided to answer back. "No. What's up?"

There was a moment of silence before she wiggled out of her sleeping bag and crawled it over to me. The fire cast her face in shadows, but there was enough light to see her deep brown eyes. "There's this ritual that needs two women to work and I was wondering if you wanted to do it with me. It's basically a ritual for girls to make the transition from maiden to woman and Jess didn't want to do it with me."

The hopeful look in her eyes had me groaning internally as I crawled out of my impromptu bed. Abandoned or not, Finn was still my friend and Rose is the woman he loves so I should be nice to her. I allowed her to drag me to her circle and paint my face, arms, stomach, and thighs with body paint. She painted herself and then began speaking in latin. I had no clue what she was saying, only that I was tired, annoyed, and wanted to go to sleep. She stopped a while later after I endured the ribbons and chanting and we parted with whispered goodnights. I slid into my sleeping bag and fell into the grasp of my dreamscape.

Only to be awakened by a bright light.

It seared into my pupils through my eyelids. I cracked open my aching eyes to see which asshole was flashing their torch in my face. The source, I was shocked to see, came not from a flashlight but from the window. My curiosity was peaked, as was my fear. I unzipped the bag and climbed to my feet. The light streaming through the window didn't flicker. I examined the party, calling their names in the hopes that they saw the light too. When no one answered, I succumbed to the subtle pull in my belly and opened the oddly silent door.

A hospital lounge greeted me, with towering trees acting as walls. It was empty, no sick or injured people waiting to be helped, no nurses sitting behind the desk or walking about. If this was a dream, it was quite possibly the weirdest one I've ever had.

I turned on my heel to return to the cabin only to find myself in front of a hospital bed. The gauzy blue curtain was pulled closed to give the illusion. In contrast with the last vision, this one wasn't devoid of human life. Sitting on the bed was a scrawny little kid with messy chestnut locks and smeared with dirt. The bed dwarfed the child making them appear smaller than they were, or perhaps it was the fact the kid was hunched over and half curled into themselves. They were facing away from me so all I could see was the back of their torn and dirty dress that had once been white. In front of the girl stood a nurse garbed in green scrubs conversing with two officers, talking about the girl as if she weren't even there.

"... severely malnourished, a broken arm that didn't heal right. I can only imagine what kind of life she had before she was brought in…"

"... probably drug addict parents…"

"... should be grateful they abandoned her…"

"... obviously wasn't being cared for…"

"... abandoned at a park…"

A rock had settled in my stomach. This situation was so familiar to me, too familiar. I slowly made my way around the bed until I could see the child's face.

Smeared with dirt and tear tracks, young though she was, I could still the resemblance of my own face in hers.

Tortured sobs tore through my throat. Grabbing my throat with both hands to stifle the sounds of agony, all I could do was turn away from the sight… only to stumble into a toy strewn living room. The leather couch was new and crisp and sat on a persian rug. The same girl, my younger self, cowered in the shadow of a tall woman as two older children grinned smuggly at her from behind their mother's skirt.

"... she hit me, mommy…"

"... you little, savage…"

"... we offered to play with her and she threw my truck at me…"

"... while you are under my roof, you will not touch my sons…"

"... she hurt me, momma…"

"... ungrateful, little bastard child…"

"But they hit me first."

"... filthy liar…"

"... my boys are angels…"

"... no wonder your parents abandoned you…"

I remembered this place. Mrs. Atwood and her sons, Crispin and Dawson. Those boys had been nothing but mean to her the moment she had been dropped off by her social worker. The Atwoods, with their hotshot lawyer father and homemaker mother with many baking and gardening awards under her belt, used their foster daughter as a way to gain favour with friends and press alike. I had been dolled up and gawked at a few of their parties, but my time there was short lived as Mrs. Atwood didn't want a heathen harassing her sons. Even if it was in self defense.

My attempt to run away was met with another memory of my days in the system. Over and over again, no matter how hard I pushed myself, the memories kept assaulting me. All the things I had worked so hard to repress came rushing forth like a tidal wave.

"... all your good for is the government check…"

"... charity case…"

"... sit in ice water to bring the fever down. Hospitals are expensive…"

"... my babies need the money more…"

"... you gonna cry, charity case…"

"... my buddy said he'd pay me five hundred bucks to bang you, so…"

"... I met this amazing girl, Rey…"

"... you couldn't pay me enough to sleep with pancake chest…"

"... even your parents didn't want you…"

"... useless nobody…"

"... I'm sorry, Miss Jackson, but your body can't carry a fetus to term…"

"... I asked Rose and she'd be happy to have you as a bridesmaid…"

"... childhood malnutrition negatively impacted your hormonal growth…"

"... it's not like anyone wants you around…"

"... there are other options like adoption and fostering children…"

"... you could die right now and no one would care…"

"... but the chances of you birthing a healthy baby are slim to none…"

"... pity about your parents, dear…"

"... I don't know what Storm was thinking setting me up with an obvious dyke…"

"... no one wants you…"

"... he actually thought a man would be attracted to you…"

"... who would ever want a scrawny, little nobody like you…"

I had long since collapse on my knees, clasping my head between my hands in a useless attempt to block out the voices. They ranged from spiteful to condescending, all of them people I had met, lived with, or was forced to interact with growing up. I even heard Finn's voice. His was the most hurtful. After fourteen years of hell, jumping from home to home and suffering verbal, sometimes physical abuse from those that were supposed to care for me, he had been an island in the middle of a raging sea. My first friend, the first person to really show he cared, was leaving me behind to travel the world with his rich wife. It hurt so much worse than any of the foster parents' words.

I had once read a quote saying that the worst part about betrayal was that it never came from an enemy. Of course life would throw that at me too. If Rose is right and people are reincarnated with their karma acting as the judge on how they will live in the next life, I must have killed puppies and kittens for fun. Or shat in people's mailboxes.

A deep chuckle echoing through the trees made me sit up and gasp in fright.

Crouched in front of me, his knee nearly touching my toes, was a strikingly beautiful man. He was pale, so incredibly pale, with a few moles marking his face like new constellations I wanted to explore. His head was long and topped with silky hair that was as black as pitch and held the gentle curls women paid hundreds for that fell just past his chin. The tips of assuredly too large ears peeked out from the locks, their nearly pointed edges making them appear rather cute. His face was long and chiseled with deep, rich brown eyes and a nose a touch too big. And his lips. I had never done well in english class, but his lips made me want to write poetry. Those luscious, full and pillowy lips were made for sonnets about dark nights and passionate affairs. Jessika would probably sell her soul and firstborn for lips like his. Though the black cloak he wore (a legit cloak) hid his body from sight, it highlighted the width of his broad shoulders.

Swoon.

I once read that human minds couldn't just create faces out of the blue. Dream journalists proclaimed that anyone saw an unrecognizable face in a dream was someone that they saw in passing and the subconscious retained the image. Surely that wasn't the case with this man, this epitome of virile masculinity as upon seeing him in the streets I would've thrown myself at his feet at begged him to screw me on the sidewalk. Or just drooled all over myself as I watched from a distance, too shy and far too damaged to risk my heart in such a manner.

His lips twitched with a suppressed smile. My heart gave a little flutter. The man reached out with his hand, a massive hand with long fingers that had me imagining all the dirty things he could do with them, and stroked my jaw. The horrible string of memories banished from my mind, I was purring under this dream man's attention all while he stared at me as if the answers to the universe were written on my skin.

"So lonely…" The whisper from his lips was so soft I nearly missed it. He spoke again, louder this time in a deep voice that was like velvet against my ears. "You've been abandoned so many times you've learned anticipate it."

The cloud of depression seemed so far away, this strange man somehow keeping it at bay. I figured saying my thoughts and fears out loud wouldn't hurt as it was just a dream. "I guess there's something wrong with me."

He continued to touch my face, running his fingers over my features and tracing the curve of my neck. Those kissable lips tilted up ever so slightly. "There is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are."

Now I knew for certain this was a dream. Not only would man like this in real life not notice me, he most certainly wouldn't be saying stuff like that. For all I know, the man had a gorgeous girlfriend in the waking world with long shiny hair and big breasts. Thinking about this made me feel guilty for dreaming of another woman's boyfriend.

Full on smiling now, the man's hand slid down my arm and gently wrapped his fingers around my wrist. Curling his fingers beneath my palm, he brought my hand close to his face and kiss the back. "What do they call you?"

My heart was all aflutter, my belly twisting nervously. If I had been standing my knees would have given out. "Rey. Rey Niima. What's your name?"

"I go by many," his thumb rubbed little circles into the pad of my palm. "but you may call me Kylo Ren."

"Kylo Ren." I breathed in response. The name tasted like shadows and secrets and rolled off my tongue in a most delectable manner.

Kylo leaned in close, close enough for his hot breath on my skin. "I know your suffering, Rey. I am lonely too."

Him? Lonely? How did this man not have many friends and girls throwing themselves at his feet. Then I remembered this is a dream and the real man probably had a horde of women waiting for him to dump his girlfriend.

"Perhaps we can be each other's cure to our pain. If you stay here with me forever, I promise you will never feel unwanted again."

His voice was so low, so hypnotic that he could tell me to climb the highest tree and jump and I would do so with a smile on my face. He also made sense. We were both lonely, abandoned and rejected from society. Why couldn't we find solace in the one another? Kylo knows my pain, as felt it as his own. Surely he wouldn't leave me like everyone else had knowing how much it hurts himself. "Yes. I'll stay here with you."

Kylo grinned so sweetly and gave my arm a tug. He slowly rose to his feet, dragging me with me. He grew taller and taller, reaching what must have been 6'8 once he had straightened his long legs. Being 5'6, a tad bigger than the average height for a woman. That being said, Kylo towered over me and was built like an oak tree that I very much wanted to climb.

He was holding my head between his giant hands, tracing my hairline and stroking my cheekbones. "Such despair… you can't have children."

I shook my head, as well I could with his paws trapping it. "I spent most of my childhood hungry and scavenging for food. Apparently, starving your body can cause a bit of irreversible damage." My eyelids had fallen in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. I had always wanted kids of my own. I wanted a big family, one that couldn't be taken from me, one I could love with all my heart and receive love in return. But of course fate would rip that from me as well. Being abused all my life wasn't enough punishment for shitting in mailboxes in a past life.

A slight pressure on my brow had me opening my eyes. Forehead to forehead, his eyes were all I could see. And what I saw startled me. His eyes, a dark chocolate upon first inspection, now held a slight glow. Chased out of homes and forced to live on the streets every now and then growing up, I had been no stranger to stray cats. Some would let me pet them, providing me comfort in those dark times, while others hissed and ran away. I recall the way their eyes would glow from underneath dumpsters and bushes, how their special organs were able to reflect the light to see better in the dark. Kylo's eyes were doing so now, reflecting light and tinting his orbs yellow. "I can give you children. I can give you all the children you could ever want."

"It's impossible. I would miscarry before the fetus was even half finished gestating." It's what my doctor said anyway.

Kylo chuckled again, a sound the caressed my skin like silk. "I promise that my spawn will be much stronger. They will not die so easily."

What he was saying sounded too good to be true. There had to be a catch. "What do you want in return?"

"I only desire your company and affection." His thumbnail, grazing my cheek, felt sharp against my lower left eyelid. "Stay with me always and you will never want for a family. This I so swear."

So all I had to do was stay for the ability to have kids with a handsome man? Sign me the hell up. Dream or not, I would enjoy this fantasy of a man actually desiring me.

He kissed my forehead and began pulling me along through the forest. Time seemed to stop as he made his way roots and weaving around protruding branches as though he had memorized the path. The man then stopped, after walking for who knows how long, and pulling away enough for me to see a giant rock sitting in the middle of a clearing. The top was flat and came up to Kylo's hips, and covered in a fur blanket. He nudged me forward, lifting me by the hips and laying me on my back. Kylo rained soft kisses on my face while his hands caressed my chest and my belly, tracing the painted runes with deft fingers. He played with the hem of my sleeping pants before tugging them down my thighs.

Kylo played me like a fine tuned instrument, creating a symphony of the gasps, moans, and whines he drew from my throat. The way he stroked my clit had me keening loudly like a kitten demanding milk. His hands left me to shrug off his coat. I was struck with a moment of clarity and thought of my five other roommates, hoping that I didn't suddenly gain a sleep talking habit. Kylo was quick to distract me again with nibbles and open mouthed kisses along my neck.

Cradling my head again, Kylo brought his face close to mine. Nose to nose, his eyes were all I could see as I felt the his cock prodding my lower lips. Even if it is a dream, I couldn't help but tense against the new sensation. With more kissing and a deep hum that vibrate in his chest had me relaxing and even enjoying the way the head traced my slit. My body jerked each time the tip hit the bundle of nerves and I was soothed back into a pile of mush with his gentle humming. My muscles were rendered worthless mush. Until he thrust up into my virgin hole and broke through the proof of my maidenhood.

The sting was unnoticeable compared to the sheer size of the phallus stretching me in ways I've never experienced. He was thick and long, spreading my walls to make room for himself. A wanton moan escaped my lips as he pulled out ever so slowly only to thrust back in again. The tip of his cock hit a spot on the third thrust that had me crying out in rapture. Kylo whined in the back of his throat and rubbed the apple of my cheek. "Such a good girl. Such a good girl for me."

Hearing praise, something I had gotten so little of growing up, was euphoric in and of itself. If I could experience his touch forever then I never wanted to wake up. Why would I return to the waking world when I could have this tasty hunk of a man that tended to my body the way a priest would a temple?

"Stay with me forever, sweet girl, and you will never be alone." His dulcet tones rang in my ears all while pumping into me in long strokes. All I could do was nod in acceptance. For pleasure like this I would do anything he asked.

A particularly hard thrust tore a scream from my throat and had me careening faster towards a peak I had only read about in those trashy romance novels I couldn't resist. Kylo, encouraged by my reaction, began driving his cock inside of me with enthusiastic abandon. Acting of their own violation, my hands reached over his shoulders to pull him closer. His whispered compliments in my ear and talented hips had me panting into his shoulders. Kylo buried his face into my neck, nibbling and kissing the soft, tender flesh. "Say it, sweet girl. Say you'll stay here with me and I will be with you forever. Say it, Rey."

"I'll stay!" I wailed into his flesh. "Keep touching me_Oh!_keep touching me like this and I'll_Ahhh!_stay with you until the Reaper comes for my soul!"

Kylo groaned deep within his throat. "Death shall not take you from me, my sweet Rey of sunlight. Not while you remain in my forest."

My nails dragged across his back as I was pitched screaming into a sea ecstacy. He growled as my walls fluttered over his cock, tensing as he reached his own climax. I could feel Kylo's dick swelling and the warmth of his seed as he filled me to the brim and more. Hot breath cooled my sweat coated skin and sent a shiver down my spine as our combined fluids leaked out onto the furs.

After countless seconds of convulsing I collapsed on the furs with a huff. Boneless and satisfied, I pressed a kiss onto my partner's cheek. He responded in kind with tenderness that made my heart contract pleasantly. I didn't ever want to wake up, not if I could stay in my dreamland with these man that treated me with more affection than any of my caretakers ever had, more than my friends. I closed my eyes and willed myself to stay asleep.

"Such a good girl. I will always be with you." He pulled out slowly, the friction stimulating my overly sensitive skin, dragging a plaintive whine from my throat. Kylo chuckled in amusement as his cock slid free. Taking a moment to collect himself, he eventually rose to his feet. "I have to return you to your friends for now, but know that I am never far from you."

I could only moan in response I was so relaxed. He scooped me into his arms, one curled behind my knees and the other cradling my neck, and began walking through the trees. I watched with slitted eyes as we passed by the darkened scenery in a steady pace. Kylo's feet hit the forest floor with solid thumps and sounded oddly more… numerous… as if he had an extra set. This dream was so surreal. It felt so real, more so than any nightmare I've endured, and I've endured plenty. A brief thought had me wondering if Rose had purchased our protein bars from a weed dealer. Maybe she'd give me a name and address. I would gladly choke down laced cookie crumble crunch bars if I could dream of this man every night.

Kylo came to a gentle halt and carefully placed me on the stairs to the cabin door. He looked me in the eyes, the reflective sheen mesmerizing in my state of bliss. "I'll come back, sweetheart. I promise."

With a parting kiss to my forehead, he straightened to his full height and receded back from the forest from which he came. I lifted my hand, wanting desperately for my lover to return, but I was just so tired. My arm fell into my lap and my gaze grew blurry. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to gather enough energy to call him back.

Only for them to shoot wide open upon a sudden stabbing pain on my chest.

I came to on those same stairs, my heart racing and my gaze fixed on the path of broken tree branches as I heard a beast galloping away. The light of dawn trickled through the trees in a hazy blue tint, no where near powerful enough to beat back the chill of night. Gripping the door frame until my knuckles turned white I rose on unsteady legs. A wet and painful tug on my sternum had me looking down. A patch of red was blooming and growing bigger by the second. I pulled back the collar with trembling hands and peeked beneath the cotton.

Five holes the width of my pinky leaked blood at a steady pace. A whimper slipped past my lips. Questions of how these wounds appeared in my skin ran through my mind. I've never had a sleepwalking problem and I couldn't have run into the sharp edges of a tree, the wound was too clean. In fact, there weren't even any holes in my shirt. Had someone done this to me in my sleep?

I rushed inside, eager for answers, only to find four bodies in various states of nightmares. Rose was curled up in a ball on her bed roll with tears leaking from between her eyelids. She kept murmuring 'it wasn't my fault' under her breath. Finn was whimpering in his sleeping bag, wailing into awareness and jumping to his feet. His grey sweatpants had a large wet patch on the crotch. The scent of ammonia wafted towards me. Whatever he had seen had been frightening enough to make him piss himself.

Mitaka was crying for his father, his face buried in his hands as a he wept uncontrollably. Pava was in a similar state. She was laid out flat on her back, her body stiff, and sobbing into the open air. She kept begging some unseen force to stop as they were hurting her. Finn and I struggled to wake up others, ignoring the awkward tension in the air. Noticing Poe was not among the party, I rushed up the stairs to see if he had wandered up there in the night.

I found him kneeling at the foot of the straw figure, his head bowed and hands clasped in prayer. Completely naked. Finn, who had followed behind, slid around me and shook his shoulders. Not wanting to intrude, I descended back to the ground floor and began pack my bag.

Everyone was eager to get out of the cabin.

"Are we not going to talk about what happened in there?" Mitaka asked in a shaky tone. "How we all had wicked nightmares?"

"Guys… look at the trees." Pava sounded spooked, and she had a right to be. The trees ringing the cabin had symbols carved into the trunks. Fresh sap glistened in the morning light, highlighting that the marks were very fresh.

Something in me knew what it meant. I knew not the symbols or their meanings, but I knew what they declared. "It's a warning."

"No. No it's not." Finn's mummurmed rebuttal was nearly drowned out by Poe's string of curses. Dameron paced back and forth, running his hands through his thick hair and switching between spanish and english. Jessika was was whimpering under her breath and proclaiming she wanted to go home repeatedly. The wedding party was growing more panicked with each passing second so Finn tried his best to ease the group. "These were probably here last night and we just didn't see them in the dark."

Pointing at the pine trees, I quickly shot down his statement. "The rain would've washed away the sap last night. Those marks were made this morning."

Poe's mood from bad to worse. "Shut up, Niima! For all we know you did this to ruin Finn and Rose's wedding!"

Shocked into silence at the random accusation, it took me a few moments to collect myself and scramble to my defense. "Excuse you! Did this myself?! Please explain how in hell you came to that conclusion. What in the flying fuck would I have to gain by sabotaging my friend's wedding?"

"It couldn't have been Rey. Those marks go far higher than anyone here can reach and the branches are too thin to be climbable." Finn was quick to point out the flaws of Poe's accusation. "Plus, I know Rey. She wouldn't give up sleep for the sake of a prank, especially not a malicious one. It's probably some locals trying to spook us or some teenagers having fun. Let's just focus on getting to the lodge."

Jessika was pulled to her feet by a tearful Rose and hobbled along on a walking stick. "Hey guys, is that a path?"

We all looked where she was pointing and saw that there seemed to be a trail winding between the trees. It wasn't blatant, not marked, but it did appear be a path.

Finn looked at his compass and shook his head. "That's heading West and we need to be heading Southwest."

"I don't fucking care! Paths mean civilization." Jessika started shambling on the grassy trail, her movement exaggerated as if she had broken her ankle.

One by one the group followed after her until Finn and I were left. I looked him, imploring him with my gaze to call them back. He just shook his head with a sigh and chased after his fiancée. Faced with no other choice, I followed.

Not even two hours later, Jessika brought the group to a halt and collapsed against a fallen tree trunk. "Everyone hold on! I need a break."

Rose exhaled through her nose and addressed her friend with a calm that held a hint of irritation. "If we want to reach the lodge on time, you might have to push through the pain a bit, Jess."

"I've passed pain. I'm in agony." Jessika panted dramatically, wiping a sheen of sweat from her brow.

"No, I think you're uncomfortable." Rose looked absolutely fed up. Her wedding party was lost in the woods, the lodge a distant dream, and her maid of honor was reason behind all of it. I'd be mad, too.

Jessika, always up for an argument, snapped back at the bride. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were doctor!"

Poe was bristling and threw himself into the fight. "It'll take weeks to get to the lodge at the rate we're going! Grit your teeth and bare the pain!"

Finn and I slipped a little ways off to get out of the crosshairs. I freed myself from my pack and let it fall to the ground. Almost immediately my shoulders lost the ache of the additional fifteen pounds I had been carrying. Rubbing my neck to ease it of cramps, I examined the hill we had been trekking beside for awhile now. It was pretty steep, but not unconquerable. "I'm going to head up the hill and see if I can spot the lodge."

"Good idea." Finn shot me a weary smile. "But be quick about it, yeah? And don't wander off too far. Just take a quick peek and come back. I don't want you getting lost."

With a salute, I started the climb up the hill using trees and rocks to keep me from sliding back down. Up and up I went, keeping my sights on the hill crest. It didn't take long to reach the peak, but my elation was quickly overcome by disappointment and despair. All I could see was a sea of trees, thin and wispy aspens mixed with the mighty pines for as far as my eyes could see.

My stomach twisted uneasily and bile burned the back of my throat. Nausea grasped me with no warning and doubled over with seconds to spare. The contents of my last meal was expelled from my belly and landed on the leaf strewn ground. I reached out and grabbed a tree trunk before the vertigo that often followed vomiting made me fall into my own bodily fluids. I straightened with a groan and wiped my lips, spitting to rid myself of the aftertaste of bile. I turned my gaze back to the horizon. It would be best if Finn could get the party to hike up the hill and go Southwest as we originally planned but we couldn't keep walking perpendicular to the lodge if we wanted to get there before the week was out. We had wasted enough time already and there is no way we would reach the lodge on time now.

A twitch in the trees caught my attention. My gaze honed in on a single aspen. The tree looked like all the others, but I knew I had seen something move. I continued to stare at the bark, intent on spotting what had moved.

Suddenly, what I thought had been four lumps on the bark, slid behind the tree and revealed itself to be a hand. My heart began to race as a huge, dark figure moved between the trees. My legs were moving before I could command them to, racing to get away from the looming threat. I slid down the slope and began calling for Finn. The group had jolted at my panicked calls and awaited me at the trail. I caught myself from falling as I staggered from the trees. "We have to go, Finn! We have to leave now!"

"Okay, calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong." Finn's low and even tone, usually soothing, did nothing to quell my fear.

"I saw something up there! It was big, as big as a building!"

Poe cut me off with a disgusted grunt. "She didn't see anything, Storm. She's just trying to scare everyone."

I blame my adrenalin for what slipped out of my mouth, but I know this had been a long time coming. I was frightened and irritated and my patience had run out. "What the fuck kind of reason would I have to lie, you cockheaded dullard?!"

"Rey, calm down." Finn placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off. "No! He's been targeting me since the very day we met and I'm sick of being his verbal punching bag! What the fuck is your deal, flyboy? What in the bloody hell have I ever done to you?"

Poe shrugged casually which only further incited my rage. "You didn't do anything really. I just find dykes like you annoying."

Finn snapped at Poe and barked at Pava to shut up when the twat laughed.

"Newsflash, assclown: I'm not gay! I am hella straight and incredibly picky." I padded closer to Dameron, getting up in his face and forcing him to step back. "You see, I have this thing called standards: a set of criteria a man must meet before I even think of inviting him into my home, much less my bed. Unlike you, I don't put out for anything that moves or so much as glances in my direction like some sort of sex starved ass monkey!"

Poe and I were standing toe to toe, and he looked ready for a fight. His eyes narrowed into slits and his nostrils flared. "I got news for you, ice queen: girls like you should be grateful for any attention! You don't have the option to be picky with a boyish body like yours!"

Finn shoved the pilot away and acted as a barrier between the two of us. "That's enough, Dameron! Who Rey sleeps with is completely her business. And to be honest, you are a bit of a man whore. Rey, I'm sure what you saw up there was just a shadow. Let's not lose our heads over a little illusion."

"I know what I saw, Storm." I didn't like the way he was addressing me, as if I were crazy. "Something is obviously going on. First the nightmares in the cabin, then the marks, and my chest…" I stopped myself, not wanting to add fuel to the fire. Finn was right. We couldn't lose our heads while we were lost in a foreign environment.

Rose, however, caught on and was far too curious. "What about your chest?"

Under the expectant gazes of the bridal party, I gave under the pressure and pulled down the neck of my top. The wounds had scabbed over and stood stark against the pale flesh of my torso. The sight was met with stunned gasps and empathetic hisses of pain. "I woke up on the steps of the cabin bleeding from the chest."

Rose had reached out, as if to touch the scars, when Poe snorted in derision. "Bullshit! You probably did that to yourself for attention."

"Excuse you? I would never harm myself in such a manner after I grew up with others doing it for me!" How dare he. How dare he accuse me self harm for fifteen minutes of fame. "And as if you're one to talk about attention seeking the way you strut about, practically shouting your business through a megaphone!"

Finn slammed his fist into a tree just as Poe opened his mouth to retaliate. "ENOUGH! SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!"

Dead silence ruled the woods. Finn Storm was the most laid back and likable guy I had ever met. He was usually smiling, eager to compromise instead of bickering over things that ultimately didn't matter. Finn wasn't one to lose his temper. It was a frightening sight. Mitaka, always so nervous, had begun backing away from the groom and up the trail, turning his back to hide his face.

With a quiet and firm voice, Finn addressed the party. "Look, in five hours the lodge will report us missing. Thanks to Rey, they'll know we strayed from the trail and entered the forest. All we have to do is survive until either we find the lodge or the authorities find us."

"Uh, I wouldn't bank on them knowing we're here." Mitaka declared from up the trail. His watery voice shook, sounding as if he were near tears. When we turned to the sound, we all saw him pointing at a tree. A pine that looked like every other in this forest save for the green scarf tied around its trunk. It was a tad dirty and still wet from the rains last night, but I recognized it instantly. So did Finn.

I glided in a haze towards the tree, fingering the weave and hoping it was a similar scarf from a past hiker. There was a hole at the tail of the scarf, a mistake in the purling I made as I completed the piece in the dead of night because I couldn't fall asleep. It was an easy enough mistake to fix, but I had always had other things to do. Whenever it was pointed out to me, I merely stated it gave the scarf character. The knit was definitely mine.

Pava, unable to maintain her bitchy persona, started crying. "Oh… oh my god! That's impossible! You tied it to the tree at the trail! I saw you do it!"

For the sake of the party, I lied. "It's not mine. The yarn I used was darker."

Finn shot me a look, a mixture of fear and gratitude. He knew I lied, he knew the scarf was mine, but we both knew that a panicked group would not get us to the lodge any faster. "Yeah, it's not hers. Not the right shade."

"Oh." Jessika hiccuped and wiped away the dark streaks of tears. Her makeup was ruined, but she didn't seem too worried about it. A first surely.

Rose, Poe, and Mitaka were not so easily fooled, but they were eager to swallow the fib rather than question how the scarf jumped from one tree to another that was miles away. Finn called the group to order, commanding we would head Southwest once the land evened out.

So we kept hiking, deciding to climb the hill after an hour of walking. Eating on the go and stopping only for potty breaks, or have Rose pat my back as I vomited occasionally, we refused to stop. Jessika was on Poe's back again by the time the sun set. Unwilling to hike in the dark, we set up camp in a small grove. There were four tents with Poe and Pava sharing one with Finn and Rose sharing another leaving Mitaka and I with our own spaces. Sounds of coitus emitted from Poe's tent created an awkward tension among those not involved. I got as far from the noise as possible with stepping foot outside the grove and nibbled out a protein bar. The night was chilly and I'd rather sit by the fire, but that would mean having crystal clear audio of Poe's enthusiastic grunts and Pava's shrill squealing. Plus, the meat and vegetable kabobs Rose got from the cooler in Finn's pack cooking over the fire had made me nauseous again.

Rose saddled up to me, holding out a plate with seared vegetables. "You need it after all the puking you did today."

"Thanks." I took the plate and began popping the food in my mouth. The veggies were still hot from the flames, but I was too hungry to care for the burn on my fingers and tongue. Rose watched me with a look of concern. She didn't speak until after I had clean the paper plate.

"It sucks that you've gotten sick so suddenly."

I shrugged, dashing off to drop the plate to the flames before rushing back to the treeline beside Rose.

"Thing is you don't have a fever, you're not overly tired. And the smell of meat had you going paler than a fish belly."

"Is there a point to your observations?"

Rose shifted uneasily, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a white stick. "A friend of mine has three kids, I'm the godmother of one of them, and I was with her through each pregnancy."

I didn't like where this was going. "Okay…"

"I know the signs of early pregnancy and you've displayed quite a few." She held out the stick. "But I may be wrong. There's only one way to find out."

I scoffed at the very idea. "I can guarantee with 100% accuracy that I am not pregnant. I probably just caught a stomach bug or something."

Rose didn't smile, thrusting the stick out for me to take. "Humor me?"

The puppy eyes she hit me with made it hard to deny her anything. With a heavy sigh, I took the pregnancy test from her and walked into the cover of the trees. Making sure to keep the light of the campfire in sight, I quickly did my business on the stick and raced back to the grove. The two minutes we had to wait were the longest in my life despite knowing that it was impossible for me to be pregnant. Unless I was the next virgin Mary destined to bring forth the second coming of the christian christ, then I had nothing to worry about.

"Positive."

Rose's soft whisper landed like lead in my stomach. "What?"

She held out the test, angling it so the light would showcase the results. Her tan skin was bleached of all color and her trademark bright eyes were dim.

"No…" I scrambled to my feet, backing away from the innocuous looking bit of plastic. "That's… it's not possible."

Rose stood and trailed after me. "Those tests are 99% accurate and false positives are super rare."

"But there is a chance for a false positive?" Fear was choking me, plugging my throat with thoughts of the impossibility of it all. I took three more tests only to get the same result. Rose rubbed my back as I threw up behind a tree. "How could this have happened? I'm a virgin, Rose! I've never had sex before! I never even considered artificial insemination! I'm not a lizard! I can't just make grow a baby by myself!"

A part of me knew I was growing hysterical, but what woman wouldn't be after discovering that her abstinence hadn't saved her from pregnancy?

"Shh… Shhhh_ it's alright. It's going to be alright." Rose rubbed circles into my back but I was far too gone for her words of comfort to reach me. "Maybe you got drunk at a party or something…?"

"I never go out! I'm always either at work or at home! This is impossible!" I sobbed into my hands. I've never even been with anyone, even my lips were untouched. The only viable explanation was that I had been drugged and raped in my own home in the dead of night. Even then I couldn't recall a morning I woke up with a dry mouth or aching body. The situation made absolutely sense.

Rose clicked her tongue in thought. "It's possible that those were just bad tests. Why don't you get to bed and we'll revisit this in morning, yeah?"

We bade each other good night and left for our separate tents. I crawled into mine on shaky limbs and collapsed on my bedroll with bothering to change. My body must've been too exhausted to entertain my thoughts because I was out like a light.

Only to be woken up by a deep, masculine voice calling my name.

With a groan, I succumbed to the pull. I unzipped the bag with every intention of getting out to face the asshole that woke me up. Before I could even set one limb outside the confines of the tent, a set of strong, pale arms plucked me from the ground and held me tight against a broad chest. My head fell back and there he was: the man that played me like a fiddle last night. His dark orbs, with that unnerving yellow sheen, were warm as they appraised me. His luscious lips were tilted up into a genuine smile that made his whole face glow. "Rey." My name was a gentle sigh on his lips.

"Kylo." My problems seemed so far away when I was in his arms. The lost bridal party, Poe and Pava's hostility, the test, everything that bothered me in the waking world was rendered inconsequential the moment I heard Kylo's voice. The human subconscious is truly an amazing thing knowing how best to quell my waking worries.

He chuckled, his chest vibrating pleasantly with the sound. "This is no dream, my ray of sunshine. I am very real."

"Okay." I know he wasn't, but I was going to savor this for as long as I could. I never knew how much I desired human contact until I dreamed of him.

He carried me through the trees, my chin hooked over his shoulder and watching the camp disappear into the night. The forest was oddly silent, the rustle of nocturnal life absent as we delved deeper into the trees. Finally he came across the giant boulder again and carefully set me on its surface. One of his giant hands slipped under the hem of my shirt and stroked the flesh of my belly. The sensation made me giggle in way I hadn't in several years. Kylo grinned in response. "The little one is growing nicely."

Just like that, my fear had returned. The doctor's warning was running on repeat. "But… I won't be able to carry it to term. I'll miscarry!"

"Hush now, Rey. I give you my word that my progeny will grow unhindered in your womb. I will be here should any problems arise."

"Okay." I relaxed under his hands, reveling in the arousing peace of his presence.

His voice was deeper, darker, harolding ill fortune. "One in your group… the man you call Poe… I do not appreciate the way he speaks to you. Nor that worthless trollop that clings to him like mold."

I snorted at his description of Jessika. She was a tad bit like mold, wasn't she? Unwanted and reeking of her putrid perfume she bought for far too much money. "It's nothing I can't handle. I've dealt with their kind and worse growing up. Besides they're only here for the wedding. Once Rose and Finn leave for the honeymoon, we'll part ways and I'll never have to see them again."

"Still," My clothes had been discarded and his fingers danced of the small hills of my breasts. "I would rather you not have to deal with them at all. When you wake, enter my forest and I will guide you home. I will take care of the trespassers."

"I'm sure you will." I would do no such thing. It was one thing to be lost with a group, but being lost in a foreign country's forest was entirely different. Besides, Rose and Finn carried the real food and I only had so many protein bars. I would not steal from my only friend and sneak away into the night like a common thief. Finn may be abandoning me, but I owed him too much to do something so mean.

Kylo pressed a kiss to my collarbone. "I will take care of you."

The same way my dreams of family offered me comfort in the dirtiest homes I'm sure. Not bothering to respond, I wrapped my arms around his neck and sunk into the pleasure his hands, lips, and cock gave me. He drew three orgasms out of my body before peaking himself and filling my womb with his spend. Kylo kissed the scars on my chest with reverence and dressed me once more, taking me into his arms and leading us back through the trees.

Back at the darkened and quiet camp, Kylo coaxed me back into the dark green tent before placing gentle pecks on my shoulders. "Stay in your tent until dawn. Do not leave your bed no matter what sounds you may hear outside. I will rid the world of the pestilence known as Poe."

"Okay." I closed my eyes, snuggling into my sleeping bag. The nylon was uncomfortable, but the stuffing inside it insulated heat well. Heard Kylo shift at the mouth of the tent just before a warm weight draped over my body. Cracking open an eye to see what it was, I grinned to see one of the dark pelts from the rock settled over the top of the sleeping bag. The fur was thick and the pelt was big, very big. I pulled at the edge and dragged it closer to my face. It smelled like Kylo and sex. The scent relaxed me better than any sleeping pill.

"Good night, sunshine." His voice followed by the sound of the tent's zipper were the last things I heard before I slipped back into oblivion.

I was pulled from the dreamscape by the sound of screams and my tent zipper being forcefully pulled. "Rey! Rey, get up! Poe is gone!"

Finn started pulling at my feet. Rose's panicked voice joined him in trying to fully rouse me from slumber. "Rey, you have to help us find…! Where did the pelt come from?"

My eyes snapped open. Shooting into a sitting position, I was able to see the couple at the door of my tent and the blanket. I gave the pelt a tentative touch to see if it was even real. The coarse fur certainly felt real, but the presence of it was impossible. Not unless I was able to bring things from my dream world into the real one.

A deep scream of intense agony echoed through the forests.

The pelt was driven from our minds. Pava was hobbling her way to the tree line and crying Poe's name. Rose, Finn, and Mitaka ran after her. I moved to trail after them, but Kylo's warning to stay in my tent until dawn rang in my head. It was still dark out, pinpricks of starlight peeking through the leaves. Still, I refused to be abandoned here at the campsite by myself with a pelt straight from my dreams. Portraying more courage than I felt, I booked it after the search party.

Poe's cries of agony had long ceased and Mitaka, acting as the voice of reason, insisted everyone return to the campsite. So we turned tail, practically dragging Pava along with us, back towards the way we came.

Yet no matter how long we walked, we couldn't find our tents. Despite the backtracking, navigating, and retracing our steps, the campsite alluded us still. An hour into our frantic search, we had stumbled upon my backpack which contained two canteens of water and two boxes of protein bars, and the pelt.

We decided that we would share the water, drinking from one bottle and sparing the other until the first ran out. I gave everyone a protein bar and off we went. Jessika's whining had grown louder until Rose, ever patient Rose, finally snapped and shoved the woman against a tree.

"SHUT UP! I get it! This sucks! We are lost in a forest where weird shit is going down and Poe appears to have been ripped from your tent by a force you didn't see! You bitching about the situation isn't exactly helping!"

Tensions were running high. The best thing Pava could have done was be the bigger person and walk away. In fact, the least she could do was recognize the stress everyone was under and keep her mouth shut. But when has anyone ever accused Jess of being the bigger person? "Exc-fucking-use me?! You're the reason we're in this mess! What kind of fucking moron decides to spend their bachelorette party camping?! If you had gone with the spa weekend, like I suggested, we wouldn't BE OUT HERE!"

I could blame the pregnancy tests, the dream pelt, or even the situation itself for the way I snapped, but it would have been a lie as Pava had been dry humping my last nerve since the very moment we met. This has been a long time coming.

"It's her bridal party!" The four looked at me in a mixture of shock and outrage. I was never one to shout. I shoved my finger into Jessika's chest, pushing her back into the tree. "Rose and Finn could have decided to go to a yodeling convention for their pre-wedding trip and you would have had to go because it is their wedding! Not yours! They wanted to spend their time walking through a country they wanted to see and they wanted their friends along with them! If you want to start pointing fingers, Pava, then look in a bloody mirror! You sprained your ankle because you were wearing the wrong shoes for hiking! And Poe! Poe is the one the suggested we take a shortcut through the forest! Something that the clerk at the shop warned us not to do, and you supported him if only to undermine me! Even Finn went and agreed with Poe despite the warning! And my scarf, the sole item that would have saved us, somehow jumped from one tree to another at least a mile away!"

Jessika and long gone pale, but somehow she grew whiter at the mention of my scarf. "But… you said…."

"I lied! I lied because I knew you would start wailing about it!" I heaved a sigh and looked over the others, all forlorn. "There's no one coming for us, not if they don't know we're in here. All we can do is keep heading Southwest and hope we reach the lodge."

The remnants of the bridal party had gone silent as we continued hiking, using the compass I bought from the shop to guide our way. The sun had reached its zenith when everyone had somewhat calmed.

And then we found Poe's body.

It was Jessika that noticed first, her shrill scream of terror alerting us to the gruesome sight. Like the stag at the beginning of our journey, Poe was impaled on the branches a few feet off the ground. His eyes were half open, the pupils clouded in death and his frozen forever in despair. Finn and Mitaka got the body down and gently laid in on the forest floor. We all stood over him, unable to say a word. Jessika began collecting fallen sticks and branches and draped the over the body. When Rose tried to stop her she smacked her hands. "I'm not leaving him out here in the open!"

So we helped cover Poe in debris, hiding his corpse from view, and hopefully from scavengers looking for a free meal.

Tensions were high as we moved on towards the lodge. The air was so thick with things unsaid I could almost reach out and touch the fear emanating from the group. By the time the sun had touched the western horizon, we had polished off the first canteen and a box of bars. Finn and Mitaka were doing their best to craft beds of a sort while I sorted through the remaining supplies. There were only twelve bars left and a 1 liter bottle of water. At the rate we were going our food wouldn't last us til noon tomorrow.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't hear Rose walk up beside me. I jumped in fright when she whispered my name. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I was just going over the food." I shook my head at her expectant face. "We need to reach the lodge tomorrow or find a source of water, or we're really going to be in trouble."

Rose heaved a despondent sigh. "I'm sorry. Jess is right. We wouldn't be in this mess if I'd just picked a weekend at a spa."

In response, I snorted in derision. "I meant it when I said the blame lays on Pava. I was actually excited for this trip. I lived in Arkansas, you see, in a dying desert town. Finn had come through town and ran into a spot of trouble. Everyone there was a miserable ass and were always looking for a fight. I was seventeen, one week from aging out of the system and my guardian straight up said that if I wanted a place to stay than I would be earning my keep one way or another. Finn and I bumped into each other, I helped him escape in some old car I managed to fix, and he suggested we stick together as we seemed to make a pretty good team. We moved to Los Angeles and we carved out a place of our own. As you know, there aren't many parks near where we live and I've always wanted to see a forest like this. To be honest, I would stay here forever if I could. I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life than all this green. Thank you for inviting me."

"Yeah, well, you will stay here forever if you're not careful." Rose had gone silent and slid a little closer. "I wanted to talk to you about the baby."

Like that, stress had reclaimed my mind. "What about it?"

"Don't be like that, Rey-bee. I just wanted to know…"

I cut her off before she could go any further. I hissed beneath my breath as to not draw attention from the others, "I'm a virgin, Rose. I guarantee you that no one, man and most certainly not woman, has been between my legs. I haven't even kissed anyone!"

Rose would not be dismissed so easily. "Pregnancy isn't something that just happens. It kinda requires an extra participant of the male persuasion."

I snuck a peek at the other three and returned my gaze to the tiny lady. "There was no participation of any sort!"

She persisted, "Who are you protecting? Were you raped? Is that it? And what's with that pelt you had in your tent?"

"What's going on over here?" We weren't quiet enough and Finn had come to investigate. Mitaka hovered nearby and Jessika was obviously listening. She wasn't fooling anyone, no one is that interested in their nails.

I glared down at Rose, conveying with my eyes that a peep about my health from her would be the end of her. She didn't believe me. "Rey took four pregnancy tests last night. They all came out positive and I'm worried for her health. She needs more nutrients than a few protein bars."

Finn and Mitaka gaped in shock. Jessika, on the other hand, began cackling with sadistic glee. "Oh my god! The trash rat got knocked up!"

Blood rushed north and colored my face in humiliation. Finn shook his head and ran his fingers through his short hair. "That doesn't make any sense. I know you, Rey. Nuns are more intimate than you are when it comes to sex. Your trust issues alone keeps even the most interested men at bay. How could this have happened?"

Rose answered before I could. "She might've been raped."

"I highly doubt that." Finn scoffed at the very idea. He knew me well. "Rey is more paranoid than a schizophrenic. She is religious about locking her doors and keeps pepper spray and a knife on her at all times, and I've seen her use it. She also never accepts open drinks and never takes her eyes off hers if she's at a bar. Rey grew up in a place where the careless were killed or worse, so she knows how to keep herself from becoming a victim."

Pava snickered from her spot on the ground. "Which means that she willingly had sex with a guy and is too embarrassed to admit it!"

Turning my glare to Jessika, I let it be known that I had, in fact, not slept with anyone. "At least not in the waking world. My dreams the past two nights, however…"

"Wait." Rose grabbed my wrist, tight enough that it actually hurt, and pinned me with her brown orbs. "You've had sex dreams since we entered the forest? Since that night in the cabin?"

"Uh… yeah? Could you let go of my…?"

Rose tightened her grip. "And you woke up on the steps, with those puncture wounds on your chest?"

I was growing concerned with the excited gleam in her eyes. "What's your point?"

"Show me the scar!" I slapped her hands away and pulled the hem down myself. She stared at my skin, her eyes flicking between the marks. I pulled away, hiding the scar once more, as Rose let out a tiny gasp. "You've been chosen."

I simply stared at the tiny, crazy girl. "Chosen by who?"

"By a God! Probably the God of this forest!" She took my hands in hers and grinned from ear to ear. "A God looked into your soul and thought you worthy of carrying his progeny!"

It was silent for a moment, and then Jessika threw back her head and laughed. "Oh please! As if anyone would want kids with that street rat! There are no such things as gods and even if there were they wouldn't pick her. Rey just got herself pregnant with a one night stand and is too ashamed to admit it. Hell, it was probably Mitaka that knocked her up."

"I'm gay and Rey isn't the one nighter type, unlike you." Mitaka delivered in a deadpan tone.

Rose ripped open my pack, despite my exclamations to cease, and held up the fur. "How do you explain this pelt? No one had this when we started hiking and she woke up with it in her tent! We went through our bags together and she didn't have this!"

Finn reached out and rubbed the fur, eyeing in critically. "This is bear fur, pretty fresh, too. My grandpa was an avid hunter and had three bear belts from his youngers years. This one doesn't have the same wear his did."

Pava rolled her eyes. "She probably bought it at that shitty shop!"

Dopheld shook his head in denial. "There weren't any pelts to buy. I watched Rey buy an extra bottle and a compass."

"Well, she was inside a little longer than us. Maybe that old hag gave her a pelt she'd been hiding." Jess crossed her arms, pushing her fake breasts up.

It was Rose that shot her down. "The pelt his big enough to cover her entirely and the fur is really thick. Her backpack would have been bulging like it has been all day throughout the whole trip. And when we lost the campsite her bag was the only one we found! Tell me how that makes any kind of sense!"

"I don't know!" Jess throw her hands down like a toddler with a frustrated cry. "She probably brought her bag along and dropped it for us to find!"

"She was with us the whole time and I know she didn't bring her bag." Rose was jittery with excitement. "Something is obviously going on and the God overseeing this forest really seems to like Rey!"

Pava rolled her eyes again and twirled a finger in mock celebration. "Whoop de do for her! An imaginary god knocked up little orphan Rey-tard. Do you hear yourself?"

"Enough!" Finn barked assertively, holding up his hands at both Rose and Pava. "Something is obviously going on, from the jumping scarf and Poe's…. Let's just all get some sleep and continue towards the lodge tomorrow."

Jess huffed but settled down into tree roots. Rose gave me the pelt and wandered over to the spot Finn had claimed for the two of them. Mitaka curled up in his own spot. Finn and I stared at each other, years of friendship crumbling to dust. I could see hurt in his eyes, and a hint of wariness. "Rey, you can tell me who got you pregnant. I know Rose believes it's some sort of deity, but we both know they don't exist. Just tell me who it is and we'll solve this thing together."

"I told you, I've never slept with anyone. Maybe the tests were faulty."

We stared at each other, him unbelieving and me scared and fed up. "Maybe. I know you and you aren't the type to sleep around. Hell, you may have cancer. I read about a man that peed on a pregnancy test for fun and how it came out positive due to chemical in his prostate or whatever."

Yeah. Prostate cancer; a cancer specific to men due to the fact that women don't have a prostate. "Perhaps. I'll get tested once I get home."

A million words were left unspoken as we parted for the night. Finn and Rose cuddled up for warmth and Mitaka settled beside Pava when she began bitching about being cold. I was left on my lonesome with the bear pelt to keep me warm. I closed my eyes and let the world fade and its problems away.

I was woken to the feeling of gentle rocking. My eyes were blurry and I relied on touch to determine my body's current situation. I was wrapped in the pelt like a human burrito, but I could still feel the heat of the chest I was pressed against and the arms that held me. The torso was vibrating softly with a deep purr that I found incredibly soothing and threatened to pitch me back into the realm of dreams. I fought the pull and gazed through the fog of sleep at the one carrying me so effortlessly. The features were blurry, but I could make out a wild mane much darker than the sky and pale, pale skin. The eyes, dark smears that glinted yellow in the moonlight, flicked down to meet my stare. "Hush now. Go back to sleep, sunshine." The voice was deep and soothing, and I was unable to resist the command in his tone. In no time at all, I was back in the arms of Morpheus.

When I woke up again, I quickly noticed a wooden ceiling instead of towering trees stretching towards the sky. I sat up in alarm and examined the room. It had a rustic cabin feel to it with it's wood plank walls and floor and the hand crafted furniture. There was an inelegant yet functional rocking chair in a corner a baby crib a meter from the fluffy, pelt covered mat I was sitting upon. I also noticed that my belly had swollen overnight. It wasn't a dramatic bump, but very noticeable with the way it stretched my t-shirt. I lifted the hem slowly, as if I were a protagonist in a horror movie, and saw my slightly distended belly. The bump shifted beneath my skin, accompanied by a flutter in my womb. It was a new, ticklish sensation and one I never believed I would one day get to experience. My mind swirled in a confusing mix of fear and elation.

The door, roughly crafted, opened and revealed a slender blonde woman in well worn flannel and bell bottom jeans. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept well for the past few nights, and carried a metal plate and flask. Behind her stood a tall bald man with a fierce scowl on his face.

I scuttled back until my back hit the wall, instantly afraid of these strangers and what they would do to me. The woman walked in, her gait slow and steady, and placed the meager meal of a bread roll and a hunk of meat on the bedside table. She bowed deeply and backed out of the room. Door closed and privacy restored, I realized that neither human made eye contact. Not once.

I had never felt more alone.