The Children Of Maddeline

Thirty

Jadzia

I pushed past the leaves, running into the thick trunks of gum trees and tripping over roots. I was breathing heavily, I had never really know Morgan as well as I'd know Tianna, but he was still my older brother.

I knew how the swamp punishment worked. Mora had been sent there once, and had returned two weeks later babbling insanely. I was only young at the time, and I didn't understand what was going on, but I do now.

"Morgan!" I cried out desperately, still pushing through the underbrush.

I heard a muffled groan from up ahead, I moved faster until I was standing in front of the swamp. It was a small area of murky water, surrounded by reeds and mud that could sink a feather. In the centre of the swamp was two wooden stakes, driven into the bottom. They were spaced apart, just enough for a person's arms to be strung across.

And there he was, Morgan. His wrists were bound in special leather straps with silver buckles, his knees were bent and they wobbled uncontrollably. His head was bowed, all I could see was his mop of scruffy brown hair. His black cargo pants were ripped and dirty, and his torso was bare.

"Morgan!" I shrieked.

He lifted his head slightly, his red eyes were faint and his lips were chapped. He wheezed in a breath and coughed, blood flying out of mouth and into the muddy water below him. Without thinking, I stepped straight into the swamp and waded towards him, I gripped his face in my hands and looked him in the eye.

"Who...?" He spluttered blood all over my breast plate, but I didn't care.

"Long story short: I'm your half sister and your mother has come here with an army so she get revenge on your father for all the things he has done to us." I tried to sound like a non-crazy person, but he looked at me weird.

"If my mother is alive, I'll fight for her no matter what." Morgan muttered, his voice was deep but it cracked with emotion.

I nodded slowly and reached my hand up to unbuckle his restraints, not even wincing when the silver burnt my skin. I was so used to that by now. Morgan fell forward onto me, I caught him in my arms and lifted his head away from the water line. His hands gripped onto my back, he held me like a lifeline.

Then I realised, I was sinking.

I used all my strength to push Morgan away, so that he landed heavily in a mass of reeds and shallow mud. I took a step, my body falling further into the oozing brown waters. I tried breathing to calm my nerves, but the stench that came with the swamp was the most horrid thing. I started to panic, whimpering and struggling to move to the bank.

My chest sunk into the filth, I couldn't move my legs and my arms thrashed around in a desperate attempt to free myself. I sunk deeper, the water rose up to my neck. Then my chin, and then my head was under the water. I raised a hand and clawed at the air, before my fingers were sinking too. A warm hand clasped around my own and in a matter of seconds I was lying on the bank, coughing and spluttering, wiping the mud from my face.

Morgan stood over me, rubbing my back and holding me so I wouldn't collapse. He helped me up again and I leaned into his side as we both coughed and heaved. His legs shook and I supported him as we walked through the the bushland back to where the army was camping.

"So, who are you again?" Morgan whispered.

"My name is Jadzia, and I am your half sister." I answered, staring straight ahead.

"Explain everything to me." He said, gripping me tightly.

I smiled. I told him everything that he wanted to know; how mum had been taken from her pack by Delton when she was 17, how she had been forced into sex and given birth to Morgan and his siblings, how Jason had raped her afterwards and created me, and how she had been sent off to America. And then 16 years later I go in search of her, and here we are today staring war in the face.

Morgan was quiet afterwards, the only sounds were our laboured breaths and the wildlife surrounding us.

"I want to meet my mother..." He said quietly, I nodded in understanding and pulled him along with me.

I pushed aside a Lilly-Pilly bush, and Morgan and I stumbled out into broad daylight. The heat didn't effect either of us, we were raised in this country so we knew everything too well. We stood in a large clearing, dry grass was flattened down so the only ground was soft, a few small fires were set up all over the place with werewolves surrounding them. Mum and Gray had a small area behind the command tent where they had their own private fire; they were sitting there when I walked around the tent.

Mum looked up from her hands, she had been picking underneath her fingernails while Gray was polishing his armour. Morgan gulped and stepped away from me, but I still kept my hand on his arm so that he wouldn't fall over. Mother stood up and walked towards us, she stared into Morgan's red eyes for a minute, before she held out her arms. He didn't hesitate; he wrapped his strong arms around her and buried his face in her neck, holding her close and sobbing quietly.

"It's you." I heard him mutter, "You were the one Seth and I found in the dungeons all those years ago. I knew you had to be our mother."

Mum squeezed her son tightly and rubbed his back comfortingly. They stayed like that for a few more moments, I went up to Gray and embraced him so he wouldn't get jealous that his wife was hugging another male. Finally Morgan pulled away, hesitantly.

"Jaddy told me everything." He said to his mother... Who is also my mother, I'm so confused.

"We need Seth, Caeser and the twins on our side now." Mum said, patting Morgan on the shoulder. He was taller than her, must of gotten his height from Delton.

"Seth will follow me, Tianna and Macenna will follow him. But Caesar is unpredictable." Morgan said, I noticed how he didn't take his hand of mother's shoulder.

"We'll get them tomorrow, for now you need to rest." Mum said, Morgan agreed to her remark immediately.

I took Morgan, leading across the clearing to my tent. He collapsed onto my fluffy sleeping bag and straight away he was asleep, I sighed and removed my armour. I sat next to my brother, staring at the tent entrance and guarding him. After a while, I grew sleepy.

"Jadzia?" I jumped at the sound of Morgan's deep voice, I looked down at him.

He slipped one of his hands into mine, an act of brotherly love. He was shaking, and his eyes were filled with fear.

"Morgan?" I mutter ended under my breath.

"Go to sleep, sis. We have a battle to fight tomorrow." Morgan said.

He pulled me down so that I lay on top of him, I awkwardly shuffled around and tried to get comfortable. He wrapped his arms around me, he soon stopped shaking and I could him breathing evenly. I allowed my self to drift of into sleep, his arms reminded me of how Tyler would hold me.