The Unbreakable (Book 2)

Chapter Sixteen

Pictured above: Sam (Nick Robinson)

(Sam's POV, two years ago)

I was getting worried about Seth.

Ever since that day in the woods (almost six months ago) when those Officials nearly caught us, he's been acting strange.

And for the past month it's been getting worse, he's not eating as much, or sleeping, or drinking. Our training is erratic, it if even happens. For some reason he keeps looking over his shoulder, as if someone's following us.

That's the part that scares me the most. It's like he think the Officials are constantly after us. We've walked thousands of miles over the past months, he's relentless.

It was on one of those countless walking trips when Seth finally cracked.

"Seth," I whine loudly, "I'm starving."

He looks back at me, annoyed, "We've barely walked ten miles."

I roll my eyes, "Oh sorry, geez we haven't walked at all today, my hunger is totally out of line and unpractical," I snap sarcastically, swatting the gnats away from my face.

Seth suddenly stops, "You're right," he suddenly mumbles. We're in a clearing and with the sun setting between the trees and the autumn leaves falling- it really is beautiful, "why don't you go look for some berries, meet me back here when you've got some."

"Berries?" I ask, "What if they're poisonous?"

We've scavenged for food before, sure, but looking for berries in the woods during the beginning of autumn is a little unlike Seth. Normally this is when he goes to the convenience store and buys all up all of the good, fatty, non-perishable foods that I live for.

He waves his hand dismissively, "Just go collect some, but don't eat any, I'll check to see if their edible."

I shrug and turn, retracing our steps through the woods.

As I walk through the trees and bushes, I strip the hanging branches of their leaves and watch them flutter to the ground. Seth is fine- he has to be fine, I think to myself. I mean, what would I do without him? My parents are probably dead for having me- or if they're not dead they most likely want absolutely nothing to do with me.

Who needs family though? Seth and I don't have it so bad, I mean- I'll never get a proper education, or a girlfriend- or a wife for the matter, or have kids, or grow old...

Okay, so Seth and I don't have it out so well, but- he's the only person on Earth I've got. Without him, I'm just some illegal Unspeakable. With Seth around I feel- safe, like I'm not totally alone.

Suddenly my hand brushes against something mushy and wet.

I shake myself out of my thoughts and focus on what I've just grabbed. Berries, mulberries by the looks of it too.

I don't know much about school, but I do know survival, and mulberries are perfectly edible- and best of all, there's a whole bush filled with them.

At just the sight of so much food my stomach growls loudly, but I ignore it and greedily strip the branches of their berries, piling them in my shirt.

When the bush is fully stripped of its food, I practically run back to the clearing.

"Seth!" I call, but only loud enough that he'll be able to hear properly, "Look at what I found!"

I reach the clearing, but something seems off.

Seth's gone.

"Seth?" I whisper, walking fully into the clearing, slowly letting the berries drop out of my shirt and hit the ground.

No reply.

"Seth?" I whisper again, maybe he went to go look for a stream or something?

Carefully I make my way over to the edge of the clearing, "Seth? Are you here?" I ask, panic starting to rise in my voice.

What if an Official caught him? That means that staying here is the worst possible thing I can be doing at the moment.

Suddenly, a hand grabs me from behind and forces me around.

"Seth?" I ask, shock registering in my voice, "Wha-?"

But Seth's eyes don't have their familiar kindness in them anymore; instead they keep darting around. He looks- crazy.

I try to get out of his grasp, but he has me firmly by the t-shirt and my arm in his other hand. I know I should try to freeze him, but I'm just too shocked.

"Sam," he breathes frantically, "this is where I'm leaving you. You're a smart kid, but it's become too much for me. The Officials will track us down eventually, so from now on it's just you. Find your family, you have a mother and father who'll support you, a brother and twin sister who'll embrace you, but get out of here. You're tough, but they're tougher. I wish you the best- without me."

I stare at him, is he- leaving me?

No! I can't be alone! I need training, help- oh man I need help.

I can't survive alone.

"I'm sorry Sam," he whispers, like he's truly pained to leave me.

I open my mouth to stop him, to beg him to stay.

I can't do this alone!

But before I can even get a sound out, Seth grabs my head and slams it against the tree.

Time slows down as he lets go of me and I fall to the ground.

He can't leave, this must be a joke; it has to be,

He can't leave me alone.

But the last thing I see before the world goes dark is Seth grabbing his backpack, and dashing out of the clearing.

*

My eyes flutter open, but almost immediately close again.

The world loops in huge uneven circles and the sky and clouds are unevenly distorted.

Man, this can't be good.

But before I black out again, Seth's betrayal comes back and cracks me like a whip.

He left me.

He left me.

He left me.

But- what was that one part he said to me?

A family?

People who might care about me?

I wonder who they are; I think dully as the world fades out yet again.

No, I'm sick of wondering about things.

And in that clearing, barely conscious me makes a life changing decision, I want to find them, I want to find my family.

Whether they want me or not.