My Last Breath (Book one of The Portal Series)

They Ate Everyone, Didn't They? CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"Ellie, wake up."

The voice startles me from a hard sleep and I shoot up into a sitting position, trembling. My eyes glance around in the darkness, finding Jane standing next to the bed. I lean away from her.

She keeps her voice low, "I need you to come with me."

I scan my eyes around the room finding nothing out of place, but I prepare to run if I have to; even though my eyelids keep sticking together again and I almost droop in exhaustion. I still force myself to get to my feet as quickly as possible, assuming that we have to start a great escape from the Hunters once more.

I mumble blandly, "What is going on?"

Jane shushes me, whispering, "We're going to sneak out of the house and go to Earth."

Her words don't make me feel any better, finally realizing that we don't have to flee from the Hunters but instead walk knowingly into their trap. What has overcome her?

At one point last night I thought I'd follow behind Luke and Koda, but the more I thought about them walking into a trap the more I realized I wouldn't be any help. They won't come back, I'm convinced because the little sister Jane talks of never did either. What's the point in going back when I know I'll be imprisoned again.

Last night when Jane arrived back from her tutoring at the University, she was unsettled about Koda and Luke leaving so abruptly. She wanted them to come back and refused to even allow me to talk about leaving to follow them. Afterward, I laid in bed thinking about the situation for hours, finally deciding a more greedy opinion.

"We have to sneak out and go to Earth before it's too late."

"What?" I'm shocked.

"Come on Ellie, we're going. Grab my coat." She hands it to me forcefully and begins to tiptoe out the bedroom door.

I go behind Jane, pleading to her not to leave but she doesn't stop. My first instinct is not to grab ahold of her but to wake my grandmother in the next room. She would cease Jane from leaving, but at the last second when I'm gripping the handle of the door I look back at my sister and with the expression she makes I don't turn the handle.

Her face is illuminated by the light coming from the bathroom beside the staircase. She looks utterly defeated, her blue eyes are sunken slightly and I think she knows my plan of exposing her. Her frown makes me sigh and turn to fully face her.

I recognize what is happening instantly. At this moment she's experiencing the feeling of betrayal, something sadly I understand from Koda leaving me behind. He took the best opportunity for his safety and I was just about to do the same, how dare I do this to someone else?

She's put her trust in me, I decide that she's always had her trust in me. I can't betray her like this, I can't do what Koda did to me. Jane wouldn't do this to me.

And so with that thought, I move away from the door, Jane's stiff face turning into a more relieved expression and her taking a big breath. She starts tip-toeing down the stairs, looking back at me as if I'd second guess my decision. We get our shoes and sneak out the side door through the kitchen.

"We shouldn't be doing this," I say, breathing in the exhilarating night air. It's so fresh it feels like I'm breathing for the first time.

"But it's the right thing to do. We have to try," Jane replies.

The spring air is chilly and the further we pace down the street the more I become covered in goosebumps, or is it because of what we're getting into? We're practically getting ready to walk into a trap ourselves. A trap I assume is for me.