Year 6 (First Draft) #Wattys2016

-Chapter 11-

  I feel a hand lightly touch my temple, but I jump at the mere touch, my head exploding in pain.

  “Great way to get her to trust us, Genius,” A booming voice that resembles Felix’s says, creating a pain inside my ears. I try to roll onto my side to escape the sound, but I don’t think it’s working.

  “Yeah, I know. She’ll forgive us though. We got the kid out of harm’s way,” This voice, much quieter, belongs to Kane. And what does he mean? Was Amelia in danger? I feel a hand helping me, guiding me back onto my back.

  “Yeah, well, it was your dumb idea that got us into this mess. Next time let’s just fake your death. Because I swear, if you ever blow up our shelter again, I’ll turn you in myself,” Felix says, his voice rising. I flinch. Why is he so loud?

  “Be quiet,” Kane says. “She’s waking up. And need I remind you they were fake bombs? Almost completely harmless. You’re such a wimp.”

 My eyes flutter open and immediately shut again, squinting because of a glaring light just above my head. I hear a click, and the next time I open my eyes, the bright glowing orb is off, leaving my eyes at ease. Spots flash across my vision, but I can see two figures beside me.

  “Welcome back,” Kane says, his voice much softer than Felix’s.

  “How long was I out?” I ask, my voice hoarse and foreign.

  “Only a few hours,” Kane says, grabbing something from Felix, mumbling a thanks.

  “This might sting,” Kane says, holding up a dark blue piece of cloth. It appears to be wet, parts of the cloth darker than others. He sets it gently on my forehead. At first there is a rush of cold, then soon, my temples begin to sting.

  “What… Bombs? I’m… confused,” I admit, trying to pull my attention away from the cloth spread over my forehead. When I was younger I heard Mother say that distractions from our past were only temporary, but they helped get us through things easier. When I was dragged up to the podium to be issued an Abandonment, I kept her wise words inside, giving them my full attention. Mother was smart. I always liked to think she could do anything. I failed her. She failed me.

  “I just set off some stuff to throw the Government off our tracks,” Kane says nonchalantly.

  “Stop that!” I exclaim, propping myself up on my elbows, my head protesting the action.

  “Stop what?” He asks, jumping back from me as if I have threatened him. “What’d I do?”

  “The whole nonchalance bit,” I spit back, totally done with the whole thing. “You guys always act like you don’t care, that nothing’s a big deal. It’s stupid! It’s nothing that I fell and now my head hurts like crazy? It’s nothing that you shot all those Agents the other day?” My voice cracks, my head splits with pain.

  “You can’t still be hung up on that,” Kane says calmly. “’And trust me, I am terribly sorry you hurt your head. That was a definite con to my plan.”