No Escape

Chapter 2

Rose's POV

Tomorrow. 

Tomorrow is the day I will meet my mate. I mean, he must not be so bad if he was researched by the government to be my mate. 

Perhaps he has the same talent as I do.

My talent: I'm very good with medicinal things. I love to learn every and anything about the human body. However, Psychiatry is my passion. 

If things go well, I will be a Psychiatrist in the near future. 

The sun is beginning to set. 

I might as well take a final walk outside by myself before I'm assigned.

My walks tend to be through the forest. There's a small hiking trail where many people come to run. Every now and then I climb the trees and look over the vast buildings that the government has made. 

Since it's fall, the forest is much more beautiful than the other times of the year. 

-leaves rustling-

I whip my head around so fast I'm surprised I didn't sprain a muscle. There's someone else in the forest with me.

It's strange as I have never run into anyone else in here before. 

But it's best not to take a risk. 

Putting my head down, I quickly begin to run back the way I came.

"Too late.", the voice says,"I already saw you."

My eyes widen and I turn around to see who was making the noise.

It's a boy, around my age, with a skateboard in his hand and a cigarette between his teeth. 

"What are you doing?!", I hiss, pointing to his smoking hazard,"Do you not know those are illegal?!"

He takes another drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out between his teeth as he talks,"You don't really follow the rules all the time do you?"

I purse my lips,"We aren't supposed to be talking." 

And I'm right. Girls and boys are forbidden to talk during the year before their gathering. They don't want to risk falling in love with someone who isn't their mate. 

"Yep.", he answers his own question,"You are a goody two shoes."

I can't help but look back at him; the cigarette is still between his fingers and he raises his eyebrows at me as if daring me to question him about it again. His hair is jet black, his eyes so dark they almost match.

"Wait a second, I've seen you before.", I can't help talking,"You are extremely familiar."

He looks away, almost angry, but relaxes after a few seconds,"Yes, you probably have."

"The ambassador.", I whisper,"You're his son."

"Adopted.", he adds quickly,"I don't particularly like being classified with him."

"I can't recall your name though.", I squint trying to think of it.

"Kyle.", he raises his hand out to me, the one not holding a cigarette, but I hesitate on taking it. We aren't even supposed to be speaking. For all I know, his gathering may be tomorrow as well.

Kyle looks at me with amusement in his eyes,"You seem to take this whole thing a bit too seriously."

"How can I not?!", I hiss,"It's not like I have a choice! It's not like any of us have a choice!"

"So your gathering's tomorrow huh?", I says knowingly,"It makes sense to why you're so tense. You know you could use some fun on your last day."

"Excuse me?", I widen my eyes,"What on earth do you mean by that?!"

He laughs,"I don't mean what you're thinking, that's for sure."

I look down, embarrassed.

"Here.", he walks past me between the trees,"Let me show you."

Before I can refuse, he comes back out with another skateboard in his hand.

"Where do you get those?", I ask,"I don't see them around much anymore."

"I made them.", he takes another puff on his cigarette,"I'm pretty good at Physics and building, so it wasn't hard. For me at least."

Ah, so that's his talent. Quite impressive, I have to admit.

"Alright.", I say, looking around to make sure no one is watching,"I'll try." I might as well do this one last thing before tomorrow. It couldn't hurt,"Just... just put that smoke stick out. You have no idea what you're doing to your lungs. Or your heart. Or the rest of your body for that matter since the smoke is going to your red blood cells, therefore the rest of your body and-." 

I bite my lip. When it comes to medicinal things, I tend to blab.

He takes one more drag of his cigarette, probably just to spite me, before putting it out on the heel of his shoe,"So, you're gonna be a doctor."

"I hope.", I look down and then look at his skateboards,"I've never rode on a skateboard before."

"Yeah, it's tricky.", he comes over to me and hands me one,"But once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed."

I take the skateboard and stand on it, almost immediately wobbling on the wheels. 

"Start to kick on the ground.", he demonstrates for me. 

Slowly, I lower my foot onto the ground and kick. A small one at first and then I make them bigger and bigger. 

After a few minutes, I'm going almost as fast as he is.

"Nice!", he exclaims with a bright smile that actually warms my heart,"You're a fast learner."

But right as he said that, the wheels of my skateboard his a pebble, sending me off of it rapidly. 

I put my arms over, preparing to break the impact of my fall, but am shocked when I realize that I never hit the ground. 

Kyle jumped off of his skateboard the moment he saw me falling and caught me.

For a few seconds, I'm so shocked I just stay there in his grasp; my heart beating a mile a minute.

"Umm, are you alright?", he asks with concern, slowly setting me back onto my feet. 

"Yes.", I quickly regain my composure,"Thank you."

"By the way.", he tilts his head,"You know my name, but I don't know yours."

I bite my lip. Is it really wise to tell him my name? I mean, I'm not even supposed to be talking to him.

But I already rode his skateboard, so I guess there's nothing to lose.

A sigh escapes my lips,"Rose... My name is Rose."

"Pleasure to meet you.", he gives me a small smile.

"I should go.", I look down,"... The gathering, I-..." I can't seem to put together to words to my sentence.

"By all means.", he says.

I begin to walk away.

"Hey Rose?"

I turn around and look at him expectantly.

He puts another cigarette into his mouth, lights it and takes a deep breath before saying,"Good luck."

At that moment, it takes most of my strength to keep from crying,"You too, Kyle."