The Alliance (The Alliance #1)

Chapter 34

Sleep is quite fascinating. You don't know when you exactly fall asleep. You know you were resting, just waiting for it to happen. And when you wake back up, you know you fell asleep at one point. Somehow. Somewhere.

I sit up, on the couch of Dana's room. Dana's on her bed, passed out, and so is Adam on the floor. Archer's laying on the floor too, but his eyes are open. He stares blankly at the ceiling, his hands resting under his head. He doesn't notice me awake, so I stare up at the ceiling too, thinking about all that has happened in only this past month. My life changed. Totally changed. I'm not some girl who daydreams about change anymore. I'm not who I was, weak and afraid to take a stand.

I'm a whole new person.

I have a new home, new friends, new life.

And I've never been so happy. To have a home like the Alliance, who welcomes you for who you are. To have friends who care for you and are willing to die for you, as well as you for them. To have a life that's worth living...

Adam's big sigh even wakes Dana up. "I think we're getting too old for sleepovers." He says, and I smile.

Archer stands up, his legs and arms cracking as he stands up straight. "I'm not sure why we're sleeping on the floor when we have perfectly fine beds a few doors down."

Dana heads to her closest. "Oh, stop complaining and leave, I have to change."

We all head to our rooms, and I shower and head out for breakfast. There'si no training today, it's been so chaotic and busy that Dave has decided to put it on hold. But I don't blame him. The government is probably furious at the fact Archer and I escaped, and now we're trying to get people to hate them. I'm terrified myself. Just the thought of what they'd do to Archer and I if they caught us again scares me senseless.

If the Alliance didn't attack the government yesterday, I'd be dead.

"Holy shit." I blink a few times and find myself staring at Archer, who's blue eyes are a foot from mine.

"What?" I ask.

Archer stands up from the table, his eyes still fixed on me. "I've never seen someone zone out so hardcore like that."

I laugh. "I was?"

"Oh yeah, for a good five minutes."

I stand up too, but Archer almost looks at me nervously now. He rests his hands on my shoulders, studying my face with those ice blue eyes.

"What were you thinking about?" He asks.

I'm about to reply, but I realize that's not the answer he wants. He doesn't know what happened when the guards took me out of my cell yesterday. He doesn't know what happened at all, really.

"Evelyn didn't do anything to me, Archer." I say, putting his hands off my shoulders. He frowns, biting his lip.

"Your not telling me everything."

"Your not either." I spit out, and his eyebrows raise.

"Oh, come on." I let out a little laugh. "You haven't told me about what else happened to you when I wasn't there."

"I did tell.."

"You didn't tell me about those extra scars on your back," I hiss, and I actually see Archer flinch at the last few words. His face grows a little red, and he grabs his forearm with his other hand, looking down.

"That wasn't just from Evelyn," I say, but he doesn't reply. I grow angry, irritated that he's all of a sudden ignoring me while I stand feet away from him.