Jeanine Matthews- An Unlikely Love Story

Ch 14- Lost

(Play Music Here, it makes the reading better; Red Sorrow by Audiomachine)

I ran. I just kept running. I didn't care that tears were streaming down my face, which was distorted with pain, I just had to keep running, despite my crap lungs.

All that I could think was that Winter was going to die, and I felt as though it were my fault. Perhaps it was if it was about her and I being together in her apartment. That was around the time she went missing... But wasn't it about Divergence? My head began to pound with all the questions bouncing around in my skull. I had no prior knowledge of her being Divergent, but maybe Jeanine just found out by using the truth serum on her. It still didn't quite fit because why would she be locked in a cell and not just killed on the spot? My head began to ache even more.

While I was thinking I was running, too; running, just running, not knowing where to go to. I was unaware if I was still in Erudite and didn't really want to stick around too long to know because my fears were for the worst. I'd be factionless. Something even my loser of a mother wasn't.

My arm was starting to get tired of wheeling around the stupid oxygen tank while I ran, but I knew I had to keep it up. For some reason, I felt as though if I kept going, I would find something, or someone, worth while. What or whom, I did not know, but I only kept running past surprised Erudite workers as they were heading to their apartments.

I kept it up down the white hallways of the compound. What was it that was compelling me onward on this obviously-dissapointment-of-a-result-for-the-ending run? Hope would be the most likely answer. Perhaps it was even curiosity, or maybe it was even fear, the fear of staying in one place for too long; the fear of what might happen if I stop even for an instant without getting to my supposed destination; failing again, like the test. No. I would make it.

I bumped into a few of the workers; some shouted at me while others just kept going because I was in such a rush... for no reason. I kept up a good pace and kept going around corners of seemingly-never-ending crystal white hallways. Where would this impulse take me?

Tears still continued to stream down my face as I moved onward. Why wouldn't I just stop? My legs seemed to have a mind of their own; my control on them was gone completely; they would take me to wherever they needed me to go. It was infuriating to not know where the hell I was going and why I couldn't stop. I felt like a small being inside of my head, behind my eyes, seeing only, not being able to control the strange wiring of the brain.

I reached the entrance to the headquarters and my legs finally stopped. Out of every place in Erudite, they wanted me to be here. Why?

My eyes began searching for someone or something that meant anything to me. Something or someone new, old?

Then my heart stopped. Winter.

"Winter!" I shouted across the entrance's large space. She was turned away from me, and for some reason, there were guards everywhere, but I knew it was her. I could feel it. How did she get out? Where was Jeanine? Why wasn't she moving far away from this place?

My legs began to move again, slowly at first, then faster and faster with each step. I had to get to her.

"Winter!" I called again to the blonde.

Then I was off again, running. Running towards her, dragging the oxygen tank with me now. The tears had stopped and were beginning to dry, but I feared they would pour from my eyes soon. My impulse to run was still with me, but now, I had a new feeling. A feeling of dread as I got closer with each step.

"Winter!" I shouted yet again. This time she turned towards me. She looked confused and then her eyes widened with recognition.

"Sage..." I could just make it out.