The Change (The Alliance #2)

Chapter 11

Archer's POV

I don't even get a minute of sleep that night. Abby took the chair away and left, without saying another word. A puzzle. She said there's a whole puzzle coming my way.

And I'm terrified.

Cause I know I won't make it out of here alive. Once the puzzle is solved, I'll be killed. And nobody will be able to find this place. They'll do what they want, then finally do what they've been wanting to do, get rid of me.

Like hell I'll just let them, though.

I hear footsteps coming down, and I see Evelyn, and also someone else.

My mayor.

Dan, the mayor of the dome I was in. I knew Dan very well, mostly because I got in trouble so much I had to have some talks with him. But, I liked Dan, and he liked me.

Well, he did before I ran away.

"Archer." He smiles, his dimples noticeable. Dan was always an unique man to me. He was probably in his forties, with short brown hair and eyes that I always said were black. He's taller than me, but seems to be in shape.

"Long time, no see," Dan begins. "How are you?"

I can't help but shoot him a glare. "Guess."

Dan laughs, reaching for the cell. "Archer, my boy. You still are one of a kind." He opens the door, and I stand up. My hands are tied, but there's no guards. I could take out Dan and Evelyn if I really tried, but they must have guns. Dan gently grabs my shoulder and walks me out of the cell. He grabs a chair and gestures for me to sit. I do, and he doesn't tie any chains or ropes around me.

What the hell?

"What is this?" I ask, staring up at Dan and Evelyn.

"Dan wants to have a chat, that's all," Evelyn says, grabbing two more chairs. They both sit across from me, and I feel uncomfortable. This is wrong, something's off.

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" I ask, desperate for answers. "Because not one other person cares about you, Archer. And you know that." Evelyn looks at me, her eyebrows raised. I look down, thinking about Mia. Evelyn's right, Mia doesn't care.

"Oh, I'm sure Casper does. He's with the Alliance, yes?" Dan asks. I nod, finding the courage to look back up. "He's-I'm, not the same anymore."

"Oh, come on. You two were brothers. Even I knew it," Dan says. And he does know it, both Casper and I got a few talks from Dan.

"He's was devastated when you left him-"

"I offered him to come. He went behind my back and got you," I spit out, pulling on my cuffs. "Why does this matter?"

"It doesn't. I just wanted to know how Casper was-"

"You don't give a damn about Casper, or me. I'm not mad at Casper and you can't-you can't use that against me." I stand up, not really knowing what to do. But one glance at Evelyn gets me riled up. "This is another piece of whatever the hell your doing. Abby told me-"

"Oh, Abby. You and her talked, yes?" Evelyn smiles, and I immediately feel defeated. She knows what Abby did to me, she probably planned this whole damn thing.

"You don't scare me." I say, managing a glare. But all Evelyn does is smile. "My goal isn't to scare you." She stands up and slowly guides me to my cell. Before she closes it, she leans into my ear.

"My goal is to ruin you."

She shuts the door, and I watch as Dan leaves, not even sending a glance back at me. I lean against the wall, pulling up one foot against the brick. Evelyn stands on the other side, her arms crossed.

"You know, I saw that whole fight you and Mia had."

"You also watched me throwing knives. What the hell were you even doing?" I ask.

"Observing."

I swallow down bile as she smiles, knowing she's got this all in the palm of her hand.

"Dan was right, you are one of a kind," Evelyn switches her weight on her right foot. "Not in the way he sees it though. Your a cold human being, Archer."

Hearing that doesn't make me upset, because I already knew that.

"So are you."

"And I'm using that to my advantage. While you, well, try to push away who you really are. Mia's the reason, the whole Alliance is the reason your holding back-"

"I don't want to be that person."

"And you can't change it. Everyone knows who you really are. Casper knows, he's known forever. Dave knows, your little friends back at the Alliance know. Mia knows." Evelyn's smiling now, her sickening smile that literally makes me queasy.

"What are you saying?" I ask.

Evelyn rests her hands on the bars, leaning in. "You are a cold, stubborn, sick human being Archer. It's in your blood. But, there's one thing holding you back. One thing that wrecks you."

I hold my breath, trying to fight back the tears that Evelyn has created.

"You care. Your caring to those who need it. Those who you choose to care about. That being said, you care about Mia," Evelyn says. "And right now, there's no need to care about her. Why would you? With all the things she's done, you can't possibly give her another chance. You two are nothing alike, and you know that." Evelyn's smiles has faded into a smirk, which might just be worse. "Let it go, Archer. Let her go. Cause your the one who causes the cold heart, the mess in your life that suddenly becomes hers."

I hold back my urge to talk back, to fight. Because Evelyn's right, as sick as that sounds. She knows who I really am.

I hear footsteps coming down, and Evelyn takes a few steps back.

"Remember, you don't care. You don't care for others," Evelyn smiles again. "You don't care for her."

Two guards appear with a familiar face. One familiar enough for me to gasp and run up to the bars. She looks at me with wide blue eyes, ones just like mine. They open the cell next to me and throw her in, and I barely even notice Evelyn and the guards leaving.

Because my sister, Ashley, is here.

All because of me.

HELLO!!!!

Sorry it look a while for another chapter!! I'm really busy now but I'll try!!!!

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