Freerunner

Chapter 26

I felt someone bump my shoulder. "Rose," Dante said softly. "It's time to go." I opened my eye. I had been napping sitting up, similar to the way Drifter slept. Turning my head to Dante, I gave him the same despondent expression I'd had on for the past three days. I'd been stuck in the sleeping area for the entire duration of the trip due to my spontaneous diving exhibition. I was only allowed out to use the bathroom but even then, Dante waited outside the door and knocked periodically to make sure I wasn't drowning myself in the sink. My mind had stopped working altogether. All I did was eat, sleep and ignore Dante's attempts at conversation. Every so often, either Drifter or Wings had come in to watch me for a while so Dante could take a break but he had refused to leave the room. They had given up after the second day.

Dante watched me for a moment to see if I would change my behaviour but to no avail. I couldn't break away from the guilt that had consumed me. I barely slept at all. I worried I'd lose vision in my right eye but it seemed improbable to happen from a lack of sleep. However, the soreness of my eye and the heavy bag that had formed underneath it seemed to say otherwise. I slid my legs off the bed and walked over to the drawer opposite. Inside, I found my Runners' uniform neatly folded up. When I pulled it out, it still smelt a little like saltwater. The creases hadn't come out properly. If I had worn this back at Delta 2, I'd have copped a month of punishment. I glanced over my shoulder. Dante saw the clothes in my hands and walked out of the room. Once the door was closed tight, I got changed and left the spare clothes at the end of my bed in a heap.

I twisted the doorknob and stepped out into the white room. Judging by the noise, everyone was out on deck. I shuffled over to the steps and climbed up them slowly. On the deck, the watercraft crew had surrounded Prince. They were all talking to him in their own way. I could only pick up a few words but the rest seemed entirely foreign. Prince answered them in the same way they addressed him. Whatever he said, everyone seemed satisfied. Prince turned away from the people and walked towards the plank connecting the watercraft to land. I looked for the other Runners to go first before me. However, they all seemed weary of me. I saw them exchange glances after looking at the descending slope.

We departed the watercraft, Prince assuming his place at the front of the group. Dante pushed me to go next whilst Wings and Drifter brought up the rear. I knew I had no chance of leaping into the dark waters. At least not with Dante's perpetual hand on the small of my back. We stepped onto the dock and Prince turned to face the watercraft. The crew pulled up the plank and they started to float away. They waved wildly at us but only Prince waved back. Soon enough, the people on board were impossible to see. Prince smiled warmly then walked away, the rest of us tailing behind him

Once we were out of the docking area, Prince led the way into a small building. It was made out of grey corrugated metal and only had one large window facing the ocean. Inside it was empty, save one wall that had hooks holding keys. Prince grabbed one of them and chucked it at Wings. "You drive," he ordered. Wings caught the key deftly in his right hand. His face twitched slightly but he maintained his composure. "Yes, your highness," he sneered, only half-joking. He pressed a button on the end of the key and a distant beep rang out. We left the metal building, heading towards the source of the beeping. What we found was a vehicle quite different from the trucks I was used to. It was flatter and smaller with four doors. It also seemed to have two bonnets, one at the front and one in the back.

"Why aren't we running?" I asked then instantly regretted it. My internal decision to not speak in front of Dante had been refuted. I bit down on my lip. Now he was going to bother me more often. Dante fought to downplay the smile tugging on his mouth. "We can't run though the next area. You'll see why." Prince ran around the vehicle and jumped into the passenger seat. Wings made for the driver's door but Drifter placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked extremely worried. Wings just shook him off. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me. Just..." He tilted his head discreetly in my direction. I turned my head and glared at the ground. I didn't need their pity.