The Four - Book 1

Chapter 15

Juris

The cuffs almost feel normal.

It's like I should have them on. Because I'm not free...

Maybe never will be.

I just wanted to go home. I want to see my best friend, Adam. I want to see my older brother and younger brother. I want to see my parents....

But have they been watching? Maybe they've been watching me this whole time.

I'm sitting in the back of the van alone. We all were put in separate vehicles. Probably because we would all get in a fight if we stayed in the same vehicle. I was done running, and so was Paytah. Aira and Lana were determined to keep going.

But I just can't get myself to keep running. I'm tired of it, I don't think I can even take one more freakin' step.

The car stops. The door opens. I'm blinded by the light. The snow? Gone. Replaced by green grass, the color of my eyes.

Guards take me out, my cuffs gnawing on my skin. But then again, I'm used to that.

We walk inside the same building we were trapped in before. Always. We always end up back here.

Always.

We walk in, and I see no sign of the other elements. Did I get here first?

"Back in the white room, earth boy." I hear one of the guards say.

The white room.

The room I woke up in, the room I wanted to leave so badly...

And now I'm going right back in it.

They push me in and close the door.

And that's when I let it out. I let out what I've been holding back for weeks. A scream, until my throat gets sore, and then a cry, first loud and obnoxious, and then quiet and airy. A headache welcomes itself, digging all the way in my skull. I pull on the cuffs, although I don't know why. A distraction, I guess.

This is when I really consider about dying.

Maybe ending it all would be better. Except, making the others repeat the test wouldn't be fair. Paytah almost ruined it for us...

Damn, that guy even lost it.

I always looked weak compared to him. Hell, it's Paytah. Fearless, reckless, stubborn, dangerous, and..mysterious, Paytah. Plus, he's got the looks, which isn't really fair. You can't be strong and handsome, it's just not fair for the rest of us. Like me.

Lana and Aira both liked him, but I don't care. Paytah didn't seem to care either. Anyways, there was a girl back home that I was going to ask out, I'm not terribly ugly. It's just, when you're compared to a dude like Paytah, it's hard to even look a tad good.

Nonetheless, this wasn't about competing against each other, it was about working together. It was all about staying alive.

But even if we are done, maybe they'll just kill us.

I don't know, all I want to know is if we're done.

And I think I might find out. The door opens, and I see guards come in, and following them is Hanson. He gives me a warm smile. I give him a wild stare.

"Ah, hello, Juris." He says. His calm voice makes me want to go crazy.

"Are we done?" I ask, because that's all I want to know.

"Just one more thing. And we're going to do it right now." He pulls out a tablet from his large coat pocket. He presses a few things, and gives me it.

The screen is split into four. I see Aira in her room, Paytah, Lana, and then me. I stare at Aira, who's sitting on the floor, her head in her hands, crying. Her blonde hair is a mess, frizzy and all over. Unlike Lana's hair, which is short and frizzy to begin with. She's laying in the snack middle of the floor staring at the ceiling. Paytah is standing, leaning against the wall. He swings his cuffed hands back and forth.

"Why are you showing me them."

"Because, I need to ask you a question." Hanson says. "These three people, you've been with them for a while, yes? You've all been through a lot. You might even consider them your friends-"

I keep looking at the screen, glancing at all three of them. Of course their my friends.

"they saved your life, and you saved theirs. Now, think about it. If one of you four had to be...killed-"

"What?" I spit out, surprised. He's going to kill one of us? Why?

"Just answer honestly. If we had to kill one of you four, who would you pick?" Hanson asks.

I stand there frozen while I stare at the three of them. I can't imagine any of them dying. There's no way I could pick any of them.

If we had to kill one of you four, who would you pick?

Of course. I'm one of the four.

"Me," I mumble, then clear my throat, "me."

"Ah, very good choice. My boy, you've completed this test." Hanson says, taking the screen back.

"You're not going to kill me?"

"Oh, no. You passed. This test is-complete. Congratulations."

I don't know what to do. Should I be...happy?  I don't know, I don't feel anything.

"Now what?"

"Come with me."

I follow Hanson out the door, the white room is finally out of my sight.

Am I really done? Do I get to go back to my family?

We walk down some hallways and end up in another room. There's four chairs.

"Have a seat. You were the first element we asked. I have to test the others," Hanson says. I nod and sit in the chair. The guards take my cuffs off, and I flex them. It feels good. I feel free. Maybe this is it. Maybe I'll actually be able to go home and see the family I was taken away from.

I was taken from my home. I was put through test after test after test. I survived. Now, I could be going home.

The first real and meaningful smile comes out of me, and that hasn't happened for a while.

••••••

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-Grace