"I like you Rose. You should know that, but I'm waiting for somebody else." Caleb says to me as we walk through the desert alone. We travel quietly, speaking in soft whispers as we look for anything to burn for a fire.
"I know." Caleb doesn't add anything else so I ask what's been on my mind for a while.
"What are you going to do when she comes back? She will have been gone for a while."
"I imagine we'll start over, and I'll fall in love with her all over again." Caleb says sadly. It sounds like I'll never be able to compete with this girl, but Caleb means a lot to me. I'm not going to give up so easily.
"What if you don't? What if she's different?"
"She is. I mean she will be, I'm sure, but deep down inside she'll still be the same person. You can change little pieces of yourself but it's much harder to change who you are. I'll fall in love with her, one piece at a time."
My heart feels like it is being squeezed, as if somebody is wringing it out. I shouldn't have asked him such a stupid question. What are you doing? He's in love with somebody else. You need to get over him. I yell at myself internally.
I don't know why I keep bringing her up. Every time I do I just end up getting hurt. But I still ask. I still hope one day I'll get a different answer, a hesitation, a sliver of doubt, but nothing. It seems he becomes more in love with her every day.
All I can hear is the quiet shuffle of the sand moving under our boots, and the light breeze in the air. I glance at the full moon above us in wonderment. I've always found the moon to be so beautiful; in the darkness of night, it is the one light that will always be there. It makes me feel safe, to know I will never be in complete darkness, and I'll always have something to show me the way.
I catch a glimpse of bushes up ahead, and as we approach them, they look so dry they could go up in flames just looking at them. Caleb and I begin snapping twigs off of the skeleton of the once living, breathing plant. The snapping sounds we're making mask the snapping of twigs underfoot.
A piece of fabric is shoved towards my nose by somebody behind me. I thrash out at them but their strong arms encircle me as they press the cloth closer to my nose. My kicks and punches slowly turn to weak movements, and I glance in Caleb's direction. My vision is slowly blurring but I see him fighting back. He lands a punch to the man's jaw that had been attacking him only seconds before. My eyelids are becoming heavy, but I force them to remain open, silently cheering Caleb on.
Another man is behind Caleb now, and he jumps at him, pinning him to the ground. He holds a bandana to Caleb's nose, and his thrashing movements gradually slow to a stop.
I can no longer ignore the heaviness and my eyes close slowly like honey dripping from the bottle. My body is limp as my body is slung over a shoulder, the blood rushing to my head. Before I can complain, a certain calmness washes over me, and my mild awareness slips away.
***
It seems I have a habit of waking up in strange places. Instead of feeling scared; a sheer sense of panic, I find myself in this cell feeling only confused. More often than not, situations like this have lead me only to good things. When I woke up in the castle I found out I was a princess, and met my father. When I woke up on an airship, I met Caleb and the Liberatum who are just as interested in finding my mother as I am. So as I look around my dark cell, I refrain from screaming and keep myself relaxed.
I wonder why we're here. If those people are bandits they're not going to find anything of value on Caleb or me. And if not, who are they? What do they want?
I hear the echoing of footsteps and try to stand up, only to find myself chained to the wall. I refuse to let myself be scared. Maybe this is just a safety precaution? I know I sound stupid, reassuring myself that everything is fine. I'm chained to a wall in a cold, dark cell, of course things aren't okay, but I need to stay in control, and not let my fear cloud my ability to reason.
A man stands outside my cell, he fiddles with the lock. The bars cover his body, only letting me see part of him. I wish for a second that he was the one on the inside of these bars and not me. After several failed attempts and pushing the door open, he finally decides to pull on it and I snort as the door swings open with ease.
If this is the kind of person I'm dealing with I'll be fine. The man approaches me and sits on the floor, a far enough distance away from me so that I can't get my hands on him.
"Why did you bring me here?" I ask, hoping to gain some information about this place.
"Why don't you let me ask the questions. Are you from the city? Amara?" I nod my head, hoping my compliance will in return be rewarded with the answers to my questions.
"Why are you out here? You're with a big group. Were you sent to kill us?" The man asks, his face of stone warning me to take this seriously.
"We're looking for somebody. We're not looking for violence. Who is the us you think we're here to kill?"
"We're called the Outcasts. We were once inhabitants of Amara. Whether it was because we had different views than the king, or because we simply didn't comply with the laws, we were sent out here as punishment. That is all you need to know about us. Who are you looking for?"
My head is spinning. This is it. I'm going to find my mother. She's here, I can feel it. After the war she must've gone here. She wouldn't be safe after waging a war against the monarchy. Naturally, she'd come here, and find other people like her.
"I'm looking for my mother. Isabelle Crawford? Do you know her?"
The man's eyes go wide in surprise and he jumps to his feet. He cautiously moves towards me, obviously concerned for his life. He grabs a key from his belt. Realizing he is most likely going to let me go, I decide not to attack. Sure enough, my wrists are freed from their shackles and the man is pulling me towards the door.
"What's your name?"
"Henry."
Henry and I walk down a narrow corridor, the walls a drab beige color. Torches line the walls, basking the space in a bright glow. The sound of my boots hitting the stone beneath me echoes down the long hallway. The air is cold and damp, coating my skin in moisture. I walk faster, itching to get out of this confined space. As Henry and I mount a flight of stairs, the hallway opens up, and another room is before me.
The room has dull grey walls and little light. A table sits in the middle of the room and two chairs stand at opposite sides of the table. I shiver, trying to understand what is going on. One of the walls appears to be glass but I can't see anything through it. How odd.
"Where's Caleb?" I ask in urgency, nearly forgetting he is here too. "I still don't understand why we're here. And why did you move me?" I look around in disgust at the room. Haven't these people heard of interior designing? I mean of course this is a step up from a jail cell but who would want to live in this place?
"Somebody will be here to question you soon. That's all you need to know." Harry adds the last part monotonously as if it is a sort of mantra for the Outcasts.
"Question me?" I ask dumbfounded. "Why would I need to be questioned? You're the one who needs to be questioned! I've answered what you asked me. You haven't said anything helpful to me. I still don't know why I'm here! I still don't know where Caleb-"
I'm cut off by the sound of a slamming metal door. Henry's gone. I run to the door, trying the handle. It's locked of course. I pound my fists against the door, screaming and begging for somebody to let me out.
I don't let myself cry. I take a seat in one of the chairs, facing the glass wall, staring straight ahead. I straighten my back, and keep my chin up, because on the outside I'll never let anyone know I'm scared.
Even if my fear is ripping me apart inside.
I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I had an exam, and then tennis started and I have been so tired I haven't been able to write. It would mean a lot if you could share this book with your friends and maybe comment what you think about this book so far?
Also, comment what you think is going to happen next. If you're right I'll dedicate the next chapter to you!
Please vote, comment and follow!!! And as always, Happy Reading!
xoxo
b0wlofcherries
PS OMG I JUST SAW THIS IS RANKED 86 IN ADVENTURE HERE COME THE TEARS AND 200 VOTES OMG TYSM ILY
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