Year 6 (First Draft) #Wattys2016

-Chapter 46-

   My eyes sweep over to the door, expecting to see someone there. When I see no one, I look back to Andrea, waiting for her to explain.

   "He's waiting in the other room," Andrea explains, coming to my side of the table. "I told him we'd bring you to see him as soon as possible."

   I nod slowly, and follow behind Andrea as she leads me down the hall, Kane trailing behind us. The tense look of her shoulders has me worried. Is somebody from the Government here? If so, why would she have us meet with them? We step into a large white room, and I'm surprised when I see a slumped figure behind a barred wall. Upon our arrival, he looks up, and I feel tears spring to my eyes. Of course.

   "Paul," I say, my voice quiet. I step towards the bars, wanting to break the distance between us. "you're okay."

   "Not so fast," Andrea says, stretching her arm in front of me. "Something isn't quite right."

   I look to my brother again, wondering what Andrea is talking about, but then I see it too. His eyes look glossed over, his mouth is gaping open, and his breathing is deep. His skin around his right eye is a deep purple, and dried blood clings to his lips.

   "He has a tattoo on his left shoulder from the Government," Andrea says. "and by the looks of things, he didn't get away with just a tattoo."

   "So they had him," I say, suddenly confused. "Why did they let him go?"

   "That's what we're trying to figure out," Andrea says. "Paul scanned him for trackers, but came up with nothing. He appears to be clean. I tried to talk to him earlier, but he wouldn't say anything. He just stared blankly through the bars, wringing his hands."

   My heart aches for my brother, and I want nothing more than to break through the bars and throw my arms around him. His empty eyes meet mine, and I force myself to suppress a sob. Kane's arms wrap around me, and I lean against him, hoping to draw strength from him. His heart beats steadily in his chest, and I attempt to match my breath to the quiet thump thump thump.

   "How'd he get here?" Kane asks, addressing Andrea. She shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders.

   "He showed up at the front door, but security was already on him before he could get in the building, and I had them bring him in here," She says. I glance back at my brother, suddenly uncomfortable being in the room with his blank stare.

   "Can I talk to him?" I ask quietly, taking a shaky breath. Andrea looks skeptical, but I feel Kane nod against the top of my head.

   "I'll go in with you," He says, and we step apart, walking over to the bars. Kane waves his hand in front of a scanner, and we step past the bars. Paul barely looks toward us as we walk into the cell with him. I take a seat on the far side of the cell, giving my brother a wide birth. Kane follows, and sits next to me.

   "Paul," I say, "can you hear me?"

   Paul's eyes shift towards me, but he doesn't say anything. Suddenly, he stands and walks toward me, taking a seat on the ground right in front of me. Kane wraps his arm loosely around my shoulder, reminding me of his presence.

   "Paul," I start again, noticing the shift in his eyes, "what happened to you?"

   "You," His voice is low and hoarse, making my skin crawl. "You are what happened."

   "Felisha," Kane whispers in my ear, "maybe you shouldn't be here for this." Kane tries to help me up, but I refuse, planting myself in my seat.

   "What did I do?" I ask Paul, hoping I sound more confident than I feel.

  "You helped the rebels. It's why mom and dad are dead, and it's why I'm like this," His voice is a growl, but I can tell that he isn't saying any of this in a malicious way. "They sent me."