Remember

Chapter Nineteen (edited)

"I thought you said you lost them." Jordy hissed at Kaden who was trying to sneak a glance over the car at who was looking for them.

"These aren't the same people who followed us out of the building. There's two guards, but they're both much bigger than the ones who followed us out. And the woman... I've never seen her in my life."

They sat in silence for a moment before Colette spoke up. "I know her." She said finally, the boys staring at her for further explanation. "She works for the Paradisium Federation."

Jordy scoffed. "Well that much is obvious."

"She was a nurse at the hospital I worked in, in Paradisium. I guess she was meant to keep an eye on me, but obviously she didn't do a very good job. I bet this is what she's doing to redeem herself." If it weren't for the shock that was coursing through her veins and the panick that made her heart beat faster than it should, she would of given Jordy a nasty look. The truth was. He did not understand the pain of betrayal Colette felt when she set her eyes upon her nurse. Just another damn lie she had been forced to believe.

"That doesn't explain how they found us." Jordy snapped, clearly frustrated that their perfect plan of finding Madie was not going to go as swift as they had all hoped. It is not like he needed to be here anyways. His power was of no help to them and as far as Colette knew, he was not here to aid in breaking the simulations. He was just a cocky tag-along who always had to put his stupid input in and for all Colette cared, he was useless.

"Nothing about any of this makes sense. I'm sure they're either really good trackers or have some sort of power that helps them. Now just shut up before they hear us." Colette was beginning to get fed up with Jordy doubting her. She did not know any more or less than the rest of them so there was no reason to get fed up with her and not Kaden who refuses to tell the rest of them what he was so clearly hiding.

A branch cracked near the other side of the car and the three looked at each other for their next move. Of course, Kaden seemed to already have some sort of plan. Suddenly, a loud bang, something that sounded similar to a large and tin trash can crashing into pavement, came from the other side of the field the guards pursued them through. The footsteps retreated in the direction of the sound and Colette allowed a breath to escape from in between her chapped lips. A small smirk appeared upon Kaden's lips and he gave a slight shrug of satisfaction before motioning for the two to follow him.

Kaden peered around the car and scanned the area. Opposing the overgrown field that had been covered in the crumbling remains of buildings, there seemed to be some sort of highway that littered with more of the broken down cars. Colette understood his plan. The three of them quietly slipped between car after car and made their way away from the guards and Nurse Garner and down the highway. They passed mounds of forgotten belongings, the smell of rotting, left behind food filled their nose, and the strange orange air only seemed to get thicker as they continued towards their unknown destination.

When they were far enough away from them Kaden spoke. "We need to travel faster. If they found us once, they'll find us again and we can't afford for them to find us. They won't be as easily tricked next time. I won't be able to hold all of them off, not guards of those size. I barely managed to escape them last time and honestly there's no telling what these guys' powers are. They could kill us with a blink of an eye for all we know." Colette took a big gulp. Paradisium was sounding better and better the longer she was out here.

"Not having doubts are you?" Jordy chuckled at Colette's obvious fear, but this time she hid her scowl and pretended not to hear him. She wished that if she just ignored him he would go away, but she knew that was as unlikely as finding a working car on this highway. She did not know how long she had been in that simulation, it could have been months or years. From the looks of the buildings that could no longer be considered building and the cars that were so rusted there were no remnants left of what color they might have been, she would have to go with the latter.