The Hollows In Our Freedom | 'Hollows' Book Ⅲ

Chapter Nineteen

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T h e   H o l l o w s   I n
O U R  F R E E D O M
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I sniffed, rubbing under my eyes even though there were no tears. I heard footfalls approaching me, treading through the snow.

"We need to talk." I heard the person say. Jameson.

I sighed, my annoyance displaying in the cold winter air.

"What? So you can give me a life lesson?" I asked him, irritated.

"No, to look over this." He told me. I exhaled, double-checking my eyes once more before turning to look at whatever 'this' was.

It was the piece of paper Jonah had given to me.

But then I saw Jonah and Elle, and I scrunched up my face in distaste.

"I'm not going anywhere near her; she's a disease." I spat, still angry at her behaviour earlier.

Jameson peered at me. "I'm sure you have a viable reason to dislike her right now," I clenched my jaw and crossed my arms over my chest defensively. "But you're letting your emotions get the best of you. How do you make choices with your head if you keep using your heart to think?"

I scowled. He was quoting our Guardian training handbook to get me to be obedient. Though I didn't want to admit it, Jameson had a point. He always had done; he was a goody-two-shoes.

I huffed. "Just know that I'm not happy with this." I said, beginning to trudge through the snow.

"As long as you don't show it, or let it cloud your judgement." He said, sounding too authoritative for my liking.

"Yeah, yeah—got it." I responded as we approached our apparent new Guardian team.

"Alexi, nice of you to join us. We need your opinions on this." Elle said, handing me an almost identical piece of paper to the one Jonah had given to me. Well, nice to see you too.

"I've already seen it." I told her.

She smiled at me. "I didn't ask if you'd seen it, I asked for your opinions on it." Wow, I really want to punch her.

"Okay," I said, taking the sheet of paper from her hands, remaining calm. "Well, we always knew at one point we'd run into a lair of the others, it's just ironic that it was when we had just begun." I began, drawing my audience in.

I narrowed my eyes at the paper—it displayed a map of spots which have been overrun with the others, or perhaps where they have been previously located. An enlarged image of the town we were currently staying in sat on the side, showing that we were being circled by them.

We are in the middle of a sea of the very monsters we were always told to protect Special Ones from.

"We're going to have to leave soon, perhaps we should try distract–" I broke off, a new idea forming in my head as I peered at the map.

"What is it?" Jonah asked with concern, mistaking my mental brainstorm with some sort of harm to me.

I shook my head. "Kate once said something about this area." I pondered, wandering through my thoughts aimlessly.

"Ah, the Head Guardian; how is she these days?" Elle asked, recognising the name instantly. Everyone pretty much ignored her. I don't know the boys' reasoning for it, maybe it was the odd tone to her voice when she mentioned Kate, but I simply ignored her because I was preoccupied under a sea of speculations.