The Divided

Chapter Seventeen

I posted Chapter 17-18 so make sure you read them in order:)

I made it to the Extricates easily and without getting caught. However, I was a bit confused when an older man opened the door of  The Martin's house. He has a cane grasped in his hand, using it to hold half his weight. The little bit of bleach white hair he had was thin and brittle.

"Hi, my name is Melody," I introduced myself. "Is Dean home?"

He grinned, showing off his pearly white dentures. "Dean never told me he had a girlfriend," he replied with a chuckle.

Grinning awkwardly back I said, "I'm not his girlfriend. We are just friends." He nodded and let me inside without asking any more questions or making any more assumptions.

Once we were back inside, he introduces himself. "I'm Arthur, Reagan's father." After shaking his hand, I followed him into the kitchen, where he had just started making a pot of coffee. "Would you like some coffee?" he offered.

I shook my head, but ended up helping him make it and pour him a mug of it because he struggled to do it himself while holding himself up with his cane. Once it was ready, he took a sip and smiled, more than satisfied. "You really know how to make a good cup of coffee," he complimented.

Grinning, I leaned back against the kitchen counter. "I always make it for my dad."

He nodded. "Who is your father? I might know him."

I hesitated, but answered, "Xavier Sharpe."

The sound of glass shattering filled the air as Arthur dropped his mug of coffee. His eyes widening, he took a step back away from me. Gripping onto the counter for leverage, the old man raised his cane and pointed it at me as a defense weapon.

Hard footsteps raced from the hallways and Dean ran into the room, dressed nice, but casual. "What's going on?" he questioned immediately, scanning the situation.

"Xavier sent her to kill one of us," his grandpa claimed. "Most likely, you."

I frantically shook my head at the man. "I'm not here to kill anyone."

"You're lying," he spat bitterly. In just a second, he swung his cane in my direction, making me stumble back.

Just a moment later, Dean was standing in between us, holding out his hands to his grandfather. "She isn't like her father," he told him. "She doesn't know what he did. She doesn't know anything."

His hesitation was clear. "How?"

"We don't know."

He slowly lowered his cane, giving me the impression that he trusted Dean more than anyone. "I'm sorry for my actions," he said. "I hate that your first impression of me is so bad. I hope you can understand where my reaction came from."

I was still confused, but I nodded anyone. "Yeah, you aren't the first who has had that reaction," I said, looking at Dean, who I remember originally hated me once he found out who I was.

The man nodded. "Well, I hope I can make it up to you. I'm actually quite a kind man whether you believe it or not." At that, I chuckled.

"Where are your parents?" I asked Dean, whose blonde hair was messy and looked like it hadn't been combed.

"They are at the leadership building," he replied. "They have Hadley with them." At that time, his phone began to ring and he answered it after pulling it out of his back pocket. "...yeah, okay...I'm leaving now...okay, bye." Hanging up the phone, he pushed it back into his pocket. "My dad needs help with something on his computer," he informed us. "Mel, do you want to go over there with me?" I nodded and followed him toward the door.

"Tell your father I'll be over there later. I have some papers back home I need to turn in," Arthur said.

"Will do." I followed Dean out of the house and down the street, where their leadership building was. "So how long are you staying this time?" he asked me.

Shrugging, I answered, "I don't know, but I can't stay any longer than eleven. My dad's curfew starts tonight."

His blonde brows furrowed. "Who came up with that idea? There's no freedom in that."

I chuckled awkwardly. "It was my idea. I thought it would be safer for everyone."

There was a long moment before he spoke again. "Why exactly did you come over?"

I sighed. "I needed an escape." I stared ahead of me, watching as the leadership building grew closer. "What happens if I don't do something that could help the Ameliorates?" I asked him, hoping he would give me the answer I wanted.

"What do you mean?"

My eyes didn't leave the road in front of me. "My parents want me to do something that could lead the Ameliorates to a great future, but the thing is, it goes against my own happiness," I explained a little further.

He waited a moment before answering, making me look up at him as we walked side-by-side. "That's a hard decision," he admitted. "You are choosing between being happy and what's best for the nation."

I sighed. "I strongly believe that the Ameliorates have a good system going," I said honestly. "The laws and everything going on are meant to protect them, but I know there are bigger things around that I don't know about." I shook my head. "After seeing you live, I can see that the Ameliorates have it all wrong...I don't think anyone over there has experienced true happiness."

"What are your parents wanting to do?" he asked.

Rubbing my face in my hands, I shook my head. "They found out that I broke up with Mason and got really mad."

"Why is breaking up with him such a big deal? People go through relationships all the time."

"His father is head of the soldiers," I explained. "Mason has all the qualities of a great leader. He would be the best bet for becoming the next big leader after my father."

"So they want you to get back together with him," he concluded.

"And I would do anything to not."

"Why?"

I took a moment to think about it. "He is so strongly faithful to the Ameliorates. All he talks about is how great they are—how great my father is. He absolutely despises the Extricates. All his focus is on how we can improve the Ameliorate nation."

"He would be a great leader," Dean admitted as I stared into empty space. "Hey, you okay?"

"I don't think I knew it at the time, but I think I broke up with him because he is just like my dad," I said suddenly as we reached the leadership building. "I know now that he will become just like him—and that's what scares me. He's literally everything my father is and was—he's the complete opposite of...you."

Dean then stared at me with something that I couldn't quite read. He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance to release the words in his mind. He pulled the ringing cell phone out of his pocket and answered it. "...yeah, dad, I'm coming."

"I'll just wait out here," I said, once he said that whatever he had to do would only take a minute.

"Okay, I'll be quick," he assured me before racing into the building to meet his dad.

I stood there for a few minutes all by myself, minding my own business, before I was spotted by a group of three guys.

***

So Mel got another taste of how bad Extricates don't trust her father...

Do you think the three guys are there to cause trouble?

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to VOTE!

~Emily