Escaping Elysia

Chapter 23 - Cheap Liquor

Dale

To my left, Leah unscrews the cap on the bottle she's holding. The smell of cheap liquor wafts toward me, and I wrinkle my nose. She takes a swig.

Leah's friends are talking and laughing, and we're all gathered in a loose circle on the floor of the Solarium, near the back. Leah's worked her magic yet again, as no guards have come to break us up. I hadn't wanted to come, but I wanted to keep an eye on Nadya and Leah had said it would be "fun".

Behind me, on a couch to the right, Nadya sits with Weston. Some of the tension between us has dissipated since he snuck me into the clinic. Even if he and I don't agree on everything, I can trust him to keep her safe. I know that much.

Out of the corner of my eye, Weston raises his arm and rests it across Nadya's shoulders. It's something he's done many times before, so that's not what grabs my attention. It's Nadya.

She straightens, just barely, but it's enough that his arm falls from her shoulders to rest on the couch behind her. Surprise registers on Weston's face, and I look away. I've never considered that she may not feel the same way about him.

In the past week Nadya's had a chance to regain her strength, and I've liked seeing her old self peek through again. My jaw tightens. How long until the next trial comes along and takes this away from her? I can't let that happen. We were so close yesterday that I could feel the outdoors tickling across my skin. But we're still here.

Leah holds the bottle over me, to the person on my right, but I take it before they can.

Leah raises her eyebrows. "Oh, did you want some?" she asks, smirking.

The smell already nauseates me. But this is a party, right? We're celebrating. I snag her gaze and hold it, taking a swig.

She laughs, tossing her head back. "Alright then."

I hold the bottle out but she pushes it back. "By all means," she says, "have some more."

I take another drink and pass it along.

I wanted it yesterday. Escape. In that split second when it seemed possible, every cell in my body called out for me to run, do it. And though my chance vanished, my longing didn't. It's been burning in my gut ever since.

I can't do that to Nadya. She has the bottle now, and takes a small sip before offering it to Weston. He refuses, of course. I'm surprised he's here at all. This type of gathering isn't exactly sanctioned by the researchers. I'm not sure how booze affects genetic modifications, but I would bet it doesn't help.

If we escape, the chances Nadya will get hurt are too big to risk. At least here I can keep her safe.

My head feels lighter now, and when Zola, Leah's friend, makes a joke, I laugh with the rest of them. The sound drops loosely from my mouth. I accept the bottle from Leah's fumbling hands and take a long, slow swig.

As I bring the bottle down Evita turns the corner. A grin spreads across my face, as quick as a train and as impossible to stop. Not that I want to stop it.

She's taken off her t-shirt, leaving only the thin layer of her tank top to hug her torso and hips. Her hair falls across the tops of her shoulders, brushing her collarbone, and the fire that's been blistering in my gut flares.

In that moment, when every part of me screamed to run, Nadya wasn't the only one I wanted to take with me. And Evita would have gone, too.

I imagine her hiking through the trees, the sunlight glinting off her hair. I imagine her sitting beside me at a fire, huddled together for warmth...

I've been staring too long, I realize, and she's giving me a strange look. I shake the images out of my head and get up to greet her.

Leah looks up, and when she sees where I'm going she scowls. I lean down, putting my mouth near her ear. "Don't be rude." That only makes her scowl worse, and I grin.

She was right. This is fun. 

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Author's note: Thank you so much for reading! Please don't forget to vote if you liked this chapter :).