Escaping Elysia

Chapter 31 - Freak

Dale

I can't sleep.

With less than a week to go until we leave, my mind won't stop twisting, imagining every horrible thing that could happen to us before we can make it out. I toss and turn for hours, but can't quiet my thoughts. Finally, I get out of bed.

When I first got here Trenton taught me how to open the bedroom doors at night with a small knife he stole from the cafeteria. It's come in handy on nights like this, when my anxious mind won't quit until I can check on Nadya. I retrieve the knife from its hiding spot inside a hole in Trenton's mattress and unlock the door. Carefully, I poke my head into the hallway and check for guards. None.

I know I shouldn't be doing this. It's too risky, and if I got caught it would put our entire escape plan at risk, but I don't care. Once I'm in Nadya and Evita's hallway I pull the knife from my sleeve and quietly open their door.

As I walk in and close the door behind me, Evita sits up in bed.

"Dale?" she asks, squinting at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I whisper. "Couldn't sleep."

"Oh." She rubs her eyes.

Nadya sleeps in her bed, her face peaceful, and I feel the tension in my muscles relax.

"Do you mind if I stay here for awhile?" I whisper to Evita.

Sitting up to lean against the wall, she shrugs. "I guess." She keeps her eyes down, playing with the blanket in her lap. Her left arm, still in a sling, hangs against her chest.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Nothing."

"Come on. I can tell something's up."

Her eyes meet mine, and the pain behind them stuns me. "Why don't you go ask Leah? I know how close you two are."

I blink. "What?" My throat feels tight, painful.

"She told me what happened between you in the bathroom."

"Of course she did." I groan. "Look, it wasn't like that." I sit on the bed next to Evita and she stiffens. "Leah kissed me, yes, but she was just upset over Trenton. I don't have those kinds of feelings for her."

Some of the tension leaves her face. "Why not? She's attractive."

"Because," I say, my mouth suddenly dry. "I have feelings for someone else." I don't move, don't dare breathe, for fear that the slightest touch will scare her away.

She blushes and looks down. "God, I've got such bedhead right now," she says, smoothing down her hair.

I grin. "I like it. You look like a lioness."

She rolls her eyes, but I spot a glimpse of a smile. I reach out, slow, and pinch a lock of her hair between my fingers, twisting it around my thumb. If I lean in, our faces will be just inches apart.

Evita clears her throat, snapping me out of it, and I drop her hair.

"Where will you and Nadya go?" she asks. "Once we escape, I mean."

I settle back in the bed, so that my right arm and leg are pressed against her. "Fairbanks, probably. It's all we know." My stomach twists, tight. "What about you?"

She sets her jaw, exhaling sharply through her nose. "Back to Sanzha, of course. I'll find a way to clear my name, get my internship back and graduate. It's the only thing that makes sense. Like you said, it's all I know."