/ haunted/
• showing signs of mental anguish or torment
"She was fierce. She was strong, she wasn't simple. She was crazy and sometimes she barely slept. She always had something to say. She had flaws and that was okay. And when she was down she g...
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[PREVIOUSLY: Octavia seeks revenge for the cruel torture of her brother but ends up being unpleasantly surprised with a near-death experience. In the meanwhile, Aidan mysteriously pops up and comes to her rescue and now, he wants to talk].
"Aidan?" I spluttered, staring at him in utter disbelief and shock.
"Yeah, it's me," he responded dryly as he leaned his shoulder up against the trunk of a nearby elm. "We really have to stop meeting like this."
I swallowed and nodded, twisting my hands around awkwardly. "Uh ... yeah ... right. Thanks for, you know, saving my life ... again."
Aidan raised his eyebrows as he gazed, unimpressed, at me. "I didn't do it for you."
"Oh?"
"I did it for your people."
Creases of confusion lined my brow as I inclined my head slightly and stared questioningly at him. "What do you mean?"
Aidan, whose deep hazel eyes had been boring into mine, suddenly averted his gaze and looked down at the floor. He drew a deep breath before glancing back up at me. This time, his lips were set in a firm line and his jaw was tightly clenched. "You're the PeaceKeeper, remember? You're supposed to be helping your people, not dooming them. What you did back at the bridge sealed your fate. There's nothing more I can do now to stop a war from occurring. Damn it! I trusted you, Octavia. I trusted that you had the same mindset as me and that you would assist in breaking down the barriers between your people and ours. I should never have chosen you for such a task. All you ever did was make the situation worse and now? There's no going back. You've betrayed us."
Tears of resentment stung the back of my eyes as I glared fiercely at him. "Yeah? Well, good luck finding another PeaceKeeper. The rest of my people aren't exactly friendly when it comes down to you grounders."
A hint of surprise flashed in Aidan's eyes as he spoke, "Grounders? That's what you call us?"
I paused. "Well, er, t-that was before we knew your actual ..."
"Don't bother," Aidan snapped, cutting me off mid sentence. "Geez. You make us sound like bloodthirsty savages."
I gritted my teeth together. "Stop it, Aidan, just stop it! You hate the way of your people. I know it. You know it. They are bloodthirsty savages! And if they weren't, they wouldn't march upon a bunch of helpless kids!"
"They're my people, Octavia!" Aidan yelled, jabbing a finger towards his toned chest. "My people. They come first! What I did on the bridge that day to save your life was nothing but an impulsive, foolhardy decision. I can't believe I ever even entertained the thought that you were different from the others because you're not! You're exactly the same as them! Do you know how much damage you've caused? How many people were injured in that explosion? Do you even care?"
