The Best Intentions

Chapter Thirty Nine

*Kieran Reed*

Numbness spread throughout my body as I stared up at the ceiling. I embraced it, knowing it would be the only thing getting me through today. My energy was gone and my hope was depleted. I don't know how long I stared up at that ceiling. Maybe 30 minutes, maybe 5 hours. I never knew what the time was anymore. The only reminder I got was when the doors opened at noon. It was the only time I got let out of my prison cell, besides when I was getting tested on. I never got to go out to eat breakfast or lunch. Sometimes they didn't even bother feeding me.

When the doors finally slid open, I stood up and walked towards the door, my bare feet silent on the cool tile. The single file line had already started. I hurried to slip into my place as I heard footsteps echoing down the mostly silent hallway.

I clenched my fists when I saw her, white hair curled and put back into a ponytail. Her security team swarmed around her and a boy scurrying behind her. My eyes widened when I realized who he was. Hell must've frozen over when we made eye contact. I didn't think I'd ever see him again.

Devin kept his face impassive for the most part until he heard Katherine whisper, "Devin?"

He turned to face his cousin as Natalia glanced back at him and smiled. "Do you want to continue the tour?" He nodded along, only to get dragged off by her.

He never looked back.

***

The doors opened again two days later. I got in a single file line, waiting for everyone else to get out of their cell so we could go get lunch. Natalia sauntered passed us with her security team, accompanied by Devin again. He didn't even spare me a glance.

My eyes flickered down to the ground as something white flickered in my field of vision.

Devin had dropped a note.

I made a lunge for it, but Katherine got it first, pretending to trip. She skidded against the floor dramatically, grabbing the note as she pushed herself up. My eyes narrowed when she shot me an icy glare.

I waited for what felt like an eternity to get into the lunch room. I made a beeline for the trays and grabbed the first one I could, then hurried over to Katherine's table. I sat my tray across from hers, fingers twitching at my sides. "The note."

She glanced around to make sure the security guards weren't watching, then turned back to me with dark eyes. She held the note between her index and middle finger. "I'll let you read it after I do. How do you know Devin, Head Rush?" She sneered out my alias like a curse. I couldn't blame her. Her being here was partially my fault.

I leaned forward and lowered my voice. "I know he's Dare. Blue Blur and I teamed up with Dark Skies before I got taken here."

Katherine hummed. "I guess what Mendoza said was true." She looked down, reading the paper in her lap before handing it to me under the table. I tried not to crumple it up as I pulled it into my lap. "So, you're Head Rush and Sabrina Flynn is Blue Blur."

I gritted my teeth and read over the paper.

"Kieran," Katherine prompted.

I glanced up at her before rereading the note. "What?"

"Are you going to help me escape or not?" she whispered.

I ripped the paper into shreds under the table, then rolled the shreds into a ball and dropped it in the food I wasn't going to eat. It didn't matter that the note was gone. Every line was memorized.

"Kieran, I need you to help get Katherine out of here. I'm coming for you guys. Tell her about this note. I'll be there tomorrow at noon."

It wasn't signed, but of course I knew it was Devin because of the green glitter gel pen and sloppy handwriting. He used the same gel pen to mark up my face when I fell asleep at Dark Skies once. I tried to push the memory deep down and forget about it. I had more important things to worry about.

I met Katherine's eyes, ready to tell her my answer, when a deafening buzzing sounded overhead. I winced and covered my ears as the lights went out, suddenly replaced with a red strobe light over the entrance to the cafeteria.

"Everybody on the ground!" a guard screamed over the alarm, only to be partially drowned out by a gunshot.

I didn't have to be told twice, throwing myself on the ground and crawling under the table. Katherine crawled beside me, breathing erratically. Two more gunshots went off before the alarm stopped. The red flashing lights stopped and the blinding white light came back. I glanced back at Katherine only to see a man covered in blood close to her.

Katherine followed my eyes and squeaked in surprise. She shuddered and whispered over to me, "He was making a break for it. Somebody else attacked a guard." She turned to peer out from under the table and gulped. "I see his body by the entrance."

My heart felt like it was going to explode. I didn't realize I was trembling until Katherine nudged me.

"Whatever you do, don't panic. Don't make a break for it. We're going to be on lockdown mode for a few days. They aren't going to hurt you unless you act stupid."

"What about-?"

"Shh. Just trust him."

I wish I could, but how could I trust Devin if I couldn't even trust Sabrina?

***

Katherine and I stared out our windows at each other with grim expressions. Devin never showed. Sometimes I'd catch Katherine tearing up like she really couldn't quite believe Devin wasn't going to save her.

I felt the same way about Sabrina. Where could she possibly be?

I went to bed later than usual, only to be wakened up by my door opening in the middle of the night. I jumped up, trembling for some odd reason. "What's happening?"

The security guard in front of me grabbed my hand and stamped something in red over it. I tried to see what it was, but it was only random numbers. I repeated my question only to be told, "You're getting transferred with three others."

I gaped at him. "To where? When? Why?"

He shrugged. "You're showing little to no potential. I don't know where you're going. Just another lab. It's already the twenty-ninth of July. You'll be transferred August first."

The guard turned and left before I could continue questioning him. I looked back out my window, only to see the same process happen to Katherine. It didn't happen to anybody else that I could see.

When the guard was finally gone, she shot me a confused look. "We're being transferred?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I just couldn't. I paced my room back in fourth, taking in ragged breaths before I started screaming.

Where the hell was Sabrina? Was she even trying to save me anymore?

I guess it was my fault for ever relying on her.

***

Katherine sought me out at lunch. "We're being transferred to the same lab. I talked to Natalia last night."

I stiffened. "What did she say?"

There was a hesitation. "I'm not...sure I should tell you."

I leaned forward. "If you don't-"

Katherine took a deep breath. "Natalia put a hit out on Sabrina. She thought Sabrina was dead, but she showed back up at her mansion a few hours later. A maid called to tell her. So...Natalia sent someone to kill Sabrina."

My heart shattered.

No! No, no, no. This can't be happening. No. She's fine.

"Something went wrong," Katherine continued, her voice softening. "Sabrina moved out of the way and the bullet hit Lilith Flynn instead. She's dead."

The sudden blinding pain that overtook my body was too much. I couldn't breathe for a moment before I took in a sudden, sharp inhale. The sob escaped from my throat as my vision started to blacken. I couldn't breathe again. I stood up and tried to make a run for it but felt too dizzy.

My head spun as I fell to the ground, hitting my head just before darkness consumed me.