The Choosing

Chapter Eight

The car sped off. I could still see Cade walking in the opposite direction.

Alistair turned to me and his expression softened, "Elder Ryann is here to talk to you about what you, uh, saw. She brought me because she didn't want you to be scared. You're safe now Eve, Cade can't hurt you anymore."

Alistair's statement was confusing on so many levels. He didn't even try to explain what went on with him and Cade. I didn't want to have to demand answers, but if I kept being left in the dark I was going to. Especially about Cade hurt me. What did he mean by that? As far as I was concerned Cade seemed like a nice guy.

"Where is she?" I asked Alistair dealing with the problem on hand.

The car stopped and the passenger door opened. Then a woman that I had never seen before appeared sat to my left. I was now sandwiched between Alistair and Elder Ryann as the van started driving again.

Elder Ryann gave me a tight-lipped smile before saying, "I'd like to start by saying I'm not sure how you got outside the walls, especially during your test, but I need you to keep quiet about what happened. Secondly, I'm going to have to ask you to tell me what happened from the beginning."

What the heck was she talking about? She was one of the people that set up the stupid test. She above everybody else should know what is happening.

I could feel the sarcasm growing inside of me before I said, "I was completing the stupid test you set up. Which resulted in me ending up outside of the walls and getting my leg cut open so deep I almost died from blood loss. As far as I'm concerned you guys should be thanking that Cade guy for saving me, not dragging me away from him like he has some sort of plague. "

I may have exaggerated a little bit, but the facts were still there. It's not like she didn't watch my every move on some sort of surveillance tape anyway. This was probably just a trick to get me to say something that would incriminate me. It seemed like that's all the wanted now to find somebody to blame. That planted a weird thought in my head; how did Alistair know about this then?

Elder Ryann gave me a calculated look, "That's the thing, Miss. Harley, smashing that wall was not part of the test. There were not even any arrows pointing anywhere near it. As for where you got that weapon, that's beyond us too. We need a real explanation or else you could face some serious consequences."

I looked at Alistair for help, he must believe me. He looked just as confused as I was, but thankfully he caught on to my look. Even though I was rather skeptical of his presents I let him take the lead.

He gave me a reassuring smile before he said, "Surely Eve wouldn't do anything unless the test told her to. Are you sure that somebody didn't mess with the test before she started or that maybe it was changed at the last moment and nobody told you?"

Elder Ryann sighed, "All of this paranoia. Do you want to know what I think? I think Miss. Harley tried to escape. Possibly to her significant other on the opposite end of the wall. When I searched her file for as possible reason it seemed they knew each other when they were younger, perhaps that relationship coupled into something more than a friendship?"

My eyes widened so much I was concerned my eyes would pop out of my head. But before I could shut down that accusation Alistair spoke up.

"There is no way Eve would be trying to sneak out to meet with Cade! That's ridiculous!"

I scrunch my eyebrows together, I didn't even know Cade when I was younger. Where was all of this coming from? My eyebrows scrunched even further when I heard a small voice.

"Do you hear that," I questioned suddenly.

Both Alistair and Elder Ryann looked at me beyond confused. I didn't understand why it was a simple question.