Half Mad (Sequel to Half Bad)

Chapter 9

✖ Chapter 9 ✖

        SOME TIME THE next day, a guard came into my room to lead me to lunch. It felt earlier than usual, or it could be because I stayed up all night plotting the exact deficits of what we were to go through the get out of this place. Of course there were still doubts holding me back - for instance, I had no idea where Rose was and I couldn't exactly stomp into the Council building asking for her.

       But there was also something else itching in the back of my mind that day, however I couldn't place my finger on the odd feeling. I blamed it on the building itself considering it radiates eerie vibes all on it's own.

        As we were walking down the hall, someone grabbed my arm and I instinctively threw my elbow back, hitting the person in the nose. I heard a groan before I turned, my face falling in shame as I saw it was Gunner. The guard snickered.

        "I'm so sorry, man," I told him. "I didn't know it was you and-"

        "And I should've known not to sneak up on an ex-criminal," he said, smiling some as he rubbed his nose. "Yeah, mental note made."

        The guard smirked as we started walking again, but I shrugged him off and glanced to Gunner. "What's up?"

        Before he could answer, his guard came running up breathlessly, glaring at Gunner in a way that seemed deadly. He held the harsh stare for a long moment before catching up with my own guard and starting a conversation.

        Gunner smiled smugly before saying, "Oh right. Well, I was thinking last night about that girl Rose and-"

        I stopped, giving him an odd look. "How'd you know about Rose?"

        He gave an unsettling laugh, as if afraid I would hurt him again. "I mean, everyone does, right? You guys are everywhere."

        Thinking about it for a moment, I brushed my paranoia away and moved my feet once more. "Okay, well what about her?"

        Gunner paused for a moment before glancing over at me. "How exactly did you two meet? I mean, I know she ran away but how'd she run into you?"

        I smiled a little to myself, holding back a laugh even though it wasn't all that funny. I had nearly choked Rose on the spot, thinking she was one of the Council's spy. It was a memory that was haunting as it occurred and yet it brings a smirk on my lips nonetheless.

        "Well," I started, "it didn't exactly go over well. You see, that was around the time I had escaped for the second time - I think - and I thought Rose was one of their spies, you know? It seemed odd that some girl would run through the woods for anything else."

        He straightened beside me, an action that caused me to furrow my brows at him. "What'd you do to her?"

        Feeling a gnawing discomfort in my gut, I lied. "She saw me sitting by a tree and asked me for water, so I asked her who she was. Then, I don't know. She stuck with me.

        Slowly, he nodded, as if he didn't fully believe me yet he didn't question it any further. I kept giving him presumable glances the rest of the way to the lunchroom, however, neither of us spoke again.

      To say I was relieved to see the two double doors would be an understatement. The atmosphere had grown tense between Gunner and I and I wasn't exactly sure why. All I knew was he was not the clueless boy he had been the day before.

        "You want to get some food?" asked Gunner, smiling at me in a way that was overly fake.

        "Oh, no, um, I'm good," I said, trying to brush off his odd attitude. Once he disappeared in the lunch line, I scurried over to the table Daniel, Megan, and Aiden were sitting. "There's something weird going on," I told them quickly, glancing over my shoulder through paranoia.