The Sound of Silence

Chapter Seventeen

Word Count: 3,800

The next day was much like the previous, and the day after the same, as for the next, and the next, and the next after that. Before I knew it Emily's week was up and she was walking around the camp with us, often closely following me so that I could keep an eye out for her and make an excuse to take a small break. Although I really did have to commend her as she walked all over camp without a detectable limp.

That night Emily and I were in the infirmary as Don checked her over, making little quips about her excellent healing. Emily just kept her eyes trained towards the ceiling, fluttering back and forth as if she was counting the number of knots in the wood. I sat on a bed across from her, my attention rotating between Don's questions here and there, Emily, and the newest drafts for the plan of attack on the Training Grounds corrupt government.

"We need to start taking action soon." Both Don and my head snapped up to Emily who continued to act like nothing happened.

"What kind of action? I thought we were already doing everything that we can in this moment," Don said, now putting things in their respective places. Emily continued in her silence, but instead her gaze lowered to meet mine and I scrunched up my eyebrows.

"I haven't found anything else in Aaron's journal, or in the folders you brought with us, but if you've just hidden more to be found then I haven't found those either." She continued to watch me, and I watched her back, Don glancing between us. After a moment she arched an eyebrow and it clicked. "Oh, yeah, you're probably right." She paused, as if there was something else, before she nodded and her eyes flicked back towards the ceiling and I continued to look through the plans in my lap.

"Uh, care to fill me in because I'm still confused."

"We should probably move forward in our plans soon, that's all. Probably gotta deal with troop movements and other stuff the General has planned, right?" Emily smiled and Don shook his head.

"How did you get that from, what, 5? 6?, words and a look?" I looked up for a moment thinking about it.

"Was that really it?"

"Uh, yeah. If there was more I would have gotten it too."

"Hm. I guess I've just, gotten used to her way of communicating. You spend enough time with her, trying to learn more about her, you get to know how to communicate without words." I looked back down at the papers, trying to ignore the slight pink in Emily's cheeks as Don gave a few more glances between us and shrugged.

"Is there something more to that story?"

"No," we both said in unison without looking. Don chuckled.

"If you guys say so. Any way you're free to go Emily, just be careful on that leg; don't push yourself too much." Emily gave an absent minded nod as she slid off the bed and onto the floor, reaching for her shirt and pulling it over her head as I gathered all my papers neatly into the folder.

"Thanks again for the secrecy, Don." He shrugged it off as he finished his cleaning the area.

"First of all, I'm sworn to secrecy anyway because confidentiality and stuff. Second of all, I would hate for her to kill me." We both chuckled and Emily and I left for the cabin.

"So what was I missing earlier that Don couldn't know about?" I finally asked once she was settled, propped up in the bed.

"Don was right, you are good with this." She paused for a moment, picking her next words carefully. "There's a separate plan that lies underneath everything that's going on."

"The one that you and Daniel were discussing?" She nodded. "Where's it written down?"

"It's not, you have to listen this time." She drew a breath, as if steeling herself before going on. "The general needs to die and the Training Grounds blown completely up. Originally I was going to choose someone to do it with me, one of us goes to one place, the other to the other, but I believe it would be better if it happens at the same time."