I considered running away, but Sam closed his fist around my wrist. “Anton, please watch over her while I help Joe. Andrew wanted me to take her to David’s cabin.”
Anton’s eyes expanded in confusion and shock. He agreed and took my hand, and Sam ran off.
“I’m sorry for last night and today. I had to get by you, and since you knew . . .” I tried to sound penitent, but my voice flew away in the wind.
“I understand. Besides, you succeeded and proved me wrong,” Anton said.
“Not quite. I came back practically unconscious and—”
“But you came back and with Andrew,” he cut me off.
When we approached David’s cabin, I tuned out. I didn’t belong here. I took a deep breath as we stepped in. I didn’t know if Anton knew what had happened to David.
As soon as we stepped in, he pulled me down and cuffed me to one of the bed’s legs. I was completely helpless with one arm in a sling and the other tied. I knelt to stop the pulling at my shoulder.
“What’s this for?” I snapped.
“I can’t stop you from running away, and I’m sure that’s on your mind, so I’m hoping this will work.” Anton lost his sincerity with those candid, frank words. He sat by me and continued, “Think about it; last time we were alone together, you strangled me, and before that, you lied to me. You understand how trust has evaporated, right?”
“I’m sorry, but we needed to free Andrew.”
“You see, that’s another problem; you call him Andrew when others are around, but between you two, it’s Maxime. So who is he? Andrew or Maxime?”
“You know the answer to that.” I felt my heart darken.
“Yes, but how do you know? And you’re not supposed to call him Maxime, no one is.”
“Well, I guess I’m no one.”
“Amusing. Do you know him better than us? Do you think you relate to him more than we do? Do you love him?”
“That’s none of your business!” I screamed.
“On the contrary, it is my business. You are Matthew’s most prized possession. We’re attacked over and over again. We suffer and die in numbers while you get closer to our leader. He can easily lose his power being so young and naïve, but you will not get it.”
I was shocked. I could see where Anton was coming from, but it hurt.
“What? Cat got your tongue?” Anton tormented me. “Afraid?”
“No,” I calmly said.
“So what is it? Why so silent? You know I can’t hurt you, only threaten with words. You’ve always known that I had something against you anyway.”
“No, I didn’t. When I first joined The Shadows, you said that you admired my skill. It wasn’t until I turned myself in that you hated me, and I did that to save Andrew from losing his power, not take it. I never blamed you for hating me after that, but thought you had gotten over it after the challenges. You helped me, looked out for me, even joked about Emma when you danced with me. You forgave me. You’re only mad at me because of the attack this morning and need to blame someone. I accept it—it is my fault, I won’t deny it, but I also won’t deny that we are on the same side and you know it.”
Without another word, Anton stood up and left.
No one came for hours. I fell asleep alone, in the silence, until Maxime ran in.
“Alex! I’m so sorry. What happened? Are you all right?” He couldn’t see me, but I asked him to uncuff me. He ran his hands down my arm, then freed my wrist.
“What happened?” he asked worried.
“Nothing, really,” I tried to reassure him.
“Please don’t lie; you’re no good at it. Sam wouldn’t have done this.”
“Anton didn’t trust me after I choked him last night to get to you,” I mumbled.
“How long have you been here?”
“I don’t know. I fell asleep.”
“You missed dinner. Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat.”
“I’m fine. Thanks,” I lied. I just couldn’t cause any more trouble.
“You need to eat. How’s your arm holding up?”
“Fine.”
“You’re a terrible liar. The painkillers have worn off anyway. I’ll get you some more.” Maxime kissed me and held the door open. I felt distant from him. I had caused so much pain, trouble, and grief. I didn’t deserve his kindness, his help, his love. I didn’t deserve him, but I couldn’t let him go.
As we walked out, Anton came running toward us. A death stare burned my eyes as he glared at me. Maxime’s tense posture gave away his anger, although the look in his eyes was hidden.
“I’m sorry, sir. I forgot she was still there,” Anton apologized.
“You’ll need more than that to make up for handcuffing Alex to the foot of a bed and leaving her there for hours.Why did you do that in the first place? And one does not do anything of the sort and forget.”
“I thought she wanted to run away, so I figured it would help.”
“And you left her there for hours?”
“I didn’t want to come back.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t know what to say if I did.”
“Well, say it now.”
“Sir?”
“You came back, so you must have found the right words.”
Awkwardness reached a new level.
“I came unprepared.”
“Anton, of all people, you never come unprepared.”
“I’m sorry, sir. Alex, I’m sorry. To be honest, I still don’t trust you, but you were right. I’m sorry.”
“Dismissed,” Maxime said, and Anton disappeared, livid. “Talk about weird moments. He’s been challenging everyone lately, even his men from Jarva. I don’t understand. Do you mind leading me to the kitchen?” Maxime exhaled deeply.
I took his warm hand and walked with him, hesitating with every step.
Most of the camp had relatively quieted down, but all who had any medical experience ran around like maniacs. Shame clutched my heart as I saw children crying, women attending to their loved ones, and men suffering. Everyone would have to stay at the camp, although we didn’t have the space or means to provide anything.
A young girl about my age ran up to us, wiping away tears. “I can’t even find the right words for your brother, but I need your help, Andrew.”
Although she’d meant no harm, she had dug a spear through Maxime. He tried to hide his depression, but his shoulders slumped. “What is it, Sylvia?” Maxime said quietly.
“I know I should ask someone else, but everyone seems to be running around. I understand you are busy, but where can I find water?”
“We are headed toward the kitchen, so you might as well follow us. This is Alex,” Maxime introduced us as we walked.
“How old are you?” Sylvia asked me.
“Sixteen.”
“Sixteen? Isn’t it odd that your voice hasn’t changed yet?”
Maxime burst out laughing. I felt my cheeks burn. “Alex is a special case, Sylvia, in every category you can imagine,” Maxime teased.
“What happened to your arm?”
“I was shot.” The question seemed stupid because we were at war.
“Well, I figured that much. I meant, what were the circumstances? Does it hurt?” Sylvia laid her hand on my shoulder, and I tensed up.
I brushed her off lightly and responded with a simple “yes.”
“I don’t see how you do it. I’m also sixteen and can’t even imagine what the battlefield is like. How is it? How do you do it?”
I gripped Maxime’s hand tightly, signaling that I was fluttering for his help. I needed to get away from her.
“Sylvia, the water is on your left behind the shed. We shouldn’t be too far off from it.” Maxime saved me. “Do you need us to bring you a glass?”
“No, it’s for Leslie’s burns. I have a bowl with me. Thanks.” Sylvia walked off with a playful skip.
“Looks like you’re a ladies’ man,” Maxime chuckled.
> “Shut up,” I laughed.
Maxime sat by me as I ate. Most of the camp fell asleep, but a significant number still ran around like a hurricane. A fire was lit, horses were rounded up, and sleeping bags were handed out. I couldn’t help but wonder what the poor villagers would have done had they known my identity.
Maxime brought me back to his cabin. A red stain was still prominent in front of his door. As I sat down on his bed, a surge of pain raced through my shoulder. Healing would take time, and The Shadows was out of painkillers with all of the injured.
“I’m on watch duty tonight. Sleep well,” Maxime said.
“You can’t see,” I stated.
“Relax . . . I’ve got this. Can I trust that you will stay put and sleep?” His tone was patronizing, but he was smiling.
“Yes,” I lied.
I stood up in pain and embraced him as best I could. I closed my eyes and tasted his sweet lips. A tear ran down my cheek.
“What was that for? Why the tear?” Maxime said sincerely.
“I can’t really explain,” I said honestly.
He kissed me once more and left.
I waited a couple of minutes with the lights off to be sure that the majority of people were sleeping. I crept out slowly and silently with the moon’s shadow as my guide as I made my way to the edge of the camp. Passing by the injured gave me determination and courage. I stayed focused on my goal.
As I skulked further from the camp, darkness engulfed me. I wasn’t far enough to be considered free, so I kept turning around, staying observant.
Something moved, and my back was pressed against a tree and a hand tightly wrapped around my neck. I tried to peel off the fingers with my left hand, but it was useless. I looked up, desperate for air only to recognize the one person I was avoiding most of all: Maxime. He couldn’t see me. He hadn’t recognized me either.
“Relax and surrender or I cut off all air supply,” Maxime said calmly.
My head throbbed as his pressure increased. I tapped his arm, tried to speak, but nothing worked. He tightened his grip.
“It’s pointless to try to escape. You’re only wasting time,” he continued.
I reached out for his cheek and caressed it. A spark lit in his reaction. Maxime quickly let me go, and I fell to the ground gasping for air.
“Alex? I’m so sorry! What are you doing here? I thought you were . . . it was precaution. I . . . are you all right?” Maxime helped me sit up.
Tears filled my eyes and flooded my words. “Let me help you back,” Maxime offered as he helped me up. I couldn’t return; it would ruin everything, but I desperately wanted to follow him. The desire was embedded beneath my skin, deep in my bones.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be. That was my fault.” He kissed me, and I shrank.
“I’m sorry . . .” I repeated, and my heart shattered as I started to run. He tried to follow, but couldn’t. He couldn’t see the trees.
“I don’t understand!” he yelled into the still, dry air.
“I can’t watch Matthew destroy everything. I’m sorry!” I ran. I couldn’t look back. I ran as fast as I could, drowning in my own tears.
Part Three
Chapter 39
I waited just outside of H.S.H.S.’s limits, hesitating as I listened to the snowflakes’ faint whispers as they melted on my skin. Although I was against it, I had made up my mind. I built up enough courage and walked in. I didn’t avoid alarms; it would have been pointless. In less than two minutes, I was surrounded and Matthew faced me.
“Put your hands up!” a soldier called out.
I raised my left hand slowly and identified myself.
“Both hands!”
“I can’t,” I yelled.
“Both hands or we shoot!” Matthew yelled and shot a bullet less than a centimeter from my neck, making my heart skip a beat.
I pulled my sling off and slowly raised both arms. It pulled at my shoulder, feeling as though my arm was being savagely ripped off with excessive force. Tears blurred my vision.
A soldier searched me briefly before declaring me “cleared.” He hadn’t noticed my dagger in my boot. Matthew then stepped up to the plate, and I lowered my hands.
Before any words were exchanged, he slapped me across the face. I tried not to react, but it stung. He raised his hand for a second time, but I kicked him before it landed. After a quick interchange of kicks and strikes, he was kneeling, wiping blood off his face. I refused to let him beat me. He pulled out a gun, and I gave in. Three soldiers came up from behind, pulled my arms behind my back, and cuffed my hands. I was defenseless. Matthew drove his knee into my abdomen. A couple of strikes followed until I saw a red and blurry world and was unable to stand. The taste of blood was bitter, and pain started to feel natural.
“I told you, I get what I want,” Matthew whispered.
He wrapped his large, cold hand around my upper right arm, and I clenched back a scream. Matthew dragged me toward one of the buildings. I was too sore and tired to keep up as he hauled me across the field. The snow absorbed my trail of blood.
He took me to the basement, through a lab, and threw me into a chair in the middle of an operating room. It was icy and empty with bright lights and metal walls. I could barely keep my head up.
A soldier uncuffed me and strapped my arms and ankles to the chair. A strap ran across my abdomen and neck. I was choking, physically and mentally, restrained with no way out.
Matthew called for a surgeon and equipment, which was quickly brought in as he accosted me.
“You need to learn to take care of yourself. The Shadows couldn’t heal you? That’s pathetic. Don’t worry, it’ll only take an hour or two.” Mathew’s words flickered on his tongue. He then tore the top of my right sleeve to reveal gauze soaked in blood. I gasped for air as he tugged at my bandage. He stood in front of me and looked directly into my eyes, then passed his hand gently across my cheek, like Maxime, leaving a trace of velvet blood. I turned away, and he laughed, “You need to be more careful.” My heart splintered as images of Maxime, David, and Ryan flew through my mind.
Matthew turned to the doctor and gave simple orders: “Heal the shoulder first and if time permits, anything else.”
“How much time, sir?”
“Two hours, tops.”
“Yes, sir. Local or general anesthetics sir?”
“Neither.”
There was an abrupt silence of shock that rippled across the room.
“Sir, it’s a complex procedure, which means excruciating pain unless under anesthetics. I first have to heat the local cells for it to heal and fuse the shattered melted clavicle and then—”
“I know what it is! She ran off thinking she was strong. Let’s put it to the test. No anesthetics! Besides, she already has an advantage with the S.S. Pill.”
“But, sir—”
“Are you deaf or incapable of taking orders? No anesthetics!” Matthew yelled.
“Yes, sir. Is a mouthpiece all right, sir? I’m afraid the reaction may be intolerable and distracting.”
“No, she can scream all she wants. Burning her lungs will only harm her. If you get distracted, fix your mistakes.”
“Yes, sir.”
The doctor approached me rather calmly, pulling the equipment on a tray behind him. I was trembling in fear. My heart accelerated as he raised a couple of appliances and placed them on my shoulder tightly, like clamps, making me jerk and clench my jaw. He then poured clear liquid on my wound and let it drip to the floor. It stung lightly, like a prickling feeling. I saw him lift another appliance and looked away. My breathing became heavier, and pearls of sweat beaded chains around my forehead. I heard a beep and felt as if a spear had been thrust into my clavicle.
I screamed.
Every degree of pain shot from my wound like hell had been created under my skin. I felt like I was being skinned alive.
I screamed again.
My throat inflamed, and the pressure
burst in my head. I tried to move, to get away, to fight back. I clenched my eyes tightly and released every ounce of energy I could muster. Tears streamed down my face, and I pleaded for them to stop. I was drowning in my own cries, groaning as if it could help with some relief. Time was endless. I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t inflate my lungs; I was being strangled.
I screamed again.
Chapter 40
“Come on! Wake up!”
Matthew was shaking my shoulders uncontrollably, causing my head to whip back and forth. To my surprise, I wasn’t in the least bit of pain, but my head was spinning, and I quickly became nauseous.
“You’ve had more than enough rest. We had to move cells in your collarbone and activate a ridiculous amount of enzymes to heal your shoulder rapidly. That surgery alone took three-and-a-half hours. Then you had burns and scars to heal. What the hell have you been doing?” Matthew sneered.
I hazily looked around. The surgeon was leaving with his tray full of bloody utensils. Five soldiers stood armed around me. I was perfectly fine. To my surprise, Matthew started to uncuff my wrists, but he kept my ankles locked. I immediately examined my hands to find them unscarred without any letters engraved in them. A soldier then handed me a blue shirt.
“Change.”
I waited for him to turn around, but he couldn’t care less for my discomfort.
“You can’t possibly think that I’m going to have my back to you for a few minutes. Change!”
I pretended not to be concerned, slipped off my torn-up shirt, and pulled on the new one. It was a tight fit, and I realized that Matthew had taken away my body-warmer as well as my anti-gravity ring.
“You’ll pick up your training where you left off, only with a different schedule. You will remain here, in this cell, unless I authorize you to see daylight. Instructors and materials will be brought here. You will eat and sleep here. Because there is no bed, and I am aware that handcuffs are uncomfortable, you will be given general anesthetics to allow you to fully rest. If you do not cooperate, not only will physical pain be inflicted, but you will also go without food or water. Also an attack on The Shadows, or what’s left of it, will be listed under your name. You know I care little for prisoners, so you’ll watch their executions. Have I made myself clear?”
Violet Path Page 34
