“You are a coward! What about all those innocent lives that Kieran and the rebels go through? Do you not care about them? Do you not want to help them? Everyone’s here for a reason. You were born into a family that leads, and you want to take that for granted. You’re so busy looking out for yourself you don’t even notice anyone around you and their suffering. Since the first day I met you, it was always about ‘me, me, me.’ Why don’t you grow up and stop being so selfish.” He stood glaring at me, his chest rose up and down as fast as my heart beat against mine.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I wouldn’t cry. “You’re an asshole. You know that? Maybe if you…you…you,” I stammered.
“I…I…I…what?” he mimicked. “Do you think I’m having the time of my life running from the rebels? Do you think I wanted to leave Gildonia? But you don’t care what I think because you had my clothes packed without even asking. You demanded. That’s all you do, and when something doesn’t go your way, you get upset and act like a toddler.” Gregory walked over and punched the wall. As the clank of metal pierced through the air, I flinched back involuntary. “For once in your goddamn life, think of someone other than yourself. Step up and take your rightful place.”
Each word hit me like a brick, and I closed and opened my hands over and over; I wanted to hit him, make his life miserable, but I also wanted to cry which I wouldn't give in to. “You can’t tell me how to live. You don’t even know me. You really think you know me just after a few days? You know nothing. This is my decision. I’m not going to rule. And if you hate my decision and think I’m so selfish, then you don’t have to come with me. You can go home. Go back to that life you thought you loved. Which we both know you didn’t. You hated it.” My breathing escalated, my chest rising and falling with each quick breath.
“It’s a stupid fucking decision.” He walked toward the door, swinging it open. “I’m going to check the train schedules.” He slammed the door behind him, and my mouth dropped open. How could he be pissed at the decision I wanted to make? How could he make so much noise? What if someone had heard the door slamming like that? Rushing over to the closet, I stepped in and closed the door behind me; sinking to the floor, I crawled over to the spot I had been in last night. I shouldn’t have cared what he thought. It was not a stupid decision. What about my happiness? Why did I have to be responsible for the Nation when I didn’t want it?
I could still smell his scent from his jacket. I picked it up and tossed it across the small room. As I grabbed my jacket, I slipped it on and pinched my legs up close to my body, hugging them with my good arm. I didn’t want the life I was born into; I wanted a life where I could be happy and have some fun. And if that meant I had to be on the run, then that would be fine with me. When it came to marriage, I should be able to choose who I want to spend the rest of my life with, no one should choose for me. Being on the run was the first time I’d felt alive. It was the first time I’d wanted to fight to wake up in the morning. Shouldn’t you live a life you want to fight for?
Eventually, I dozed off after many hours of brooding, and I woke up to the sound of scratching coming from the main room. I rubbed my eyes and stood up, holding on to the wall so I wouldn’t fall over. My stomach grumbled loudly and I was lightheaded, so I stood there for a few minutes until the black spots faded from my vision. Finally, when I was able to move, I opened the door slightly and peeked through. As Gregory walked toward the closet holding some bags, I silently opened up the door to let him in.
“I brought some food,” he said, “and some supplies.”
My stomach growled at his response, this time more loudly. He handed me a paper bag and I went back to my spot, near the mops and buckets, and sat down. Taking the items out of the bag—two sandwiches, two apples, and two waters—I took my portion and then slid the rest across to where Gregory was now sitting down, leaning up against the wall. Biting into the apple, I almost moaned in delight at the sweet taste, I could feel the juice sliding down my chin, but I was too hungry to worry about wiping it away. We ate in painful silence. Neither one of us was going to apologize. We were both too stubborn.
After I finished the food, I took my sleeve and wiped away whatever was left on my face before taking a deep gulp of water and sitting back up against the wall. I looked everywhere but at Gregory. I was still pissed at him, but I wanted to know what he had found out. Finally, I locked eyes with him and raised my brow expectantly. He just shrugged his shoulders.
I rolled my eyes. “So, what did you find out?” I had a feeling if I didn’t say anything, we would be sitting in silence for the rest of the day into evening; I wasn’t sure what day it was, or if it was night or day.
“A train leaves first thing in the morning for Centonia. I figured we’ll head out tonight once it gets dark and find a place to hide closer to the station. That way all we have to do is hop on a train.”
We. That one word started a flame of hope in my chest. So he wasn’t mad enough at me to abandon me. “Why not just go in the morning?”
“It would be easier to just go tonight.” He started to go through the other bags. There was something he wasn’t telling me.
I rubbed my right arm, wishing I could get it out of the sling already. “So what aren’t you telling me?”
“Kieran's having his men search every building,” Gregory said. “I’d rather be hiding out closer to the station than be found here.”
I nodded my head and pointed to the other bags. “What are those?”
“Supplies.” He grabbed one of the duffel bags. “Once we get on the train, we should change your appearance.”
“What? Why?” I asked.
“Because it would be easier to get through other regions without getting caught if you didn’t look—” he waved his hand toward me “—like you. Especially if you want to run away from everything.”
Ignoring his jab, I asked, “How am I supposed to change my appearance?”
“I got something to change your hair and new clothes.” He started pushing everything into the duffel bag.
“What do you mean change my hair?”
“Cut and change the color.”
I grabbed my long hair. I didn’t want to cut it or change the color; I loved my hair. He had to be crazy. Yup, crazy. My eyes just stayed on the duffel bag as Gregory loaded it with the items he’d brought. Even after he was finished and the bag was zipped back up, I just stared at it.
Gregory and I sat in the closet for hours in uncomfortable silence. He was attaching knives to the top of his shoes and securing them with a Velcro-type rope. I sat watching him arm himself up. I wonder what he would say if I asked if I could have weapon. “Sorry, Mia, but you’re too delicate to touch one of these.” “You couldn’t handle something this sharp.” “You won’t take responsibility if you hurt someone.” “Your lips look yummy.” I didn’t know where that last one came from, but I knew he would never say anything like that.
Once it was nightfall, we headed out of the building, keeping to the shadows. Gregory carried both duffel bags while I kept my backpack. I had shoved my purse in it earlier so I wouldn’t have to worry about anything but the backpack. As we got closer to the station, Gregory took more and more difficult routes. I was so tired of running. I would gladly chop off my legs so I wouldn’t have to run, but that would have hurt, and I hated pain more than running. By the time we got to the hiding place, I was annoyed. It was a tiny cave. I missed the closet. At least the closet would have been a little bit warmer.
Gregory and I sat in the tiny cave in silence all night. The only thing I enjoyed about the tiny cave was the sunrise. It was beautiful: red, orange, and yellow painted the sky, and I felt at peace looking at the different colors. Once I settled into my new life, I planned on watching the sun rise each morning. Gregory, of course, ruined the moment by opening his mouth and telling me it was time to head to the train station. I was exhausted and I wanted to sleep, so naturally, I slowly stood up and followed Gregory. I
had just let out a breath of relief as we hit the train station when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I stopped and looked behind me. Shit.
“Gregory,” I said. Turning around and looking at him, Gregory was staring at the guy who was behind me and mumbling something, but I knew it wasn't good.
“Mia?” the man said. He was dressed all in blue.
I squinted my eyes at him. “No.”
He tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”
“I meant to say I’m not Mia.” I smiled politely and turned back around. I took a step, but Gregory blocked my way. Unease trickled down my spine. “What are you doing?”
“This is Mia,” Gregory said to the man behind me.
My mouth dropped open. “Gregory.” I snapped my fingers in his face, but he grabbed them and pushed them down. “What are you doing?”
Gregory stared at me for a full minute before talking. “Trust me.” His face was completely expressionless.
The man behind me spoke before I could yell at Gregory. “Mia, you’re safe now. Mr. Wibert has had men looking everywhere for you.”
“Why?” I was on defense, but I didn’t move my angry gaze from Gregory.
“He wants to see you,” Gregory said. “We need to go.”
I stared in disbelief as Gregory followed the man in blue. What the? “Wait!” I yelled after him. “Where are you going?”
“To Leader Wibert’s house,” the man spoke for Gregory. Gregory walked over to the military Jeep that was idling next to the station. I gaped at him. Why did he figure I would just follow him? Trust him?
“What are you doing?” I yelled as I ran up to Gregory.
“You need to do what’s right,” Gregory said. He gave me that look again, but I didn’t understand it.
When I stopped walking, I dug my feet into the ground. Gregory stopped but wouldn’t turn around. “Gregory?” I looked from Gregory’s back to the man in the blue now standing by the Jeep, watching us. I walked around Gregory and positioned myself so that I could see Gregory’s face. “Gregory?” Gregory raised a brow at me. Then it finally dawned on me. “You did this.” He didn’t answer. I looked at the Jeep and shook my head. “You’re such an asshole.”
I could feel tears prick at the back of my eyes, so I looked down at the ground to try and calm myself down. I wouldn’t cry in front of anyone, including the big jerk standing in front of me. As I took a deep breath and let it out, the tears finally subsided. When I looked back up and into Gregory’s face, his face was blank. I bit my tongue and shoved Gregory as hard as I could. He only moved an inch, but it made me feel better. Turning around, I marched over to the stupid Jeep that the stupid man was standing in front of. Stupid Gregory.
“Mia, you might want to act your age,” Gregory yelled behind me. I ignored him and kept walking. I was a couple of feet away from the truck when a large hand yanked my good arm back, stopping my progress. “Listen to me.” Now he wanted to talk?
The man looked like he wanted to intervene, but I held my hand up to stop him. “Can we have a moment?” I asked. The man looked at me, then at Gregory, then back at me, and nodded his head. Anger rippled down my body as he had to get permission from Gregory first. The man went into the Jeep and shut the door. I turned around and faced Gregory. Thankfully, Gregory let go of my arm. “What?”
“You need to trust me. Use your head,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Trust you? You’re handing me over to Aedan. How the hell am I supposed to trust you? So when exactly did you set this up? When you were out getting bullshit supplies? Was that all an act? Is it safe to know I won’t have to be changing my hair color? Do you even have a soul in that body of yours? Or is it made up of one big pile of shit?” I was so angry I missed the emotion that flashed across his face. He had sold me out. “So what are they giving you, an award for bringing in the most wanted?”
Irritation bloomed from his face. “Is your tantrum over? Or do you need more time?” He covered my mouth before I could yell back. “I know your tiny brain is working overtime trying to think of all the insults you want to spout out at me, but maybe on the ride over you can take the time to understand why I did this. Maybe I’ll even get a thank-you out of this. Kieran isn’t the only one looking for you. You have allies. You need allies. Sometimes, you have to do something unpleasant to reap the rewards.” He motioned his head toward the men in the Jeep. “You’re going to get in that Jeep with me. You just have to trust me. I wouldn’t put you in harm’s way. I have a plan. Trust me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I was so angry. I felt betrayed.
“You wouldn’t have agreed to go. You would have been stubborn and refused to leave the building. You could have gotten us caught.”
“I don’t trust you,” I gritted out.
“You need to!” he yelled in my face. “You would have done the exact same thing if you had been in my shoes.” He lowered his voice so no one could hear. “You hate me. I got it loud and clear. You can hate me all you want, but this has to happen. You have to meet your allies. Everything could fall apart if you don’t stop acting like a bitch.”
A bitch? He thought I was acting like a bitch? I clenched and unclenched my hands for a few seconds. I took a deep breath, let it out, and slapped Gregory as hard as I could across the face, my palm stinging with the impact. “Go to hell. Why does everything have to fall on my shoulders? Why me?”
Gregory stared at me through livid eyes. “Did you ever think everything is not about you?” With that he walked right past me and into the vehicle. I took a few minutes to collect myself and flinched inwardly as I looked at my red palm and turned around and followed Gregory.
Tension was so thick in the Jeep you would have to cut it with a sword. I sat up front with the man who’d talked to me earlier, while Gregory sat in the back with another soldier. Gregory's knees dug into the back of my seat, and I couldn't tell if it was because of the amount of room in the back was too small or if he was doing it on purpose. I was still fuming—it would be a cold day in hell when I forgave Gregory.
“So, how are you?” the driver asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, tensing at the pain in my right shoulder. “Fine, I guess. I’ve only been running for my life since Kieran and his men attacked Gildonia.” I wasn’t sure why I was talking. I’d been determined to not say a word, but I hated silence. It made me uncomfortable and gave me too much time to plan Gregory’s murder.
“I can’t believe they did that,” the man said. “Your father’s still alive. They’re keeping him hostage. I don’t know much else, but I’m sure Mr. Wibert will fill you in on anything you’ve missed.”
I just nodded my head and looked down at my hand; it was still red, but at least it didn’t hurt anymore. The moment I’d sat down, I’d regretted hitting Gregory. As much as I wanted to do harm to Gregory, I’d never actually meant to hit him. I was so angry because he was right. Everything wasn’t about me and I was being selfish wanting to save myself over others. Didn’t that show I wouldn’t be a good Leader? I wanted to apologize, but I didn’t want to do it in front of these guys. I wanted it to be private so I could berate him some more before I relented and told him I’d found the light.
We went through the gates with no problems and it was amazing to see the vast difference between both sides of the gate. Buildings were crumbling and the road was littered where we had been hiding out. Here, the buildings were glistening in the sun and the roads were spotless. On the other side, men and women were hanging around dumpsters, looking for something to eat or something to wear, while on this side, men and women walked in expensive clothes. It made me sick.
When the Jeep finally stopped, I looked out the window. If I hadn’t been used to seeing houses like this, my jaw would have dropped, but I’d once lived in a place like this. The house was a three-story brick mansion with four large white columns in the front. Reluctantly, I got out of the Jeep and followed the men up the steps. I turned my head and found Gregory still s
tanding next to the vehicle, staring up at the building in disgust. Sighing, I turned back around. The door opened up just as we got there, and we stepped through and into the enormous foyer. The walls were all a pale blue color, the high ceilings white.
“I’ll be right back,” the man said. He walked all the way down to the end of the hallway and disappeared around the corner. The other soldier stayed with us; I was a little disappointed, was hoping I’d have been able talk to Gregory. As I moved my right shoulder back and forth, I winced from the pain; I hoped to be out of the sling soon. With my good hand, I smoothed down my shirt and started tapping my foot. The soldier looked over at me and narrowed his eyes. I stopped tapping my foot, straightened my back, and tried to keep the panic down. I wanted to fidget so I could focus on anything other than the fact I was going to see Aedan. This overwhelming urge to grab Gregory's hand and drag us out of there took over, and it took everything in me to not move.
I looked up at the plain white ceilings, thinking they should have used more color when I heard the footsteps coming down the hall. I looked over and could see the soldier and Aedan walking toward me, with a younger man following.
“Mia!” Aedan said, opening up his arms. I took a step back. I didn’t want him touching me. As I stepped back, I ran into something solid and moving. Turning around, I looked up at Gregory, his facial features shifting slightly at my look, but I turned back around before I could inspect it too much. I didn’t have enough time to move before Aedan pulled me into an embrace. After a few seconds, he finally let me go. “Mia, how are you doing?”
“O-okay,” I stammered. I tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear: nervous habit.
The Divide (The Divide Series Book 1) Page 17