End of the Line

by Ottilie Weber

I was lying on my side, facing the door, too afraid to fall asleep. If that was a preview of what was to come, I wanted out! I’d go live in a cave if I had to just as long as I didn’t have to be near him. It wasn’t like anyone knew where my family was anyway. So they would be safe and I wouldn’t be with Manson.

  “Pst!”

  A noise made me sit up and I turned to face the window. I jumped out of bed and quietly rushed to the window to see Aaron sitting in a tree, looking a little odd as he gazed into my room. He looked straight from a movie of a crazy person staring into my room.

  “Aaron?” I asked, squinting into the dark world to look at what I thought was the very male I was protecting.

  The image before me grinned as he nodded. Aaron inched himself closer to the window, making me worry as he was on the weaker side of the branch, ‘til he was able to reach over to the windowsill. I gasped when he fell from the branch to hang on the sill. Together, we got him in. My skin came in contact with his, tangible proof I was not losing my mind.

  The air seemed to be stuck in my lungs as I got lost in Aaron’s eyes. With shaky hands, I hesitantly reached out for his face. Tenderly, I held it between my two hands, closing the space between us. Once I knew he was real, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, afraid that he would leave me if I didn’t. I didn’t care how dirty or how much he smelled. I buried my face into his neck, never wanting him to leave me.

  “You smell and look nice,” he whispered in my ear, which sent shivers down my spine. “Why did you leave?” Aaron sounded wounded and baffled.

  I closed my eyes firmly, not wanting to explain the horrible situation to Aaron.

  “For you…” I spoke softly.

  Aaron pulled away a little to look at me in confusion. I took a deep breath and glanced out the window, afraid that I might break down before I got the whole story out.

  “I traded me for you. If I stay with Manson, he’s going to stop chasing after you and the rest of the group.”

  “You…” He paused. “You turned yourself in to him to get him off me?”

  I just nodded.

  “Are you nuts?” Aaron nearly shrieked.

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head as he started to pace around the room. I could hear his voice was sopping in shocked frustration as he tried to keep his voice down.

  “Aaron—”

  “You can’t honestly think he’s going to keep to his word!”

  I couldn’t read Aaron’s face. I walked over to him and snatched his hand, pulling him over to me. I held his face so I could talk to him and I smiled feeling as if Aaron were acting like a kid. Aaron looked worried, frazzled, and irritated.

  “Lauren, I don’t think he’s going to keep to his word…” Aaron appeared rather beaten by that and I glimpsed down. I wrapped my arms around his chest to rest my head on his shoulder. Affectionately, yet protectively, his arms went around my shoulders.

  “Figured, but it was worth trying,” was all I could mutter.

  Aaron bent over to reunite our lips, but the twist of the key came to our attention as I dashed Aaron into the closet and closed the door in his face. Nearly tripping over my feet, I ran to my bed. The door started to open as I jumped into bed, but before I could get under the sheets, Manson was standing in my doorway. I was out of breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice, and I was actually thanking God the power didn’t work anymore so he couldn’t turn on the lights to help his vision.

  “I want to apologize for my behavior earlier this evening. I thought you would plot to escape” Manson paused and I tried to slow my heartbeat. “Well, I just thought you went back to a certain creature.”

  “I was here reading,” I spoke slowly, restraining myself from gazing at the door.

  Manson was no longer looking at my face as we talked. The moon light shined in the room, giving me just enough light to see where his eyes had travelled. My face must have turned bright red, which I was again happy for the darkness, as I moved my legs under the sheets, wishing that I had my smiling frog pajamas instead of this pathetic excuse of a nightgown Manson gave me. He cleared his throat and started to head out the door.

  “Now get a good night’s rest for tomorrow. It’s a big day for us. After all, it’s not every day you marry the soon-to-be ruler of the world.”

  I nodded my head, feeling my mouth dry up from dread. Aaron was really pushing things by being there. With a simple nod of Manson’s head and a smile, he left. With a big sigh, I fell back on my bed, trying to relax and figure out everything that had been going on.

  “You’re marrying Manson!” I just closed my eyes as Aaron whisper-yelled when the closet door swung open.

  I just rolled over on my side, throwing my sheets over my head, making sure I was completely covered. I pulled my knees into my chest yearning for a pair of ruby red slippers so I could just wish myself back home. I felt the bed sag next to me, but I didn’t move.

  “God, I forgot what a bed felt like, not even just that mattress we were on in the apartment, but a real bed.”

  I grinned at Aaron’s comment, but bit down on my lip to stop the small laugh that wanted to be let free. The bed sunk a little more right beside me as an arm moved me close to a chest. Still, I wouldn’t come out of the sheets.

  “Why are you marrying him?”

  I cringed. Yet he sounded childish and angry at that.

  “I mean I just brought up the conversation of having children in the future and you bit my head off.” Aaron continued.

  I rolled my eyes, then sat up after I ripped the sheets off my head. I glared down at Aaron. Who seemed too comfortable on the bed in the house of a man who wanted him dead.

  “I don’t want to marry him. It wasn’t part of the original agreement, but if I don’t, I’m afraid he might go back against his word and try to kill you.”

  Aaron sat up, his eyes seemed more understanding now. “Lauren, what have I been saying about not taking on the world all by yourself?”

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. I was getting sick of sighing too.

  “I know, but I figured it was worth the shot. When he had me and Sean back in Pennsylvania, it really hit me how much he knew about us and what was at stake. I had to solve some of the problems, at least attempt to save all of our lives.”

  We were staring at each other’s eyes and he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “You probably should go before someone finds you. He has a man who stands guard in front of my door and the whole point of me being here is to keep you safe,” I whispered.

  “Don’t worry I’ll find a way to help you escape tomorrow.”

  Wasn’t he listening to anything I had been saying?

  “Aaron, no, you’re supposed to be protecting Sean and staying far from here. I’m entrusting my only living relative, my little brother, with you!”

  “Your brother is safe with Cole and Jill, they are meeting us here—”

  I was pissed now. That was probably not even strong to describe my emotions at that moment.

  “That defeats the whole reason of me being with Manson! You need to get out of here with the others! That’s an order!”

  “Not without you!”

  “Yes! You—”

  I stood up, anticipating Aaron would follow me. Yet he took hold of my arm, stopping me from going any farther, leaving me glaring at him.

  “I’m not leaving you in that man’s hands! There is no way I can live the rest of my life knowing that I’m leaving you to be forced to accept him touching you and…” He groaned. “I can’t even think about it!” He growled with fire in his eyes.

  “If I go against our agreement—” Before I could utter another word, Aaron covered my lips with his, then darted out of the window before anything else could be said.

  Aaron left so he couldn’t be argued against. I could hit him. I loved him…