Fallen branches poke into my legs while running, but the slight sting is forgettable compared to the pain I’ve had to endure in that community. In the wilderness, I feel alive, and nothing energizes me more than the smell of freedom.
Emmy has trouble keeping up, but she won’t stop tailing me. I never said she should come, but she invited herself the minute she threatened to expose my escape plan to the elders. But they know now, so she has no power against me anymore.
For a moment, I stop and spin on my heels. “Stop following me.”
“What? No, I wanna come with you.”
The hounds bark again. We both flinch and lower ourselves so as not to be seen.
“They already know I fled,” I hiss. “I don’t have to take you anywhere.”
“But I—”
“Leave!” I hiss.
Tears well up in her eyes, and it almost, almost hurts to see her cry because of something I said. But she’s one of them, so I shouldn’t feel sorry for her.
“Go back home. You belong there.” I point where we came from, toward the sound of the hounds.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I want to see your world.”
I grab her by her white dress. “I’m not gonna take on a charity project! Don’t you understand? This is life or death.”
She seems shaken by my words and unable to reply, so I let her go. “You’ll only cause me more problems.”
“I promise, I won’t,” she says, right as I spin around.
I sigh to myself, and say, “Whatever. Suit yourself.”
I can’t stop her from doing what she wants even though I wish for nothing more. But I have no power to stop her, and I don’t want to resort to violence. She wants to thrust herself into her own grave? Fine by me.
“I’m not going to protect you when shit hits the fan,” I reply.
She pauses and frowns. “The what?”
Of course, she wouldn’t know what that phrase means. I roll my eyes. The minute I got beyond that fence, it was like my past self flooded back in, along with all the words I was forbidden from using in that community.
“Nothing. Just stay out of my way,” I growl, and I run off.
I don’t want to think about it or her, or any of the things I left behind there in that hellhole. I just want to go home … if I still have one.
Noah said he’d given my notice at work and gotten me vacated from the apartment. Did he mean it, or was it only a threat to keep me quiet? What if I did lose everything I ever knew? Where will I go now?
Well, anyplace is better than here. The forest is cold and merciless at night, so we won’t stand a chance if we stay here.
I glance over my shoulder, and sure enough, she’s still on my trail. She just won’t give up. If I wasn’t so hell-bent on getting away from people like her, I would think it’s courageous. But I don’t. I think she’s trying to get herself killed. And why? Wasn’t she happy there in the community? She always told me she was … even said I should smile more.
The mere thought makes me want to give her an earful.
Not now, Natalie. Focus on getting out of here.
First, I need to get back to a normal city. Or a town. Or anything, really, as long as it has normal people in it, with normal clothes, and normal behavior.
WOOF!
The hounds sound like they’re getting closer. I can’t lose any time.
I rush through the leaves and jump over big rocks, ignoring the pain. My lungs suck in the oxygen as my muscles work hard to get me across this rough landscape. There are no roads or familiar tracks in sight, just miles and miles of forest, puddles, and rocks.
“There! A stream,” Emmy says, pointing in the distance.
I nod and run toward it with her right on my feet. The water is deep, but not too deep that we could possibly drown in it. If we wade through it, maybe we can go upstream and ditch the trackers. It could work.
Emmy leans over to touch the water down below and immediately retracts her hand. “It’s cold.”
“Take off your dress,” I growl as I do the same.
“What?”
“You wanted to come with me? You do what I say!”
She reluctantly peels off her dress.
“Throw it as far away as you can,” I say.
When she does, I throw mine in the opposite direction. Hopefully, it’ll confuse the hounds long enough for us to get away.
“Get in,” I say, and I jump in first. The frigid water causes my body to erupt into a shivering mess covered in goose bumps, but I ignore it.
Emmy’s not doing what I say. “C’mon!”
If she stays, she’ll get caught, and then she might point them in my direction out of spite. I can’t take that risk.