Escaping Elysia

Chapter 6 - Her

Dale

I sit up and wipe away the blood dripping from my nose. My ribs ache, and when I press my fingers into them I draw in a quick breath. I hope Nadya's nausea is gone by lunchtime. I don't think my body can take another beating today.

As I'm picking myself up off the floor Leah approaches. She's holding a damp towel, balled up in her fist. She rolls her dark, walnut brown eyes. "Thought you could use this."

"Thanks." I take the towel and clean the blood from my face and hands. She opens her mouth to speak, but I raise my eyebrows before she can begin. I know what she's going to say.

"But-," she starts, and I shake my head. "Dale, come on. Your sister should learn to handle these things herself."

"Thanks for bringing the towel," I say, handing it to her.

She makes a face and takes it, pinching a clean, unbloodied corner. The red of my blood stands in stark contrast to her sandy brown skin. "Uh huh," she grunts, before stalking off.

I leave the cafeteria and join the back of the line to get meds. After a few minutes Weston comes down the hallway, and I'm about to call to him when I notice who he's with.

Her.

I clench my fists to my side and set my jaw. If she's coming this way with Weston she must be assigned to the blue group. She's staying then. But why is she here?

As if she can feel my gaze on her she turns, and we make eye contact. The freckles on her nose stand out against her pale skin. Her eyes, emerald green and rimmed by dark lashes, pierce into me. If my glare affects her, she doesn't show it. Her face is impassive, non-feeling. I scowl and look away.

She had the same calm, stone faced expression earlier this morning too. Sitting at the table, her eyes carefully surveyed the cafeteria, wary. I was surprised, really, that she didn't blush or back away when I got in her face.

I'll bet she didn't feel anything when she shot Trenton either. The thought of his death hits me again, temporarily knocking the breath from my lungs.

She has no idea what she's done. I know I shouldn't blame her for it, and Weston's told me as much, but I don't care. She pulled the trigger. As far as I'm concerned, his death is on her hands.

Why was he even on campus? The question has plagued me since I saw the news story. He made it. He was free. He shouldn't have gone into the city. I know he wasn't there to shoot a bunch of college kids. He wasn't that far gone.

The line moves forward. I think back to my first day here. Trenton was the best roommate I could have gotten. He'd only been here a few weeks but he took me under his wing, told me which guards to avoid, taught me the unspoken rules of Elysia. Not that I listened.

He did the same thing for Leah when she got here, and Weston. Without him I probably never would have spoken to Weston, we're so different. Around Trenton, though, Weston opened his mind a little. He had that effect on everyone. Leah was a little more compassionate, less manipulative, around him, and I wasn't as quick to argue. He was the only one I could truly trust to take care of Nadya. He brought us together.

Then he and Nadya were put in the yellow trial, and things changed. Trenton's sunny exterior grew dark. The sicker he became, the more his hate for Elysia grew. He became obsessed with escaping, and avoided me and the others. I wondered what he was doing with his time, if he was wasting it away lying around like Nadya had taken to doing. Now I guess I know. He was planning his escape.

Almost to the front of the line now, a beam of light bounces off of the new metal door alarm and reaches my eyes, making me squint. He may have made it out, but there's little chance anyone else will be able to follow. Evelyn Sheer made sure of that.