Chapter Twelve: Run To Freedom

Copyright © by J. Faith Kenney

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission.

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Cole looks me right in the eyes with pure joy, which makes my stomach turn. Lily looks around to the others, her head high with power, before her eyes land on me. She frowns but pulls in a heavy breath before replacing the frown with a grin of her own.

“I’m disappointed in you, Thela,” Lily says, her voice assertive. “I thought you were better than this.”

“Better than this? Better than what, your dreams?” I say, my voice filled with anger.

“You don’t know my dreams,” she snaps.

“And you don’t know me.”

The stares between us take over the hallway, letting the voiceless battle take over. She turns her head a little to Cole, gives a little nod, and looks back to me.

“I know more about you than you think. I know you wouldn’t risk these people to save yourself. I know you are not selfish in the slightest, because you can’t give a single thought to yourself.” Lily’s voice rises and she tries to cover it up.

“Well, at least I am not self-centered and take all of the attention like you, even at a young age.” My voice firm as I remember the past, and I don’t care if it all comes out. “Our parents never had a chance to care about me, because it was all about you! You never”—taking a little step forward—“let me have a chance to have a family because you decided I wasn’t worth it, and you decided to break up your family!”

“Do you really think they wanted a daughter who could hurt them at any given time? A daughter they were afraid of? I saved you, Thela. They called you a monster.”

I shake my head, tears threatening to spill. Lily continues taking a step forward, challenging me. “And now here I am trying to give you a family after all these years.”

My eyes almost pop out of their sockets, and my blood is boiling with rage. My veins threatening to pop out of my skin. “THIS IS NOT A FAMILY!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “I am only your lab rat and your prize to society! I am the monster that you want to experiment on because I am the outcast, the different one,” my voice climbing back down. “Our parents did care about me whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. But I am not the monster in this broken family, you are.”

Lily stiffens but her eyes blaze like she is going to blow my head off. She turns to Cole and looks to the line of guards, their guns ready to fire. Lily looks back at me, dead into the eyes.

“Kill her friends,” she says, her voice ice with power. “Then grab her and torture her until she is almost dead, but don’t kill her.”

Cole nods to the line of guards, and they all get ready, waiting for his command to fire. I look at the row of guards, not afraid of what’s to come. They will walk out of here alive.

“Thela,” whispers Zac.

“They won’t kill you,” I say through gritted teeth.

Lily locks eyes on me again. “That is where you are wrong, Thela. Now watch as these bullets kill these people.”

Lily turns and waves her hand as she walks out of the way. The first round of bullets fire, and I take a deep breath, letting the vibrations fill my veins. Stop.

My arms come up in front of me, and I pull my arms back, giving them a harsh push forward like I am pushing open a heavy door. STOP! Opening my eyes just in time to watch the bullets that are so close to hitting us fall to the ground.

My eyes look up to the row of guards’ stunned faces. No one, not even Zac, knows what I just did, and I barely understand it myself, but I know enough. Lily’s eyes are on the bullets, and I look at her, waiting for her to meet my eyes. She looks up and I can’t help but to smile.

“Now what, Lily?” my voice threatening with pride.

“You,” she says, walking closer and pointing her finger at me. “I should have killed you when I had the chance to.”

“You broke the family, and you destroyed our parents.” My voice nice and calm.

Lily’s eyes light up like fireworks, and she tries to slap me, but I catch her wrist. With my free hand, I slap Lily across the face with all the anger I have toward her. She falls back as I let go of her wrist, but Cole catches her. Lily looks up, a red handprint marking her face.

“You’re a dead girl now, Thela Brown,” says Cole. “We will push you to your limits so you can suffer and die here.”

I turn around to face Zac, Tess, and Lucas. Tess’s face has a little smile, and she’s not showing any sign of fear. Lucas and Zac still look at the bullets with disbelief.

“Get ready to run, and run as fast as you can, while fighting for your life,” I whisper to them.

Zac nods, looking up and locking eyes with me. There is no fear in his eyes, not even in the slightest, and he doesn’t look at me like I am a monster or with disgust. Thanks, Zac. Giving him a small smile. Lucas, on the other hand, avoids my eyes like they are the plague, but he nods.

“On three,” I whisper to them. Turning back around to the guards, taking a step closer to them. “You can have me. If you want me dead so badly to push me to my limits, then take me.”

“It’s a trap!” yells Cole.

A smile curls my lips. It sure is. “I never said it is going to be easy, or that I will give myself to you willingly.”

“Oh, I see how it is going to be. You want to play tough even though everyone in this room knows you are not. What makes you think you’ll survive all of these guards?”

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try.”

Grinning, Cole turns to the line of guards, thinking he knows the outcome. He does a hand motion that I don’t understand, and the guards put their guns in their holsters. Cole gives them another hand motion, and this time they charge toward us.

“One.”

Closer and faster the guards come.

“Two.”

The guards only a foot away, getting ready to throw their first punches.

“THELA!” yells Zac.

Only inches away. “THREE,” I scream, avoiding a fist to the jaw.

We all start running as fast as we can, making our way through the bodies of guards. The guards mainly don’t fight me as I weave my way through them. I turn around to see where the others are and how far back.

Tess is now on Zac’s back as she clings on for dear life. He grabs hold of one of the guards, punching him right in the face, not once, but twice, until the guard falls to the ground, causing others to fall over his body. Zac pushes and shoves his way through, making sure Tess is okay, with Lucas right on his heels for cover.

They pass me running, and I follow right behind them, keeping up with their long strides. Cole shouts to the guards, and their running footsteps follow close behind us. Even with Zac carrying Tess, he still outruns Lucas and me, leading the way and turning corners sharply.

We run down to the end of the hall and turn another corner, then run all the way down to a dead end. Lucas and I pant like dogs on a hot summer day, and Zac’s breaths are just a little heavier.

“How are you not more out of breath?” Lucas asks Zac between gasps.

“Does that really matter right now?” snaps Zac. Zac sets down Tess and looks around. “We need to break the window, it’s the only way out.”

“I got this,” states Lucas as he takes a couple of giant steps back. He looks at the window, then to the ground, and back at the window. His chest heaves but his focus is clear.

Tess steps forward, but still out of the way of the window.

“Lucas, you are not going to jump out of the window,” Tess says, fear in her weak voice.

“I did it once before, and I am sure this one isn’t going to be my last time either. Besides, I need to save you, and I will do anything to save you.”

“Lucas, you-”

Without letting Tess finish her panicky sentence, he covers his head and starts running crashing through the window. Tess’s screams echo off the hallway walls. I run to the window before Tess can to make sure Lucas didn’t just kill himself. I look down to him brushing himself off before turning with a smile to give me a thumbs-up. A breath that I didn’t know I was holding finally released as I turn back to Tess and Zac.

“Tess is next,” I say, stepping away from the window.

Zac nods in agreement, and Tess’s eyes light up in fear for her life.

“Wait, what? Thela, I am not ready,” cries Tess.

“You have to be if you want to live.” My voice is as calm as it can be in this situation.

“Lucas will be down there to catch you,” Zac says, locking eyes with me. “I know he doesn’t want to put you in even more danger than we are already in.”

That’s a stab to my heart. Those words are for me to hear, not Tess. You didn’t do any of this. You are not the one who put me in danger. I did, not you. I am the one who put you in danger.

Tess nods and climbs to the windowsill, taking a seat. She takes a deep breath before pushing herself off, and my breath gets caught in my throat.

I take a step forward to see if Lucas caught her. Sure enough, he did and now holds her tightly. Relieved, I turn to Zac, who is already staring at me.

“You go,” he states firmly but with care.

“No, I should be the last to go.” I protest, not wanting to go like Tess, but knowing I have to.

“Thela, go. I will be right down after you.”

I nod and Zac helps me up to the windowsill. I turn back to him, and he just nods his head.

“THERE!” someone yells from down the hall, and we both turn to see who it is.

The guards have found us and run down the hall, shouting for us to stop. Zac steps onto the ledge and pulls me tightly to him by my waist without a second thought.

“Roll,” commands Zac, and I nod.

Both of us take a deep breath, but not for long, and we jump out of the window together. As soon as Zac lets go of me, I tuck in my head and start to roll. I land on my feet but instantly fall onto my butt from the impact. Zac is beside me on his feet, holding out his hand to help me up.

My hand reaches up to his as a bullet hits the gravel beside me only an inch away. I am up in an instant, and we all start running into the woods. People are yelling at us from behind, but mainly I can hear Cole yelling at us to stop, swearing every other word.

Even though I am running for my life, it feels so good to finally be outside in the fresh air again. It is a nice sunny day out with a little breeze. It isn’t too hot or too cold, just the perfect weather.

Ironic, because we are trying to stay alive and to get away from being murdered or tortured. Really, even running from death, it still feels so good to be outdoors again.

We keep running deeper into the woods, and we only stop to catch our breath when we know it is safe. A couple of times, Tess falls behind, but she eventually catches up, panting heavier than the rest of us. Shadows of the trees cast over our faces from the yellow-orange sun dipping down into the ground, bringing a starry sky.

Every one of us rests beside a tree, letting nature sounds take over, but I can’t hear it over my heartbeat drumming in my ears. Zac is the first to stand up straight, his breaths back to normal so fast.

“We won’t make a fire today, it’s just too risky,” Zac says. “It’s going to be a starry night, so we should be fine. We will leave as soon as the sun comes up to get some farther distance for safety.”

“Okay, Tess and I will sleep over here, and you and Thela can sleep over there,” says Lucas breathlessly.

I open my mouth to protest but stop myself. I am too out of breath and too tired to say anything. Zac nods in agreement before turning to me with a smile that says everything will be alright. Nodding, I force a weak smile of my own before we walk to the opposite tree from Lucas and Tess. I hope you’re right, Zac. I hope everything will be alright.

Both of us lie down on the hard gravel ground, and neither one of  us speaks for the longest time. The stars come out of hiding behind the sun. We both look up to the sky, watching the stars twinkle above us.

“Zac?” My voice barely above a whisper,  breaking the silence.

“Yeah, Thela.”

I turn to face him, propping myself up with my elbow. “You didn’t cause any of this. You didn’t hurt me or put me in danger. In fact, I did that to you.”

Zac looks up, meeting my gaze. “I could have stopped it though.”

“How? You got shot, what could you have done?”

Zac looks back up to the sky releasing a shaky breath. Tess’s high pitched giggling fills the silence that is overpowering between us. I look over to them, hoping it will help, but it only makes the hair on my arm stand up as I wait for Zac to answer.

Well, at least they forgive each other, and their relationship is restored as this one crumbles apart.

“I knew where Lily was.” Zac’s voice snaps my attention back to him.

“What?” My voice just audible as I turn to him.

He props himself up on his elbows as well, locking eyes with me and making sure I hold his gaze. “I found her, even though you told me not to. I found the plan she had for you. Well, that she is a highly respected Techtender who works to capture Neuroners with a program.”

“When—no, how did you find her?” I ask, my voice quivering.

“I investigated her, and it wasn’t hard since she wants to be known. She has been working on some new technology designed for Neuroners.”

My breath thickens, and I lie back down, looking up to the stars that blur together. “You found her even though I told you not to? You—you went behind my back, why?”

“She’s your family, Thela.”

“She tried to kill me. More than once. Why would you find someone who abandoned me and left me to die in the woods?”

“That was your-”

“No, it wasn’t.” Tears threaten to fall as I sit back up, facing Zac. “It was her who had the final say if I stayed or not.”

Zac’s face twists with pain as he shows he’s not understanding how Lily could do that. He looks down to the ground, trying to put the pieces together, how a little girl could have so much power.

Reaching up and placing my hand on his cheek, I lock my eyes with his. “I am not blaming you, because you thought you were doing the right thing.” My words calm as I swallow down the tears. “My past is a complicated mess that I don’t even understand. As I get older I learn things I never really wanted to know. My past haunts me vividly, and I can’t ever forget it no matter how hard I try.”

Zac sits up fully, taking my hand from his check and holding both of them. He looks up to me, his eyes drowning me in a way that isn’t suffocating. Slowly, we lean in to each other and stop only a fraction of an inch apart.

“I am sorry,” he whispers.

Our breaths sync with one another, twirling around us.

“I know. You would never do a thing if you didn’t think it was right. You’ll never put me in harm, and I know that, you know that.” My voice soft, and his breaths are on my neck. It doesn’t feel creepy like Cole’s did, but comforting. “You’re my family, Zac. The only family I have that is close enough to it.” The world slows down for us, and nothing else is happening right at this moment. For once out of this week, we can breathe our shared air. The only thing we both rely on for comfort, and for safety.

“Good night, Thela,” whispers Zac.

“Good night, Zac,” I whisper back.

We stay still, neither one of us moving for a moment before we both slowly back away. We lie down, our backs to each other, him facing the trees and me facing Tess and Lucas.

🧠

It feels good to be in a memory. Not just a memory, but a memory that is mine. Raindrops sound like a mob of people are marching over the barn at the orphanage. My vision clears, seeing the younger me of fifteen years old, sitting on a haystack, reading a book.

The barn door opens, and Zac comes in wearing his Protecttender uniform and sliding off his hat. From the years of knowing me, he knows exactly where to go, and stands over me as the younger me pays no attention to him. Zac slides down to sit next to me, and the younger me keeps quiet for a while.

“What are you doing back here?” ask the younger me. “You are no longer an orphan, you actually have a job now.”

“Tomorrow is your last day here,” he states simply, ignoring my question.

“Yep. Now why are you here?”

“To let you know the world isn’t as cold as you may think it is.” I close the book and look up to him. “And to let you know when you leave tomorrow on your sixteenth birthday and everyone says goodbye to you, you’re not going to be alone out there in the world.”

“What are you talking about? Once I am done with this place, I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait for school that starts on Monday.”

Zac smiles the smile that says everything will be okay. “You’ll have a place to go, a place that you can call your very own. When you leave tomorrow, I will be there so you won’t be alone. You can stay at my place and live there.”

“Zac, I-I can’t. We have to move on and live our lives. We can’t always be there for each other.”

“That is where you are wrong, Thela.” Zac gets up, smiling to me as he heads to the door. “I will see you tomorrow, Thela, to pick you up. And every day, at least once a week, I will remind you that you are not alone in this world, and you didn’t deserve to be abandoned, because those people are idiots for not seeing how incredible you are.”

“Hey, Zac,” the younger me calls to him, and he stops in the doorway. “One day in the far future, you will find out the truth about me, and you will run or push me away. You will be scared of me, just like my parents were.”

Zac walks back, holding out his hand to me and I take it. He helps me up, his eyes focused on mine, and he doesn’t let go of my hands.

“Thela, I could never be scared of you. I will never turn my back on you or push you away. That has happened too many times for us. I will always be there until the day I die for you.”

I nod in sync with the younger me for different reasons. The younger me nods because I felt like I could only nod at the time, not knowing what to say. Now I nod because I know how true Zac’s words are, and that he won’t break them. Not ever.

You never once saw me as a monster to be scared of. You were never scared of me even after you found out I am a Neuroner.

My vision blurs and I wake up.

🧠

Zac is still sound asleep right next to me. I roll over to face him and move closer to him. Zac rolls over, placing his arm around me and pulls me closer to him, still semi asleep.

“Thanks for keeping your word and not pushing me away because you were scared of me,” I whisper to him before falling back asleep in his arms.