In an attempt to make up for taking so damn long to post the last chapter, I posted two today XD. YAY FOR CHAPTER POSTING. AND FOR HUNGER GAMES. I only hope that the movie isn't as big of a let down as most book-adaptions are. I will be severely PISSED. Also, if you haven't read the Hunger Games, I highly suggest you do it. The ending of the series peeved me off a bit, but I can't rant about it without giving it away. But if you've read the Hunger Games, PLEASE send me a PM so that I can rant to you. Tehe.
"What?" Seth sounded furious.
There was a long pause that turned into an awkward silence. His mind was going a million miles a second, so I couldn't understand anything he was thinking. But I could feel the fury, sadness and fear that was coming from his thoughts.
"Seth, I came here to help, not sit on the sidelines and watch like some Earth-Tard." I used the phrase Sour Puss had mumbled earlier.
"It's too dange-"
"Dangerous? Did you not hear him? I'll be talking. That's it. If this works, it'll save lives, Seth! No fighting. No violence. And I have heard any other plans. This one sounds good as anything else. And as for the 'danger'... It was dangerous to have you and Sara in the back of our car with a Siphon AND Henry Burke chasing you. It was dangerous to break into Witch Mountain and escape with your ship. It was dangerous to fall in love with you and come to your planet. But did that stop us? No. So why should this?"
Another long pause, though this one wasn't quite as awkward. I could almost feel the approval radiating off of the others. But I wasn't focused on them. I was focused on Seth, whose mind was still reeling with thoughts of anger, worry, and hurt. I didn't want to anger or hurt him, but if he thought I wasn't going to help, he was dead wrong. If he wanted me to stay out of this, then he shouldn't have brought me.
"I just wanted to keep you safe."
Then he turned and stormed up the stairs. Seconds later, there was a slammed door.
"Well. That was... intense." Steven was trying to lighten the mood.
"It was totally epic." Stella agreed.
"It was heartbreaking." Sara mumbled.
"I've never seen anyone stand up to Seth like that." Jon sounded shocked. All I felt was shame. He was just trying to protect me, like he has done the entire time that I've known him, and all I did was hurt him.
He will forgive you, Syd. He knows you're right. Just give him time to realize that he knows it.
Should I go talk to him?
No, just give him time.
I closed my eyes. Wow. Less than a week, and we're already fighting this bad? But it didn't weaken my feelings for him a bit.
My brother has never felt this way for anyone. He overreacts. Doesn't know how to handle things. You both have been under stress from the moment you met. It will get better, I promise. This too, shall pass.
I had to believe her. She hadn't led me wrong yet. Besides, I desperately wanted her to be right. I was taken up to the second floor of the house, put into a bed and given a weak sleeping pill. Man, these drugs are helpful. Hopefully, when I wake up, Seth will be by m-
I wok up the next morning feeling strange. I was alone for one. I was in a foreign room. The bed was too comfortable. The room too clean.
Sara?
Oh, you're awake! I'll be right up.
Seconds later, Sara was standing by my bed, smiling. "we're all downstairs, eating and planning our leave."
"Where's Seth? When are we leaving?"
"We're leaving at noon. It's almost 9:30 now. Seth is downstairs. But... He's distant. He's not talking to anyone, just sitting in the corner of the room silently. But he's thinking about you constantly."
"Is he still mad?"
"I don't think he's mad at you, Sydley. He's mad at Jon for suggesting it, me for supporting it, and himself for not being able to stop you."
"He can't blame himself for not being able to stop me! I came here to help, and I'm going to help! This is my choice, not his. And I would appreciate it if he would just accept my decision!"
"I know, Syd. I know. I'm not really sure what to do to make this better... Just... come on. Here's some clothes, put these on, come downstairs, and get some food."
I was mad. No. I was furious. How can he blame himself for MY decision? And Jon was doing what he thought was best. And it does seem to be best... I threw on the clothes Sara pulled out for me and followed her down the stairs into a kitchen where everyone was grouped around an island. Everyone but Seth, who, like Sara said, was off in a corner alone. Even Travis was sitting at the island. I was greeted with a chorus of "Good mornings" I half halfheartedly responded back, but I wasn't really worried about them. I was listening to Seth. Well, not Seth, but his mind...
God, she's beautiful. I wish I could just go up and grab her right now. Wish I could apologize... But I don't know what she expects me to do. I can't stand to think of her being in danger. It would kill me to not have her if something goes wrong. If she gets hurt, I swear I will kill everyone involved. I wish she would just forget the rebellion. But there's no way that will happen. What if something goes wrong?
Seth...
Stay out of my mind, Syd.
That hurt. He stood and stormed out, once again.
"OOH. Trouble in Paradise?" Travis sounded excited.
"Shut up, Travis." Jon warned.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is trouble in Paradise. Seth doesn't like the idea of me being used in the rebellion. He wants me to sit on the sidelines as far back as possible, where there is no chance I'll get hurt. So when I went against his wishes, agreed to go talk to your government about the experiment, then told him off when he tried to argue, it caused a bit of trouble."
"You stood up to Seth? Risked a huge fight with your Xanadu? To save our planet?" Travis sounded shocked.
"That's what we've been trying to tell you, Trav. She's not just some 'Earth-Tard'." Stella giggled. "This girls got some balls."
"I see." Travis looked like he was contemplating something, so I formed a connection with him and listening. Trying not to be so awkwardly obvious about it, I made a plate of food and sat eating as I listened to him talk about how maybe he'd been wrong about me. Maybe I wasn't as bad as he thought. He might have to give this Earth-Tard a chance.
Far from lifting my spirits, instead this just brought on a sick feeling in my stomach. What if Seth was wrong about me? What if I'm not really his Xanadu? Maybe the "connection" I feel is really just desperate hormones.
"No, Sydley. Seth isn't wrong about you being his Xanadu. You're making this fight feel bigger than it really is, I swear. He'll get over it, trust me. He's my brother, we've fought tons of times. He just has to have time. Don't worry so much." Sara comforted me. I don't suppose she could have said that in my mind. I don't like the idea of everyone knowing that I'm having doubts and about my insecurities. "Sorry."
Seth chose this time to walk back in to the kitchen. There was a pause among everyone, as we all stared at him, wondering what he was planning on doing.
"Syd?" He held his hand out to me. I slowly stood and grabbed on. "Let's go for a walk."
We walked hand and hand out of the house before he began speaking. There was nothing but a dirt driveway winding away through a few more sparse trees, so we walked along that.
"Syd. I'm sorry. I've been acting stupid. I knew you were going to want to help. I knew that was part of the reason for you coming up here to begin with. It's just that the thought of you being put into harms way is too much for me to bear. Yes, it sounds all lovely to think that there won't be any violence and that there won't be any fighting, but what if that's not right? What if they decide to kill you on the spot for attempting to intervene? Or if they find out that you're human and kill you? There are a million things that could go wrong with this plan, and I'm just not ready to let you walk into this with your arms wide open, just beckoning any and everything bad to happen."
"Seth, I'm not beckoning anything and everything bad to happen. It's like you said, you knew I was going to be involved in this. I just thought that you would rather me be involved in a verbal argument than to be handed a gun and told to go kill some people. This is the safest thing I could possibly do. I don't expect you not to worry about me, but I DO expect you to respect my decisions."
"I do respect your decision, I swear I do. I just wish that your decision was a safer one. Or at least that I could go in to talk to the government with you."
"Trust me, I'm not too happy about going in to do that alone, either. But it's what has to happen." We had made it to what seemed to be an abandoned road. There were no cars around, and just like the patch of trees, none of the normal sounds you normally hear coming from a road. There weren't even sounds of animals or insects. It was all so quiet. Very unnerving.
"Syd. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I acted so stupidly, I'm sorry I overreacted, I'm sorry I left you alone all night and this morning. I'm sure that wasn't nice, being left by the one who brought you to this planet, on this new place. I feel horrible. And, the fact that I've wasted a day being upset at you, I feel ashamed. Forgive me?"
"You're not the only one who needs to apologize, Seth. I should have talked to you before I just jumped into this. I should have at least warned you. It was horrible being alone last night, but as long as we're okay now, it doesn't matter. I'll forgive you if you'll forgive me."
"Of course, Syd." He pulled me into him, and gave me another taste of sugary vanilla. Oh, I love this taste. And his lips. They're so soft, but still firm. If that's even possible. And they're always warm. Warm and inviting. He pulled me back into a tree and we slid to the ground, me laying on his chest and him rubbing circles onto my back. We laid here peacefully for a while, not talking too much, but when we did it was about nothing major. What I thought of his planet. What my favorite color was. What he wanted to be when he grew up, if this rebellion hadn't taken over his life. His parents, and how his life was here before all this shit happened. Any guys I had been interested in (Only two, before Seth). Any girls he had been interested in (Only one, before me).
"What time is it?" I asked him. He put his watch up so we could read it and I saw that it read 1:42. I jumped up, shocked. "1:42? We've been out here for over three hours! We were supposed to leave at noon, Sara said!" Seth quickly jumped up and we ran back to the house, just to find everyone lounging around.
"What's going on? I thought we were leaving today?" Seth asked.
"We're not ready. We need another day to plan. We can't just go out there with a general idea of what we're going to do. We actually need to KNOW what we're going to do. Our best bet at keeping Syd as safe as possible is to have a good plan."
At least they're worried about her safety as much as I am. Well, maybe not as much, but at least they're worried about it.
I smiled at this. It was true, they did seem to be genuinely concerned at my safety. I was glad to know that I wasn't just some pawn that could be afford to taken out.
Of course they are, Seth. They saw what I mean to you, and they wouldn't let anything happen to me, because they know that it would hurt you. They're your friends for a reason.
He squeezed my hand, and kissed my temple. "Hungry?"
"Starving."
I feel I may have rushed this, having them make up so quickly, but I really don't like it when they're fighting, haha. I get waaaaay too into these things. It's like they're real people or something. I'm very tempted to rewrite this chapter, and not have them make up so quickly. But then again, that requires a lot of effort, and I'm much to lazy. So, enjoy. Tralalalala. I'm in the mood for some cake. Oh, or chocolate. Or ice cream. Or just something sweet in general. OMG CHINESE FOOD.
xoxo, moe.
