Disclaimer: I don't own it. I just dream it.

Chap 7

'I want to leave. I want to leave and never come back'

That was my only thought. I didn't even dream that day. As I was tucked away in my old cell between the dried wheat crackers and flour I felt somehow a little safer. I knew that I would need to leave soon if I were going to be able to blend in with the others for the raid. So as I crawled out of the hole I noticed that I stepped on something soft. It felt like a pile of clothes. Sleeping there next to the opening was Ian. Fresh tears began to spring into my eyes but I tried to push them aside I was angry, shocked and so incredibly hurt.

I quietly snuck away pulling my duffle and sleeping bags.

With all the strength I had left I dried my tears and went to the dining room where I knew everyone would be gathered to organize and plan out the raid.

As I had predicted everyone was gathered around Jared listening to his plan. He stopped for second as if he felt the minute I entered the room and looked directly at me. With concern in his eyes he excused himself and came toward me. Everyone turn seeming to sense that something was wrong to have caught Jared's attention so fully, I tried to shrink back behind the wall but it was too late, they all saw.

I turned to go back to pull myself together.

"Wanda? What's happened?" his gentle touch made me stop and turn to him. Without my knowing what was happening I was sobbing like a child in his arms. I found my arms around his waist and my head resting in his strong chest.

"Whatever it is, we can fix it. OK?"

His words washed over me and warmed me up completely.

"Hey," he pulled himself away to look into my eyes, "babe, I'll fix it. Tell me what happened and I'll do anything to make you smile again."

As much as I tried to smile I couldn't get over the fact that this whole exchange was wrong.

I pulled completely away from him and turned to go back but his arms quickly wrapped around me and held me close. I could feel his lips on the top of my hair placing small quick kisses

And for one brief moment I let myself sink back into his arms. I needed for one moment to feel safe in a man's arms that no one could hurt me. That no matter what happened I would be protected.

"Jared, I have to go. What if someone sees us? Please just let me go. I have to deal with this on my own." I squirmed out of his hold and left not wanting to look at him. But just as I was turning the corner I braved a looked back at him and found that he hadn't moved. He was standing there looking down at where I had been just moments ago.

Without any other option I went back to our old room to clean up and change my clothes really quickly.

'I'd made such a mess of things and in the process gotten my heart stomped on'

I picked up my looking glass and saw why Jared looked so startled.

I had large dark circles underneath my puffy, red eyes. Pet's long platinum blond hair was piled up in tangles on the top on my head.

"Wow I look…"

"Amazingly beautiful" chimed in Ian's voice from the door.

I gripped the looking glass so tightly it was digging into the palm of my hand.

"I want to be alone please." My voice shook with anger and hurt.

He came up behind me. "Wanda, please. I need to talk to you about something. I need you to understand that I love you and only you. I just want you to talk to me and tell me what is happening because all I want to understand why you have to leave me."

"I don't need you to understand me because everything I ever felt for you in gone." I turned directly to look into his eyes, "Do you understand that?"

"What?"

"I DON'T LOVE YOU!!!!" I screamed as loudly as I could. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?" I had to get it out as swiftly as I could so that I could hurt him just as badly as he'd hurt me. And with that I grabbed my things and went back to the kitchen.

I sat just outside looking through my bag for a hair brush. I had to make myself look a little more presentable.

A small orange hair brush was handed to me, which I took and looked up right at Melanie. "Thanks" I pushed it through my hair to start removing the tangles form my hair.

She sank down next to me. "Jared told me."

My hand stopped and I looked at her.

"He told you?" I repeated.

"Yeah, something's happened. He said you were so upset you couldn't even talk and that you ran away from him. I was there in the dining hall you know. You look like you've been put through hell. Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. This was embarrassing. Ian's betrayal was embarrassing to me. I was so shocked that my first reaction would be to hide it rather than finding a way to understand it and learn something from it. Like maybe how not to get hurt.

"Sometimes it makes you see things in a new way if you get other people's opinions" she said.

What Melanie was saying made sense.

I looked at her curious to know if she had gone through something similar. If this was typical of the way the 2 different sexes related to each other on this planet then I wasn't sure if I could handle being human.

"Well I went back to my room after I talked to you and Ian was gone. I waited for him for almost an hour and when he didn't come back I went to look for him."

Melanie looked at me with concern. "So then what? Did you find him?

I nodded my head. "I found him in the bathing room with… He was WITH someone. I mean he was sharing himself with someone else."

"oh my god." Melanie hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god. Did you see who he was with?"

"No" new tears began to form in my eyes.

She quickly hugged me and started to rub my back.

"Wanda, I know that this is hard but did you talk to him about it? I mean there is no excuse but maybe it's not what you think it is. Maybe... Oh I don't know what to say."

"Is this typical or common for humans to hurt each other this way?"

"To be completely truthful with you, it is very common. Now I'm not saying that this is the way it's supposed to be but you have to be willing to listen to his side and be as understanding as possible. Maybe it was some misunderstanding. Look I know how you feel about Ian and that feeling is not common. Not everyone here knows what true love is. And I know that you feel that for Ian." She smiled at me with sadness in her eyes. "It's how I feel for Jared."

I took her hand, "I know." I always knew that the last thing I ever wanted was to ruin anything between them because now I knew what it was like to be on the other side of a betrayal. I would never do that to Melanie. My friend.

I was hiding behind a large boulder waiting for an opportunity to get to the jeep. I'd have to wash it down before going into town so that they wouldn't be suspicious. I poked my head out from behind the large rock and darted into the cave where the first jeep was hidden. I cleared the cover off and threw my duffle bag over to the passenger seat. I turned on the ignition and off I went. The wind whistled through my long blond hair. And the sun beat on my face. Thankfully I'd remembered to put lots of sunscreen on to avoid any painful after affects of the sun. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with my thoughts but I was grateful to be away from Ian and her. I didn't even know who she was but she was making my life a living hell. I hadn't thought of leaving Earth but now it seemed an option that I was seriously considering. It didn't occur to me that this would and could happen. I never thought that something could hurt so much but why did I allow Ian to get so close to me. I shouldn't have allowed any of them to get that close to me emotionally.

The wind cleared my head of everything. I felt free to go and be anything I wanted now. I'd get a motel room as planned and get all the supplies they needed and leave it in the motel room and be on my way before they even knew what was happening. I couldn't leave them without supplies after all we had been through.

I pulled into the Lamplighter Inn and checked in without any problem. I had to shower after all those hours of driving but a few minutes later I crumbled onto the bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Knock

Knock

Knock

I immediately got out of bed to look through the peep hole.

"Who is it?"

"Wanda?" came a whisper. "open up it's me. Jared. Hurry!"

I turned the lock hastily. "What are you doing here?" I pressed.

He entered the room as if he was being chased. He was fuming and pacing back and forth.

It began to worry me that something had happened to Melanie or Jamie.

"What is it Jared? What's going on? Is it Jamie? Melanie? What's happening????"

He stopped for second and turned to look at me. That was when I saw the tears in his eyes and the pain there. I stood up and ran to him. He finally sat on the bed so that I could reach him. I sat next to him and put my arms around him and let him cry. I could tell that he just needed it before he could even talk about what was happening. Even though I was worried I let him hold onto me.

Finally, I felt his body relax enough so that he could speak. He laid back onto the bed taking me with him. I was at his side with my head on his chest just waiting for whatever had reduced this man to tears.

"She…I saw her. She was with Ian." He choked out.

I got up and all the hairs on my arm stood up on end.

"Melanie was with Ian????"

Author's note:

This last chapter was written before any other one was. That is why I could get it out this quickly. It may take me a few more days to finish and re-edit the final chapter. But I promise it'll be really HOT!!!! Heehee. ;-)