She lay still as stone, on the cold hard ground of the medical ward. Staring up at the high ceiling, counting the stones, the wood, and nails, keeping her eyes open at all times as the dark circles grew under her eyes.

The boys have been away for days now, hearing nothing of them, and speaking to no one, Tessa remained awake for those days in which they were gone. Not from the stress, but from the fear of what would come once she closed her eyes. She was living in limbo, not knowing if everything with Will was a dream, or reality.

They days went by as if they were nothing, she could hear the clicking of the nurses shoes as she walked past her, never stopping to talk to Tessa. The nurse knew what answer she would get from her silence, Tessa had not spoken to anyone since they boys had gone in fear of her being thrown back out onto the streets without her saying goodbye.

As the sun began to shine through the windows, and the birds began their soft morning songs, Tessa heard loud footsteps coming from down the hall, loud thunderous, clearly that of a man's.

"Will." She breathed and stood up, eyes fixated on the large doorway, she held her breath, no longer having concern for her breathing, but merely a concern as to if she was dreaming or not.

The door flung open and there in the doorway stood Jem, his face was damp with sweat, his coat drenched in blackness, blackness that smelt revolting. He ran to her and threw a bed sheet over her to keep her warm and hurried out into the hallway.

"Jem what's going on?" she whispered, why she was whispering she did not know.

"I can't begin to explain without you thinking I were mad… You just have to trust me ok?" He said as they reached the large door leading down to a very long and cramped stair case.

Horribly lit, Tessa squinted and looked at Jem trying to make sense of what was going on. He pushed her forward and told her to run as fast as she could, not understanding why this was happening, Tessa stumbled and turned around ready to open her mouth demanding answers when she saw the look on Jems face. His face was dark, hard as stone but still fragile, she knew what was happening, he had lived through it before. Without another thought she started to run, run down the unlit stairwell, hoping she wouldn't trip and fall, hoping that Jem would be safe…. Hope that Will would be safe.

With a loud and thunderous boom in the chambers above Tessa stopped dead in her tracks. Tears were streaming down her face, her heart slamming in her chest, the only sound she could hear in the small stairwell.

"Tessa."

A whisper cut through the sound in her ears, teasing the edges of her senses. Closing her eyes she concentrated on the sound.

"Tessa this way."

"Who are you?" Tessa whispered, "I will not go any further unless you present yourself."

"By the Angel Tess it's me!"

"Oh Will!" Tessa cried and started running as fast as her feet would grant her. She heard him running towards her as well, they collided, arms stretched and held onto each other tightly. He smoothed her hair down and kissed her forehead.

"Tessa I am so sorry to have left you for those days, but its urgent that we escape now. I have to get you to safety."

"Why is Jem not with us, why did he stay behind?"

Will swallowed, she could hear the distress in his voice as he talked, "He is buying us time, he will meet us at a safe location when this is all over."

Tessa ran her hand down his arm and found his hand and held it tightly, he squeezed back in response.

They both started to the end of the stairs which led to a small door hidden to the outside by bushes. The light from the sun irritated Tessa's eyes and she shut them momentarily, trying to adjust.

"Will…" she breathed, "Are we going to be ok?"

Will walked forward; his head was hidden by the bright light of the sun, "As long as we have each other."

….

Hello, I am deeply sorry that I have not updated my story for a long time. Last November, my best friend and first man I ever loved was tragically killed and I have been trying to deal with his loss. I am still nowhere near being okay with everything, but I knew I wanted to keep writing because he always wanted me to follow my dreams. I hope to write a novel about him one day. He was my inspiration and the bright summer sky to my rainy clouded mind. I have loved him for 9 years, and I will continue to do so. I hope you liked this chapter and I enjoy reading all you're messages. Thank you and enjoy.