HELLOOO. :)
So, if you're reading this, it means it's already 2014! Woo! Hope you guys had amazing holidays, and have a great year filled with joy, laughter, smiling, love, health, and lots of good luck! :3 Love you all!
And yes, the last chapter was just a filler one, but it'll be important to the plot, I promise youuu :)
Oh, and just so you know, I'm changing my username to: ADayWithoutSmilingIsADayWasted ;) Just so you know, and don't get shocked. ;) Hehhehehehe. Ok. That was weird.
Anywayyy...
Enjoy&Review!
*ALLY*
I don't stick around to hear my instructor's congratulations. Confused, my head spinning, I sprint towards The Mart, and through its dim, white marble corridors, until the wooden doors of the hospital stand in front of me. I don't know why I'm here; I shouldn't be. But I have to see Austin. I have to. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. This is no time to cry, yet the emotions coursing through me because of the mental test are too much, and I find myself unable to move on for a second, overwhelmed.
"Get yourself together, Ally," I say sternly to myself, as I duck down, so that the eye-scanner scans my eye. An approving beep later, the mahogany doors open, and I enter the hospital.
Nurses with white aprons are everywhere, the room buzzing with conversation. Wounded patients lie on the right, some with bandaged heads; others with black eyes. I sneak past them, and continue straight, careful not to cross anyone's path. Turning left, I head for Austin's room, which is marked 32C. My eyes feel hot. A single tear tickles my cheek. 32 was Austin's favorite number.
Carefully twisting the doorknob, I let myself in, praying that there's no one in there. I don't want to think what will happen if I get caught checking up on Austin again. "What a reckless decision," Sam would probably say. That's always the word he uses for me: reckless. It's become sort of a nickname now.
Luckily, there's no one else in the room, except for Austin himself. He looks so much better, like he could be nothing but asleep, and I almost expect him to open his eyes and greet me with his beautiful smile. For a moment, I focus on the rise and fall of his chest. Then, sighing, and sit on the little chair next to him, looking at his face.
It looks like it did before, back home, since the nurses cleaned him up. His hair is washed and shining. At that moment, all I wish I to see his eyes.
Sighing, I look out the window. The camp is spread down below, with its training areas and the field of bright green grass right in the middle. Campers hurry across the stone paths, some just chatting around, others heading towards activities. I spot Marlene, talking to a boy with a crooked smile, light brown hair and bright blue eyes; that's Jason.
For the first time since she arrived here, I see her smiling. He must make her happy. Despite my mood, I grin at the sight of them. They'd make a cute couple.
Below the camp is the blue ocean, spread out as far as I can see. Some of the camp's boats are in the harbor, their sails swaying in the wind. I've never been on a boat, and I had made Sam promise me he'd take me, even though the ever-lasting sway of the ocean is sure to give me nausea.
Lost in thought, I jump at the sound of someone opening the door. Sam's head pocks through the door, his eyes meeting mine. He gives me a small smile. "I knew you'd be here," he says as he comes in. "We have to talk, Ally."
Shaking my head to clear it, I look up at Sam. He's dressed like I first saw him; black shirt, black leather jacket, black jeans, black sneakers.
"What is it?" I ask. "If it's about me coming here, we don't need to talk. I already know what you're going to tell me. I just...I needed to see Austin again, that's all."
In my surprise, he smiles. "I know. Your instructor told me about the test, and he was pretty confused as to what you saw. Nevertheless, he wants me to congratulate you on it," he pauses for a moment, studying my expression, and then continues. "But that's not why I'm here. I want to talk about something else, something far more important, that I'd like to share with you."
Relief spreads through me; he isn't mad that I'm here. But there's worry, too. Why does Sam look so worried, and tired, like he hasn't slept in days? Suddenly I'm aware of the dark circles under his eyes. "What's wrong?" I ask. "Is there a problem?"
Sam sits beside me, looking at Austin. His eyebrows are drawn together, creating a little crease between them. He looks so much older since we got here, like whatever he has to tell me is weighing him down, causing him to age. "I don't think we should talk here. You aren't supposed to be here at all. Let's find a more private place to discuss this."
"Like where?" I ask, getting up.
He smiles tiredly, opening the door for me, "I'll show you."
/
We walk out of the doors of The Hut, and head to the beach. Excitement spreads through me, as it does every time I go to the beach. It makes me happy, seeing the ocean so vast and beautiful and…free. I always imagine diving in and swimming away from the world. But then I realize that that very action would be cowardice; trying to run away from a problem instead of solving it, that's cowardice. And if there's anything that this camp has taught me, is to never ever cower.
It takes forever to get to our destination. We pass a lot of campers on the beach, swimming and having fun; it's probably their break hour. Some of them call out to Sam, but he doesn't acknowledge them, his stare fixated in the distance. It is only when we reach the end of the beach, where a small forest grows, that he looks at me. "There's only a little more to go, I promise," he mutters, smiling at me. But the smile never reaches his eyes.
Finally, he seems to slow down. In the distance, I spot a house up in the trees, made entirely of wood, with a zip-wire going from its roof down to the ocean. The first instinct I get is to take a ride on it. I shake my head to focus.
"We're here," Sam says. "Let's go." We climb up the opening, and with ease, Sam pushes the door open, and lets me in. "Welcome to my kingdom," he says, the old humor back in his voice. Then, he becomes serious again. "Now, it's time to talk."
There's a small table at one end of the house, and we sit there, on opposite sides of it, facing each other. I avoid Sam's gaze, shaking my leg up and down nervously; an old habit of mine. "What is it?"
He looks at me sternly, his sea-green eyes meeting mine. "A war is starting, Ally." His voice is so low I can barely hear it. "And you're the one who started it."
I jolt up in shock. "Excuse me? I think I would recall if I started a war. It's not something you do by accident. You're not one day just sipping your tea and eating your muffin, and then suddenly, oops, you start a war." I glare at him, waiting for his response, but he takes his time, playing with the zipper of his leather jacket, pulling it up and down and up and down.
"Actually," he says, "in your case, it was. Do you remember that time, when you threw yourself over Austin, to protect him from the Lawkeeper?" I shudder at the memory. "Yes, well, the rumor about it spread very quickly, and people all over the country took it as a sign of rebellion, your bravery, I mean. More and more of them are defying the laws, and we have to save them. It's good, though. Not the dying part. I mean the fact that they're standing up for themselves; that they're finally acting."
My brain struggled to process what I just heard. "I- I don't understand. How did I cause all of that?"
Sam sighs, maybe in frustration, and leans in closer to me. "I told you already. When you came face-to-face with that Lawkeeper, and willed him to shoot you, without a sign of fear, people took your courage as an act of rebellion. And ever since, they've been taking your example. Just yesterday, we got signals from about ten people, getting caught because they were trying to be like you; to defy the Centralism, to break the rules. Only they don't get away with it so easily."
A hysterical laugh is building inside of me; me fearless? I was about to pass out as I faced the Lawkeeper. The only reason I didn't is because I needed to save Austin.
He pauses for a moment, and studies my face, trying to read my reaction. "Nevertheless, the Centralism, and President Bow, don't enjoy these little games. They've bombarded almost all of the villages in the country, and caused a lot of deaths; they thought that that would end any spark of rebellion. But it didn't. You and Austin gave them hope, and hope is stronger than fear. Now, there's a secret organization in one of the villages; they're planning a war to defy the government."
"I thought you were the Rebels," I say. It's a pretty stupid comment, next to everything that I just heard, but it's the only thing that escapes my mouth.
To my surprise, Sam doesn't look annoyed this time. "We are. But we focused more on helping people in need than starting a rebellion. We thought, at the time, that it was too dangerous. The people weren't ready." He stops to look at me straight in the eye. "But now they are, and so are we. And we're going to help them. That includes you."
Getting up, I knock the chair over. My head is swirling. "What? I never signed up for this! You took me here so that I can be with Austin while he recovers, that's all. So, I'm going to wait for him to feel better, and then we're going back home."
Sam glares at me, taking my hand roughly, and giving it a squeeze. "I don't think you understand, Ally. There is no back home."
Ta-daaa!
So, what did y'all think? Tell me in the reviews below, if you liked it, hated it, or whatever crossed your mind while reading it! :) I love seeing your awesome reviews.
And as always, thanks for reading. You're the best, and I wanted to thank you all for the reviews and the favorites and everything. I love you guys. You're the best.
Oh, and I just wanted to announce something; every month, I'll recommend a book for you guys, and then if you want you can PM me and we can fangirl over it together. Deal? ;)
So, this month's book is: The Delirium Trilogy, by Lauren Oliver. I loved all the books, except maybe the third one. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't like it a lot either. Eh, whatever. Anyway, if you read it, or if you have already read it, tell me! :)
Chins up, smiles on! :)
Take care. Thanks a bunch! Love you all!
Stay awesome and #LOUD!