Chapter 23

NPOV

All I remembered was suddenly, the ground rushed at my face. I felt the branches scratch my face, my arms, my entire body. My slightly conscious mind figured out that I was about to faint from low blood sugar…which I did…right before I hit the ground.

Oh well, I thought as I curled up in my mind. This won't be so bad. Painless, after all….I didn't break my bones as I fell, miraculously. Maybe that training I took really did prepare you for everything…including falling from four stories up and somehow not breaking your neck.

Suddenly, I was waking up and Caitlyn was there.

That's when I knew I was in hell.

Well, hell or no hell, I couldn't be near her.

Eventually, my still feeble mind figured everything out, and I found myself back in the dreaded, evil tree. But I didn't care. Enemy was near…STAY AWAY!

Soon after, I realized Caitlyn was going to do something that I couldn't handle.

She was going to jump off the cliff and kill herself.

Something, deep inside me, exploded. I couldn't let her, Caitlyn, the M.I.M.L and, somehow, the still love of my life, die.

So I did a very random and extremely stupid thing. I rushed to her, grabbed her, trying to keep her from falling…and by doing so, we both did.

All I really was aware of was Caitlyn's shriek, the ground falling from under my feet, and the ground, once again, rushing for my face.

My body somersaulted over in the air. I couldn't feel much, only the wind on me and my stomach shrinking back against my spine, like it did at the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland. I heard Caitlyn screaming, and I couldn't tell if I was.

In the few seconds we were falling, I managed to reach and grab Caitlyn's arms, right before…

SPLASH!!

I hit the bottom of the river in a millisecond, the air rushing from my lungs and landing hard on my ass on the rocks.

Then I realized it…Water! I was in water; there was river at the bottom of the cliff.

My thoughts went a little like this:

I'm Gonna DIIEEE!!!

HOLY SHIT THERE'S WATER!

WATER IM IN A RIVER THERE'S WATER IM NOT GONNA DIE!

Eff I gotta pee now.

CAITLYN!!!!

I surfaced, coughing and sputtering. Water was in my throat, so when I screamed for Caitlyn, I sounded like a frog with throat cancer.

"Caitlyn!" I yelled, still coughing. "Caitlyn!"

The current was strong. I yanked me along, pulling me down along the riverbank. My back hurt, and I realized I must have strained it.

But I couldn't concentrate on that right now.

"Caitlyn!" I yelled again. Suddenly, I was yanked under the water again. I fought for the surface, my lungs burning. I popped up and tried to get my voice out.

"Cait-"

Whoosh. I was under again. The water was a cold blanket, covering my face, my arms, and my entire body. Small bits of plants kissed my face as they whooshed by, and I couldn't fight it.

I felt myself loosing. I came up a second time, and tried to see around me, but then I was sucked under, like the current was a vacuum cleaner or something, and I couldn't get up this time.

I twisted, my air escaping my lips and suddenly, I felt so tired…so, so tired that I wanted to lie down and sleep. My eyes closed and I felt myself sinking…sinking…

Suddenly, something grabbed my shirt and yanked me up. I surfaced, gasping and coughing and realized Caitlyn had grabbed me, pulling me to the rock she was desperately clinging to.

"Damn it, you!" she shouted over the rushing river. "Do I have to save your sorry ass every five minutes?!"

"S-Sorry," I shouted back, my teeth chattering. River water rushed at me, flinging itself at me. I shivered uncontrollably, and my hands started to slip from the rock.

"I'm slipping!" I shouted. Caitlyn grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers, but so her palm was still clinging to the rock. I imagined it hurt her fingers.

"Hold on," she shouted. I tried to find the rock with my legs and once I did, I straddled it, pulling myself against it.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I was also sort of straddling Caitlyn. She was now officially sandwiched between the rock and my body.

"I'm sorry," I said in her ear.

"Me, too," she whispered to softly I couldn't hear her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry!" she shouted. "This…this is all my fault."

"No, it's not Caity!" I shouted back, even though it was. The current tugged me, wanting to pull me back and use me as a play-thing, but I gritted my teeth and held tight. "You didn't know the ledge would give away!"

"No," she agreed. "But if I hadn't lied to you…made you run away," her voice broke "then we'd never be here…you'd never be here."

"Why do…you care about me?" I called as another blast of current nailed me.

"Because," she shouted. "I…I really do love you, Nate. You're not just my mission, you're my life! I couldn't turn you in and I won't!"

I felt chilled. But not because of the river. Because of the words she had just spoken.

My first reaction was horror; the enemy liked me, she was still here, what should I do?

My second one was relief.

"Caitlyn," I whispered, pulling myself closer to him and resting my head on her shoulder. "I…I, for some reason still love you, too. I…I wish I weren't a spy, so I wouldn't have to be enemies with you, but…"

Caitlyn looked at me, then kissed my cheek. "So where does that leave us?" she murmured.

"Stuck in the middle of a river clinging to a wet rock."

"I meant relationship wise."

"Oh."

"Well?" she breathed. I thought for a very, very long time. So long, Caitlyn turned to look at me and see if I was still there.

Finally…I let out a long sigh.

My answer killed me.

"Caitlyn…I think that, because of who we are, where we come from and who we belong to…we're going to have to remain enemies."

ALL RIGHT I updated! Oh, No I probably shocked you all, huh??!

Sorry this one is a little short. I'm going to try for an updating marathon this weekend after I finish my homework, though, and then I want to mainly focus on this story. I need to get my stories done, so after this is going to be United We're Connect 3! and my Twilight story, My Best Friends Baby (That one needs SERIOUS TLC!!!)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review...and there might be some Naitlyn love in the next chapter. ; )

Rock 'N Roll!

Stay In School!

Be Independent!

Review!

-Alyssa