Woo third update in a row! I'm spoiling you guys, but I love ya anyway.
America's POV
I remember the first time I visited Honduragua. After all, it was where Maxon and I had our honeymoon. I hate how I can't look back at Honduragua as a happy place anymore. All because of one man, a man who is no longer living.
When Henry died, I thought I'd be ecstatic. But now, I just feel sad and empty. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. I've realized that everyone lived by that mantra, everyone would be blind and dead. It's pointless.
Mom's house is the one she's had as a child. It's pale yellow, with poorly tended plants surrounding it, due to the muggy air from the factories. Maxon and I made sure a long time ago that there wouldn't nearly be as many factories, and that's something we were able to achieve quickly.
The house is in the middle of nearly nowhere. The dense jungle-like environment surrounds us, and it makes me feel safer knowing that we will be here, unable to be tracked. At least twenty guards surround the house, though really it's for the children's sake rather than ours. Tess's breakdown in the airplane isn't something I'd like to see again. It was frustrating for me, not being able to do anything to help.
There are only so many things within my reach.
Maxon knocks the door and the squeaky wooden door opens for us, and I take his hand. I haven't seen Amberly in a while, and still, the only image in my mind of her is bright and luminous. We've been suspecting that her sickness was short-term, what with the factory smoke clogging up everyone's lungs here.
Adele is the one to open the door. "Maxon, America," she breathes, engulfing us in a tight hug. When she pulls back, only then I can see how weary she is. Her tired eyes match her dull gray hair. "Come on, kids," she says, waving us inside.
The house smells like flowers and vanilla. It actually smells a bit like Maxon. The same, faint, sweet smell that sticks to his skin sometimes. Pictures line the walls; mostly Maxon's doing, of course. Mom is in most pictures, and I smile when I see a picture of me with my arms wrapped around Mom. It was a day in the Women's Room during the Selection. It was Kriss's idea to have a day off there, and Celeste was actually really fun that day. There's another picture of Maxon and me outside the palace, his arms wrapped around my waist. We look like the happiest people on Earth.
Adele leads us to a room by the corner, and I don't quite know what to expect. I certainly don't expect air freshener and scented candles masking the smell of stale urine. The window is open, the sunlight streaming in through the open space.
Then there's Mom.
And I still recognize her.
Her smile is bright, like the sunlight that hits her cheek. Her arms are open, like the branches on trees. Mom's hair is so white it reminds me of corn silk.
"Maxon, dear?" she says, her voice creaking, like the wooden floorboards. "Is that you?"
Adele leaves the room and closes it.
Maxon lets go of my hand to hold his mother's. "Hi, Mom. How are you?"
Mom pulls him in for a hug. "I'm doing fantastic, Maxon." She sees me over his shoulder, and I brace myself for her question. She probably doesn't remember me. "America, honey? Don't just stand there. Come here."
I breathe a sigh of relief and give her a loose hug, but Mom does the opposite. Her thin arms pull me tightly to her, and I whisper, "Hi, Mom."
"America, dear, how is the baby?" she asks, and I almost laugh.
"They're not babies anymore, Mom."
"Oh?" She pulls back to look at the children behind me. "Where's Michael? I haven't seen him since he was in diapers."
I bite my lip to keep from crying. Maxon tells her what happens, only leaving out the pain in his voice. "Oh, my dears," she says, hugging both of us. "I'm so sorry."
I smile, trying to push away the thought. "Matthew, Rilane, and Xander are here, and a person Matthew would like to introduce."
"Where's the other girl?" she says, looking at the crowd of dumbstruck kids. "That doesn't look like my Alexandra."
Tess laughs behind her hand. "She's married now," Matthew says, grinning.
Then Mom frowns. "Clarkson? What are you doing here?" Her arms reach out for Matthew, and he draws nearer to give her a hug. "Clarkson, I thought you were gone," she whispers, almost close to tears.
"Grandma, it's Matthew," he says, looking at her with confusion. "Your grandson?"
"Clarkson, you're being crazy."
Maxon frowns and leaves the room. "Excuse me," he mumbles.
"Mom, this is my son Matthew," I say.
Her face slacks at the realization. "Oh. I'm sorry. I just thought..."
Maxon rushes back in with a picture of a young man in an impeccable suit in front of the palace. "It's Matthew," I say. The hair, blue eyes...I'm convinced, but there's something different. That's not my Matthew's smile.
"This is Father," Maxon says, "when he was nineteen."
"Wait, what?" Matthew grabs the picture out of his father's hands and holds it up to his face. The similarity is uncanny. "I look like my grandfather," he says numbly.
"Who's that girl over there?" Mom says, changing the topic quickly. She reaches for Tess, and the girl tentatively takes Mom's hand.
"I'm Tess, Your Majesty," she says, awestruck.
"Tess? I don't remember a Tess in my family."
"Grandma," Matthew interjects, "this is my fiancee. She's the princess of Italy."
"Oh!" Mom pulls her in roughly for a hug, and I can faintly hear Tess's shocked laugh. "Congratulations."
Xander and Rilane give her a hug too, and we sit around her bed as we try to keep her up. Rilane takes my hand when we tell her the entire story of Michael, and I cling to her. Her blue eyes are glassy, and I pull her to me. I can't lose another child. I can't afford to lose anybody else.
Matthew's the closest one to Mom, granting her request. Whenever I look at Matthew now, I just see the picture next to his own face. He is so different from Clarkson. I see Xander smiling at Mom. He's so much like Maxon, in that hopeful way where he only visualizes the good. I'm quite proud of how my children turned out. It pleases me to know I haven't totally failed.
Then I hear a gunshot, and the entire room tenses. No, no, no. Rilane flings open the door and starts to run outside, grabbing her little brother with her. Another gunshot, and I'm sure the bullet was aimed for the former queen; however, it grazes my son's arm instead, and he grits his teeth.
And suddenly, Mom's not breathing, and she is bleeding. I faintly see a rustle of movement on the many trees outside, and I grab Maxon's hand, pulling him away from the sight of his dead mother. I faintly see Tess grab a quasi-paralyzed Matthew, and I know they'll be okay.
"Max, we have to go!"
We run to the guards and they pack us in a car, and we drive away as the shots continue. Rilane and Xander must be in another car. Matthew and Tess will make it. They will make it. I will not lose another child.
Maxon tries to calm my breathing by rubbing slow circles on my back. Inhale, exhale. I feel ridiculous. I'm in a car, and my mother-in-law is dead, and my children are in danger.
We reach our house, the iron gates opening for us. We greet Rilane and Xander in the front of the main stairs. They run to us, and Xander cries, "Matthew's still there. Where's my brother, Mom?"
"They're not here!" Rilane says, grasping the back of Maxon's shirt.
"Send a search party," Maxon yells, and the guards rush to obey. "Search every perimeter of that house, every inch of that area."
"Maxon, how could we just leave them?" I say, throwing my head in my hands. "We were supposed to protect them. I saw Tess grab Matthew, and I thought they'd be okay. It's my fault. I should have made sure they made it outside."
"America, darling, please," he says. "Don't blame yourself."
"I'm so sorry, Max."
"My mother's in a better place," he sighs. "Just wait for a few minutes, and everyone will be safe and sound."
I nod, and we all go inside the house.
It comes the moment when the sunlight starts to dim, and the sky starts to turn hues of pink and orange. I want to yell at the world. This isn't fair.
A guard interrupts the quiet dinner and announces that Matthew and Tess are nowhere to be found.
Tess's POV
I seize Matt's left hand as he stands there, staring at his grandmother. He completely ignores the bleeding gash on his right arm. "Matthew!" I yell. "We have to go!"
He doesn't say anything as he allows me to drag him. Something finally clicks in his brain, and we both break into a frantic run. I see the front door, and I start to exit but soon guards drop to the sound of gunshots.
We can't go outside, or else we'll end up like them. I pull Matt back inside, and I find a staircase that leads downstairs to a cellar. There's another door, and I open it, revealing a tunnel. It's lit by dim bulbs hanging overhead. I run mindlessly while Matt grasps my hand. I can't stop. Not now, not ever. We'll always have to keep running.
After taking a few twists and turns, we find stairs leading up. I yank the rusty latch open and push the door open. Sawdust fills my mouth, and I cough. I rub my eyes to get the dust out, and I finally pull myself up to the dark room. I try and pull up Matthew with me, and eventually, we succeed.
"Find a light," I instruct.
He wordlessly searches the walls for a switch, and suddenly the room is filled with a subdued brightness. There's a wooden table on the side covered with a tarp and gardening tools. A neglected fireplace is along a stone wall with a pile of wood next to it. It's extremely dusty, and I cough. Matthew pats my back, still offering no words. I find a door along a wall and open it.
As I walk backwards to observe the structure, I find that it's a shed. In the middle of the forest. I can't see the house, much less any other signs of civilization. Trees entirely surround the shed, and it would be nearly impossible to find us. Even the small shed is obstructed from overhead sight by the thick canopy of trees.
We're in the middle of nowhere.
Well, that gives you guys something to think about over the week :) Haha misuse of a smiley face. Happy Labor Day!
QOTD: Sooo what did you think of this chapter?/What is your guilty pleasure?
Answer to previous QOTD: Failure. I am so atychiphobic it's not funny. And actually, time kind of horrifies me. And the end of time. Sometimes I'm worried about the sun exploding, but it's probably not going to happen anytime soon.
Thanks for the reviews!
Please-and-Thankyou's- It really depends on what your definition of "enough" is. The meaning of those kind of words vary in everybody's heads. Your version of enough might surpass everyone's definition of enough. You are perfect in so many ways, so I wouldn't bother with that fear :) (Kind of being a hypocrite here considering my fear is failure) :P Thanks so much!
marial0789- I hate messing up. I'm such a perfectionist. *sigh* Oh, well. Thanks so much!
ivyvian- Sorry my chapters are short, but here's a third update for the week :) That's such a horrible fear. I'm sorry. Thanks for reviewing!
ReadLikeYouMeanIt- Geographically impaired here :P Sorry about that. Ah, asphyxiation, another of my fears. And long reviews are awesome! Hope your brother's okay :) But um yeah, write reviews as long/short as you want. I just really appreciate them, and I love feedback and what's happening with everyone :) Thank you so much!
bubble4life- Aw I'm so sorry to hear that. I love freedom too. I really, absolutely hate when people tell me to do things that any other person would be capable of doing. It's hard to explain, and I sound super lazy, but there's a difference in being told what to do because you have to (like school/family stuff) and telling me to go buy these shoes or watch this because it's what THEY want. Yeah...Thanks so much!
Kiren- Saaam. He's such a cutie. I wish I was Six. I ship her and Sam. Super cute :) I love the cute nerdy guys. Nine's too badass for me. I wouldn't be able to handle it :P Thanks so much!
Athenachild101- Haha I almost never sign in when I review. I read from my phone so, like, I hate being redirected on a tiny screen just to sign in and sign out again. So tedious :P Thanks so much!
SJWrites2014- Uh, YEAH. They most certainly work. How do you come up with these? :P I updated quickly for these so I could get to this chapter. I've been planning this since The Fire. :P Thank you so much!
lilythemermaid- Haha yeah I was a bit confused at first. I was like "Is she T too?" :P Haha and yes I did know your fears, except for the claustrophobia. You actually kinda sound somewhat like Tobias, what with the claustrophobia and family dying thing :P My biggest fear is failure too, but you prob knew that already :) Thank you so much! LALOL- T
Blondie115- Glad you liked it!
Theoneforever- Technically speaking, I didn't kill Amberly. Haha plane rides always scare me. I always pray when I'm in one for a flight :P Thanks so much!
BellatrixHazelRose- They might get back together...after all this crap is done. :) Thanks!
PokemonLuver151- Eeek snakes. There was this one time I was on the way to church and there was just a random snake there and my mom started spazzing and it was the funniest thing to see. (But I was kinda screaming inside, but I acted like a nonchalant big girl because me dad was there :P ) Thanks so much!
Love ya!- AcademicGirl