I am such a procrastinator. I sat and read in front of my computer for hours before finally writing this chapter. And then stared at the screen some more. Ah well, it's clearly written now. Not to mention the fact that my neck is sore from reading in an awkward position for several more hours yesterday when I should've been writing. Ugh, I'm so lazy, but a much lighter quote came out of the laziness. Disclaimer: I did not write the Bloodlines series or affiliated characters.
"Love of sugar just had to mean true love. It just had to."–Jennifer L. Armentrout
MPOV
I was drugged with something to sleep and I was drugged to wake up. Completely at the Alchemists mercy. What exactly they planned for me if I 'reformed', I have no clue. My lily has been broken and sealed, but I suppose the threat of another tattoo is always present. The threat of a tattoo that could make me tell them where every safe house is, where every person I freed is, where all the information went, how I got the information…everything. They could make me bring down my organization in one fell swoop. But…what if they hadn't considered a new tattoo? What if they didn't know there was a way to break and seal the tattoo. I mean after all, Sydney and the others escaped before the re-inking occurred.
The lights blast on and I resist the urge to blink rapidly. They need not know I'm bothered by their tricks. I'll stay here forever if it'll keep the others safe. I'd wiped my phone's data and destroyed the memory and SD chips, hopefully that should be enough to keep them from looking too deeply into who my companions are. The overhead speakers click on and I tilt my head back in hopes of alleviating the headache I get from listening to that wretched voice telling me to give up.
CPOV
No word from anybody on Marcus' condition. I know Syd said she'd call if she got anything, but I can't help checking and rechecking to make sure I haven't missed anything. None of his other contacts have been able to find anything out either and my hope is dwindling by the day. It's hard to focus on my schoolwork when something this major is going on behind the scenes of my life, but I put on a brave face and pretend nothing's wrong and work my ass off so that I'll at least have the future I planned for myself when all is said and done.
Despite my swearing that I'd jump up and help at a moment's notice if I was needed, I can't help but doubt the school would let me on another long leave of absence and still let me graduate. It doesn't help that January is inching toward February and it still feels like I've got years of college left before Law School. Or that I feel totally useless in this situation.
In the end, it turns out to be Sabrina who lends helpful information. Marcus' phone says he was last in Canada. Saskatchewan to be exact. Apparently they have safe houses both in an out of the country. Sabrina flew to the house and discovered the place had been ransacked and that someone had left in a hurry. The computer's hard drive was smashed into bits and the security system was jacked so it would be off. Helpful information, yes, but not exactly the most uplifting of things. He really had been taken the Alchemists. The guy who originally called me to ask about Marcus decided to keep Zoe's Op up and running, at least until we could find Marcus or had enough information to pull her out.
I still studied and did homework and went to the speeches, but I was on edge the entire time, like I was about to be electrocuted but didn't know when. Re-Education. The stuff of nightmares. I wonder if Sydney ever told Adrian about what happened to her there. Did they hurt her or just enforce the Alchemist principles onto her in hopes she would agree? It drives me crazy not knowing, but it would drive me even crazier if I asked her and she shut down.
Surprisingly, mom's very helpful about the whole thing. After Marcus went missing, it didn't take me long to spill everything to her, from Sydney's trip to Re-Ed to Zoe becoming a fugitive to Marcus' disappearance. Unsurprisingly, she expressed her hate for the Alchemists quite vehemently. She offered to take me on a road trip to the east coast, but I politely declined and ended up watching her drive off in Sydney's Mustang. We still talk every day, but with my entire family being on the east coast and my boyfriend god-knows-where, I feel kind of desolate.
Re-Education. How the hell do you beat something like that? I give a bitter laugh at my thoughts. The same way you beat the Alchemists. You don't.
Groaning at my dismal thoughts, I drop my head onto the table in front of my and ignore the biting cold emanating from the hard plastic. At this point, my Psych project could be on rehabilitation and mind control. Not a bad idea if it wasn't so damn personal. I'm about to pack up for the evening and head back to my dorm when my phone buzzes, alerting my to an incoming call. Zoe's face shows up on the screen and I hesitate a minute before answering.
"Carly? You there?"
"Yes."
"I…I think I know how they found Marcus. And…I think I'm in danger."
"What? How?"
"I don't know…they had a tracker on Marcus' things, on the stuff he downloaded it had a virus of some sort. All the information is real but…anyway I think there's a leak."
"A leak? Who?"
"I don't know. I think it's someone who knows I'm in here though…they're watching me."
"Zo, are you okay? You sound…funny."
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine I just–" The phone beeps angrily in my hand and I pull it away from my ear. I catch a glimpse of the words 'Call Disconnected' before my screen goes dark. What. The. Hell. As if it wasn't bad enough Marcus was in Re-Ed, now I have to worry about my sister being sent there. Perfect. Just perfect.
Alright, a little crazy. I think I rambled a bit on Carly's POV, and created a new problem, but I have a plan *insert evil laughing*.
R&R
Ciao
