A/N: AHHHHH IT FELT LIKE FOREVVVEERRR! I swear my writing's crappier in quarantine but I managed to type out a chapter. Alsooo ;) there was a clueee in the lassst chapttteerrrr that hinted to some events in this oneee hehe. AND NEW CHARACTERSS BOOM! Istg it's cliche but basically this whole fanfiction is so idk.

Reviews:

MYSTERIXUSCXSMOS: OMGGG HI KIKI THATS SO GREAT OMFG! *wipes tear* FF is growing faster by the minute.

kiki: Lol don't we? The ironyyy lmao.

CoCo: Awww lol ikr. They don't oops- I guess I was distracted while I wrote that bit... Aww tysm! Oops XD happens all the time.

Lilac: Awwwww ty! Lol I'm glad you think so. LMAOOO!

Guest: Thank you so much :) I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

21- Choose

"Damn, this place reeks."

"So do you, Wonderboy, but do I ever tell you that to your face? No, I do not."

Emora and Avery trailed into the bunker, Avery carrying a pile of tightly-wrapped packages covered in stamps. Behind them were two guys, one of which was glaring at the other in a reprimanding sort of way. The other looked slightly ashamed but glared right back. I clapped a hand over my mouth as I realized who was who. Dex. My cousin by adoption. And Fitz. My ex-but-not-really-ex. "Dex?" I don't bother to hide the gasp.

Dex stops in his tracks and stares at me, frozen. Then I saw only a blur of him. "Sophie!"

I winced as he jumped onto me. "Hey, watch it!"

"Oh, sorry," Dex mumbled, patting my shoulder and pulling back. Then his eyebrows contracted and he frowned. "What the heck are you doing here?!" he shouted, twisting his hands in his strawberry-blond hair.

"I should be asking you that!" I yell back, rubbing my temples anxiously. "How do you guys even- what-" I sigh and fall back into the couch.

Avery sent me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Sophie," he said, "I actually only knew Fitz and refused to let him and a random weirdo-" Dex scoffed at that, "-bunk at my old gangmate's place."

He didn't even acknowledge Tam as a friend. Only an 'old gangmate.' Oh what sweet frivolities.

"But then Fitz was all, 'You wanna let me starve on the streets?'" Avery raised his voice to be high-pitched and squealy. "'The only way I'll accept your housing offer is if you let both me and my boyfriend come with you!'"

"Boyfriend?" I stare incredulously at Fitz. "What happened to Linh?"

Fitz stared at the floor. Dex got up and wrapped an arm around him. "He's finally come out of the closet," my cousin says proudly.

I frown, staring down at my wrung hands in my lap. "So what'd you tell Linh?" I ask, and I could see Tam's lips press together angrily.

"Fitz dumped her a long while ago," Dex admitted, biting his lip anxiously.

Tam shook his head, gritting his teeth. "That's not important right now," he forced out, even though obviously it was. "What happened?" he broke in. "And why are you even here? Avery?"

Avery's cheeks were dusted with Cheeto dust. "Um," he cleared his throat, wiping at his face. "Fitz told me- he told me..." Avery's voice wavered. "His sister died."

"What?" My hands grip the ends of the fabric on the armchair. They form fists, white knuckled, my grip gets tighter and tighter with every second. "Not Biana."

"Yeah, Biana," Fitz confessed, shifting his gaze to Dex, whose shoulders sagged as he pulled Fitz against the wall beside him. Both boys looking so broken as though they'd shatter at any given moment. "They targeted her. My sister."

Tears leaked out of the sides of Dex's periwinkle blue eyes.

"They know?" I pull myself out of the armchair, directing the question at Avery.

"Dex and Fitz? About them? Yeah," Avery answered softly, his hand slowly drawing out of the bag with another Cheeto and lifting it to his mouth. Keefe, who sat beside him on the floor, nodded morosely as if he knew exactly what Avery was talking about.

"Ever since you left they've been targeting friends and family, basically anyone you really care about," Dex spoke, gritting his teeth.

"Did they-" I press a hand to my mouth, suddenly feeling faintheaded.

"Yeah. They targeted him, too," Fitz said, and his hand slipped to Dex's left arm, which I hadn't noticed this whole time Dex had been trying to subtly keep it out of view. Dex flinched, trying to pull his arm back from Fitz. "Dex," Fitz warningly said, and Dex reluctantly allowed Fitz to pull up the sleeve. Below it, was a thick wad of bandages, which were all soaked red.

I felt a choke, and then I coughed. "They- they hurt you," I whisper. Nausea spread in my gut. We were cowards. Cowards for planning to leave this country, to leave it all. Allowing our enemies to murder, maim, all who we cared about. Zed, I lifted my eyes to see what he was doing. Even he looked a little sad, lowering his gaze to the ground, pursing his lips. "We can't leave anymore," I decide, closing my eyes. "We just can't. What would that make us?"

"Alive, for one," Tam stated.

I limply sit on the floor, my back against the armchair. I wrap my arms around my stomach, trying to fight the dizziness and disgust building up. "But our friends and family. Not," I murmur. Then I shot my head up, glaring at him. "Hey!" I exclaim, narrowing my eyes. "How come you're not worried at all about Linh?! Did you ever consider they might hurt her, too? Kill her, even?"

Tam's eyes harden. "She's safe," he finally admitted.

"How do you know that?" I spat out.

"She's with our parents," Tam said.

"And how would that keep her safe? Your dad's a fruckin' automobile dealer and your mom- well I don't know what she does, but I bet she can't fight either!"

He walks over next to me, crossing his legs and settling himself on the floor.

"They can't," he agrees. "But they can hire bodyguards who can."

I swallow. I forgot his family's filthy rich. "Good for you then!" I shout, tears springing from my eyes. "Your sister's safe but my parents- there's no guarantee! And what'll happen to our classmates, our-"

"Shut up!" yelled Tam, his chest heaving. "You don't think I know that?! That our decision might as well put a lot of people at risk? Yeah, believe me! I do! And it's not making any of this any easier!" The whole room goes silent, and from the corner of my blurry sight I could see everyone pretending to be busy. He shakes his head. "You need to stop being so 'considerate', Sophie, and think for a minute about yourself. We're not returning. Your family can protect themselves. We have to believe they'll be fine. Sometimes we need to do things like this. Even if it hurts."

I stand up, crossing my arms over my chest. "No, we don't, Tam! We can't leave them to their own devices!"

Tam breathed in deeply, running his hand through his hair, but looking as though he was on the verge of tearing it out. "Sophie, you seriously need to calm the f*ck down. The best course of action is to leave the United States. Avery's almost done making our fake identities. We have to believe that they'll stop-"

"Biana's dead!" I shouted, and I swore I saw Tam's eyes glossen over a little, but then it's gone, like a mirage in the desert, and his eyes are back to the hard silvery stones I'm used to seeing most of the time.

"I know!" Tam says, but he isn't yelling back at me.

A knot fixates itself in my gut. Why did I want him to yell at me? Maybe because I deserved it... maybe because deep down I was a coward, maybe because I wanted people to be angry with me for whatever reason. I let my shoulders sag. "Sorry," I whispered. I blink back the hot tears trying to escape my eyes. "I didn't even know her that well. Biana, I mean. And I would've liked to..." My lip quivers, and I suck my cheeks in.

"She was an amazing person," Fitz mumbled, blinking really, really fast. Dex reached over and squeezed his hand.

My brain started to ache, and then everything faded from view.

I stood on a bridge, over the air. On either side, there were islands hanging above the misty nothingness. Behind me was Tam, Fitz, Keefe, Avery, Emora, Dex, and even Zed.

Facing me was a group of hooded figures, pressing guns to the throats of Edaline, Grady, and a whole bunch of people I didn't recognize but wanted to save. And lying in a pool of blood was Biana, her brown hair spread out in thin strips, stained red.

I gasped, pressing my lips into a firm line.

"Choose," a voice over me murmured, its voice brisk, stern, and gentle all at the same time.

I glance over at the island representing my friends- and Tam- the survivors- and then quickly at all those that could be saved.

I clutch my temples, and let out a strangled yowl-like sound. "What if- I don't want to choose?" I rasp, tightly gripping the railing.

"You must," said the voice.

"I won't!" I scream. Suddenly the grip under my hands is gone- my hands slip through air, and I realize the railing disintegrated. I fall forwards, my body sliding through the sky in a neverending spiral.

"Choose," the voice echoed again.

"Sophie, hang in there."

"Foster?"

"Guys, I wanna see! I'm in a chair, remember? You can't expect me to have x-ray vision and see through your huddled bodies-"

"Shut up, Zed."

"All of you- shut up, I'm tryna listen- wait, does her breathing sound different to you?"

"Tam, are you su- oh my God, it does!"

I force open my eyelids. I was splayed on the armchair, and everyone was in a tight-knit group around me. All the faces blurred together, and my ears rung. "Choose."

"What kinda-" I shake my head. "Guys, get out of my face."

"She's alive!" I hear a giddy yell from outside the circle. Aw, even Zed cared apparently.

"Guys, back up," Tam ordered. Everyone scrambled to back away from me, giving me some space.

I breathed, briefly touching my forehead.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Tam asked me, lowering his voice and sitting down at the edge of the armchair. I fold my legs in and he scooches in. "You just blacked out."

"Yeah..." I trail off, staring at my lap. Did I really have to choose? Your dream had a point, y'know, my brain points out. Tam obviously won't support you if you're gonna go save your family. My shoulders slump and I feel my heart sink in my chest. My brain had a valid point. I wasn't a one-girl army. I couldn't knock 'em all dead by myself.

"Sophie? Are you okay?" Tam repeated, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nod slowly, but it's like my head is submerged in mud- the action was slow and forced. He reaches out and wipes a tear I didn't even know was there. He motions for me to get up and I do, only for him to pull me down in his lap. "Hey," he whispers, "we're gonna be okay."

"But my family won't be," I put in softly, my vision collapsing from the tears building up over my eyes. I feel his fingers slowly slide through my hair.

"We need to look out for ourselves," Tam replied, his voice slightly shaky as he speaks.

I lean closer and lay my chin on his shoulder. He stops stroking my hair and pulls me upright. I blink, trying to ignore the tears struggling to cover my face. Tam extends an arm around my back and brings our faces together, our lips finding each other in a rush. I tasted salt on my tongue, and the bunker faded in the background. All I could sense were Tam's lips on mine. Then someone cleared their throat, and I snapped my head back, breathing heavily.

Fitz was covering Dex's eyes, glaring at us. "Get a room."

I laughed, removing myself from Tam and standing up, wobbling a little but stronger now. Empowered.

I felt the guilt churn in my stomach as I realized, I wasn't a little kid anymore. It was everyone for themselves.

A/N: I swear to the gods this is so cliche I cringed while writing it... On a scale of 1-10 how cliche do you guys think it is? This chapter... and the fanfiction. Honestly I like cliche but I don't want too much. If you can tell me ways you think I can improve on writing please tell me! I won't be offended at all.