7. Get Out Alive
The morning sun shone through the crack in the blood red curtains, causing a golden beam to be cast across Anna's face. The young rebel's eyes fluttered open, squinting at the light that hit her face. She frowned slightly, annoyed that she had been awoken from her peaceful slumber. Her sleep had been completely undisturbed until this moment, and as she lay in the comfortable and warm bed, she wanted so badly to fall back into unconsciousness.
But that's when she suddenly realised where she was and who she was with. The rebel shot up like a flash. The events of last night came flooding back to the young girl as she glanced down at the man she shared the bed with. He looked so peaceful while he slept, too bad he was a monster.
Slowly and carefully, Anna climbed out of bed. This was the time to make her escape. She couldn't afford to make any noise in case she woke Reaver up.
The rebel's eyes scanned the bedroom floor for any clothes she could wear. There was no way she was going to wear last night's clothes. Wearing a big, fancy dress was something the rebel had dreamed about since she was a child. But after fulfilling her childhood dream, she didn't fancy wearing another dress again.
Luckily, it didn't take Anna long to locate her black panties and she quickly slipped them on. She paired her underwear with the shirt Reaver had been wearing. Thankfully it was long enough to give her some decency as she made her way home. Shoes were her next priority. The thought of trekking through the sewers of Bowerstone with nothing on her feet made the rebel squirm. But it so happened that the maid from previous evening, Molly, had forgotten to remove Anna's boots from the room. The tatty pair of shoes sat undisturbed in the corner of the large bedroom. A smile graced her lips, everything seemed to be coming together.
She slipped the boots on and made her way to the window. The very window she had tried to escape from the night before, the young rebel hoped this escape would go more to plan. As she passed the large mirror that hung upon the wall, she stopped for a second to take in her appearance.
'Yikes,' she thought to herself as she used her fingers to rub away last nights makeup from under her eyes. Anna quickly brushed through her hair with her fingers, removing any knots that had formed before returning her attention to her great escape.
Carefully, she pushed back the heavy curtains, revealing the window. Just as before she opened it, rather effortlessly, and began to climb out of it. The rebel braced herself to be grabbed from behind but as she clambered out of the window frame, she realised that chances of that happening were getting less and less.
The jump from Reaver's bedroom window was not as bad as Anna had anticipated. Maybe the feeling of relief and freedom masked the pain from the jump. She was well aware that her escape from the deviant's home was far from glamorous. It was more scandalous if she was being completely honest. And she was very mindful that if she ran into him again, she would more than likely be met with a gun and a bullet. But that didn't matter to her now, she was free, and she was on her way home, enjoying every moment of it.
She was glad the streets were empty; in her current attire someone might have mistaken her for a local prostitute. Though Reaver's shirt was long enough to give her some decency, she would have much rather been wearing some trousers. Speaking of his shirt, that was all Anna could smell as she made her way home. A mixture of red wine and gun powder. A strange combination, but it was quite nice, it was a shame it reminded her of Reaver.
It didn't take long until Anna caught the unmistakable scent of the Bowerstone Sewers. She smiled, knowing she was close to home. She couldn't wait to see her friends and catch up with everything she missed. Making her way through the streets lined with factories, Anna soon spotted the entrance to the Bowerstone Resistance. She opened the heavy door to the sewers and headed inside, in search of the Resistance members.
It wasn't long until she was met with 'hello's and waves, as she made her way to where she called home. It was in a side room, off the main sewer tunnel. She shared the room with quite a few other members, but she didn't mind, at least she never got lonely. Her bed was situated in the corner. It was no way near as nice as the bed at Reaver's Manor, but it was hers. The mattress was made from straw and the blanket was knitted from a rough grey wool. It beat sleeping on the streets though.
As she approached her corner in the sewer a smile graced her lips. Everything had been as she left it, even the half-emptied packet of cigarettes that lay upon her pillow, nothing had been touched.
"What do you think you're doing here?" a voice came from behind Anna. The young rebel turned on her heels to see Page standing behind her.
"Erm… nice to see you too. I live here?" Anna replied in a confused tone. She was unsure as to why Page had greeted her in such a way. She'd been expecting a hug and an apology for the entire Reaver situation.
"Not anymore you don't. You're not welcome here," Page responded, folding her arms and looking at the young rebel sternly. Shocked, Anna's eyes widened. She couldn't understand why Page would say such a thing. Throughout her time with Reaver she never spoke of the Bowerstone Resistance. Never did she give away any secrets, she cared about the rebellion too much for that.
"W-why?" was all Anna managed to say.
"You can't be trusted. Think about how many days you've spent cosied up with Reaver. Whether you meant to or not, you would have slipped up, told him something. We can't have someone like that here, not in the Resistance Head Quarters."
Was she being serious? Anna couldn't quite believe the explanation that left Page's lips. Despite their differences, the young rebel had always trusted Page to have her back, just as she did for every other member of the rebel group.
"I told him nothing…" Anna objected, shaking her head. She could feel her blood beginning to boil. Her entire body felt as if it were on fire. It was the same sensation as the night before. Page angered her so much and she could feel she was about to explode.
"I don't believe that! I saw you last night, all dressed up with Reaver and his friends. Why was everyone else shot or used as bait except you?! You must have done something." Page replied coldly.
As the conversation began to get heated it began to draw a crowd. Rebels and revolutionaries that were once minding their own business began to listen in. Their interest becoming more peaked as the conversation unfolded.
"I don't know! I told him nothing, I said nothing! You left me there and you have no fucking idea about what I had to do to escape with my life! And this is the welcome back treatment I get!"
Tears were forming in the young rebel's eyes, but she could not tell whether they were caused by sadness or anger. Perhaps it was a mixture of both emotions that raged like a storm inside her.
"I don't want to hear your excuses, Anna. If you care about the Resistance, then you should go. I'd hoped you'd understand," Page said, her voice turning softer but it didn't help the way that Anna felt.
It was at that moment that all rational thinking had left Anna. She felt totally and utterly controlled by rage, anger and betrayal. As the older woman stood in front of her, arms folded with a stern look on her face, Anna pounced. It probably wasn't the best idea, but before she could think her actions through, she had tackled Page to the floor like some wild animal. Anna's hands gripped hold of Page's dreadlocks, yanking them hard as she slammed her head against the floor. Tears streamed down the young rebel's face as she continued to attack the Resistance Leader.
"I gave you everything!" Anna screamed at her, completely blinded by rage, "I risked my life for you, for this!"
Suddenly, Anna felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her middle and pull her from Page. But despite being lifted away, Anna continued kicking and screaming. The rebel leader stared up at Anna, a mixture of shock and fear plastered on her face.
"Anna, Anna, calm down!" the man who had held of her said.
The young girl took a deep breath, her eyes still fixated on the woman in front of her. Rationale thoughts had returned to Anna and she stopped trying to fight her way back to Page. Realistically, she was out numbered and another attack on the rebel leader would likely end with Anna being shot at.
"Get her out of here Ben!" Page shouted at the man, slowly getting back to her feet.
Ben placed Anna back down on her feet but didn't release his grip on her arm.
"Come on, love," Ben said softly. Anna refused to move for a short moment before sighing deeply. There was no way she could resolve the situation now. She would have to accept her defeat for the time being.
As the two walked through the main sewer, an older, larger, man joined them. He was dressed in a soldier's uniform, similar to the one Ben was wearing.
"I didn't tell Reaver anything," Anna told them both, protesting her innocence once more.
"You have to see where Page is coming from, we have to be so careful. We are so close to overthrowing Logan," Ben explained, releasing the grip he had on Anna's arm as they got to the entrance to the sewer. The young girl looked out onto the grim sight of Bowerstone Industrial as she felt her heart sink. Never did she think she'd be back here on the streets of the city. The thought of her life without the protection of the Resistance terrified her but she would never admit it. She turned to look back at the two soldiers.
"So, is that your justification then? Put what you want and care about first, doesn't matter what happens to me? A helpless girl."
"It's nothing personal, Anna," Ben told her.
"It never is," Anna rolled her eyes, turning away from the men and beginning to walk off. As she did so she could over hear the two soldiers talking. Quickly realising the conversation could be over interest to her, she hid behind a corner. Now she could easily eaves drop on them.
"You weren't there Walter, Major Swift was executed like a bloody circus act! And he risked his life to tell us to go to Aurora? Pretty ridiculous if you ask me," Ben spoke. Anna narrowed her eyes for a moment as she thought about what he had just said. She'd never even heard of a place called Aurora.
"Ridiculous as it may seem there are allies to be found there. We must speak with the Prince, Eric, and decide a plan of action," Walter responded, his voice becoming fainter and fainter, signalling to Anna that the two were walking away. The now ex-rebel stood there for a moment longer, thinking about the conversation she had just overheard and what she was going to do with the information. For now though, her main task was to figure out a plan of her own. She was currently homeless, penniless and dressed like a prostitute. Perhaps a trip back to her former home would be the first step in rectifying her situation.