Sorry it took so long. I had this huge English project that I had to finish. A big thanks to those who reviewed. Keep on rocking with your awesomeness! On with the story! I own nothing.
Chapter 2
My eyes opened groggily. Sunlight poked its way through intricate cracks in the cylindrical walls. I squinted against the light, waiting for my eyes to adjust.
The walls and ceiling were made completely out of stone. A cave. There were small piles of books and papers set against the walls. I faced an opening covered by a beautiful quilt. I assumed that this was the exit. The rest of the room was bare. I felt a mattress beneath me. It was the softest thing I'd slept on in a while. I sighed at the comfort. I picked up a sharp movement out of the corner of my eye. Curious, I turned my head toward it.
Jamie was sitting against the wall, a book balanced on his knees. Worry and wonder clouded his eyes as he gazed at me.
"Jamie?" I asked, not wanting to believe what I was seeing.
He nodded, setting the book aside to move closer to me. "Yeah, it's me."
I sat up slowly, ignoring my muscles protest. I gasped when no signal of pain came from my leg.
"What's wrong?" he asked urgently.
I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm fine. It's just....my leg."
"Does it hurt?" He frowned. "They should have...." he muttered.
"No. Not at all. Actually....it feels....normal."
He relaxed. "Good. That means that Doc and Candy did their job right."
"What?" I paused, running through all the possibilities. "How long have I been out?"
"A few hours...." he trailed off, then nodded in understanding. "We used their medicine. Amazing, isn't it?"
I threw back the blanket, exposing my leg. My jeans had been cut off at the knee, probably to clear the area. My leg was no longer broken. I stared in amazement at the jagged, pink scars trailing along my shin. "No way." I whispered. The only medicine I had needed on the run was No Pain and Asleep. This was total new territory.
He laughed. I glared at him but that only made him laugh more. I sighed and crossed my arms.
Melanie pushed aside the quilt and entered, carrying three bowls. She smiled brightly when she saw me. "It's good to see you up. Jamie was getting a little anxious." As she crossed the small space, I looked over at Jamie, raising an eyebrow incredulously.
He turned red and refused to look me in the eye. "Melanie." he complained.
She smiled slightly and sat on the edge of the mattress, giving each of us a bowl and keeping one for herself.
My stomach growled in longing when I saw the wonderful yellow of eggs. I eagerly spooned down half the bowl before taking a breath. It felt so good to be full again.
Jamie smiled at me. "Hungry much?"
I punched his arm playfully. "Shut up. You know what it's like to be half starving all the time." I smiled to keep the tone light and ate a couple more bites.
After we were done eating, I asked the question that had been nagging at my mind. "Where are we?"
They shared a glance that looked like they were having some kind of silent conversation. It made me feel very out of the loop.
Finally, Melanie sighed, looking me directly in the eyes. "This is Jeb's place. He found it, he runs it."
"Jeb?" I asked. "As in....your uncle?"
They both nodded, but it was Jamie who spoke. "I could show you around if you'd like."
I sighed. "Might as well."
"This is the game room." Jamie said, his voice bouncing against the hidden walls. "We play here sometimes, but there's so much work to do.... We don't have that much time on our hands. That sulfur spring over there is sometimes used as a second latrine....."
A little crowd had joined us on our tour. There was the doctor who'd cured me, his name, ironically, was Doc. I wondered what his real name happened to be. A small woman with golden hair was always clinging to a tall man. I later learned their names: Wanda and Ian. There was something off with Wanda. She never looked me in the eye and constantly hid behind Ian, as if she were afraid of me. And then, there was Melanie, of course, but she was attached to a...decent looking guy, named Jared. It wasn't hard to guess what their relationship might be. That was kind of a shock to me.
Later, Jamie and I were sitting on a counter in the kitchen, munching on the tough bread that they made. I guessed it was around lunchtime by the crowd that had gathered. I felt a few glances toward me, but it was to be expected. I was a newcomer, just like being the new kid at school.
I couldn't help but glance over at Jared and Melanie, who were sitting a few feet away. My mind wouldn't stop wondering how they had met. I noticed that Jamie also had a strong connection with Jared. Somehow, it bothered me.
"Jamie." I spoke lowly, trying to avoid my voice from carrying over to the couple.
He looked over at me. "Yes?"
"So...Melanie and Jared. Are they....together?"
He smiled, glancing over at his sister. "Yeah. We met him on the run....before we came here."
"Huh." I said, taking a bite from my half-eaten roll.
He frowned at me. "What was that for?"
"I don't know." I sighed. "I kinda thought Mel would end up with Garrett."
He shrugged. "Guess not." He took another bite of his roll.
I laughed quietly at how glib he sounded. He smiled, swallowing, and began to laugh too.
I didn't know what to write next.....so......I just left it like this. I'll update when I have the time, but I'm not promising anything. Also, please review! The button is calling you!
