Again, I apologize for last chapter's confusion. I repeat: Chloe is not dead. Aliena is. Sorry.
"What?" Simon demanded, crashing through a bush towards us. "Did you just say-"
"Aliena's dead." Derek repeated, despair clear in his eyes. True, he didn't completely trust her. But in the end she had saved us, and that's what really mattered.
"He feels guilty, doesn't he?" Aliena turned to me. "Tell him not to."
"Don't feel guilty." I said automatically, operating on auto-pilot. "She doesn't want you to feel bad, Derek."
"She's here?" He looked up from where he had lain his head in his hands.
"Aliena's dead?" All the color had drained out of Simon's face. He sank onto a nearby log.
"Simon," Aliena sighed, walking over to stand next to him. He had no idea she was there. Tenderly she stroked the back of her hand along his cheek, eyes full of emotion as she studied him. "I really did like you. More than any of the guys at my school. I'm sorry."
"She- she's really gone, isn't she?" He gulped.
I nodded solemnly. "But her ghost is still here."
He squinted into the dark forest, as if willpower could make her appear. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Aliena." His tone rang sincerity.
"It's not your fault." This was spoken by Tori, who sat down next to Simon and put her hand over his comfortingly.
"Well it wasn't her fault either."
"It wasn't anyone's fault." Aliena assured them. "No one to blame but fate, or destiny, or even Karma."
"I…" I felt like I needed to say something but could think of no words so I fell silent.
"Don't worry, Chloe." Aliena smiled at me. "It's ok. But for now, I'm going…away. Just for some thinking time, you know?" I nodded wearily, feeling like I was weighed down with lead.
"We should get going," Derek sighed after an eternity of forlorn quiet.
"Yeah," we mumbled agreements, reluctant to leave Aliena behind even though every moment we spent in close proximity to the Edison Group increased our risk of joining her in the afterlife.
It was a miserable tread through the forest, all of us wallowing in guilty thoughts as deep and dangerous as quicksand. In my mind was a tornado of What ifs. What if Aliena hadn't insisted we run ahead? What if we had run down a different hallway? What if Liz had been there with us? What if we had never gone to Granny Bingo? What if we had never even gone to see Great-Aunt-Mildred? What if Kit hadn't betrayed us? What if we weren't on the run anymore? What if Aliena had never met us?
So many variables…so why had Aliena's path ended this way?
When we next reached a clearing the sun was just dipping below the tree tops. "I'm going to go check the perimeter." Derek said, voice strained. I could see he was falling apart at the seams and needed some alone time so I didn't comment. Despite what Aliena had told him, he was obviously still wracked with guilt for being the one to most blatantly accuse her of treachery.
The three of us nodded and, without another word, he loped off into the forest.
Simon was the next to go, announcing he was going to take a walk. If Derek looked internally conflicted, Simon looked like there was a mental time bomb in his brain about to go off.
That left only Tori and I, but that didn't last long either. "I-"
"Just go, Tori." I sighed, knowing what she was going to ask.
"Be careful." She advised, then dashed off to find Simon.
I wasn't by myself for long. A female voice joined me after only several moments.
"Ch-Chloe?" It was refreshing to hear someone else stuttering this time.
"Liz? Where have you been?" I whirled to face her then stopped short, sucking in a gasp. If Ghosts couldn't cry, Liz had obviously been doing the next best thing. Her eyes were red and swollen and a nasty substance crusted the edges of her nostrils. "What's wrong?" I softened my tone.
She collapsed in a heap on the ground sobbing. "I…I…am…so…sorry!" she gulped.
"Calm down," I knelt next to her, leaving my hand hovering in the air above her shoulder, though I couldn't make physical contact. "What's wrong?"
"I am the most terrible excuse for a person…"
"Stop that!" I snapped, her random bawling driving me crazy. "Tell me what's wrong!"
"Aliena! She's dead!"
"Yes, we know that," I tried to soften my tone as I realized that was what was bothering her. Liz had always seemed to have a soft spot for our little hybrid.
"No! No! It's all my fault!"
"Because you suggested we go see your aunt? That doesn't make if your fault Liz. We just got unlucky-"
"You don't understand!" she wailed. "I'm trying to tell you that I betrayed you!"
I flinched back from her harsh tone, feeling as if I'd been punched in the gut. When I knew my voice wouldn't shake I said calmly, "What do you mean?"
She blinked up at me, blue eyes swimming with tears. "They had my little brother, Chloe. Margaret was there and…they wanted to know where you guys were heading."
"So you told them." It wasn't a question- I knew the answer. Her betrayal stung but I couldn't begrudge her decision. I wouldn't ask her to choose us over her family, although I had kind of been hoping we were becoming like a family.
"I'm so sorry, Chloe! I wouldn't have but they were going to kill him!"
"No, it's ok. I get it Liz."
"But I-"
"Liz, none of us can blame you for wanting to save your brother."
"But because of me a girl is dead!"
"And a little boy isn't. I think Aliena would have been ok with that."
"I would have." I hadn't noticed Aliena's sudden reappearance and yet there she was, standing several feet away looking down at us on the ground with an unreadable emotion on her face.
"Aliena, I…" Liz gaped like a fish, speechless.
Aliena held up a hand. "No. I mean, I am a little mad but I'm still glad you did it. I wouldn't want your brother to be hurt…"
There was a ringing silence in the clearing for the next few moments.
"I guess this is goodbye then." Liz sniffled and stood up, brushing herself off though of course no leaves stuck to her butt.
"What do you mean?" Yeah I was kind of disappointed in her decision, but I didn't want her to leave.
She sighed. "You don't trust me anymore." I opened my mouth to protest but she cut me off. "I don't trust me anymore. As long as I know where you guys are, I'm a liability. What's to stop them from recapturing my brother? If it comes to that, I'm sorry to admit the outcome would still be the same. I know you understand, Chloe, but I doubt the others will. I'm sorry and I don't want to hurt you guys again, so I can't stay here."
I was silent for a minute, then "Liz, the others will understand too-"
"No." she gave a firm shake of her head, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I can't."
"But we need you!" I couldn't count how many times Liz's scouting had saved our butts.
"Well…" Aliena spoke for the first time in several minutes. "If Liz really has to go, I could help you guys. Be a lookout, I mean."
"You'd do that?" Liz blinked at her, looking on the verge of crying again.
"Of course. That is, if you're sure you can't anymore…"
"How about you both help us?" I suggested.
Liz shook her head sadly, taking a step back. "I'm sorry Chloe. We'll see each other again. Probably." Her edges were blurring and she was becoming semi-translucent.
"Liz, you don't have to leave…"
"Take care of yourselves." She was gone.
I felt tears of my own stinging my eyes. "Bye, Liz," I whispered into the empty air.
I didn't realize Aliena had come forward to rest a hand above my arm until she spoke. "She just feels guilty right now. She'll be back, I'm sure."
"Did you mean what you said?" I asked her. "You really want to help us? It's not like you'd rather be visiting other relatives or something?"
She snorted. "I'm adopted and the only family I've ever known betrayed me. Who would I visit? Now let's go tell the others what happened."
Sorry kind of a dry chapter. More action to come! But in the meantime…your thoughts?
(oh, and I started another story too. The Reminders. Check it out!)