Hey, Guys,

I just want you to know this story was originally supposed to 10 chapters, but there is a chance I could make it twelve or so. All I need is encouragement, and it will come to me.

The next chapter is really big. I want it to be in Nina's POV but if I get enough votes for Fabian's then I could try to make it his. But it would make more sense if it was Nina's. I could make the one after that Fabian's POV, I don't know.

I'm sorry I haven't updated in about two days but life is insane.

Enjoy!

~IfWritersCouldSpeak~

By the time Fabian woke up, it was dawn. He woke up with a groan, before nearly falling out of the tree, had I not been there to catch him. He looked around, until he could finally see the light through the masses of leaves. "It's morning?" he asked, groggily.

"Yes," I responded, calmly. I didn't sleep a wink last night. I spent my time with the darkness, just thinking, and checking Fabian's heartbeat every few seconds. Honestly, I was worried if I went for food, or water, then he would die while I was gone, and I would lose him. "It's fine, you needed your rest." I began to climb down, when I looked up to see him, looking at me strangely. "Are you coming?"

"Where?" he asked.

I answered, "Who knows?"

I made sure Fabian was safe, as we headed down. When we were on ground, he seemed to be able to breathe again. He began to head south, when I shouted, "Wait!"

I pointed down, where there were tracks in the mud, obviously of multiple people's shoes. "They went that way. Water runs downhill, they must have thought we would head in that direction." I speculated for a minute. "I know a place."

I dragged Fabian to the left, where the trees were never ending. "Nina," he occasionally called.

"Shhh," I replied.

We kept walking until Fabian screamed, "Nina!" I turned around, moving sideways lightly, just as the arrow landed right where I was standing.

"Nina, run!" Fabian was a few feet behind me, so I began to slowly jog, giving him enough time to catch up to me, before we broke into a run. The arrows pierced the air, as one lodged into my left side pocket, where I packed the antiseptic bottle. The fabric spilt open, and the liquid's cap came off and the liquid spilled out.

"Nina!" Fabian shouted. He ran back to where I was, crouching down, as I tried to retrieve what little was left of the medicine. "Nina, we have to go!"

One arrow landed right behind me, inches from my injury.

"Fabian, this is the one thing that can save you!" I yelled.

"We have one more," he insisted, "Let's go."

He took me by the shoulders, and we began to run again. I turned around once, to see the liquid, hit by a small circular object, and the ground explode, the debris splattering the place.

"Fabian!" I shouted.

He turned around once, and then looked forward again. We ran for years in seemed, but they had more numbers. When someone got tired, someone else stepped in their place. The bombs exploded near trees, in the mud, next to animals, and even in the air. The sparks, flew around us, as we dodged as many as we could.

But the next one was too close.

The same man's voice from last night-I was sure- yelled, "It's definite!"

This time, no one was there to take the bullet for me.

The bomb landed inches from me, and erupted. The metal scraped my skin, as fire ignited on my tibia, exactly where my skin was ripped open.

I hollered and howled, and I could hear sounds of victory behind me. I felt someone run back to me, yell my name, then roll me down a hill. I felt myself fall into a pit of the unknown, random species brushing my skin, and I could feel myself sink. The pain in my leg was fading, and I couldn't hear at all.

I felt myself get pulled upwards, and I gasped for air. Pain shot through my leg again, and I thrashed. I could feel myself fall, again, into the mass. The peace was there again. It was beautiful.

The air was not coming to me, but I was internally smiling. Now, I don't have to worry about The Council. They wouldn't hunt me anymore.

And Fabian, he'll make up some lie, say he was put into a coma by me, and that I changed his brain waves. He'll find a pretty girl to marry, and they'll have a child.

I wonder what they'd named the child. I know Fabian loves the name Logan, and for a girl maybe… Jennifer?

Jennifer…

Jennifer…

Jennifer!

I opened my eyes, but the pressure of the water swam before them. I pushed myself upwards, where there was someone ready to dive in it seemed. I was about to get up and out, when the person lightly put their legs in, and I grabbed ahold of them. I pushed myself upwards. One arm grabbed my shoulder blade and pulled me out.

I coughed, and wheezed, as I began to choke and spit out everything in my mouth. "Jennifer," I gasped. "Jennifer."

"Nina," Fabian wrapped his arms around me. I sunk my head into his chest, where it fit like peanut butter and jelly.

"Jennifer," I muttered, crying. "Jennifer, I'm sorry."

"Nina, she'll be ok," Fabian whispered in my ear. I nodded, not believing him, as we settled down our stuff.

"I saved one," Fabian stated, holding up an arrow. "I thought it could come in handy. We could clean off the dirt in the water. But, for right now I'm just dying of thirst." He dropped the weapon, and went to the water hungrily, and was about to scoop up some water in his hands when I yelled, "No!"

Fabian stopped, the water centimeters from his skin. I pushed past him, and dipped the side of the arrow in the water.

At first, nothing happened. I thought it was safe, until I could see flames begin to ignite on the arrow, and I took it out of the water to find it smothering hot, and burnt.

"It's acid," I told him. "The Council turned it to acid."

Anger flared inside me, up my nose, into my throat, and my fingers were blazing. At the orphanage, we were let out at nine am, and had to be back my five pm. Trudy, the housemother, always let me go earlier than everyone else, at around eight-thirty, since I was one of the few kids there who were actually tolerable.

Every morning, I came here. This was my haven, my heaven, where I could just sit, and breathe. This was the one place where I could think, and not look over my shoulder, this was where, and I grew up.

This is where I learned to hate The Council.

This is where everything that I fought against, started.

And they had destroyed it.

"We can't drink this," I stated. "We'll die."

Fabian face became glum but he seemed understand. The water seemed to draw both of us, but we were both overcoming it. My reasoning was that I was a Chosen, but what was Fabian's?

If he was a Perfect he definitely could not resist.

If he was an ImPerfect, he may be able to.

But he was cringing away from it. He knew its evil powers, and it no longer drew him in.

What was Fabian?

"So," I said. "Um, another tree?"

"That one," Fabian pointed out. It was a tall one; it was shorter than the others though. The branches didn't start until we were higher up, so if anyone looked up, they wouldn't see. "We can climb up other trees' branches and then jump onto those. We would be able to jump if we had to, or we could go into other trees because they are so close." He offered me his hand, "What do you say?"

I took his arm, and he lifted me up, into the first few branches of the tree on its right. I climbed up about a quarter way, when Fabian announced he would jump first.

He leaped from the tree I was clinging to, to the one he had chosen earlier. He held out his hand, and I looked from him, to the ground.

There was at least a thirty-foot drop below us.

"Nina, Nina." He averted my attention back to him. "You won't fall. Ok? I promise. You fall, I'll dive after you. You won't hit the ground unless my body's underneath yours." He blushed, and so did I.

I took a deep breath and leaped from one tree to the other. I clasped Fabian's hand as I missed, and I saw him with one hand on the tree and the other interlocked with mine.

But, I realized, I was clinging on his bad arm.

"Fabian!" I shouted, and I could see him attempt to lift me up. He contracted his muscles, and he pulled me up at least three inches.

There was a branch four inches above, but I knew Fabian could never lift me that much.

"Fabian let go of my hand."

"What!" he shouted.

"Let. Go."

"No! Nina, you'll fall! I won't let you!" he screamed.

"I won't fall. I'm going to grab the trunk of the tree," I explained, "but you have to let me go."

"What if you can't hold on?" he asked.

He was more nervous than I was, and my life was on the line.

"That's a chance I'll take," I informed.

He wouldn't let go, so I slowly slipped my hand out of his. His eyes widened, and he attempted to hold tighter, but it was too late.

I wrapped my other arm around the trunk of the tree, and snuck my way up. I placed my right foot on the branch, and I moved my hands upward. I put my other leg onto the branch, and I wobbled, before Fabian leaned down and steadied me.

I began to climb upwards, passing Fabian until I reach about halfway up the tree. I sit down on a branch, and watch Fabian climb. He sits beside me, and rubs my knuckles. "I thought I lost you."

I softened, "But you didn't."

"Nina, you don't get it," he stated.

"Try me," I dared.

"Nina, you mean the world to me." He began, "You are the reason why I am here, you are finally making me become someone who can help the world. I thought once I turned fifteen that it would be fine, but then I met you. You changed my world, Nina." He looked down, "I don't know if I love you or not, I just know that you're going to save me, then the other Perfects, and then the ImPerfects, and that you are making me a fighter. I was always the one who let the other people fight battles, while I stayed out of the way. You changed me, Nina, and I swear I will never leave your side."

I was breathing heavily, and I looked up at the sky. It was getting rainy, and the sun was fading away.

"We can build a fire," I told him. I began to climb down, and heard him follow me. We went down, and once we reached the bottom I stated, "They can't see the smoke in the greyness of the rain, we can get a fire going. Maybe the acid rain's effects wear off once its boiled."

"A simple clause like that?" Fabian questioned. "Wouldn't that be imperfect?"

"Who said anything about being perfect?" I asked, "We're just showing them we have enough nerve to build a fire. We'll show them that we aren't scared." I remembered his words, "Let's prove you're a fighter, Fabian."

I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is either Fabian or Nina's POV. I need more votes, so keep voting! I don't care if you're a Guest or not, your vote counts!

By the way, this story has over 600 views! Oh my god, I can't believe you guys actually like this! Thank you for everything!

See you soon!

~IfWritersCouldSpeak~