Alice

I stayed as low and as out of sight as I could. From what I could tell, there weren't any Officials standing guard, but I wasn't taking any chances. I made it across the street in one piece, and started to peer into the barred windows near the ground. It seemed like the same amount of people were in the cells from when I went looking for my grandfather and found Margret.

I rounded another corner of the jail, wondering if I'd finally find Shun in one of them. I started to worry that they might have already done away with him. No, I can't start thinking like that. I was closing in on the cell I saw Margret in. Images of her battered and bloodied body filled my mind. That's what they'll do to Shun if I don't hurry up and find him. I looked in the cell that once belonged to Margret.

I didn't expect to find her inhabiting it anymore, but I was surprised when I saw who had taken her place. Laying on a block of concrete below the window, was Shun. I knelt down on the ground, and pressed my face against the metal bars. One bar hit on each of my cheekbones. I held onto the bars with my hands and looked down at Shun. He was sleeping on the block, his hands still tied behind him.

With the little bit of light I had, I could see the dried blood on his face from where the Official struck him with the end of the shotgun. My heart and stomach dropped when I relived that moment. Along his exposed arms, I could see fresh bruises and scratches that he had obtained.

Those injuries would be nothing compared to what was to come. Shun's black hair covered most of his face, hiding any other wounds that may have been inflicted after his captured. I was sure there would be a gash from the shotgun's stock. "Shun," I said under my breath, being careful to keep my voice low so nobody else would hear me.

He stirred for a moment, but didn't wake. "Shun," I said again, raising my voice slightly. This time, his eyes opened and he raised his head to look around the cell. "Up here." He turned to face up at the window that I was looking down from. His glazed over expression, turned cold.

"Why are you here?" His voice was sharp and piercing. He probably hates me. I had been right about the wound on his head. Running along the side of his temple, was a gash surrounded by dried blood. That Official hit him hard. Shun's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Are you going to answer me, or just stare?" What was I going to tell him? I knew why I had come to the jail. I needed to talk with him and set things straight between us. I had to tell him why I didn't help him. Just in case I didn't get the chance to break him out of the cell.

The last thing I wanted, was him to hate me till his last breath. "I came to talk." He let out a short laugh, and sat up. "That's funny. No, it really is. You had all the time to talk when they were putting a gun to my head." His eyes narrowed at me, and his voice turned ice cold. Yup. He hates me.

I leaned my forehead against the cool metal bars and sighed. "Please, let me explain." He kept a steady glare on me. "What's there to explain?" I rolled my eyes and let out an aggravated breath of air. "If you'd give me five minutes to talk, I'd be more than happy to."

If he was going to be this way, then I had no other choice than to return the favor. "Fine. Say what you've got to say. But don't expect me to believe all of it." I cringed at his words. It was clear that no matter how much truth I put into my words, he probably wasn't going to buy a single one of them.

"I didn't want to stand there and watch them take you away, but you have to understand that I didn't have much choice." Shun raised an eyebrow at me. He didn't say anything though. The silence he gave me meant that he didn't care to hear what I had to say.

In his mind, I was the reason he was locked up in that cell. And it was true. I was the reason this was happening. I could have done something to try and stop it, but it would have just ended badly for both of us. "If I had said or done anything back there, the Officials would have taken us both away."

We stared at each other for a moment before he broke the silence. He said coldly, "Just like somebody from this hellhole to worry about themselves." I flinched back at the tone he had. How much did he really hate me? "Shun, if I was captured as well, then there would be nobody who would bother to try and get you out of here like I am."

He turned around, facing his back towards me. "Why would you even want to help out filth like me?" I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about?" He turned his head around so that half of his face was visible to me.

"You know what I'm talking about. I heard what you said before I was caught. You were sitting around that fire and when they brought up the topic about the poisoned water, you mentioned how it was a good way to…How did you put it? Get rid of the filth?" I stared down at him, complete shock had to have been slapped on my face. "I didn't know you were out there when I said that."

He shook his head and said, "Apparently. If you had, then maybe you would have kept up the act that you cared." I kept feeling my heart sink deeper and deeper. This conversation wasn't going how I had planned it. I had pictured it going much smoother. But this was as rocky as the walls of the jail.

"My caring wasn't an act. If I didn't care, then why had I snuck out in the Wastelands all of those times? Why would I have even given you those pills if I didn't care? I said that because I had just found out about the poisoned water and didn't know what to think. And when I was put on the spot, I had to come up with something or ruin my cover."

Shun remained silent. Maybe I had finally gotten through to him. I took this moment and continued to talk to him. "I didn't want to say what I said, but I had no choice. Shun, I do care. I care about you, Christina, Sarah, and all of the other Outcasts."

I thought I saw his muscles tense up, but I played it off as a trick of my stressed mind. Did he believe me now? Had I gotten back his trust? He glanced back at me with one of his amber eyes and said, "As if it really matters now whether you care or not. It's clear to see that I'm as good as dead. Along with the other Outcasts. You caring isn't going to change that. So, it'd be best for you if you get out of here before somebody sees you."

I blinked slowly, not really believing what he was saying. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not. I had no other words to say to him. At least, none that I could think of. "If that's how you feel, then fine. I just have one quick question. Where's that map that I left with you in the Wastelands?"

He looked back up at me, and I could have sworn that his eyes showed a faint sign of tears. "It's still in my pocket." I had to get that map away from him. He was already in enough trouble as it was. I held my hand out through the metal bars and said, "I need it back. If those Officials find it on you, then things will be much worse for you. And I don't want that."

He fumbled with his hands behind his back and said, "I'd love to, but my hands are tied." I sighed in aggravation. He had no way of getting to that map, and I had no way I getting to it either. I was about to say something, but was cut off by a sound to my right.

I shot upright, and looked down the street. From the light of an oil lamp, I saw the silhouettes of people walking my way. By the way their shadows walked, they had to be Officials. I started to panic, and looked back down at Shun and said, "Officials are coming. I have to go."

He had gone back to laying down on the slab of rock, not saying anything else. I hated to know that he was still that angry at me, and that he had already given up so easily. "Shun, I'm going to try and get you out of here as soon as I can….And if I don't…..Then, I'm sorry. I really am."

I stood up and took off down the road before the Officials could round the corner. I was going to do everything I could to keep the promise I had just made to him, and I already had a plan on how to do it.

Shun

One big misunderstanding. That was all it was. But even now that a supposed truth had been revealed, it didn't feel like enough to calm down the emotions inside of me. There was still anger at what Alice had done, despite it being in the best interests for both of us.

But overall, I didn't know what I was feeling. My body felt like an empty shell, tired and worn out from life itself. I rolled over on my side, wishing that my hands had been tied in front of me so I could lay on my back. I looked up at the metal bar window, expecting to see Alice still up there.

But of course, she wasn't. She had gotten out of the area before Officials could see here. No matter how angry I might have still been at her, I didn't want anything to happen to her. Just like she didn't want anything happening to me. The only difference was, something already had.

She at least still had a chance to make it out of here. I shut my eyes, taking in the darkness so I wouldn't have to stare at the stone walls of my cell anymore. I didn't want this place to be the last thing that I remembered before all hell broke loose.

I was just about to fall asleep again, when a loud noise reverberated throughout the jail. The sound bounced off of the rock walls of my cell, and even echoed further down the jail. I sat up, looking around at nothing as I waited for something to happen next.

A voice yelled, "Where is he! Which cell is he in!" I pressed my back against the wall, getting a sick feeling that I was the person that this guy was looking for. "He's down there," somebody's shaky voice replied. Footsteps stomped down the hall of cells, and the iron door of mine flew open.

Alice

My plan was simple. Get Runo, since she was the only other person who knew about my secrets, and stage a disturbance so the Officials would have no choice but to leave the jail and come check it out. When that was done, I would sneak in and break Shun out. Easy right?

I thought it was at first, but that was before I walked by the Courtyard. Dan, Murucho, Julie, and a whole lot of other people were standing around. My three friends were clustered together when I ran up to them. "What's going on?" I asked, then froze when I saw who they were standing over.

Julie was knelt down beside a beaten Runo. I felt my eyes grow wide. "Oh my gosh. What happened?" I knelt down by the two of them, looking over the wounds on Runo. She was bruised and cut up much worse that Shun had been when I talked with him.

Murucho was standing next to me and said, "We heard shouting and came to see what was going on and saw a bunch of Officials ganging up on her." My stomach dropped when he said that the Officials had done this. Then again, who else did I expect it to be?

I asked them, "Do you know why they attacked her?" The three of them shook their heads. I turned back to Runo and took her hand in mine. "Runo, can you hear me? Wake up?" The unconscious bluenette stirred, then opened her eyes to face me.

She said weakly, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Alice." She was struggling to stay awake, but I had to make sure she didn't go out until I knew what exactly happened. I looked up at the others and said, "Can I have a moment to talk with Runo real quick?"

They exchanged a look, then walked across the street. I made sure nobody else was within earshot of me. "Runo, what happened? Do you remember?" She nodded slowly. "I was walking back home after talking to you, when several Officials came out of nowhere. I tried to act natural, but they pinned me down and kept saying how they saw me talking with you and wanted me to tell them what I knew."

I didn't think my stomach could have dropped anymore, but it did. I quickly asked, "What did you tell them?" Fear swept over me. Had she broken down and told them everything? If she had, then me and Shun were in serious trouble. Runo cleared her throat and continued.

"I didn't mention your name. But I told them everything else. Even about the map. I'm sorry, Alice. I'm so, so sorry." I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around my hurt friend. "No, I am. I shouldn't have brought you into this. None of this would have happened if I never told you anything. I'm the one who's sorry, Runo."

I leaned her back against the wall, and wiped a tear from my cheek. It was then that I thought of something. "Runo, where did they go after you told them everything?" She tried to sit up, but didn't have it in her. Instead, she lifted up her hand and pointed down the road that led to the jail.

"They went back that way." My eyes grew wide when I realized why they had gone that way, instead of after me. They were going after Shun to get that map. Without saying anything to Runo, I scrambled up and ran in the direction she had pointed.

Behind me, I heard Dan and the others calling out my name. Their voices dissipated the further I got from them. My original plan was worthless now. All I had was a short amount of time to think this through. But all I could think of was, I've got to help Shun.

eek! super bad weather at my house! i mean, lightning struck right next to my house. thus, giving me a spark of inspiration. :p lol (at least i didnt get zapped) whew. thank heavens. i dont wanna be crispy. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~