OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST - LONG LISTED
Safety was never an option.
She has nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere safe to reside. No matter how far she runs or how quiet she hides, they always find her. She will never be free of her hunters. Theresa k...
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"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Laurie—"
"Nah uh, cousin, explain yourself. Explain yourself right now."
Meline sighs, caving in on herself. Ez and Via won't meet his eyes either. Laurence is fuming.
"Well?" He throws his hands at them.
Theresa turns the corner of a tent, Arthur half a step in front of her. Her stomach gnaws with hunger, but she doesn't ask for anything. Even though she knows Arthur wouldn't hurt her, not again, she still can't get the look of a Hunter out of her head. One wrong move and a sword will be at her side again, even though he's unarmed.
"What's going on here?" Arthur asks, crossing his hands over his chest. Meline, Via and Ez spin quickly to look at him, shock spreading on their face in various ways. Laurie just rolls his eyes.
"Trying to get information out of Team Alpha. They somehow made a mess of their mission in Synon, tracking down their target—" He jabs a finger in Theresa's direction. She flinches. "But they won't explain themselves. They just keep skirting around what they obviously fucked up."
"Hey," Arthur warns. His step forward somehow sizzles out part of Laurie's frustration.
Laurie huffs. "They won't tell me what happened. Do you think you can, Naturian girl?"
Her heart skips a beat. Meline stares at her with horror and Via covers her mouth. Then it sinks in. They're not telling Laurie she murdered the guards through her curse. Laurie looks between them all and throws his hands into the air again.
"Will someone just spill it already? God. We just have to know they didn't follow you!" he growls, running his hands down his face.
Arthur puts his hands up and smiles at him before he turns to look at Theresa. She doesn't miss the subtle shake of Meline's head. "Want to tell me what happened?"
The sword in her side feels more real now.
"Guys, we have to tell them. One way or another. It endangers all of Valhaven, including Theresa, whether or not we tell them," Ez finally says. Everyone turns to look at him. He shuts his mouth tight.
"Well?" Laurie swings his arms. Arthur only tilts his head.
Ez looks desperately at Meline and Via. Meline only shrugs. "You're the one who cracked. You tell them and live with the consequences."
Arthur reaches for his sister, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Meline?"
She casually brushes it off, refusing to look him in the eye. "Go on, Ez."
"Okay, okay." He shakes his head, looking at the ground. "We had almost secured Theresa. No—We had secured her, and we were on our way out of Synon when she... she turned and ran from us. Another Naturian was being held captive that we didn't know about. They had him in an arena, betting on his life. Theresa didn't want to leave without him."
