Separated By a Wall

Ryker's Wrath

The people in the ice cream shop stared between Ryker and Hayden. And I simply stood behind him, afraid of what Ryker would do. I lick my ice cream slowly hoping the taste could melt away my fears. "What are you doing?" he asks, his voice low. In a way that was scarier than him shouting. "She wanted ice cream so I took her to get some." Hayden's tone was sharp his eyes flicking from the Ryker to the customers surrounding us. Ryker followed his action and I realized what they were doing. They had to be careful with what they said or they would reveal I was human.

"Mom said that she wasn't supposed to leave the house unless I was taking her. Her... amnesia hasn't fully healed yet." What's amnesia? Would that be a good enough excuse? "Yeah well, Aunt T was there when I asked if she wanted ice cream. She didn't do anything to stop me." Ryker looked at me. "Rose let's go." That was the first time he used my name instead of calling me human. Then again, he couldn't say that in public.

I made a move to go towards him but was immediately stopped by Hayden. His arm blocked my path and ushered me behind him again which seemed to make Ryker even more mad. "Do you know how long I've been looking for her?" Hayden shrugs. "We were gone for three hours." Three hours? It only felt like an hour.

Ryker takes a step closer to us and Hayden takes a step back. He freezes looking at me again. "We have to go back now." Go back where? To the wall? I don't want to cross over yet. I can't cross over yet. I'm having so much...fun. I'm really happy for the first time in ages. I'm not obsessing over the Anoch or working or just walking around blindly. I'm seeing the more...fruitful part of life he can't take me back yet. I shake head and eat more of my ice cream.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." the lady from behind the counter comes around to stand in front of Ryker. Ryker stares at the lady for about half a second before looking between me and Hayden and storming out of ColdStone. I lean in for another lick of ice cream only to find that it's gone. I throw it out and exchange glances with Hayden. "We should go after him." He gives me a confused look. "Are you crazy? He's mad! You have to let him calm down." I bite my lip staring at the door. "Are you sure?" He nods. "I know Ryker better than anyone. Provoking him when he's mad will only make it worse." I sigh in surrender.

"Fine. Where should we go next?" I didn't want to leave Ryker like that but I trusted Hayden. So I went along. But the day wasn't carefree like it was earlier. There was a thick layer of tension and I knew Hayden knew that. "I wanna show you something." he says, excitement in his tone. He grabs my wrist and breaks out into a run pulling me along with him.

There was more? I saw paper, and books and ColdStone and the grass. What else was there? Instead of feeling the usual chill down my spine when I ran, mostly because I was being hunted, I felt...free. Not like when I got the CareBot off. Not like when I first crossed the wall. But more than that. The soft breeze in my hair, the clean air, and the completely different aura gave me a whole new perspective. Maybe life wasn't meant to be test but rather a gift. And I was finally enjoying it.

***

"What is this?" We had run all the way to a park. That's what he called it anyways. And in the center was a huge...blob? It was straight and brown but then it separated like a split end with split ends and there's was grass on it. But the grass looked different. Instead of the thin, dark strips that stuck out of the ground, these were a light green and heart shaped. "It's called a tree." Tree.

What is tree? "This is where wood comes from." I stare at the tree and then back at Hayden. "From this tree?" His lips quirk upward slightly. "Not just from this one. There are more. This was the first tree the Anoch ever discovered. So we built around it. This stuff," he walks up to it and pats the straight brown thing. "is called the trunk. And this," he points to the 'split end.' "is a branch. The green things on it are called leaves." Trunk, branch and leaves equals tree? Tree!