The Change (The Alliance #2)

Chapter 19

Mia

"It's been four days. I still can't see him?" I ask Dave.

"Mia, I'm telling you he isn't the Archer you know. I don't think you want to see it."

"I have to apologize." I whisper, although a small 'sorry', won't do it.

I really fucked him up.

"Besides, the only person he will let in is Adam. And Adam says Archer hasn't said anything about what happened. He said even a little noise triggers him. So if he saw you...it will not be good. It won't be good for him."

"Are you just gonna keep him locked up, then? Like he was at the government?" I sigh. "At least start bringing new people in, so he can get used to this place again."

"What the-"

I look over and see him. Archer. Walking. Outside. By himself. Pale face, a wince at every step, eyes narrow but still blue. Nonetheless, it's Archer. The boy I loved. The boy who forgot I loved him.

The boy who probably wants me dead.

Dave starts to walk towards him, as well as Adam. I follow close, but not too close.

"What are you doing bud?" Adam asks, smiling a little. Archer keeps his stare forward.

"Archer-"

"I wanna shoot." Archer cuts Dave off.

"You sure?"

He nods.

Maybe this is a good thing. Archer loved to shoot, and maybe doing one of his favorite hobbies will help. I watch from a small distance as Archer picks up a bow. His hands are shaking badly, he can't even put an arrow in place. I want to cry; watching him struggle like this. What did Evelyn do to him?

After a few minutes he finally gets the arrow right. With shaky arms, he lifts up the bow at the target. For a moment, I see Archer again. The boy who I saw in that cell back at my dome, who brought me to the Alliance, who taught me that males and females should be together, who made me love him.

He turns still, his focus all on the target.

And then a gun is shot.

And Archer drops his bow and screams.

"Ashely!" He cries, looking around frantically. He sinks to his knees, covering his ears with his hands, shaking his head back and forth. He sobs, eyes closed tight.

Dave and Adam run towards him, while I still stay a little behind.

"Archer, it was just another target shooter. It's okay." Dave says, kneeling next to him. Adam goes around and clears everyone from the shooting range.

Archer is shaking badly, his skinny figure sunk in the grass. I hold in tears as I listen to him sob. Adam walks next to me.

"They shot his sister right in front of him, he told Dave that." He says, and I gasp.

"Who did?"

"I don't know. I would assume Evelyn."

Now tears fall from my eyes. Ashely. She saved us from dome one. She was Archer's sister. They shot her, right in front of him. No wonder he reacted like this by hearing a gunshot.

He probably just relived his nightmare.

I want to comfort him so badly; I want to tell him that he'll be okay. I want to talk to him.

I want to tell him I still love him.

"Okay, lets stand up now." Dave says. He helps Archer up to his feet. Archer leans against Dave, his head facing down, the tears falling from his cheeks. I freeze as they walk towards me. I step to the side, but then Archer looks up.

And we make eye contact.

He stops, and so does my breath. It's the sorrow on his face that breaks me. His face is so skinny, but it's those eyes. Blue. I haven't seen those blue eyes in forever.

I'm sorry, I want to say. I don't hate you, I never will. As much as I want to tell him everything, I stay silent. I let him take his look at me. He looks straight into my eyes, as if he's trying to remember...something, anything.

And then I see his lips move. He closes them, about to say something.

He's about to say Mia.

He's working on the M, but he's struggling. He knows my name, but something's not right. He wants to say it, but he doesn't at the same time.

Say it. Please say it. Mia, yes, that's me. Please say my name. I scream in my mind.

His blue eyes fade. He looks forward. He continue to walk.

He never said my name.

Dave guides him back in his room, while this time I sink to my knees.

"Mia-"

"He hates me. He hates me. He doesn't remember, he doesn't want to remember-" I sob as Adam tries to comfort me.

"He's not himself-"

"He likes you. Hell, he is probably is okay with everyone but me." I say.

"Evelyn did bad things to him, Mia. If you switched places, do you think he would give up on you?"

Of course not. I think. But I'm impatient.

"I just want Archer back." Is all I say.

"Evelyn took Archer. It's going to take a while for him to come back. He's doing better, he talks to me once in a while when we are together in our room. It's a slow process, but it's something."

Evelyn took Archer...

"I want to kill her." I mumble, but Adam heard it loud and clear.

"I think Archer should have the honors to do that." He says.

"Then I want to be standing right next to him." I say, and Adam smiles.

"Count me in."

***

"He didn't even say my name. He just walked away."

I tell Lydia the whole story. She's in my room, making herself conformable.

"It's not his fault, you have to know that." She says.

I know, it was all my fault. I think, but I nod anyway.

"So, now what?" Lydia asks.

"What do you mean?"

"We got him back. Whatever condition he's in right now, he's back. So, now what?" She asks, and I know just the answer.

"We fight Evelyn."

••••••

WHY HELLO!!!!!!!!!

HONESTLY I DIDNT PLAN TO POST BUT ITS HERE!!

A TON of you guys kept messaging me about updating this book, and I'll be honest with you, I wasn't planning on updating. I've been working on my other book "Elements" that I haven't had time to write this one.

BUT after all the encouragement and comments you guys have been sending me, I decided to give you a special treat of an update :)

Honestly I don't know when I'll update again, but if I keep getting support, I might just cave in again :)

SO THANK U SO MUCH FOR STICKING AROUND!!!