The Espionage and The Enigma

Chapter 8- NOT VALID

              My thoughts distracted me as I ran into Michael as he abruptly stopped. My body slammed into his shoulders and he turned around to face me, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head as a gesture that I was fine and stretched my arms in the air after he turned his back to me, extending his arms to do the same. I looked at him again, the concern about slipping up still at the center of my thoughts. He was dressed as I was, blended into the forest around him.

                The Kainuu wilderness was much more different than the forest that surrounded the gates of the Phillips Anderson Institute, for obvious reasons. Kainuu's wilderness stretched on for thousands of miles, the trees dwarfing our size by yards. Vast and silent, it was the exact opposite of the forest back home. Dartmouth's botanical life was genetically engineered to have thick foliage all year-round, even in the dead of winter. Here, the trees seemed to be mounds of snow and the sun hung limp and slow in the sky like a burned cinder waiting to be puffed out.

               Home. The word burned in my mouth. I decided to forget the word all together.

               There was no home now, only the looming question of life or death that haunted my mind every second. 

              Michael looked up to reach my eyes and sighed. He scoffed and leaved over, placing his hands on his knees and sucking in the bitter winter air as he closed his eyes. He didn't seem worn out at all by the daunting task of running for our lives. "Tired yet, Belasco?" Michael said, faltering a bit on words himself.

             "I'm actually fine." I snapped, taking in the cold air that turned my lungs into flames. The winter in Dartmouth was nothing compared to the brutal conditions we were in. Dartmouth, where snowflakes fell in uniform shapes from the sky and everyone was in a festive mood. 

              This was isolation.

            He slightly chuckled and rolled his eyes, regaining his posture. "Well, good, because we’re almost done. It'll be just another 7 miles to accomplish- I’m sure you know that though." Michael said a bit bitterly as he shifted his gaze towards the foliage in front of us. I could see those intense blue eyes holding back something, what seemed to be a stare. Even the icy contacts couldn't cover the emotional of curiosity flickering behind them. "What do you think they're doing now?"

               I walked over to him and crossed my arms, squinting my eyes in the same direction he was looking at. It was, what seemed to be, a path leading towards a long and narrow clearing. Exactly, who was Michael talking about? Less than 4 days ago, I had no idea Michael Alessio even existed, let alone was in my term level. I never once saw him, which was strange since everyone in the Phillips Anderson Institute knew me. Maybe Michael actually did find me annoying and irritating, just as I suspected. I was never wrong about instinct.

                    The feeling was mutual.

            "Sitting through the Ranking exams, most probably. I bet they're trying to make themselves seem smarter." I replied back.

               "Ah."

               I nodded and walked over to the path as I flicked my head towards it. "Is this-"

               "A path? Yeah." Michael smugly smiled back. "I told the Council that it would be a useful way to follow so we wander into the wrong place." He walked over to it. "It stretches until the forest edge, then our signals go off and alert the Council that we're still alive. They're in the dark right now about our status. Waiting for us, actually. After that, we'll most likely get another debriefing, I'm almost sure of it."

              I nodded. It was the same thing I would have done, but then again, I didn't think of all of this- Michael did.

                He seemed to know what I was thinking. He nodded his head at me. "It's fine." He said, just before turning away and running down the path he'd created for us. I stood there, pondering about all of his actions since the beginning of the Draft when we were in front of the Council, versus when we were alone. It all suddenly came together.

                Michael Alessio was not as stupid as I thought.

               Michael Alessio was lying about his knowledge. In fact, it seemed as if he knew as much as I did. Maybe even more.

                Michael Alessio was fighting hard not to die.

                Michael Alessio was fighting hard to kill me.  

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A.N: Hey guys! This is the long awaited CH.8 I'm always talking about! Chapter 8 was originally going to include what is now going to be Chapter 9, but I thought it was way too much for one chapter. This one's fairly short, but still definitely one of my favorites! Tell me what you think about the big reveal! Did you guys expect it? Did you guys not see it coming? Do you think Diana is wrong? Only time and upcoming chapters will tell, but it's a mystery for now! ;) I really hope you guys enjoy the story from here on out!  xo 

PS: If anyone is interested, there's the picture of the Kainuu wilderness in Finland where I largely based the setting of the SSR part of the story on! It's quite beautiful actually.