♘ Be Brave ♘

LXXXVII

I know I have to get as far as possible from the crime scene, so I decide to head over to the training room. Relief washes over me as I open the door to find that it is empty. I stand in front of one of the punching bags and hit it. I want to forget. I need to forget. I can't let what happened make me really forgive Matthew.

I can't just turn a blind eye on how much I suffered as a kid, all because Matthew forced me to live with a monster. On the other hand, I can't deny how shocked I am about my "father's" readiness to turn himself in for me. I shake my head.

No. He's probably just pretending to care about me. My eyes widen. What if he's planning to gain my trust to catch me off guard when he turns me in? What if... The sound of the door being opened disrupts my thoughts.

I turn to see Lauren running toward me. She looks disheveled, shocked. When she finally stops, she's gasping for air. "Four... did you... did you hear... about what... happened?" I shake my head. "No, I've just been here training by myself. I just came back from Amity. Sorry I didn't think to take you guys with me." She waves my apology away. "Whatever. How is she?" I smile.

"Beautiful. Like always." She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean." I grin. "She's doing well." I don't want to worry Lauren. She'd start freaking out if I told her what Irene said about the leukemia refusing to cede. Besides, I'm confident that she'll heal.

She's strong. She just has to heal. She will heal. "How did you get out of the compound without anyone seeing you?" I shrug. "Matthew gave me permission to leave." Lauren seems to go back into her earlier trance. "Matthew. Yes. That's why I came."

I feign surprise. I can't let on that I already know what he did. Matthew will take the blame, whether I try to help him or not. "What happened?" Lauren's expression is somber. "Matthew's been arrested."