The Selection

Chapter Twenty-three

A/N:

25K OMGGGGGGGG GUYSSS THANK YOU SO MUCH I BEVER EXPECTED SO MANY READS THANKKK YOUUUU
______________________________

•Elsa's POV•

More rebels? Time passes by as we all head to the nearest safe room, with Jack struggling to head to his own with his parents. We lose the Selected and the royal family as guards block one of the corridors. We head down another, but it is occupied with guards and rebels as well. I shout as one of the rebels yells my name. I look over at the rebel, tears brimming my eyes as I recognize him as the man that beat me and shot me out in those woods with Maddox. I can't turn away, I'm so horrified. His eyes lock with mine as he raises his hand, the gun aimed at me. Jack yells,"Elsa! Run!" As he grabs me, pulling me to the floor as the gun goes off. A guard falls dead to the ground beside us, but there's no time to grieve. For a split second, I think of Hiccup as Jack takes my hand.

"This way," he whispers. We head down a different hallway where some paintings of the royal family is located. A painting of his mother at her coronation is there, and she looks so beautiful. Nothing like I am.

He pulls down a light beside it, and it opens the painting like it was a door. I remember the other day when he did the same thing, and I realize this is almost the same painting except the last painting was of King Adgar at his coronation day.

"Come on. A safe room is only a few steps from here. But only use this passage for emergencies." I nod as we step inside the safe room and the door clicks shut behind us. "It locks from the outside, though only a key can get us out." Jack informs me as I nod. I look around at my surroundings. A cot, a first aid kit, water, and canned food are scattered around in here. Oh, and not to forget the toilet. Yeah, not gonna happen.

Jack sits down on the cot as I pace around. I look behind me as I hear a soft moan and see Jack shaking. I walk over to him, sitting down on the floor as I take his hand. He looks down at me, his eyes softening just a bit but not easing the pain in his eyes. I sigh, kissing his hand gently.

"Hey, it's okay. Your parents will be okay." He shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't know that for sure, El." He gets up and pushes my hand away, turning around to stare at the wall. That's when I notice the blood on his back. Oh my goodness...was he shot as well?

"Jack? You're bleeding." I say worriedly. He turns around quickly, trying to cover it up. No, it's fine. I'll be fine."

But I could tell he was not. I could see the grimace on his face and how slow he seemed to be moving. He even had a little limp and I didn't know why.

"You need to clean that or it will become infected. Let me just-" I try to head over to him and help him, but he interrupts me as he backs away from me.

"El, no!" He shouts, and I step back, a bit frightened for both his condition and the tone of his voice. "Fine. Bleed to death and get sick. Your country will love that."

I turn away, but he puts his hand on my wrist, sighing as he averted my gaze. "Alright. But when you look, please don't freak out. Please." I nod as I start to lift up his shirt, and he groans in pain. I smell the foul stench of blood and I try not to throw up. Jack's back is in gashes, and from what I could tell, I looked like it had been done with some kind of whip or belt.

He grunts at the pain. It's hard not to notice how muscular he is, but blood is all over him. "Turn around," I instruct, which he does.

"This will hurt." I quickly put the wet towel on his body and he cries out.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, sorrow in my gaze. He groans. "It's alright. Thank you." He shuffles a bit as I continue, and I eventually work up the nerve to ask him where did the wound come from. He doesn't answer.

I sigh as I continue to pat the towel on his wounds, wiping away the blood. Then I put the hyrogen peroxide on, and he screams again.

"I'm so sorry." I say again, my voice breaking. He only grunts as I finally I finish.

"Come here." He wraps his arms around me as I face him on the little cot, pressing against him as it is so small. "Jack, how did this happen?"

He closes his eyes in pain, then fixes sharp blue eyes on me. "My..."

I cup his cheek, tears brimming my eyes as I tell him,"Jack, it's okay. I wouldn't tell anyone. You can trust me, remember?"

He takes a deep breath as he mutters,"My father."

I sit up in shock. How could he do third to his own son? I knew he was a bit...rough, but never this. I never pictured this. "Why would your father do this?"

"Because he always has when I do something he doesn't like."

"How many times?" I whisper, horrified.

"Too many to count. It started when I was 12. Hasn't stopped since then. Never will, I suppose." I shake my head as I lay back down, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Jack, I'm-" I cut off as he places his hand on my cheek, stroking it gently as he brushes the tears away. "El, it's not your fault, so don't apologize." A tear falls down his cheek, both from pain and seeing me so broken for him.

He continues to talk about it, and I know it hurts him become the more he talks, the more he sobs. My heart pierces in two.

"I don't know why he hates me so. I try to impress him, but it never works. Anything I do it never works. The work I do, he always goes back and erases it. He doesn't think I know, but I can tell."

I just stare at him as he stammers out,"He always focuses on what I don't do or didn't do right according to him. And if I just slip up once in former of the public, he does this." I wiggle next to him and kiss the tears away.

This seems to shake him out of his daze, as if he just remembered that I was there listening to him talking about how cruel his father was to him. He looks at me fondly. "I love you, snowflake. You don't know how much you mean to me."

Now tears fall down my cheeks. "I...I..."

He smiles softly, staring into my eyes. "It's okay if you can't say it back yet. Take all the time you need."

"Jack, I'm sorry. But I promise, I do care about you deeply. So, so much." He nuzzles against me, eventually falling asleep. I watch him carefully, smiling as I lay my head on his arm and we both fall asleep, a peaceful silence in the chaos around us.