The Uprising (Book #3 in The Inception Trilogy)

chapter twenty-seven

(WOWOW I AM SO SORRY. I'VE LITERALLY BEEN GONE FOR 37487 YEARS. I really didn't want to sound like I'm giving excuses, but... tbh I have excuses lmao. 

It's the end of the year for me and I'm a senior so I get out two weeks earlier--officially done with high school oh my god--but I had to make sure I got exempt from my exams and I had work to catch up on and I actually enrolled into that school in New York so come August YA GIRL IS MOVING AND I'M HELLA SCARED BUT EXCITED. 

It's just been really busy. I haven't had any motivation to write anything and I hate when I get like that. But I apologize. I promise I'll try to get back onto a semi-normal schedule now that I'm out of school. I hope I'm forgiven. Also I hope I'm forgiven for this essay I just wrote... to screw up the readers who skip this stuff, comment a fruit emoji--or if you're on a computer type it lmao. This chapter is still shitty and unedited so I'm sorry BUT YEAH. I'M DONE NOW. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH, I'D NEVER FORGET ABOUT YOU <3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

IT'S HARD FOR HARRY to turn away after watching Evelyn ride off with Talon at her side. If he's honest with himself, he trusts Talon not to harm her. Talon had always listened to Harry more than anyone else who tried to reason with him, so it's almost a comfort to have someone of his strength with her. However, if he's on the doctor's side, there's no telling where his loyalties will lie if things go south.

With his anxiety pumping, he feels like he needs to run and run and run. Run to her, or just run anywhere to get this nervousness to go away. He knows it won't, though. Not until he sees her safely back in front of him.

He can feel the heavy weight of silence smothering him as the rest of the group looks to him, waiting for him to make the first move. He doesn't know why everyone follows his lead so often. He hates being responsible. He doesn't even believe he makes the best decisions all the time, and he's hardly in control of himself anymore, so what good in him do they see?

He drags a hand down his face before rounding on Leo, who seems confused and frightened for a brief moment when his eyes meet Harry's. "You said you have a leader here," Harry says. "I'd like to meet them."

"Now?" Leo looks up at the night sky. "She may be asleep."

"Then wake her up," Harry snaps unintentionally. "I don't doubt the doctor will let Evelyn return, but I do doubt his 'good nature.' He's planning something and your 'leader' needs to be aware of that."

Leo nods before grumbling to a guard to retrieve this woman everyone here seems to look up to. Harry is intrigued, to say the least. Leo's camp is in great shape and perfect order, so he can only imagine the strength it took to guide the people that way. She hadn't been at the celebration earlier to meet them, which only peaks his curiosity further. Had she skipped it out of dread or did she actually have something important to do?

Leo leads their group down to a conference hall that's beside the mess hall where the celebration had taken place. The conference hall is just as big. Harry marvels openly at how nice the structure is, how intact. Leo scored a big one finding this place. It's rare to see buildings still standing, architecture perfectly unharmed as if constant bombings never took place.

It isn't long before the doors are thrown open again, a middle-aged woman storming in while tying a robe around herself. Her features are young despite the obvious aging around her eyes. She's beautiful, which Harry decides is must for gaining popularity. Men are won over easily if there's a pretty face speaking to them.

"What is the meaning of this? It's nearly eleven o'clock at night and--"

She stops mid-sentence and mid-step, one foot gently touching the ground as her shock waves through. Her eyes meet Harry and he can hear her heartbeat pick up, he can sense her anxiety beginning to churn. However, she stands straighter and lifts her chin, clearing her throat as she presses her full lips together. She approaches him calmly, as if a switch had been flipped in her personality and she forgot all about the annoyance of being woken up.