Caught

Chapter Twenty-Two

A man reached out a hand once I reached the top. I grabbed a hold of it, pulling myself in. I finally felt the cold air from outside and started shivering on the spot.

"You okay?" The man asked, wrapping a blanket around me. I nodded while shivering. He guided me into a seat, then was wrapped in Spencer's arms.

Aidan's head popped through the entrance, pulling himself inside. He was breathing heavily, using the wall of the copter to keep him up.

"They're... following... us..." He breathed. "I... couldn't... convince them... to stop..." He took a seat in the last empty chair. "Get this thing off autopilot... and start moving faster."

The man, I'm guessing now that it was Tyson's uncle, closed to hatch and headed towards the controls.

When he left, I turned to Tyson. "Is that...?"

"My uncle? Yes," He responded. "Uncle Alex was my mom's brother. Was, as in, before she died. He lives in Beverly Hills so yeah... this helicopter wasn't too much of a problem to get."

I looked at him strangely. "But... don't celebrities live there? Is your uncle famous?"

He gave a small smile. "Possibly."

"Well, if he's famous, why don't you live with him?" I questioned. "Imagine all the cool stuff you could get."

"Sometimes, fame isn't for everyone, Laur," He explained. "I'd rather be a normal kid."

"Yeah, like being the foster child of a millionaire is normal," Aidan stated. The four of us broke into laughs, which stopped at the sound of gunshots.

"What was that?" I asked at the copter started shaking. Was it the wind, or did something happen to the wing?

Tyson tapped on his mic, one that I didn't know he and Spencer were wearing. "Uncle Alex, is everything alright?"

I knew it couldn't be so I didn't wait for an answer. I stuck my head out the window and there they were. Riding on a jet, following us were guards from the Institute - the same ones that we left moments ago. Come on, can everyone own a flying vehicle these days?

They had their guns out and ready, blasting the copter. The tail was missing a piece to it, making the helicopter loose stability.

"This thing's gonna crash!" I yelled. "They're right behind us."

"How?" Spencer asked. "It's only been a few minutes since we left that spot."

I shrugged. "Tyson, tell your uncle to land. Now. Or we're toast. Aidan, help me try and stop these guys."

"With what?" Aidan asked. "It's not like we have guns."

I rolled my eyes. "But last time I checked, we can both throw fiery balls at people we don't like. Now move."

But before we could reach the window, I felt our world fall, crashing into the ever so soft blanket below us.

-- : --

The cold snow numbed my back. My legs. My arms. It came as a shocker that I wasn't dead.

Somehow, I survived the crash.

I lifted my head with pain rushing through my body. Two other bodies littered the ground - Spencer and Aidan's. Tyson and his uncle were checking their pulses.

Tyson saw me first. "They'll be fine," He assured. "Are you?"

I nodded. "What happened? Why aren't we back at the Institute? Shouldn't they have captured us."