The Hunted

Chapter 10 - Ally

Nadia's face falls, and I know immediately that the answer is "no". She sighs and says, "Ally, on any other day I wouldn't hesitate. But just take a look at this." I silently curse her in my head, but quickly remind myself that she must have her reasons. She gently takes my hand and leads me into the living room, seating me in front of her television.

Nadia turns a playback of very recent news on, and a young man is in the middle of reporting at a crime scene. At my house. "The suspect is the young woman pictured, and the CIA believes she is one of the leaders of the notorious gang committing all of these worldwide murders over the past few months. The CIA will not release the girl's name, however. The CIA has also informed us that the girl is armed and extremely dangerous. She was last seen on a red bicycle heading due north, wearing a blue sweater and jeans. If you see her, do not hesitate to contact local authorities and distance yourself from her. The CIA will be rewarding her captor five hundred thousand dollars, dead or alive. To put it simply, folks, this is most likely the girl responsible for over forty-five hundred deaths over the-"

Nadia clicks the television off and turns to me, a concerned look on her face. But I don't turn to her; instead, I stare at the blank television screen in shock and horror. Why would they do this to me, I wonder. Why is it so important that they "get" me, dead or alive? What have I done to deserve this?

I can't even form the words I want to say. Instead, I settle for, "I haven't killed anyone, Nadia." My voice shakes as I speak, and I finally turn to look at my best friend.

"I know. I trust you," she mumbles, to my surprise. "Why would they make this up? Why would they frame you? And if they're framing you, that means they know who's really responsible," she adds. "They only aired the report on this one one station, and only in our area, so nobody out of our state saw it. I went to play it back and they already deleted the entire report. Lucky thing I recorded it, I guess. Obviously, somebody didn't want it aired. Now all the TV stations are just saying that 'a gang leader responsible for thousands of murders' is on the loose."

I shrug, albeit thankful that my best friend trusts me. "I guess they're mad at me for running away. I'm glad not a lot of people saw the report, though. But I mean, the gang leader responsible for all of the mass murders? That's pretty harsh punishment," I say with a weak chuckle. "I've always suspected that the government has something to do with all of the recent murders, and this must be my confirmation."

Nadia nods. "Yeah I guess." She inhales sharply. "But whatever it is, you need to go. You need to hide. If one thing's for sure, when the government is looking to kill you, you're not safe in any house. Even if they don't know what to look for."

"What am I supposed to do, then?" I groan, frustrated and terribly upset. All I want to do is cry, but I resist the urge and force myself to stay strong. I tug on a strand of my blonde hair, wrapping it around my finger.

This isn't my fault. None of it is. As selfish as it sounds, I haven't done anything to deserve this. And yet, here I am, seeking refuge in my best friend's house for crimes I haven't committed.

Nadia grabs both of my shoulders. "You, Alexa Brennan, are going to be the girl who disappears."

"What do you mean?" I ask nervously.

"Well, you certainly can't stay here; my parents will turn you in the first chance they get. But if I can't keep you, I'm gonna help you," she smiles limply, leading me back to her bedroom. Her bedroom is huge and glamorous, with a ginormous window letting in all of the glorious afternoon sunlight. She runs up to her enormous closet, throwing the doors open. "If you want to keep from being recognized, first thing you need is a makeover."