Chapter 11: Crank City

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RHEA'S POV
I wait till morning. At night, even Newt sleeps. I can't, though. I dig into my bag and surprisingly, I find coffee. I finish it.

I wait for morning to confront him. I spend the night cleaning my wound, getting that ringing in my head to just abate and to clear my head. I can't bring it in me to trust Jorge, and above all to actually follow him. I have no idea what to do.

Jorge is the first to wake and I trail after him as he leaves the group, sparing a glance at the rest who lie around in a haphazard mess of limbs and hair. Jorge moves away from the group, disappearing behind a building that's completely run down, windows broken and the pipes broken and sticking out.

Jorge is clearly distressed over this whole situation. He lost Brenda, the girl from earlier, and we lost Thomas. We're stuck in a shaky alliance of mistrust and mutual benefit from finding the both of them.

He lets out a breath, running a hand over his face, and I make sure to let my shoes crunch against the sand beneath me to draw his attention. As predicted, he whirls around, shoulders tensed for a fight.

"Jorge. Do you remember me?" I ask, hands in the pockets of my black jacket as I watch Jorge.

Jorge frowns. "Your friends had said that they lost their memories."

"Number one, they aren't my friends. Number two, I didn't say that," I say, keeping my voice carefully blasé. "You should remember me, though."

"And why's that?" Jorge questions, eyes narrowing on me. I watch the way his hands twinge, ready to yank out his gun from its holster at his waist at any moment.

I lift my hands out of my pockets, showing my empty palms to him, before raising them further and throwing my hood back. Jorge's eyes widen as he stumbles away from me. I know what he sees. I know he remembers. I smile sardonically at him. "I know I looked different when I was twelve but, well..." I draw my hood back on, the shadows that fall across my face easing me instantly.

"You... Rheana Hunter Allios," Jorge says, eyes wide. "I- I..."

I let out a wry laugh and then lunge at him. My fist collides with his face him as I kick out. A yell escapes his lips as he crashes back against the run down wall of the building, and I have a fistful of his shirt in my hand as I pin him to the wall. His eye is black and his lips are bleeding.

"I hope, that next time, you'd remember better," I hiss, knowing he can see me given how close we stand. "Because just so we're clear here, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Just thought you should know," I say darkly, and walk off, back towards the group.

When I arrive back in the mini shed we took shelter in, everyone is awake.

I go and sit next to Aris, who I know wouldn't bother making conversation with me. He respects my silence and the way I get lost in my own thoughts. Involuntarily, my eyes travel to Newt.

He gets it too, my treacherous mind protests. I shove the thought away.

"You alright?" Aris asks, brows furrowing slightly. "Jorge's missing. Think he went off and abandoned us?"

Jorge walks in right on queue, and everyone's eyes go wide.

"What the hell happened to your eye?" Minho says, breaking the silence.

Jorge glares at my direction. "We had an... argument."

"What for?" Harriet asks, curious.

"It's personal," Jorge answers.

"Well try not to get into anymore arguments, would you, Rhea? He's our ticket to saving Thomas, you know," Minho says sarcastically.

I scowl at Jorge.

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