Always By Your Side *Mileven* // SEQUEL

Bridges (Pt 1)

El's POV:

Mike and I carried on through the forest. It was getting dark, but I knew we had to fix this soon. If we didn't, he could be in serious trouble. You could hear the leaves and twigs crunch underfoot on the messy forest floor. The February air nipped at our noses. It wasn't quite as cold anymore since winter was coming to a close. We continued in silence for the longest time. We were going in the direction that Mike had said their hideout was located. Suddenly, there was snapping sound.

"What was that?" Mike asked.
"I don't know. Are you sure this is the place? There's nothing here."
"I'm positive."

Mike motioned for me to follow him. We walked toward a bunch of leaves. He scooted the pile out of the way with his foot, revealing a hidden cellar door.

"Ladies first," he gestured.
I unlocked the door with my powers.

"Going somewhere?"

Mike turned around fast to a familiar voice.

Seven.

I turned around, facing her.
"We meet again, Heather."
"Nice seeing you and your lovebird here. You just made my job a lot easier."

I scowled at her.

"I'm not going back with you! You can't make me!" Mike protested.
"Haha but I can," she said, her eyes glowing green.
"Stop! Leave him alone! Why did you come here for us, Heather?" I budded in.
Her eyes stopped glowing.
"Funny thing is, I did come here looking for him, but I didn't even plan on seeing you. I came her for Marianna and Laura."
"What?"

Behind us walked out two more girls.
"Hand him over," The taller one said. I assumed she was 002, because she was clearly the oldest.
"No," I said.
"We need him!" 010, or Laura said.
"No, he's coming with me," 007 or Heather said.

I was furious. They had no right to do this to Mike. He was just a boy. He didn't need this in his life. They needed to leave him alone.

Mike started to wince in pain. His hand started glitching again.

"What is wrong with him?" Heather asked, backing away.
"Laura used her powers on him. She's going to fix this though, right?" Marianna said, turning to Laura.
"I don't know if I can."

A loud engine was suddenly audible in the forest. All of us turned. The lab agents were here.

"What is going on?" Heather asked herself.

"Can't you see? They set us up! We have to get out of here! They did what they had always wanted. They have us all in the same place at once. We're vulnerable. We have to go," Marianna said.
"But he promised..."
"You can stay if you want, Heather, or you can follow us," Marianna told her.

Heather ran with us and we raced through the forest. We had to escape. We jumped over fallen trees and over bushes. We stepped on many twigs and got hit in the face a few times with branches.

Mike's leg started glitching and he fell. He lied on the ground, in pain.

We all stopped, and I reached my hand out to him. He tried to take it, but it went right though mine.

The lab agents were now audible, coming really close.

Mike tried to get up, but he couldn't. Laura looked scared and ashamed. Marianna looked concerned. Heather was hard to read.

"Just go on without me!" He said.

Tears brimmed my eyes.
"No, Mike!"
"It's better this way. If you all stay, we'll all get caught. You'll get caught. El, please, do this for me."
"But, I need you!" I cried.
"El, I'll always be by your side. You know I will, even if it's in memory, or in your heart. I'll find a way one way or another."
I cried and fell to my knees.

The lab agents were now visible, coming closer.
"I can't leave you!" I cried.
"You have to El! All of you, go! Now is your chance to leave!"
"I'm sorry, Mike," Laura said.
"Thank you," Marianna said.
The two of them took off.

"Heather, El, go."
"But I can't just leave you to die. Every day without you as been hard, and I don't want to spend another moment without you, Mike."

Heather's eyes brimmed with tears.
"I'll stay."
I turned to Heather, speechless.
"But you already ran. If they catch you, it's game over," I said.
"He shouldn't go back. It was wrong of us to even take him in the first place. He has a life still ahead of him. In sorry. Now, you need to concentrate. Use your powers. I'll hold them off."

Agents came running.

I tried so hard to concentrate.

I heard yelling and fighting.

One of Heather's hands was creating a force field and the other was battling.

Blood dripped out of both of my nostrils.

I was able to levitate him barely iff the ground. Then, I could pick him up using my power. It would last long enough for us to escape.

"Run!!!" Heather called.

And that's what we did.

Heather turned and smiled as we ran through the forest.

And that was the last time I saw 007.