The Truly Divine

Chapter 3: Leaving What's Known

"That's an outrageous example and if you want to eat you better apologize!" I find myself laughing along with him as the morning brightens into the afternoon.

* * *

Soon the sun is setting, and our plan begins to set into motion. "So we have to be back by dawn?" Matthew asks while I pack a bag.

"Yes, before my parents are back from the Gala. But what will you do, stay in Balmer?"

"No, I can't let you make the trip back by yourself, it's too risky. I'll escort you back and probably stay low in Golden Grove until we can meet and discuss our plan."

"Well I understand the gist of it," I say as I zip up my bag, I've got to borrow a knife from my father's study...just in case.

"I'm going to meet your family and the other forerunners in this revolution. Once I understand your goals for equality, I'll start gathering people in Golden Grove. But after that, I'm not sure..." I know he wants to kill the King but I don't know if I can go that far. Who will rule if the King is dead? A citizen from Balmer? Arroya? Surely the people wouldn't go for that.

"I think that sounds like one hell of a start," Matthew says, breaking my troubled thoughts.

I open the front door to my peaceful neighborhood, all identical with green lawns and cream colored buildings. Many of my close neighbors will be off at the Gala as well, I picked a good time to go on an "adventure".

"I used to leave my city through the fields and I'm sure that that's less conspicuous than whatever way you broke in," I roll my eyes as we walk down the street.

"Less conspicuous? We're walking down the middle of your street," he scoffs.

"See all those empty dark rooms? No one is home, most of Golden Grove are in Silver City. You chose a good night to break in." As we walk through the fields in the back of the city, the silence grows eerie.

"Why aren't you like your parents?" Matthew quietly asks, his question carried across the grass by the wind.

"Because I know that you aren't any different than me. When I was younger I had a friend, Kate, who lived in Balmer; she was a better friend than any of these stuck up girls here ever were..." I trail off, nostalgia running through my bones.

"I could tell you were different. From the moment I landed into your room, even though utter fear was on your face and you ran from me...there was a second of wonder and yearn in your eyes, yearning for something more." He stops walking and I turn around to find his solemn expression fixed on me. Five seconds...five seconds was all it took for him to realize I was unhappy in that house, yet people I've been around my whole life couldn't realize I was screaming inside.

"Who are you Matthew Laner?" I ask as my blonde locks flow around my face.

We approach the city fence and I spot the hole I used to leave from without hesitation, although it is much smaller than I remembered it to be. "Well this way is a shortcut from the way I came, we should be back in time for supper."

"With your family?" All of the sudden nerves bubble in my stomach at having to meet them at their dinner table.

"Well yes, my mother and sister will be there and you need to be away from the public eye. You stick out like a sore thumb." He made a good point, I changed into my best non-fancy clothes but the best I found were a pair a navy blue slacks and a beige top that synched at the waist.

"Well if I'm going to be coming to your town more often and vice versa, we need to supply each other with an outfit that fits the town, or else we'll be stuck meeting hours into the night. And my mother knows when I have not had 'beauty' sleep." I throw my bag over the fence and struggle to fit through the hole.

"Does no one patrol the perimeter of your city?" Matthew asks once we are on the other side of the fence.

"Not really, people don't try and break into Golden Grove," I take a deep breath and finish my sentence, "because we shoot on site. No one's tried for decades." Shame washes over me as I start to see what my city is really like from outside the fence; from outside of my skin.

"You might want to correct your statement before you start giving tours of your city," Matthew smirks as we enter the forest, a few feet beyond the fence. I'm quietly confused for a minute before I catch on, rolling my eyes at his arrogance. It isn't long before we're at the border of Balmer, our conversation having kept us preoccupied from the lingering danger that awaits in his town.

"You're lucky my house isn't in towns square, it'll be easy to get you in without notice."

"Does anyone know I'm coming?"

He's silent for a moment before sighing, "Let's just say it's a surprise."

Anxiety courses through my veins as we stand on the hill over his town. The entire city consists of warehouses and broken down buildings, dimly lit by street lamps, and even in the dark I can see the billow of smoke from the factories, clouding the starlit sky.

(Author's Note: I'm really excited about this chapter, it's setting up for some real interesting stuff that's going to happen in Matthew's town. Please vote, follow, and stay tuned for more soon! P.S. I'm still working on making chapters longer)