Hidden Elements

Chapter 29

"Get up darling." A feminine voice whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes and rolled over to get a look at the lady with piercing blue eyes staring at me. "Sweety, I love you." The lady kissed my forehead. "Fight for me darling, fight them for me." She said with determination in her voice. She turned around and left my vision. Then everything erupted in fire.

I woke up sweating and my breaths heavy. I've never had a dream like that before. Those lady's blue eyes, they were mine. The lady looked like me.

Was it a dream...Or a memory?

The thought sent chills down my spine. I looked around me and I found Hilary already up looking at a map on her tablet. Emet was fixing one of his inventions. Then my heart stopped as my eyes swept over to Zach and Matt... shaking hands, and nodding. They both sent me a malicious stare and Matt laughed a deep chuckle.

"Hilary." I nudged. She looked over at me with annoyed eyes. She gave me a look saying 'what do you want?' "I think Zach and Matt want to kill me." I blurted. She laughed. "Why do you say that?" I stared at my hands. "Because I broke both their hearts." She stopped what she was doing and turned and faced me.

"Krista, Zach would never want to hurt you. And my brother hates the sight of Zach so I don't think they'll be plotting to assassinate you soon." She said seriously. I nodded as I stood up and fixed the large uniform. I had to roll the pant legs up a few times before you could even see my feet. And I did the same with the shirt sleeves.

"Let's go." I announced as I drawled out the gun from my belt. I held it carefully in my hands as I started making my way out of the alleyway. The others followed as I started calling out instructions. "Stay close to each other and make sure you blend in with the other guards. Give all the soldiers a different identity to your own and say that you're new if they ask. Everyone still has their phones on them if you get split up from the group. Ask questions about the Fortum and by the end of today, I hope we find this building."

Soon we were out of the alleyway and into a group of soldiers. I started marching in-time with the others as I looked dead ahead of me. No one noticed so I turned my head and I saw a boy, no older than 14 marching with a gun in his hands. "Excuse me." I muttered to him. His head turned around and looked at me with curious eyes. "I'm new and I've been assigned to guard the Fortum, do you know where it is held?" I asked as discreetly as I could. "You'll have to talk to someone else. I know that a senior officer in-charge of the Fortum who has an office in sector 7D. You should ask him." I thanked the boy as I turned into another alleyway between two tall, heavily-guarded buildings. They were both painted jet black with no windows in site. And at least twenty guards waiting outside the both of them. I kept marching down the alleyway until I could duck behind a few discarded boxes. I took my phone out and started sending a message.

'I know how we can find out where the Fortum is. Meet me in sector 7D in an hour.' I sent the message and walked out of the alleyway and I noticed, painted in white on every building. A number and then a letter. '3V' was written. This'll be interesting finding my way to 7D.

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Weaving in and out of crowds of soldiers and passing buildings that look identical has been my actions for the past 50 minutes. I've passed at least a hundred sectors and many of those were because I got lost...Multiple times. The sectors do start to look different after I pass each number section. The security increases with each number. Once I reached sector 7A, the guards had tripled since sector 3. A few more buildings and streets lead me, finally, to sector 7D.

There are only a few buildings around but they are heavily guarded. I started walking around the sector, looking around for the others as discreetly as I could. I spotted a flash of blonde hair and a head of curls among the crowd. I ran up to them and I saw it was Emet and Matt.

"Go into the alleyway to your right." I quickly whispered behind them and they took a direct turn and I followed them. We ducked behind a few boxes as I sent a message to the rest of us. A few minutes later, all five of us were huddled close together.

I started speaking. "There's an office of a senior officer around here who can take us to the building the Fortum is held in. But we have to find the office-" I didn't finish before I saw a flash of light. I immediately stood up.

Bad idea.

I felt an arm wrap around my neck and something cold against my waist. "Got you." A malicious voice whispered in my ear. I tried to scream but it was too late, I wasn't in that alleyway any more. I was in a dark room.

I finally started screaming. I felt that cold object around my waist penetrate my skin and my head tilted back, but the arm around my neck chocked me. I was suddenly dropped to the ground but my vision was blurred. I could see two people. An old man in a cloak but also a person with irresistible brown eyes.

Was it Zach?

Or was it my imagination?

I felt something being secured around my body, disabling my movement. Then something was fitted to my head. It was a see-through box. I tried to get movement in my arms to free my head from this box but all it lead to was a tighter hold on my body.

"Good luck Krista." I heard that same evil voice whisper to me.

Then everything blacked out...

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"No!" I screamed out. I saw two people walking away, backs turned to me. They were walking to a table which had two knives placed carefully on it. We were in a white room with no furniture except for the table. I could detect the smell of bleach and antiseptic. It was a surgery.

But I wasn't the Krista I was today, I was a younger Krista. Wide-eyed and innocent. I distinguished the two people as a middle age couple. And then I saw those electrifying blue eyes from the woman and man. My heart sped up. I tried to run to them but something was holding me back. I turned my head and someone was holding onto me tightly.

I couldn't tell who it was, a middle-aged man with dark brown eyes and streaks of grey in his short hair. "This is what happens when you're different Krista. This is what happens when you disobey me." The man said calmly. A wicked grin covered his face. He turned my head back to the couple. They were both holding the knives.

Blood.

That's all that I could see seeping onto the ground next to the couple. I screamed as loud as I could as I tried running to the couple. "Mum! Dad!" The words rolled off my tongue. "Now your turn." The man behind me grinned. He had a knife in his hand aimed at my head. "This won't hurt. We just want to check on you."

Then everything stopped. Once again, everything burst into flames.

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I was in tears. The box over my head was filled with my tears. I turned to the two men. "See what happens when you're different? You end up like your parents. Dead." The old man said. He edged his way over to me with a dagger in his hand and aimed it over my heart. "Goodbye Krista." He said as the knife started making it's way into my skin.

I was already half-dead.

"Fight for me darling. Fight them for me."

The voice rang through my ears. I felt my hands burn and that was it. The room was engulfed in flames. I felt the dagger leave my chest but I also felt a pair of arms carrying me. Carrying me to safety...or danger. My limbs became mobile again but all I wanted to do was get the box off my head.

"Wait." The manly voice echoed. I felt the box slowly become less tight and then it fell off. The water splashed all over to the ground. All my tears. I turned my head to my 'hero'.

Zach.

It was him in the room.

The world then became black again

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Teaser for chapter 30: You learn the aftermaths of that horrific event Krista was put through. And the crew find their way to the Fortum.

Thx for reading! You finally know a little more on Krista's past...

HT12