Surprise! Another chapter, and also another dedication!! 😁 This chapter is dedicated to @nugget_xo for her sweet and funny comments that always crack me up, make me smile, and sometimes even make me learn new words 😉 You've not reached this chapter yet, so don't cheat either, and wait to read it 😘 Great things come to those who wait! I love you, little nugget 😘💕
The handle lowers down. Her breath stops, and she runs as fast as she can in the small space as if she was gathering momentum to leap to wherever Nathaniel is.
Her gaze is fixed on the slit of the door, growing like her hope to escape, and she arrives there right when it is fully opened, the timing more perfect than she could have ever calculated. Except that the person appearing there is a factor she could have never imagined.
Her heart freezes instantly at the sight, but by the time the information processes to her other sore muscles, she can only drift slightly to the left, crashing fully into the door with a loud crack – of wood, as she finally glimpses a piece of the chair on the floor, though she isn't sure she hasn't broken a few bones too because her whole body is aching, from her wrists to her knees that are still constricted by the ropes.
When she hears the familiar voice, it doesn't matter, however, "Mon ange! Are you okay?"
"Oui, ça va, Mom," she assures as her mom rushes to kneel beside her, her piercing gaze running all over her slumped body.
Of course, she doesn't believe her words, probably catching the excruciating pain shooting through every part of Anastasia's body, and she particularly lingers on her eyes, although she doesn't say anything.
It doesn't need words as the ties fall to the floor like a flimsy thread of sheer fabric, and Anastasia doesn't even try to comprehend how her mom has got rid of the ropes so easily, vaguely glimpsing a tool that resembles shears beside her before she throws her arms around her neck, clutching to her like to the ray of hope she is.
"Shh, it's okay, I'm here..."
"How?" Anastasia pulls away, still not believing her blurry eyes, still not breathing fully, too afraid to choke if it is just a hallucination of her hopeless mind.
"I'm your mom." She smiles softly at her daughter like it is an obvious answer, and as she brushes her cheeks, Anastasia realizes the tears are spilling freely from her eyes.
She is free now.
"You disappeared with a text saying 'there's nothing I can do'. I immediately knew it couldn't be you. Anastasia Fisher never gives up!"
Even through her tears, she can see the faith shining in her mom's eyes, and her chest constricts at the thought that has crossed her mind minutes ago. If her mom knew she has been about to give up everything...
"So I called Andy, and he was already looking for you with your other rebel friends. Apparently, it was too long to hack your phone because someone has put a security on it."
"Fergus."
He really has thought of every detail, and she wishes she could have been that meticulous herself. So many things could have been avoided.
"That's what we thought, so Andy sent him a fake text, and we followed him from the farm until back here. But I would have never imagined he could have done something like that. I'm so sorry..." her mom rambles quickly, a sign of how worried she must have been, and the concern is dripping from her eyes like the incessant tears from Anastasia's when she grabs her daughter's bloody wrists. "Oh my god! You need bandages."
"No, I'm okay." Anastasia tries to reassure her, and it is clear she won't tell her how Fergus has drugged her. She has other things to worry about, like the important question... "Where is he?"
He isn't in any corner her gaze is scanning, yet she still gets up, taking a step out of the door to make sure she won't be trapped here again.
"Your dad and the boys are tying him up down there."
"He's here aussi?!"
'Stronger together', Nathaniel has been right. All these people and their love have saved her, and with each word from her mom, more strength is coming back to her body.
"Yes, he loves you, and we just want you to be safe and happy." On this last word, she dives her eyes into Anastasia's, and everything that they don't have time to say passes in a meaningful second, along with more power.
So much so that there is no waver left in Anastasia's voice or hand when she wipes the last tears falling down her cheeks and declares, "I'll go save Nathaniel."
"I know." Her mom sighs, yet it is still with so much faith that she watches her daughter grip firmly the rope ladder with her bloody fingers. "Andy and his friend are waiting for you downstairs. Be careful."
"I love you," Anastasia can only reply sincerely before disappearing down the wooden platform.
She has never left this place as quickly, and the lost feeling prickling her muscles finally fading, her legs become even faster, spurred by another rush of energy when she catches sight of her dad with Fergus tied to a tree.
"So let's start with the fundamentals of accounting."
"Thank you," she tells him from afar, and even if she can't smile – only feel a little tickle of revengeful jubilation to see Fergus with 'no choice' now, listening to her dad – he understands with a meaningful nod before he turns back to Fergus with, she is sure, the hint of a mischievous smirk on his lips.
She would have never expected that from her parents, but love is more powerful than anything, and if they have been able to save her, she can do the impossible too.
Their support is pumping determination through her veins, and when she arrives at the black van, she is welcomed with even more belief and a strong loving embrace.
"Oh my god! My little Mrs. Perfection! What did this jerk do?! I swear that when I get more time, I'll torture him slowly," Andy gasps, true to himself and his usual excessiveness, though when he pulls away to look at Anastasia's petite and tired figure, his gaze is more serious than ever, emphasizing even more his threatening words.
"Don't worry, my dad is already torturing him with his accounting lessons." She shakes her head, as she, and also Archie, know better than anyone the psychological torture it will be for Fergus.
But it doesn't seem enough for Andy as he engulfs her in his arms again. "He deserves so much worse if he's hurt you."
"He didn't touch me."
Just like her mom, her best friend isn't convinced, as her honest gaze is shadowed by dark circles and tear marks, and with her clothes ripped and stained with blood, she must look like she has been tortured. Yet the real abuse has been beyond all these layers.
"I'm fine. We have more important things to worry about."
"Right! Let's take care of those wounds and get you ready." Andy nods, leading her in the back of the van and grabbing his bag, while she shakes her head frantically.
"No, no! We don't have time. We need to save Nathaniel! We need–"
"We will, but you can't go in this state." As Andy gently grabs her shoulders, she takes in how ragged and thin her breaths still are, as much as when she has been stuck in the treehouse.
She is still trapped, with horrible scenarios and the harrowing ticking of the clock.
"It doesn't matter how I am! Nathaniel... we need to get to him quickly! He – they will..." The word can't even get out through the thick lump of her throat, only a sigh, faint and shaky.
"They won't. We won't let them," Andy replies softly, trying to pull her to sit down as her legs are becoming restless in the confined space.
Her whole body is, actually, and through the blur, she needs a few seconds to process the other voice that adds,
"We're on the way."
Hadi, she hasn't seen him behind the driver's seat, just like she hasn't noticed the light purring of the van with her spinning head, and she is surely overlooking so much more as only one question comes to her mind.
"Where?"
"The Armed Forces' headquarters." Andy takes the opportunity that her frantic and aimless movements are finally stopping to grab her blood-stained wrists, and she can take her surroundings more clearly, including Hadi's cocked eyebrow as he throws her a glance over his shoulder.
"We'll soon get there, but you can't get in looking like you just escaped a prison or an asylum."
"No! Come on, you're still hot, just bloody hot." Her best friend tries to reassure her or maybe make her smile, yet her frown only deepens as she focuses on Hadi's words.
'Get in', that's the sole thing that matters to her. It means she will get closer to Nathaniel.
"What's the plan?" She instinctively grabs her compass pendant, not helping Andy, who is cleaning her wrists, but at least, she finally sits down.
"Nate is in a cell of the headquarters' underground. So you and Hadi will infiltrate the building."
"Sacha is already waiting for us inside," Hadi adds, this time not looking away from the road ahead, or more exactly the dark shapes she glimpses through the windshield.
It is still night. She takes deep breaths to concentrate on everything they are explaining.
"He doesn't have access to Nate's cell, but we'll set a blackout to get there."
"Most of the locks are electric, and we have some cool rebel tools for the others."
Andy and Hadi complete each other's sentences perfectly despite their differences in tones and attitudes, and their back and forth is another proof of how false the speeches about love on the TV news have been, another reason to fight.
"Okay, but how do we get into the building? I'm sure it'll be ultra-secured." She still can't let herself breathe any hope without being careful of every detail this time because they won't have another chance to make it up.
"That's why you have to get ready!" Andy pulls out white folded clothes, and she recognizes the rough fabric easily. "You'll have no problem getting in since you're supposed to work there. Do you still have your swipe card?
"Yeah, it's in my ba– Merde! I don't –" Before the panic can overwhelm her again, Andy lifts the large bag she has been holding yesterday before... everything.
"It was in Fergus's car," he explains, shifting seats to wipe her sticky and still-wet face, and that's only when the navy bag is in her hands that she takes in the white bandage around her wrists.
She hasn't felt Andy putting it on, nor the burn of alcohol on her wounds, surely because of the fire still blazing painfully inside her chest, and now, it is even reaching her brain as she analyzes every word they say.
"And Hadi? How will he get in?"
"Sacha lent him one of his uniforms." Andy points to the brooding rebel and the gray jacket on his shoulders, whose unmistakable fabric should have struck her instantly, along with the extraordinary fact that Hadi is wearing something else than black.
It doesn't resemble her to be this negligent and distracted, and it is especially not the moment if she wants to be useful and not bring everyone down in the shadows of hell.
She really has to clear her gaze and head, yet not even her friend's lightness, which she is usually thankful for in serious situations, can help.
"Now, I understand your thing for uniforms!"
As Andy wiggles his eyebrows, the only uniform she pictures is a typical red uniform, and thankfully her best friend is too focused on making something out of her tangled hair and on Hadi's muttered 'Don't lay it on thick' to notice the blur burning behind her eyes as she blinks it away.
Those tears are useless, and she knows how hard everyone is trying to help them, all the efforts and risks they are taking. Whether it is Hadi going against all his principles or Andy taking care of every detail, they are doing everything for this plan to work, and the more they explain, the more she believes.
"And once inside?"
"You'll go set the blackout. As a cleaning lady, you shouldn't have any problem walking around, and the generator is–"
"Next to the high-ceiling training room," she finishes, adjusting her newly-made ponytail, while Andy turns away to let her change.
"Yes, and in the meantime, Hadi and Sacha will go to Nate's cell."
"And after?" Her questions are as rushed as her movements to slip on the white shirt as each second is ticking and slipping away.
"It should be dark everywhere, and in the panic, they should find a way to sneak in and get him out."
"If everything goes right," Hadi notes, not even leaving her time to catch a glimpse of the possible happy ending, and before any tragic scenario can flash through her mind, she is the one speaking up,
"I'll go too."
Upon these words, her stained clothes are put away like the remains of a weakness she won't let happen again, while Andy turns to her with wide eyes, surely more because of her record time for changing outfits than for her stubborn determination, which he is now used to.
That's why only Hadi tries to reason with her in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's useless, you'd only arrive too late, or get lost and make everyone lose time."
"I know this place. I'll join quickly. You go ahead, and I'll catch up. There's no way I'm staying behind to wait and do nothing. Besides, the more we are, the better," she retorts with the same tone and enough determination to make Andy lower his head in surrender as he peers at her familiar frown.
"You won't back down?"
She doesn't even need to add anything. The look in her eyes is definite, and not even the redness from her dried tears can shade the fierce fire. She can't back down.
Staying away and waiting is impossible. It's all she has done so far, and the powerlessness is already turning this drive into torture. If she could, she would run to Nathaniel; her mind actually does, racing to where Nathaniel can be, and it is about to jump to conclusions about what they are doing to him when Andy's sigh stops her.
"Okay, but you'll listen to me in the earpieces and not rush headfirst."
"You've really thought of everything for this." She nods, glancing at the small device he is putting in her hand, the same she has worn what feels like an eternity ago but has been, in fact, last night. "Thank you."
Indeed, without them, she probably would have run headfirst to the headquarters and got arrested before even beginning to help Nathaniel.
"We've got some time to think while looking for you." Andy shrugs, rummaging through his bag again, though this time, it's a granola bar he pulls out, and she is staring at it with wider eyes than in front of all the high-tech items he has ever shown her. "Here, eat this. I'm sure you haven't eaten since yesterday, so don't fight me on this."
"You sound like my mom," she mutters at his pointed index finger, unwillingly opening the blue and gray wrapping and wondering how the snack will pass through the lump in her throat.
"Well, your mom is always right, and she's cooler than I thought!"
She is, and if she was here, she would remind Anastasia that she won't be able to run on adrenaline and love endlessly. Her hazy muscles need energy, particularly her brain. That's why she resigns herself to eat the cereal bar – that, and because of Andy's attentive glances.
But strangely, the chewy bar goes down more easily than she has expected. The fruity taste is erasing the sourness of whatever drug Fergus has put into her system, and it even brings her a hint of Nathaniel's kisses when they eat their Dulce de Passion choux.
He already feels closer as the van is slowing down, and she quickly swallows her last bite before looking at Andy, who has taken a seat behind his laptop on a makeshift desk with many nerdy tools, but also at Hadi.
"Thank you for helping us."
"Stop thanking us! It's normal. That's what friends are for."
Risking their lives for their friends? She isn't sure Andy has known what he has been signing for the first time he has met the serious girl with a weird accent at the shelter.
"We'd do anything for you and your sexy captain. Plus, you're the ones who started to fight for everyone's freedom, and we won't let you down after everything you've done. You're not alone. Everyone is with you."
"Stronger together?" she whispers as Andy offers her a reassuring smile.
"Stronger together, and we'll be a lot soon. Khloe and Molly are working to try to reunite and organize the people joining."
"They are?"
"Yeah, the Love Bug has done its job. People are joining."
"They do?" she keeps asking questions, her eyebrows furrowing into deeper creases as if she had been kept away in a tower. Well, she has, but she has been watching the news there, and she hasn't heard any of that.
Of course, the government doesn't want to talk about it, as keeping people in the dark is the best way to brainwash.
"Yes, it made people think like we'd planned, and some are rebelling, but it's still too soon for a lot of them. So we can't risk marching when many people are still on the government's side. It takes time and..."
"And we don't have it." She tries to swallow the harsh truth, along with the ticking lump in her throat as Andy averts his gaze down, and the silence is turning everything louder.
At least, until Hadi interrupts it, stopping the van and joining them. "Ready?"
It is the moment, and she doesn't wait one more second as she inhales deeply, like taking the last puff of air before diving because that's what she is about to do, and she won't breathe until she pulls Nathaniel out with her. "Yes."
But before she can run out, Andy stops her with his extended hand. "Love Bug, remember?"
"For Nathaniel," she murmurs, putting her hand over Andy's and Hadi's for their rebel yell, while she is clutching her pendant with the other.
And she doesn't let go of it when Andy waves, reminding them to be careful, and she once again can't promise anything more than an 'I love you', nor when she gets out of the van, nor when she catches a glimpse of Andy and Hadi kissing quickly, and the last kiss she has shared with Nathaniel flashes painfully in her mind.
The memory is still fresh, as it has been just 24 hours ago, yet the invincible sensations from then are so far away. All she has left is the compass she is holding on to like her last strength.
STRONGER TOGETHER!! Do you think this plan will work? Are you ready for it? 😏😉😈
I'll leave you a few days to get ready, and in the meantime, let me know what you think of this chapter and vote ⭐ if you liked it!
Did you expect that everyone would be joining to help? Her parents, Hadi, Andy, and everyone? They're really stronger together, now let's hope they'll be strong and fast enough 🤞🏼😬
There are only 2 chapters left plus an epilogue, do you realize? I don't wanna think about it 😭 And I'd rather enjoy the time we have left with these characters, and also all the love you're showing me on this story! I keep repeating myself, but thank you so much, my little rays of sunshine 🥰🌞😘💕
PS: The French lesson of today (you might know it by now 😉) : Aussi = too and Merde = shit 🤓