"Should we wake her now?"
"But she looks so cute sleeping."
"Why are you talking about me?" I asked, still half sleeping. Well, my eyes are still closed and my body feels so heavy but boy, they talk so much and so loudly.
"Wake up." One of them said. After a minute, I realized it as Aidan's. I open my eyes slowly to find both him and Spencer on either side of me.
"Why are you watching me sleep?" I ask.
"It's noon." Spencer said. "How much sleep do you need?"
"As much as I want." I close my eyes again, trying to fall back asleep.
"Was she always like this?" Aidan asked Spencer.
"Yup, pretty much."
I groan. "Ugh, fine. I'm up." I get into a seated position. "Do you have any food?"
"Last night you basically had dinner all to yourself and you still want food?" Aidan asked.
"Yes."
"You're going to eat up all our food supplies." He stated.
"We don't have supplies. We just go hunting."
"But sooner or later, the animals are going to disappear." Aidan countered.
"What? You think I'm going to end up eating all the animals in the forest?" I joked.
"In the winter, most animals will hibernate."
"Squirrels don't hibernate." Or at least, I think they don't.
"Quit fighting." Spencer said.
I get up on two feet and stretch. The ground is really uncomfortable, it hurts my back. "But actually, do you have any food?"
Spencer hands me a plate full of wild berries. "We had these for breakfast."
I turn to Aidan. "What? One day you're all 'we can't trust this guy' and then the next, you're have breakfast together? Make up your mind, kid."
"It's not like you can make up your mind about anything." He countered.
"Oh yes I can." Oh, no I can't.
"Quit lying to yourself, Lauren." Aidan said. "Or else, you'll get nowhere."
Can I punch this guy in the face right about now?
I grab the plate of berries and start munching them down. The blueberries taste kinda weird so I eat all the blackberries instead. Each berry was like a ray of sunshine in my mouth. They were all really juicy and sweet.
"Okay," I started as I pop another blackberry in my mouth. "What's the plan?"
"What plan?" Aidan asked.
I shake my head of disapprovement. "What are we supposed to do now?"
"Why are you asking us?" Spencer asked.
"Well you're the oldest." I point out. "And what were you doing the last... how long were you awake?"
"Three hours, maybe." Aidan answered.
"Okay... what were you doing those three hours?" I ask.
"Er... swimming. Hunting. Stuff like that." Spencer said.
"Shouldn't we make a plan?"
"About what?" Aidan asked.
"I don't know." I walk around. "What are we going to do out here? Where are we going to go? What will we do if the Institute comes back? Are we even going to get out of this forest?"
"Maybe not." Aidan replied.
I raise an eyebrow. "You said yourself we can't survive out here in the winter."
"I said we won't have many food supplies."
"Same thing." I said. "We can't survive without food."
Spencer stood in between us. "Do you guys always fight like this?"
"I wouldn't call it fighting." I reply. "Bickering maybe."
"But do you two always do this?"
Aidan and I look at each other.
"Yeah."
"Pretty much."
Spencer takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to last out here with you two." He mumbles.
"I heard that." I complain.
"Me too."
"Sit down." He ordered.
"Why shou-" I started. He cut me off.
"Just sit."
Wow. Bossy.
I sat on the ground, legs spread out. Aidan sits next to me, cross-legged. Spencer sits in front of us.
"Tell me about what happened while you two were out here." Spencer ordered.
"Nothing much," I said, playing with a small white flower between my fingers. "I just fainted on the first day, we were being chased by the Institute a couple days - or weeks ago. Aidan turned evil and attacked me and we found you." I looked up and smiled. "The end."
Spence looked at me with a shocked look. His jaw was literally hanging open. I looked at Aidan and gave him a look saying Maybe-I-Shouldn't-Have-Said-All-That. He replied back with a look saying You-Think?
"Okay, okay," Spencer finally said after, like, four minutes. "Go back. You fainted?" He asked me.
"Yeah, like near the beginning, after our great escape." I explained. "Probably of exhaustion or hunger or something like that."
"What were you doing, Aidan?" Spencer asked.
He thought for a moment. "I remember it was morning and I was making breakfast. Laur and I had a little talk and then she walked away. I found her a couple minutes later on the floor. Carried her into a cave... then I'm not quite sure what happened. I remember going back to the fire but nothing really after that."
"Okay..." Spencer said.
Something was up and I could tell he knew something that we didn't know. I didn't ask what it was about, in case my hunch was wrong. But just his face looks really concerned.
"Do you know how long it's been since you guys escaped the Institute?" He asked us.
I looked at Aidan again. I had no idea what day it was and by the look on his face, he didn't know either.
"A couple weeks, maybe." Aidan answered.
Spencer looked straight into his eyes. "It's almost been three months."
I stood up, making the plate of berries sitting on my lap fall over. Oh well, at least those were just the blueberries. "That's not possible. It couldn't have been that long. We left in what? End of May?"
"Yeah," Aidan said, biting his lip. "It couldn't have been more that a month at least."
"Tomorrow is September," Spencer said. "You've been out here for almost three months."
I suddenly couldn't breathe. It was like my windpipe was just blocked. I don't even know why I'm freaking out. So we've been out here for three months. That's okay. You know what they say, time flies when you're having fun. But how could it be three months already?
"Okay," I finally said. I ran my fingers through my hair. "Okay. Alright. It's been three months. What else Spencer?"
"You said Aidan turned evil?"
"In my defense," Aidan started. "I remember none of this."
"But he was evil." I explained. "Aidan attacked me."
"I remember that you attacked me." Aidan muttered.
"I was defending myself." I said.
"Why would I attack a girl?" Aidan shot at me. "Who would even do that?"
"What? You think girls can't fight? Come at me bro." I got in a fighting stance.
Spencer grabbed my arms and held me back. "Why do you always fight - bicker - whatever."
"She's been fighting with me a lot recently." Aidan said.
"Am not!" Yes, I am. I don't know why though.
Spencer let go of me. I drop to the ground.
I can't take this anymore. I want to go home. I don't care, just take me back to the Institute. This forest is going to kill me.
Both Aidan and Spencer kneel down beside me. Spencer puts his hand on mine.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
I nod. "I'm fine. Continue with what you were saying."
He doesn't say anything. "You sure?"
I nod.
"I think the Institute can now control you." Spencer said.
Aidan and I looked at each other in shock.
No way no way they can't control us that's not possible
"What do you mean?" I gulped.
"Do you know the purpose of the Evolutians?"
"Kind of." Aidan answered.
"Listen," Spencer's grip tightened around my hand. "Getting out of this forest is the least of your worries."