Raeanne
It can't be true. It just couldn't. Yet everytime I closed my eyes I saw it all again and again. I felt the cold temperature and smelt the salt of the blood of the man I believed to be, the Varn. The man who was really him. The man who was really my boyfriend. I'd loved him, I really had and suddenly there's Jayden and all I can think is that, he knew. He was a part of it. I tried not to close my eyes.
Should I trust him? Jayden I mean? He had erased my memories, he had lied to me about everything. I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't. I stood in front of the motels mirror, it was fogged with steam and just starting to fade. The necklace Taylor had given me is what I see and I touch it gently. The little silver dinosaur, with its green eye, our initials now carved in the back. Without thinking I rip off the necklace and drop it in the toilet, flushing it down and trying to forget about him.
I am still dressed in the yoga pants and sweater Kat had got last night, the pants were a little too big and the shirt was orange, not a good mix with my red-hair but I was grateful to be out of that tattered dress. "Rae?" Spencer asked knocking on the door. "We need to get moving." By her words I gathered my damp hair into a pony tail and opened the door with a smile. "Let's get moving, we've already been here for too long." I said and slung a back-pack over my shoulder and leaving the room and everyone in it to follow.
It was dark out, and that means they would be coming soon, if they hadn't already started. I looked east, where we were supposed to be heading and turned south before starting to jog lightly. Soon I had three others surrounding me, protecting me and I surged foreward. I didn't need to be protected, I needed to have friends and my friends, only one of the three I could even call my friend were subconciously crowding me. I couldn't stand it so I pushed myself harder, running as fast as I could until the sun began to break the horizon, and I know I didn't have to run anymore. At least not for a few more hours.
Jayden
When the sun came up we found a place to stay. It was an abondoned house in the country side. There was no running water and the windows were boarded up. The whole building smelt stale and like rotting wood. Evidence of animals could be found in almost every room. The good thing about it was the spring, which was crystal clear. I immediately took off my clothes, aside from my boxers and jumped in. The water felt cool on my heated skin and brought my temperature down. The sun was beating hot, and strong down upon my naked shoulders as I stood in the water and watched the trees sway in the distance. I was exhausted and needed rest before tonight, but my mind wouldn't turn off. I couldn't stop thinking about her.
About Rae.
Raeanne
I couldn't sleep, so I wandered through the house. There were two stories and soon I had every detail memorized. there was a stain on the carpet in one of the bedrooms, and there was only one cupboard that actually had a door left. Every surface was coated with a thick layer of dust, and smelled stale. No one had lived here in a long time.
All throughout the day, I couldn't sleep, and I knew I should get some, but I couldn't. Out the window I could see Jayden in the pond, floatly lightly with closed eyes. Blood pounded in my ears, could I trust him? Thinking back on everything about him. He was cold to me when we met, like he knew he was better than me. He started dating me, for what reason? Was it because he was ordered to get close to me by, by Taylor? Or was it because he really wanted to get to know me?
I decided I couldn't trust him, not yet.
"Rae?" Spencer called, softly as she sat next to me on the dusty carpet. "Spence." I replied curling up to her, resting my head on her shoulder and closing my eyes. She just wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer, resting her chin on the top of my head. "I'm so glad your okay." She said softly while running her hands though my hair. "Yeah, okay. I'm okay." I only hoped she wouldn't notice how weak that sounded even to my own ears. I'm pretty sure she noticed because she pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head softly. I was so lucky to have her as my friend. So, so lucky.
Spencer
You will have to take a life.
Even in life, the dead reside
On the inside she will die
Be warned, do not seek revenge..
These lines of the prophecy kept playing over and over again as I sat there with Rae tucked up against me, she was sleeping now, and still holding on tight like I was the only thing holding her to life. There was more to this, to the prophecy, but I couldn't remember. Perhaps when we got back to the Institute, I could go see Gena and ask again. Gena made me think of George, and I was overcome by anger and what could only be described as excitment. George wasn't gay, but he had been lying to me for a while now, and come on, I changed in front of him!
Suddenly the time when I had been wearing a skimpy lace thong and matching, see-through bra came back to me. I'd wanted to ask his opinion and he had whistled and called me a "sexy mama". He'd probably been enjoying himself immensely, the thought only made my face burn. I was almost tempted to wake Rae and tell her all about George, about how glad I was he wasn't gay, because the luck I'd been having with guys has been terribly sad and a little depressing to be honest. Conner only wanted to make-out so that clearly wouldn't work. I'd always had a teeny crush on George, and now that he wasn't batting for the other team, well it almost had me singing, which would not be good for any of us.
Rae stirred slightly, then curled into a ball against me, her head resting on her knees. It wasn't long before I fell asleep too. It always wasn't long before Jayden burst in the room and woke us up. A crazed look in his eyes. "Cars." I understood immediately and shook Rae awake. When I did we all raced down the steps, Kat was stuffing the last of our things into a pack and tossed two of them at Jayden and myself. Rae took a third from Kat and fastened it before we began to run. Which was dangerous, as it was the middle of the day.
"There's a woods!" Rae cried and started pumping her arms and legs faster until she was concealed in the trees. We all followed her. "I need a different shirt!" Rae cried, and I noticed how highlighter it actually was. Shoving her behind a particularly large bush Kat opened her pack and found a brown t-shirt. Rae threw off her old one, and threw on the brown one. "Hat?" She asked and Jayden pulled a beanie out of his bag. She tied her hair into a pony tail and tucked the hat on tightly so no hair would be showing. "Lets go." Then she started trecking into the woods.
It seemed like hours before anyone spoke again. "They have cars." Rae said, sounding a little bit frightened, "but we have woods. They can't bring their cars in the woods." She was trying to reassure herself, and admittidly the thought brought some comfort, but only a little. I was panting, my body coated in sweat and I knew what I had to do in order to cool down, in order to regain my strength. I needed water. I didn't say anything though, we had to keep moving. In the end it was Kat who said anything.
"We-" pant-"need to"-pant-"rest." Then she collapsed onto the twigs and soil. Rae looked like she didn't want to stop, but after looking at all of us she agreed and stalked off to find a space to conceal us. It took her fifteen minutes to get back to us and motioned for us to follow her. So we did. A little over five minutes later we arrived in a heavily concealed underground cave. There was even a pool of water in the cavern and Rae looked at Jayden and Kat. "In an hour a fire can be lit, the dusk will help to hide the smoke, but you won't have long. So get as much sleep as you can afterwards. We're going to be moving again in five hours.
Then she sat on the floor, by the mouth of the cave and watched the trees. I was going to go sit by her, talk to her but Jayden beat me to it, so I stripped into my underwear and pooled into the water, sinking below the surface and fall asleep, already feeling the water heal my tired bones.
Raeanne
The trees. Watch the trees. My eyes didn't close, and I did everything in my power to lead them away from us. I manipulated the wind to carry our scent away, to give a false trail and to make this cave better concealed, I knew that anyone who walked up now, and look straight at us, but not see us. I'd made sure. "You need some rest." I jumped at this and looked at him for a moment before turning back to the trees.
"They're out there. I can feel it. You should sleep. I'll be okay." He was looking at me, so I looked back. "Get some rest." It wasn't a suggestion, but I ignored him and turned my gaze back to the trees. Sighing he stood slowly and moved into the cave with the others. It was a while before he returned and threw a black suit towards her. She recognized it as her training suit and slipped into it. It was a little loose on her thin frame now andshe felt uncomfortable. He built a small fire and he and Kat sat around it, sticking in their hands and feet. "Rae." Jayden called me, I ignored him. Suddenly I was being picked up and he placed me in the middle of the fire.
"What are you doing!" I asked, feeling the heat tickling at me. It did feel good. "You need to rest and because your too stubborn to sleep this is how you're gaining strength. I could feel how much better it made me feel almost immediately. I could still see the entrance and watched the trees carefully. I even manipulated the smoke so it was indistinguishable against the dusky sky. When the hour was up I was reluctant to leave the fire, but leave I did, dousing the burning embers with Water and causing the steam that issued to evaporate.
I slumped back at the mouth of the cave, the night was short, and I could feel my drowsiness seep into my bones, trying to stay awake. I kept the air cold around me so I was shivering and tried to stay strong. But I could feel my resolve slipping. Two more hours. Just two more hours and we would keep moving. Two more hours.
Kat
She was exhausted, sleeping at the mouth of the cave, mumbling the same two words over and over. "Two hours. Two hours." I shared a look with Jayden, who was watching her, and moved to take the place on the other side of the opening so he was watching the trees.
I sat next to him and curled my knees to my chest. "Shes stubborn." He only smiled and looked at her, then taking his eyes away reluctantly he eyed the trees some more. I stayed awake, unable to sleep and watched the trees. Looking for a threat I knew instinctively wouldn't find us here. It had been two hours so I stood and gathered the packs. Casting a fire for a moment just above the water so I could see Spencer and she flloated to the top and emerged, completely dry and started helping with the packs.
"Rae." I could hear Jayden saying. "Rae." He prodded and she jumped awake suddenly. "Time to go." So she stood, looking awful. She had black circles under her eyes, but she looked better rested now than she had in the past two days. "Come on, time to go." Jayden said, and with the little amount of moonlight left we ran through the forrest well into the day.