I’m ready to share you.” He means it jokingly, but can tell he’s somewhat serious. “Besides, you’ll be so busy that you’ll forget all about me once we reach the camp.”
I reach over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Lucas, we’ve been through way too much for me to forget about you. You remember how you said I saved you?” He nods. “You saved me, too. There’s no way I could’ve made it this far without you. I’m not just going to ditch you. You’ll be part of our group now.” He shrugs again but I can tell the idea’s growing on him, helping to ease his concerns. “You’ll really like them, I promise.”
I take my hand back and he nods. “I’m sure I’ll get along with most of them well enough.”
His words stay in my mind for the rest of the night.
The alarm is a shrill scream across the silent darkness. Lucas’ groan mirrors my own mental one right before he slaps it into silence. The second my brain kicks into action I realize what time it is. Now an anxious excitement takes over and I leap from the bed, grab my clothes and rush into the bathroom to change.
My mind races through scenarios, both good and bad. How do you prepare yourself for something like this? What if I expect too much and then meet the ultimate disappointment? What if they’re not there, or worse?
I wash my face and brush my teeth. Then I take a deep breath. I’m just going to have to take this day one step at a time. I can do that, right?
I dress and get ready while Lucas takes his turn in the bathroom. The hotel room is now lit, even though outside remains pitch black. There’s no moon tonight and it makes the shadows stretch further than they really are. Whether this will be to our benefit remains to be seen.
I bounce around the passenger seat of the van and can’t seem to sit still. Lucas deposits the key into the small crevice of the lobby door. It’s go time. My whole being is on edge.
Lucas is a little grumpier than normal. This keeps me from bombarding him with nervous questions galore. Instead I fidget constantly until the van rolls to a stop in what seems like the middle of nowhere.
When I just can’t take it anymore I ask him. “What now?” Talk about anticlimactic.
“We wait for the sun to rise.” He says much more nicely than anything else this morning and motions out his window where the sky’s just beginning to morph from midnight blue to a lavender hue.
“Okay.” I take his hand and give it a squeeze. “I meant what I said before you know, about not forgetting you.”
He softens a little more, “I know. Thanks.”
“And you’ll even like Mason, I promise.” He looks at me sharply and I laugh. “Did you think I missed that earlier?”
He laughs sheepishly. “I guess I’d just hoped you did after it slipped out. I’m sure he’s great…”
I pull my knees to my chest and shift to face him. The sky behind Lucas now goes from blue to lavender to pink. “It’s just because he’s my boyfriend, right?”
He grins. “Maybe.”
Now I laugh. “I don’t know if it means anything, but if I was single I’d totally fall for you.”
“It does.” He squeezes my hand once and lets it go. “It really does, thanks.”
I give him a genuine smile because I really do mean it. If it wasn’t for Mason, I could definitely crush on Lucas. I’m really just grateful that we can stay friends because I like having him around.
The sky now shines a bright red-orange on the horizon. Dawn is here. Lucas gets out of the car and I quickly follow suit. We walk around and the sky to our East is so bright that I don’t see the team of soldiers until they’re right on top of us. Once again Lucas shoves me behind him in a show of unnecessary protection. My hands are half-raised and ready should I need to blast the hell out of anything.
One soldier separates from the group, holding up a closed fist which causes the others to immediately halt. He walks right up to Lucas. “Lieutenant
I reach over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Lucas, we’ve been through way too much for me to forget about you. You remember how you said I saved you?” He nods. “You saved me, too. There’s no way I could’ve made it this far without you. I’m not just going to ditch you. You’ll be part of our group now.” He shrugs again but I can tell the idea’s growing on him, helping to ease his concerns. “You’ll really like them, I promise.”
I take my hand back and he nods. “I’m sure I’ll get along with most of them well enough.”
His words stay in my mind for the rest of the night.
The alarm is a shrill scream across the silent darkness. Lucas’ groan mirrors my own mental one right before he slaps it into silence. The second my brain kicks into action I realize what time it is. Now an anxious excitement takes over and I leap from the bed, grab my clothes and rush into the bathroom to change.
My mind races through scenarios, both good and bad. How do you prepare yourself for something like this? What if I expect too much and then meet the ultimate disappointment? What if they’re not there, or worse?
I wash my face and brush my teeth. Then I take a deep breath. I’m just going to have to take this day one step at a time. I can do that, right?
I dress and get ready while Lucas takes his turn in the bathroom. The hotel room is now lit, even though outside remains pitch black. There’s no moon tonight and it makes the shadows stretch further than they really are. Whether this will be to our benefit remains to be seen.
I bounce around the passenger seat of the van and can’t seem to sit still. Lucas deposits the key into the small crevice of the lobby door. It’s go time. My whole being is on edge.
Lucas is a little grumpier than normal. This keeps me from bombarding him with nervous questions galore. Instead I fidget constantly until the van rolls to a stop in what seems like the middle of nowhere.
When I just can’t take it anymore I ask him. “What now?” Talk about anticlimactic.
“We wait for the sun to rise.” He says much more nicely than anything else this morning and motions out his window where the sky’s just beginning to morph from midnight blue to a lavender hue.
“Okay.” I take his hand and give it a squeeze. “I meant what I said before you know, about not forgetting you.”
He softens a little more, “I know. Thanks.”
“And you’ll even like Mason, I promise.” He looks at me sharply and I laugh. “Did you think I missed that earlier?”
He laughs sheepishly. “I guess I’d just hoped you did after it slipped out. I’m sure he’s great…”
I pull my knees to my chest and shift to face him. The sky behind Lucas now goes from blue to lavender to pink. “It’s just because he’s my boyfriend, right?”
He grins. “Maybe.”
Now I laugh. “I don’t know if it means anything, but if I was single I’d totally fall for you.”
“It does.” He squeezes my hand once and lets it go. “It really does, thanks.”
I give him a genuine smile because I really do mean it. If it wasn’t for Mason, I could definitely crush on Lucas. I’m really just grateful that we can stay friends because I like having him around.
The sky now shines a bright red-orange on the horizon. Dawn is here. Lucas gets out of the car and I quickly follow suit. We walk around and the sky to our East is so bright that I don’t see the team of soldiers until they’re right on top of us. Once again Lucas shoves me behind him in a show of unnecessary protection. My hands are half-raised and ready should I need to blast the hell out of anything.
One soldier separates from the group, holding up a closed fist which causes the others to immediately halt. He walks right up to Lucas. “Lieutenant
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