Divided

Chapter 14

                                                   CAT's P.O.V.

It was good. It was awesome actually. But everything that's awesome must come to an end. So it ended. Time to say goodbye came. It was hard, but the most important was that I didn't cry. I didn't want to leave them an impression that it was so important for me. I didn't want them to feel bad. I didn't want that impression to be left for me. I just wanted to forget it. When you forget it, the pain passes. But can I really forget it? Can I forget Phillie who risked his life to get me to Max so he can take care of my wound? Can I forget Phillie who was the first one who decided to trust me? Can I forget Sarah who brought me first clean clothes? Can I forget Sarah who encouraged me to keep going? Can I forget Max who saved my life? Can I forget Max who taught me how to shoot an arrow? Can I? No, I think I can't.

I started walking into the woods. I knew I want to get out of it. That's the first thing I have to do. But, what am I going to do when I get out? Where to go? Maybe in the town, but is it safe now? I'm worried that I'll never find my family. That I'll never find people from Region 256. The woods is quiet. I can hear only a quiet song of nightingales. Nightingales are the birds I saw and heard the first time I visited the woods. Max told me that. It was easier back there. I didn't have my mom and my brother next to me, but I did have Phillie and Max.

All of a sudden I hear the familiar voice behind me.

"Cat!"- Max shouted.

I turned back. He was running and Phillie ran behind him.

"What are you guys doing here?"- I asked curiously.

"I have to get Phillie back home. And then... And then I have to help you find your family."- he smiled.

"So... You trust me now?"- I smiled back.

"Yes, I do. And I'm sorry I didn't trust you at first."- he said.

So we walked along the path without a word. After fifteen minutes and my slow walking because of the 'not so old' wound, we finally got out the forest.

"Now follow me to Phillie's house. I've heard on news that they're still taking cautions and that the so called fugitives are still in the town, while some of them want further in Caelum. No one will think that you're a fugitive because you're clean and you have clean, normal clothes now." - Max explained.

So we went into the town. Normal Caelum people were passing by, some of them even smiled to us, but I think it was because of Phillie. After a while we arrived in front of a small suburban house. Max ringed the bell. After a few moments a woman with short red hair opened the door.

"Phillie! Oh my God! We were so worried about you!"- she hurried up to embrace her son - "Sean! Come out, Phillie's here!"

A forty-something man rushed out to meet his son.

"Phillie where were you all the time? We were worried, we looked for you all the time. We started to worry that... That something happened to you, and this whole situation with the prisoners... God, I'm happy you're fine!"- he started talking so fast.

"He was at my house. I didn't want to let him go out on a situation like this, we waited for things to calm down."- Max explained.

"Oh, thank you so much Max! Just please take our number it would've been so much easier if you could inform us."- Phillie's mother said - "And you are?"

She was talking to me.

"Good afternoon Mrs, I'm Cat. Cathleen."- I smiled while introducing myself.

"She saved my life."- Phillie said.

"Oh really?"- his mother asked curiously.

"Yes, she saved me from a shot. She was also passing by in the street where those people hid and the helicopters started to shoot."- he smiled.

"Oh, how can I thank you Cathleen?"- she asked.

"It's really nothing. Anyone would've done that."- I smiled.

"Oh, please come in for a tea!"- she said.

"We can't. Cat and I really have to go."- Max rejected.

"Oh, okay then. Well stop by next time, don't be shy! And thank you once more!"- she was grateful.

"You're welcome. Goodbye."- I said.

"Goodbye ma'am, Phillie, mister!"- Max nodded to each one.

"Bye Max and Cat!"- Phillie greeted us.

Phillie and his parents went inside and Max and I went out on the street.

"So what now?"- he asked me.

"I don't know. I really don't know where to start."- I said.

"Well I think I have an idea. We're going to give Sarah's father a visit. We're going to explain him the truth and with a little luck he's going to believe us."- Max explained.

"We could've done that now with Phillie's father but it wouldn't really help."- I was confused.

"You're wrong. It's not the same. Sarah's father is Richard Dawson. He works for the government. A very important man. When he finds out the truth he can spread it to other important people. Then when everyone finds out the truth, the people are going to step on our side." - Max said.

"But isn't the government which's doing this all?". I asked.

"Well that's true. And Richard Dawson may be one of the bad guys, but we'll never know if we don't give it a try. Sometimes we have to try something we've never tried before. Right?"- he smiled.

After a while of walking we encountered a barrier. It was a red tape with a writing that said: PROHIBITED AREA. It was an empty street. We decided to go in anyways. Maybe that's the place where my family's hiding. We went under the tape and crossed in the street. We started looking around. It looked sort of abandoned.

"I've never seen this street looking like this."- Max said.

"It reminds me of Gehenna. Just without the buildings. All gray, miserable, bleak and messy."- I said.

And then I've heard that disturbing sound above my head again. Max pushed me inside one of the abandoned buildings and saved me from a shot. Then he ran inside too and sat next to me.

"What's happening?"- I asked terrified.

"We're under an attack."- Max answered.