The In Between

Chapter fourteen

• Houston, I Have So Many Problems •

Ricky

• November 4 •

"We are not leaving James!" I shouted at Scarlet. "He must be in one of their bases. Like you said. He's in there somewhere we need to get him back." I locked eyes with Scarlet who was looking at me, her eyes full of sympathy.

"I'm taking that this isn't about him being your guide." She said.

"Of course it's not!" I shouted. "Of course not." I said, more shakily. "This is about James and his stupid life and how he doesn't deserve anything that life threw at him, much less dying."

Scarlet swallowed.

"We can't go into their base." She repeated.

"Why not!" I shouted.

"Because Gideon died there!" She shouted back, her calm composure snapping.

"Oh."

"Yeah. And I tried to save him once, that didn't go well." She continued.

"You've... been in the base?" I asked her, she nodded.

"Yes, I've been at the base and I'm not going back." She told me.

"I'll go then."

"That's suicide."

"It's James." She raised her eyebrows. "And he's my best friend. And... even if he doesn't want to be my friend, he's my friend. So..."

"You're avoiding saying that you like him."

"I like him okay!? I like James Abbatiello. There. Will you go with me now?" She pursed her lips. "Please, Scar." she sighed.

"Do you have a plan?"

+++

I was walking with Abeka beside a forest, the sun just shining on the horizon, painting the sky hues of orange and red.

Her braids blew in the wind as she talked.

"So... I'm going to become a guide?" I asked her, an emotion that I couldn't place building up in my stomach. I was never good at emotions, but in these past five days, I was down-right horrible with them.

"Well, you still havent told me why you died." she said pointedly. "But you did tell me you killed yourself by accident. That's still technically commiting suicide. So yes, i'm pretty sure."

"Do i have a choice?" I asked her. She looked at me and pursed her lips. The emotion that i was feeling twisted inside my stomach.

"No." Catching my expression, she added, "well, you can send in a request... not that it would be read anyway," she muttered under her breath. "A few months of training, you're ready to go."

"And it doesn't matter that I'm sixteen."

"No it does not."

"considerate."

I don't remember waking up, but I assumed that I had to.

I was in a room, two hallways to the right of me and in front of me. The room had black brick, some random stuff and boxes lying around. By the looks of it, I was in the back of the room, a door to my left. And I couldn't move.

I strained against whatever was holding me, but to no appeal. I went harder, but then sighed, and studied what was holding me.

It looked like fog, but wrapped around my wrists and holding on tight. They were shadows. They had to be.