Single State

Chapter 2

The door swung open and Jaime enters, I heard the boy Giboy called him that. Her frowning face stares in my clothes, I know she's plotting something and I'm thinking about it too.

Jimena the girl in the forest and I technically switch places and our identities can too, but I'd rather risk my life again to escape than imprison myself in this weird place.

"I have a bunch of old clothes in my dresser. You can't show yourself looking like that, they'll truly suspect you" I shake my head, disapproving.

"Thank you for your generosity but I'm leaving" I opened the door halfway but when a there's two trucks passed through the road. She immediately shut the door and drags me to sit in the log again.

"They changed the schedules" she whispers while looking at the window behind me where she slightly unveils the curtain, my eyes look down at her hands that tightens in my wrist. "You lied to me" she pauses and stares directly in my eyes "you can't escape now and if you do, you'll risking many lives. Don't be such a reckless and selfish, you may not value your life but make it useful" her eyes were full of hope and she's relying too much on me.

Breathing is actually a sin for me, after what I've put my family into danger. Now, she wants me to burn alive.

I abruptly stands, removing her fingers that leaves red marks on me. "I'm not a saint, I'm just a kid and don't make me feel in debt, you help me and I'm thanking you for that, eternally, but stop hoping that I'll be a replacement of that lost girl-" she interrupt me.

Terminating me by her last words...

"But she's already a replacement for your lives"

I scrubs every dirt and stains in my body. The warm water makes me relax for a bit and if she hadn't prepare the tub. I'll be freezing to death like my body almost forgot the weather. Winter is around the corner and any minute, snow might repaint the whole surface into soft deep ocean of clouds.

She lend me her old white long sleeve and top of off-white strap dress with defined splits. I'm too worried about my leg to stain the dress, that's why I tied my leg double and alter the pain with numbness, so I can normally walk.

I dry my hair so many times because the coldness is kissing my neck. Until I'm satisfied enough, my wavy hair falls in indefinite direction just like my usual look.

I almost jumped in when I saw a lovely boy running around a corner. Jaime give him a lift and kisses his tousled hair, I'm leaning against the door when she saw me looking.

"The world is cruel and blessed at the same time" she says with bittersweet smile, I wanted to asked about the boy's father but I'm not here to intrigue.

Before we left her house, she told me not to hide the pendant and its part of me now, my identity. "You're young to be a mom" I blabber while she's waving a goodbye to her nine-year-old boy. I want curse my head for speaking out loud.

"Don't ask further" she grits her teeth and we start walking out in her porch. "I'll convince Jimena's parents to come at the departure" she clasps her hands around my arms and slightly pulled me to whisper "don't even try" after she threatened me, she leaves without telling me the way.

Roaming around the town, I can see the barrier everywhere, I tried to walk closely but my gut tells me no, and I happen to check that there's no grass or vines living close the area. Jaime was right, the barrier is dangerous. Escaping is futile, many unfamiliar uniforms are armed roaming and standing in their post area.

It's around seven or eight in the morning but the people around here are almost filling the space, gathering at the center of an open area with an old concrete open stage. I'm getting more baffled, this must be the place where the young one's live, no one is nearly at forties.