Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Apocalypse

38) Leaving

When we get back to the other end of the school, Smith smiles and asks us, "Find them?"

Sarah punches him in the arm. "Mind your own business." Then she turns to me and Steven and asks, "Did you find anything out about Clay and Sorenson?"

I shake my head. I had forgotten all about them. They still weren't back. We tell Leia and the rest what we found out about One Nation heading this way, and about Ned getting the word out about the prince. We tell them about what happened to our brave rebel editor.

"People are coming to help, but Ned said One Nation may be here by tomorrow," explains Steven.

I am packing up what little gear I have here. I tell them: " You all need to get out of here. Make a run for it. Take the prince. Keep him safe."

"We're not running away from a fight," says Adam.

"Hell no," says Smith.

"Hell no," says Cindy Lou Who.

"We'll fight," says Leia. "Hold out until help gets here. We have the upper ground. We can win."

"Crazy," I say. "But it's your choice."

"Where are you going?" asks Steven.

I look at him. He knows how I feel about Torin. He knows I am hurt. He knows when I'm hurt, I run away. He pulls me to another room with a, "We need to talk."

"Thank you for not telling them about my mom," I say.

"Elie, you don't know if any of that is true about the professor and even if it is, it doesn't mean your mom is involved. She is a great lady. Those One Nation people are a bunch of racist, homophobic, people haters. Your mom has always been kind to me."

"Maybe she don't know about you," I say.

"Please, seriously, do you know any teenage guy with my style?"

I look at Steven. Even at the end of the world and with so much sorrow in his life lately, he looks like he stepped out of GQ magazine. He is beautiful inside and out.

"No, that's true, you do have style."

"Besides, You can't leave now. We need you. The prince needs you."

"I don't think he needs me at all. You saw what I saw, Steven."

"Don't you remember the rules? The new rules?"

"Help others. Leave no man behind," I say.

"Save the prince," says Steven.

"Trust no one, find shelter, kill or be killed, only family," I say.

"I'm your family," says Steven.

"Yes you are. Let's go. While there is still a chance," I plead.

"Eliot, we want to be good people when this is all over."

"Steven, it is all over. Our whole wide world is gone. There is no hope left because when you get something good, some asshole comes along and takes it from you. That is the way it works now. What we had is gone."

"You don't believe that. You're a fighter, Elie."

"No, I'm not. I'm a runner. I'm a survivor."

"If you go, I'm not coming," says Steven.

"Take care of Cindy," I say as I throw my bag over my shoulder. "I'm going to get one of the bags I left at my house. I'll leave you the other bag, in case you make it out of here."

"I can see you leaving me here, and even the prince, but are you leaving Cindy after you said you'd look after her? You promised her, Eliot."

"She'll slow me down," I say as I walk out the door.