Her Soldier

13

It's been a week since the incident I haven't spoken to Devon since. I've been mostly with Ryan or Phil. Devon still seems upset about everything, and avoids me as much as I avoid him. Today I sit on a log outside Ryans newly built shack and watch him scurry around fixing it up and working on a farm for food.

"Have you talked to him at all?" He asks me. "No, I've been avoiding him." Ryan nods. "You can't avoid him forever Rose, besides you look miserable without him. The same goes for him, he's lost." He's not miserable he's just mad at me for going against what he said. " I just can't talk with him right now." Ryan sighs.

"What happens to you Rose?" I look at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you've changed he's changed you weather it be Clayton or Devon, I'm not sure but something happened to you." He pauses and looks at me. "If I can remember it right the rose I knew would've smacked Devon by now and would not have been so hesitant. You used to be so outgoing and loud, you used to smile Rose I haven't seen you smile since I've been here."

"I don't remember that rose." I say looking at him my words are come out colder and harsher than I intended.

"I know." He says. "I understand that all too well."

-----

I make my way back to Devons house after spending hours with Ryan I hadn't realized it had gotten dark out. I walk with a limp now with my leg still healing, I mostly ignore the pain now, the pain I deserve. The bandage that wraps around my shoulder is concealed with my shirt as is my side.

I open the door and I'm instantly greeted with the warmth of the house the one thing Ryan's shack does not have. Phil and devon are standing around the counter both with a drink in their hand.

"Hey Rose." Phil says. I give him a small smile. "hey." I don't even look at Devon, but i know he's looking at me i can feel his gaze watching me, silently. "Did you have fun at Ryan's. "I nod and walk off down the hall into my room I fall into my bed ignoring the complaints from my body.

-----

"Rose I have no choice, you know this." I look between the Tobin and Clayton. He can't give me away like this I'm a person, he can't do it. "Tobin.... you can't do this." I cry. "I'm sorry Rose I have too." No, no, no, no I can't leave my home, I can't go with him. I don't want to go with him. Hell kill me, I can't. "Come on Rose time to go." Clayton says smiling. Clayton grabs onto my arm dragging me away from my home. "PLEASE, PLEASE DONT DO THIS YOU CANT DO THIS PLEASE." I scream in pain, tears streaming down my face. I watch as all my friends faces blur as Clayton drags me father away.

"Rose!" I gasp being pulled away from that horrible nightmare tears soak my face I look around in the dark Devons hand is still holding onto me. I look at him and wrap my arms around him tears roll down my face dropping onto his shoulder. We don't say a word but when I've stopping crying he pulls away and walks to the door. "Wait..." I say he stops his hand falling to his side. "Please don't go."

"You want me to stay?" He asks turning to face me. "Please...." he walks back over to me and sighs as he slips under the covers and gently pulls me close to him, careful to avoid any of my wounds. I rest my head on his bare chest. "Tell me what it was this time." He says as he runs his hands through my hair.

I tell him about my nightmare how Tobin exiled me how they all just watched as Clayton dragged me away from my home. My home, Darkburg was my home before all this. I don't stop there I tell him everything, every single thing from what I went though before Devon found me and all the past nightmares I've gotten. He lays there, listening to my story playing my hair soothing me. He's silent through it all, allowing me to speak.

-----

When I wake up Devon is gone, Phil says he went out for something so I go over to Ryans. "Hey Rose!" He calls waving. "Tobin exiled me." I say blankly, he looks up at me and nods, his smile slipping. "He did." He comes closer to me. "Why?" I ask. Why would someone who's supposed to be my friend hurt me? "Clayton threatened to hurt the nation it was the only way." The nation? But what about me? He hurt me, and the nation. I hope it was all worth it.

"Was I close with Tobin?" I steer away the conversation from Clayton."You were close with everyone." Ryan says. "I'm not the best to try and explain this all you know my memory is a little hazy." He laughs, shrugging. "If you want answers you should go to Tobin and Thomas. I nod "I'm going to talk to them." Before Ryan could say another word I walk "Rose! You're gonna hurt yourself even more! You're hurt Rose. At least wait for Devon!" He called after me, I just ignored him and kept walking to Darkburg.

----

I find Thomas and Tobin at some dome house Thomas claimed was his. They both looked shocked when I showed up, but now we're all sitting on the floor together. Ill admit Ryan was right the walk over here turned into a limp, but I refused to turn around. "Can you guys tell me what happened before I was exiled, Ryan said I knew everyone, and was loved by them all but I'm just so confused."

The two look at each other "You were, everyone loved you Rose we were all sad to see you go. It hurt us that day you showed up with Devon to watch you look at us like strangers."

"I'm sorry I just don't know you anymore." I say. They nod "we know, we don't know what happened to you but we're glad to see you back."

We talk of life before I was exiled about the election about them getting back Darkburg about how I had helped fight to get it back. After awhile of talking I decided it was time for me to go home. I just don't see myself being the person they describe me as. It was fun listening to their story's though. I smile and hug them both before I head back to Devons.

----

"And just exactly where have you been?" I jump when I enter Devons house. He sits at the island table waiting for me. "I went to talk to Tobin and Thomas." I reply forcing myself to stand taller than I did when I walked into the house.

"You should have told me." Devon says. "You shouldn't be making that hike alone right now, being hurt." He stresses. "And why is that? So you could tell me not to go? I don't need to tell you anything." My words are too harsh, I can tell he cares or is at least pretending to. "So I don't have to see you in more pain when you came back. Like you are right now! Or if you even came back! What if Clayton saw you! Took you?" He runs a hand though his hair in stress. "That isnt up to you. I knew the risks." But it wasn't true I hadn't thought about Clayton, the chance of him waiting for me.

"Did you?" He asks "because that limp you walk around with says other wise and every time you wince when you use your arm or hit your side. Did you Rose? Did you even think!" I've never seen him like this, stressing about me. I know he's not talking about today we hadn't spoken of that day at all, but now he decided was the time to do that. It made me mad for him to think of me as a child for him to be mad at me.

"You listen here Devon what I did and what I do is totally on me. you do not own me you do not control me!" I step closer to him until we're almost touching. "Stop trying to be him! Stop thinking you can control me like he did! I am no child I can handle myself! I don't....."

"Can you?" He interupes. "Can you handle yourself princess? I don't think you can look at yourself Rose the bandages covering your body, the nightmares that plague your sleep. Take a good long look at yourself because I don't think you can handle yourself!" His words make me stop the tone he uses is so similar to what Clayton would use the calm smooth tone yet angry and tense.

"You're just like him." I whisper turning away from him and leaving. I find myself at Ryan's he says I can stay for as long as I'd like. His shack isn't much but he layed out a bed for me I now lay in that bed staring up at the celling. I didn't realize how much Devon was right, but I hated the way he spoke to me. My whole body hurt from today adventures, I wish id just heal already.