Hyacinth || dreamwastaken

19

Clay and I stand at the chain link fence that started this journey for me. The metal is cold to the touch as I place my palm against it. Clay looks at me. His eyes pick up on my hesitancy and he lets out a heavy sigh. I am going to climb the fence. I'm going to do this for everyone who has ever felt trapped for even a second. But I fear for the people we were leaving behind. I hoped they wouldn't reap the consequences we were leaving for them to handle. They had to understand Clay and I were doing this for all of us, not just him and I.

"We have someone on the inside to control the cameras so we can flee Hya. Once we are over this fence just get ready to run." Clay places his hand on top of mine. The comfort he radiates calms me enough to give me the feeling that everything we are doing is fully and completely right.

You see, Clay has softened a lot since the loss of George and Nick; since I had told him I was ready to escape. It's been a few weeks since then. The timer on my wrist reads 73. The red ink that's constantly changing might stop the moment I step outside these walls. I would never find my soulmate then. I guess that didn't matter now. Soulmates didn't matter, saving the world did.

"You ready?" Clay squeezes my hand before letting it go. I nod my head as I let all the air flow out of me. "You first."

I look to my left, then to my right. The cameras turn away and I hook my foot up in between the links. I pull myself up as Clay's hand hovers at my back, spotting me in case I fall. Once I reach the top I freeze. Fear, an emotion that's supposed to be ripped from us, fills me. I can't jump. I can't climb down. I'm frozen in place.

"Hyacinth, what are you doing?" Clay's voice is panicked. I can't even respond. I grip the cold metal surface tightly between my fingers. My eyes focus off at the cameras just waiting for them to turn and catch me. Our insider can only hold off for so long. I'm going to be caught red handed and trapped away forever. Sent off to the unspoken about land.

I feel the fence shake beneath me. My eyes dart to the fence to see Clay climbing up to me. This wasn't the plan. Then again, neither was me getting stuck at the top. I can feel anger and heat radiating off of Clay's skin as he reaches the top.

He doesn't say a word to me. Doesn't even look at me. He jumps off the top and lands on his feet on the other side. His hands reach out as if to catch me. I shake my head. I can't jump. I just can't.

"Hyacinth. If you don't jump I'm leaving without you. I'm going to find George. Now either jump or—" Clay's cut off by the sound of a voice. My eyes shoot off in the direction of the sound. It startles me enough to send me falling off the fence.

Clay jumps to catch me and we hit the ground with a thud. Clay coughs as the impact of my body into his shocks him. He shoves me off of him too worried about who is on the other side of the fence. The side the government rules. The side we should be on.

"You guys triggered an alert. Be glad I'm the one on duty." Punz's face comes into focus as he walks into the light of the street lamp. "You should hurry out of here. It won't be long before backup arrives."

Clay grabs my hand and starts to pull me away from the fence.

"No need to hide from the cameras though. Hyacinth, you are a beaming light." Punz's head motions towards the cameras. "You blind the cameras from seeing anything. Looks like you do have a power after all."

A smile raises to Punz's face as Clay pulls at my arm again. There is no time to think. There is no time to thank Punz. Clay is practically dragging me away before I realize what exactly is going on. This is really happening. I'm leaving Halcyon, forever.

***

"Clay, look." I point off into the distance. We're deep in a forest. The easiest way to make it difficult to find us was to get lost in dense land. We couldn't stay out in the open. In the forest we were safe, at least for now.