Crying: A Dystopian Novel

Crying: Chapter 4

   Drumroll, please! (dugadugadugaduGADUT) Are you guys ready?

FYI: This is a shorty chapter. I'll post another one soon. :)

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   "Hey you ok? You seem upset." Michael is sitting on his bed. He can see right through me, see the terror in my eyes that had come from listening in on Dad.

   "No actually," I say, "I'm not. They want me dead, Michael. For pure torture. They wanted us both, but I don't know; they just up and decided that I was the only one they wanted. And to hold me up for ransom of all things, kill me even if they got it. It's just pure evil. We did nothing to them, and now they've killed Drew, hurt you, and decided I'm the next target."

  "Woah, what? The pack wants you dead? They think they can just waltz in here to get you?" He grins at his own joke, showing off fake muscles like he would fight them off. But then he gets serious. "Anna, you didn't get us away from them just to sit around and wait for them to come get you, did you? If so, that's some horrible judgment. Look at me, okay? Nothing's gonna happen to you. I'll make sure of it. Brother's honor." He holds up his right hand, pretending to take an oath.

  "Thanks, Michael. I really needed that. How you feeling?"  

  "Good. It's getting late, we should go to bed. We've got a long week ahead of us." Eleise and Laelynn soon trudge into their beds as well, and I go to sleep.

    I am sitting in a chair in a dark room. I am shivering, my clothes freezing cold and wet. As I shiver, I realize something is wrapped around my wrists. Metal wire. I scream as pain slams through me. I am being electrocuted.

  "Anna! Wake up! Laelynn, go get Mom!" I hear Michael yell. 'It was a dream,' I think, relief rushing over me. Mom runs into the room.

  "What in the world? What happened?" she asks as I turn over.

  "Anna kept screaming over and over, she wouldn't stop no matter what I did. She finally woke up a minute ago." Michael says as he sits down.

   I freeze. I had been dreaming about what Dad had said, but Mom didn't know I had eavesdropped on them. "I just had a bad dream is all. Sorry."

   Mom goes back to her bedroom, leaving my siblings to stare at me.

   "Are you really okay?" Eleise asks.

   "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream. Let's get some sleep."

   It pacifies Eleise and Laelynn, and they quickly return to their slumber. Michael isn't buying it though.

   "You were dreaming about what Dad said weren't you? You just couldn't say it because Mom doesn't know you eavesdropped, and you didn't tell the girls."

   Once again, he has seen right through me. I hang my head, bite my lip, and run my left thumb across all my fingertips on that hand. I always do that when I'm upset.

  "Yeah. They put me in this pitch black room and I was soaked and shivering. Then, I realized that there was metal wire wrapped around my wrists, but it was too late. It was like I had been struck by lightning. I screamed and screamed, but they wouldn't stop. The next thing I knew, I was laying in my bed, and I realized it was a dream." I shiver, the thought of going back to sleep is frightening. I don't want to cause another scene.

   I look at my brother. Gosh, he looks just like Dad, like Drew. Same light brown hair, bright green eyes. If Drew were here, he would be comforting me, holding me until I was okay, making sure I went back to sleep. But I couldn't expect Michael to do that. I am his older sibling. I'm supposed to be there for him; I don't have an older brother to do that anymore.

    "I know, I miss him too." He comes up and sits on my bunk, laying his head on my shoulder. I hug him; nothing more has to be said.