𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 - 𝘋𝘌𝘈𝘛𝘏 𝘊𝘜𝘙𝘌

13 ~ damsels in distress

Lottie

I couldn't remember much about Annabelle. All I knew was that she was very smart, very pretty, and very kind. She was my best friend, and I couldn't remember what her favorite color was. Still, I knew we had a connection. I'd been thinking about her a lot recently, wondering how she was faring inside WICKED's harsh environment. Thomas said that she had just suddenly disappeared one day, which made me slightly anxious. Who knows what they did with her; for all I knew, she could be rotting away in a cell, not quite dead but not quite alive either. As I said before, I would know if she were dead. I would be able to feel it. But just because she wasn't dead didn't mean she wasn't suffering.

Annabelle knew things. She knew everyone's deepest darkest secrets, including WICKED's, which would be an important part in our plan to save Newt. My hope was that WICKED would be hiding something from the rest of the world; something that could help put a stopper in the spread of the Flare virus. Why they would be keeping such a thing from us, I didn't know, but that fact was not an important factor to me right now. I had a plan. Find the Right Arm spies in Denver. Kidnap Newt from the Crank Palace. Raid WICKED, and hopefully saving Annabelle and Newt in the process.

Step One: find the Right Arm spies in Denver. To do that, we had to find a way to get inside the city. Such a thing turned out to be more difficult than I thought, given that the entire city was enclosed by the tallest concrete wall I had ever seen. I'd even dare say it was even more menacing than the ones I'd encountered whilst running the Maze. The city had only one entrance, and according to Jorge's spying skills, it was heavily guarded.

He relayed information to us in between crouches and rolls behind trees like he was in some sort of action movie, while the rest of us hovered in the shadows, waiting for his signal. Behind us, the land sloped upwards into the mountains that surrounded Denver. I had to admit, climbing down the mountain was a lot more enjoyable than climbing up.

"There's some sort of detection system when you walk in the gate," Jorge hissed, somersaulting to a halt in front of us. He had been darting behind trees, gradually getting closer to the wall so he could watch the city's front gate and the armed men who guarded it. "I assume it detects the Flare."

"Well," I said slowly, glancing around at my friends. "I don't think any of us have the Flare, or else we'd be dead by now. Does that mean we can just walk in?"

"No," sighed Brenda, a few steps away. She rolled her eyes as if my question was the most blasphemous thing she'd ever heard. "You guys come from WICKED, remember? Not to mention that Jorge and I are runaways. All of us probably have bounties over our heads. You think we can just walk into a city like Denver and expect a warm welcome? Think again."

"Alright, alright, I was just trying to be optimistic." I grumbled, waving my hands. "How are we gonna get in, then? What's the plan?"

"I say we just go for it," said Minho. "What's the worst that could happen? They recognize us... then what?"

"Oh, I dunno," Brenda began sarcastically, folding her arms. "Maybe capture us, bring us to WICKED, and torture us. Doesn't sound too bad."

"Just trying to help." Minho said while exhaling roughly.

"The guards are probably going to have some way to identify us... an eye scanner, or a DNA sample, maybe..." Jorge plotted out loud. "Maybe if we distract them."

"How?"

Jorge turned around with a grimace. "I have a Plan A and a Plan B. The thing is, I'm not sure how much you'll enjoy it..."

That was how Brenda and I ended up in front of the guards, with the boys following close behind like a gang of lost puppies. They had dirt on their faces to mask their identities, but Jorge said for Brenda and I to take the chance and not cover our faces. ("Those brainless lumps won't know how to say no to a pretty face. Or a damsel in distress, for that matter.")

Now, Brenda and I looked at the guards with wide, pleading doe eyes. We had combed through each other's hair to make it as silky as possible. We had taken off our jackets and pulled the neckline of our shirts down low. She and I hadn't been too pleased about this plan, but Jorge was right. This might just work; what can I say? Men are gross sometimes.

"Excuse me?" I said in a soft, breathless voice. "I-Is this Denver? We've been traveling for days, hoping to find it..." I trailed off, making sure I sounded uncertain. I had captured the guards' attention in an instant. To my disgust, I saw the one closest to me glance down at my chest. I continued with my act.

"This sure is, little lady," said one of the guards. "What do ya think you're doing outta the walls? It's dangerous out there, y'know?"

"Oh, we know," Brenda cut in, running a hand through her hair seductively. "We've already encountered so many strange noises! We've spent half our time out here running!"

"I fell a little ways down the mountain not too long ago and got this nasty wound; look!" Much to my discomfort, I lifted my shirt, revealing a small scrape that I had received somewhere along the journey. But the scrape wasn't the distraction – my body was. My skin crawled as every single guard crowded around to stare at my bare stomach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boys sneak stealthily through the gate, since they were given no attention. The detection system did not start to go off, so I assumed Jorge was right. The system was only meant to detect the Flare.

Julian, who was the last boy through the gate, turned around before disappearing inside and chucked his empty water container as hard as he could into the trees, causing some twigs to snap and some leaves to crunch once it landed. Brenda and I pretended to whip our heads towards the noise in fear.

"They're after us again," I wailed, dropping my shirt and using my hands instead to clutch to a nearby guard's vest.

"Who?" One of them asked gruffly. Most of them were already lifting their guns, ready to protect Brenda and I, the lovely damsels in distress.

"We don't know," Brenda gasped, tears filling her eyes. "All we've done for days is run... we're exhausted." She looked at each guard with pleading eyes.

"I'll go check what it is," one brave guard volunteered, hoisting his rifle in the air. "Whatever it is, it's not gonna hurt you ladies."

"Oh - but I think all of you should go," I said quickly. "Then you have more of a chance to finish it off, and we really don't want to run away again."

The guards eyed one another, then nodded. "Alright, then. Stay here. We're gonna go get those scary beasts, and then you can rest. How does that sound, hm?"

This guard in particular spoke to us like we were children who hadn't had an education past second grade. However, our plan was working, so Brenda and I let it slide. We let our faces fill with relief.

"Yes, please," Brenda said, making her voice whiny. "I don't know how we could ever repay you," she added. Some of the guards exchanged mischievous glances before turning away and headed towards the sound of Julian's water bottle. Brenda and I waited until the last guard disappeared through the trees before making a mad dash through the open gate. The detectors beeped quietly to signify that someone had gone through, but no alarms rang out.

We had made it.

The boys were waiting for us anxiously on the other side. Their faces split into grins when they spotted us approaching, without guards flanking us. They congratulated Brenda and I on a job well done, all with apology in their eyes for what the plan to get inside cost for us.

I, personally, didn't really care about the part I had just played. It didn't matter, because it brought me one step closer to finding Newt, and that was all that was important to me currently.

"Come on," Jorge urged, handing Brenda and I our discarded jackets. "We have to get deep into the city before someone raises suspicion. Not to mention we have no idea where these Right Arm spies could be," he sighed. "I think we're in for a long day." 

A/N

haha... it's me. hi. *starts singing anti-hero by taylor swift* 

I know it's been a while, and I know this is a short chapter, but I'm trying really hard, ok? Vote if you liked it, and stick around in case I decide to get myself together and write more of this book!

- golden habit