Immortals

Chapter Eight // Mia

"What the fuck is Ashe doing here?"

"Emery, shut up!"

The second we heard the front door open, Emery pulled me into the closet and shut the door, both of us hoping and praying that Salem, who had just returned home, wouldn't come into the room before we found our way out of the house and back to the Land of Escapees.

And we would've been happy to hide forever if we needed to if we didn't hear Ashe's voice alongside Salem's when she clearly entered right behind her.

My head was spinning in circles faster than it ever had before. Vin was Salem in disguise. Salem had not been made a slave to the government in the same way many were, she was promoted to a standard agent instead, with no brainwashing included. Salem knew where the Land of Escapees was, where hundreds of runaway Unfavorables were hidden. We were all in danger.

Yet, part of me wanted to believe that Salem was not evil. Part of me wanted to believe she somehow wormed her way into whatever freedom she could and was using it to try to save others.

It was ridiculous to hold onto that hope. I knew it was wrong, and I knew she was a threat. When I had seen her as Vin, every vibe I had gotten felt so wrong, so unnerving, so threatening.

And Ashe fell for her. Ashe fell for a government guard in disguise one day after we lost Shane to that same wretched government. I was mad, sad, infuriated, hopeless, irritated, distraught, and any synonyms of those emotions.

"Is that Salem Jauregui with her? That bitch we used to go to school with? The one whose name was on all of those documents?"

"Emery. Enough."

Once upon a time, I would not let anyone call Salem a bitch. Now, however, that label seemed pretty accurate.

"I thought she was an Unfavorable."

"She was supposed to be. Now please stop."

The more Emery talked, the more danger we were putting ourselves in. Rather, the more danger he was putting himself in for not being able to keep his mouth shut. If Salem heard our whispers, we were fucked.

"And why is Ashe with her?"

"Long story. Be quiet."

More importantly than us escaping, we needed to find a way to get Ashe out of this situation. If we left her alone, she was sure to be doomed, even though she did technically get herself into this situation.

It was ironic, almost, that she held such a parental role within our group, and yet she was the one who was blindsided enough to walk right into the path of danger.

Not that any of that mattered, though. She was still our friend, and her safety was still our responsibility, especially after Shane.

But when it came to a plan, we had nothing. We could hardly risk a whisper or a move to leave the closet, as both of us were too scared to get caught. All we could do was sit, wait, and try to eavesdrop on whatever glimpses of conversation we could, hoping for those to spark an idea or give us a clue.

Nothing was helping me come up with anything, until I heard Salem ask, "do you want to come up to my room with me?"

"Oh my God, sex after dinner. I should've seen it coming," I heard Ashe reply almost immediately, followed by laughter from Salem. "No, it's not like that. I wasn't planning that. I just need a change of scenery. So you coming with?"

"The bedroom. Where was that?"

I could barely hear the words as they left Emery's mouth as he finally decided to practice being quiet.