Crying: A Dystopian Novel

Crying: Chapter 8

  "2 minutes." He walks out of the room.

  "Michael, wake up." I shake him. He hadn't woken up since we had arrived, and I'm concerned. He opens his eyes and screams.

  "You've gotta get me out of there. Oh, my head hurts!"

  "What? Michael what happened? What did they start?" I check the gash in his forehead. It has been burned.

 "Electro--" He groans. "Zap!"

 "Electrocution?"

  He nods, shaking all over. "Negotiate, get sooner! AH!" Michael now looks like a buzzer, vibrating across the floor.

 "John,hold him still." I fumble around in my bag until I find what I am lookingfor: a relaxing shot. Kneeling, I insert the needle and press down the plunger.Michael stops shaking and lies still on thefloor.

 "Do you have pain meds?" John asks.

 "Yes." I find the ibuprofen I had brought and help Michael sit up and take it.

 "Time's up!" The man shouts as he walks into the room.

 "Anna, please save me." Michael squeezes my hand before being yanked away.

 "Would you consider getting the ransom early?" I ask the man. Every fiber of my being hates him. I want him dead.

 "Perhaps. You know how to reach me." He spits in my face as he pronounces the -ch sound. Snickering, he drags Michael out the door.

  I can't watch. That was supposed to be my torture, not his. I lie down on the floor and shut my eyes.

 "Anna, we need to go. Maybe we can talkyour dad into negotiating theexchange early. Staying here won't help him."

"It was for me." I mumble.

"What?"

"It was for me! Michael would have courageously stormed the pack's place for me by now! He's in constant pain! I should have run through the crowd to him. I should have swapped places. You know what I did? I did nothing! Nothing!" I had stood up, but I fall to my knees. "I'm sorry, Drew. I'm sorry. I failed." Tears are streaming down my face as I say Drew's name. I failed him. John comes and wrapped his arms around me, laying my head on his shoulder.

"He's not dead. Stop talking about him like there's no hope. You didn't fail Drew. You've done everything you could without making it worse. If you had run over there, they would have captured you too."

   I just sob. I can't bring myself to leave his arms. He helps me to my feet and doesn't let go until I'm in the truck.

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  "Anna?" Someone says. I think it's Dad.

  "Go away." I say.

 "Sorry. I was just trying to talk to my sister." I flip over.

 "Michael!" I jump down out of my bed and run over to the door to hug him. His hands are trembling, and I could tell he feels faint.

 "Sit down. You don't look good." He sits on his bed and I notice he's rubbing his head. "How's that gash?" I ask.

 "Okay, other than a splitting headache." I laugh, and he falls back.

 "Michael? Michael!" He's gone. I just scream his name over and over.

  "Anna! Wake up!" I jump up and race down the ladder, ignoring Laelynn. "It was a dream, he hasn't been here." I sit down on his bed and hold my head in my hands.

  "Have a nice nap, Sister Smoochie?" I have gotten used to ignoring this name.

  "Eleise, if you're not going to be nice, leave her alone. Me too." Laelynn isn't going to tolerate it like I am. She has made this request at least a dozen times since I got home two hours ago.

  "Oh, please. Lay off your begging for mercy. I'm the only one who actually cares about Michael anymore."

  "If that were true, would she be having nightmares about him getting hurt?"

  "Its guilt is all. That's the only reason for them." Eleise turns up her nose and climbs to her bunk to begin reading.

  "Yeah, it is guilt, Eleise." I say, standing up to look at her. "It's guilt that I'm not in his shoes. I was supposed to be, you know. That echoes constantly in my mind. I can't do anything without it pounding in my head."

"I wish they had gotten you! Michael never paid more attention to Laelynn than he did me. And you can do something without that 'pounding in your mind'. It's called k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" She says the last part like that old nursery rhyme, jumping to the floor and storming out with her book.

"Knock, knock, Sister Smoochie." John laughs as he opens the door.

"What's up, Mr. Traitor?" I ask, smiling.

"Just came to check on you, is all. Apparently not so well with Edgy Eleise."

"You can say that again." Laelynn leaves.

"So, you good?"

"Eleise blames me. I blame me."

"Well that's unjustified."

"Not really."

"Did you know that you're beautiful?" He asks, sitting down next to me. "If you didn't, that's crazy."

"It doesn't matter if I'm beautiful. What they're doing to him is not."

"True, true. Have you talked to your dad?"

"No."

"You need to."

"Why?"

"He said the plan B is ready for transfer if plan A doesn't work out."

"What's A and B?" I ask.

"I'll tell you tomorrow." With that, he leaves, so I go eat dinner. I fall to sleep fast later. I'm ready to know A and B.

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   Sorry this update took so long. I've had it written forever but got super busy (reading). :/ :P Anyway, any theories as to what A and B might be? 

    SIDE NOTE: Anyone that has a twitter, it would be amazing if you would share my profile link with #wattpadundiscovered   It would be the highlight of my month if I was featured. So, thanks in advance because if you've read this far and you have a twitter, you might actually do this...? :)