Arabella

Chapter 5

There is a palace that lies far North. Between the mountains. Always head north.

     The morning light hit Arabella's face, and she noticed how it was only sheets that covered the wall up. Rose and all the others were gone. Chris had been there still, so she woke him up, "Rise and shine Christian."
     "What," he grumbled and stood up tiredly, "What do you want?" Chris must have had a good night's sleep. For the rest of the morning she got dressed, pulled Chris out of bed and they left to go out with one of the guards, Dee.
He explained how this place worked, and what these people have been trying to do for what was a year now. To Arabella and the others, it only felt like a day, two days, but this was a year. Dee took them to the outside where fences surrounded the area, covering up outside debris.
Luke passed Arabella, and he stared at her sharply till she was nowhere in sight. His voice appeared inside of Arabella's head thinking that he was right beside her.

Morning, Arabella. You look quite nicer today. Where'd you start heading to?

It's the outside. The air is kind of fresh.

Good to hear, Arabella. Has Chris caused any trouble?

Let's just say he wasn't happy when he woke up. He is a grumpy little thing.
Arabella smiled to herself and blushed a little from the compliment he gave her. Chris was confused at her actions, and whispered to her, "This guy has plans, Arabella."
"I saw you guys in my dream," Dee mentioned towards them, "And it was almost coming true. What do you guys plan on doing?"

Always head north.

Chris answered for Arabella, "We're going to get out of here and start moving along on our own."
"Yeah," Chris added quietly and glared at her for stealing his answer.
Dee turned back, at the two teenagers, "Where are you headed to?" Arabella shook her head a bit and answered, "North. We're heading north."
"You know what's out there in North right?" Chris inquired, "Crazy people. I've been there." She sighed, and shrugged.
"Okay then."
Luke and Adeline found their way to Arabella and Chris sitting down together at first.
"Some voice is telling me that we should be going to the North," Arabella explained to all three of them, "I know you'll think I'm crazy. Once an air raid siren starts blowing, we have to pack and leave."
Luke was confused, "Why?"
"The cure. There's no cure here," Adeline mentioned, "Maybe that's why the voice was in your head."
The following evening, the group of hunters had sat with each other during dinner. Albert, Noah, Lexis and Amanda looked at the other four after hearing their plan.
"You're joking," Amanda stuttered, "I don't want to leave this place." Albert almost agreed.
Chris spat back, "I'm not gonna stay at some shabby place for the rest of my life."
"Agreed," Luke mentioned, "We were put here for a reason." The hunters gathered around in one empty room with wooden chairs.
Max looked at us, "There's a few others from this place who are looking to leaving the Quarantine."
"They can come then," Arabella mentioned, "Anyone can come. But as they say, the more the merrier."
Max nodded his head, "You sure?"
"We'll be stronger that way," Luke pointed out, "I don't care. That place is crazy from what I'm hearing. They never come back sometimes."
During the night after supper, Arabella looked at the lights from afar through a glass and sat out on the edge of the room dangling her feet while Luke faced her but looked out the scenery from the dark.
"This morning something whispered to me, saying that we leave and go North. It was kind of creepy. Supposedly there was a palace of some sort full of the healthy people, Hunters, and Immunes behind those mountains out there," Arabella broke the ice.
Luke answered back, "I was told the same thing. Not the heading north part though. Everyone got it I'm sure." The conversation went dead for a minute or two, but he finally faced Arabella again, "I'm glad we met again."
"Same," Arabella murmured quietly and clasped her hands together. They stared out of the open area, the cool breeze grazing against their skin giving Arabella goosebumps, "I hope we last out there. I've never seen the Infected up close except inside the Justice Office." Luke and her laughed together about that while it slowly died down.
He smiled and looked down at how close their hands were "I've been having dreams about you and I."
"Oh really?" She chuckled and listened to the stories of how they were years ago.

A lady tested both Luke and Arabella, only at the age eleven, for speaking through their minds after a hypothesis was made that people can speak telepathically.

Can you hear me?

Arabella looked at Luke, impressed with how it worked so well. It motivated her to try so hard, so she shut her eyes tightly and focused on trying to transmit a formed sentence back to Luke.

Talk to me Arabella. I want to know about you.

All of a sudden..

I have a younger sister Rosemary and a brother, Max. My best friend is Adeline Orson.

"That day was probably the most fun I've ever had," Luke began, "Surprisingly it worked, and they were flabbergasted."
A warm feeling swelled up in the insides of Arabella's body. Her connection with Luke was getting closer and closer, and she also wondered why she felt more than a friend towards him. She was curious of how he was so special. Her heart began to beat faster by the second
"Arabella," Luke called. Arabella looked up at him and the blue rim around her eyes began to show, meaning her side was activated by then, "I want to know what these colors mean."
He got close to Arabella's face, maybe an inch or two away. His eyes met with hers, and soon as they made contact with each other's Luke's eyes suddenly appeared to turn into an emerald green.
Embarrassed, Arabella jerked back and looked away, "Sorry."
"No worries," Luke grinned at her, "I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm still working on it."
Arabella began to glance at Luke again, "Green really compliments your eyes in a way."
"Thanks," Luke turned a tomato red color and kept a straight face, "I don't get that very often."
She stood on her feet, "Me too." A smile was stuck on her face, and Luke couldn't keep the green eyes away, "and now that I think about it-- I also wonder what it's going to be like finding out about these colors and leaving this place to explore a new world out there."
"I never knew you were adventurous," Luke chuckled.
"Now you do," Arabella yawned and stretched her arms, "I'm pretty tired. We have to start getting some things ready. Loot this place and find as much ammunition and weapons as possible."
Luke got up onto his feet and wiped the dirt off his butt, "Well in that case, I'll just walk you back to your room and let you rest for the night." They walked side by side together. It's been days since they've met once more and they already have feelings for each other.
"Love is such a crazy thing," Arabella thought to herself. She couldn't understand love at all, but Luke could of course. Max waited by the door for his little sister and Luke to be finished talking.
Max then stood up once he saw the two teenagers in sight, "What's our plan?"
"We start packing tomorrow," Luke said, "And we will leave when it is time."
Max understood well then glanced at Arabella who stood behind Luke, "And what are we trying to do here?"
"To go to sleep," Arabella sighed tiredly, "It's been good lurking around, but I need my beauty sleep."
Luke smiled at Max then down at Arabella, "Alright then. I'll let you sleep now. I'll see you in the morning." He squeezed Arabella's hand and then gave Max a handshake before leaving.
The siblings watched Luke walk away, and once they heard the door shut, Max began asking questions, "That your boyfriend?"
"No," Arabella said utterly loud and began walking down the hallway while he followed.
"So he's not your boyfriend?"
"No."
"Best friend?"
"No."
"You like him."
"No!"
"Luke and Arabella sitting in a tree K-I-"
"Goodnight Max," she muttered with the annoyance chattering under her breath and slammed the door shut.
Rosemary, Chris, and Noah were sound asleep in their bunks. But then a random voice came from nowhere.
"Finally going to bed?" Chris questioned her.
For a second she was about to scream, but she remained calm and held onto her chest, "You scared me. Why are you up anyways?"
"Too early to sleep," he muttered and fell back onto the comfortable bed that was set with a blanket, "So tomorrow?"
"We just get ready," Arabella answered quietly making sure not to wake up her sister and Noah, "Goodnight Chris."
Arabella gently fell back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling and drifting off into a deep sleep, hoping that tomorrow will be the right time to move.