Facade

Chapter 14- One Six.

I sprint as hard as I can, panting ridiculously and everyone I pass quizzically looks at me. I can't stop, I'm infected, the jopers will catch me if I stop. I can't. As I near the beach I slow down, raggedly panting I try to look as calm as possible as I walked across to the rocks.

As I get close enough to hear the waves crash against the rocks I see a glimpse of his messy brown hair and I feel myself break down. Tears start to well up in my eyes as I get closer, every step brings more thoughts of being captured and taken away.

I'm a few feet away and I let out a sob making Matthias whip his head around, his face full of confusion. He widens his eyes as my sight as he rushes up to me "are you alright what happened?" His hand shoots out to my face, making me flinch. I silently revel at his touch as he looks at me with worry, scrunched eyebrows and a slight frown.

My tears continue to fall as he pulls me into an embrace. I widen my eyes and stiffen up "your clothes are going to get dirty." I croak and wipe away my tears.

"I don't care." Matthias tightens his hold on me and I relax, leaning my head on his chest as I continue to stain his shirt. The fabric of his shirt soothes me and I feel myself start to calm down.

A few seconds, maybe minutes pass and we just stand there, holding on to each other. "Lana." I mutter and sniffle.

"What?" Matthias asks softly as I let go of him, wiping what's left of my tears and I look up at him. I want to hold him more but, but he's taken. I shouldn't do more than necessary, I shouldn't overstep my boundaries.

"Lana, she was taken. The jopers took her. She was doing it Matthias. It." I choke out as I look down at my slightly trembling hands.

He opens his mouth to say something but instead reaches out to grab my hands. He cups it between his as if he was trying to warm it up.

"I don't know what to do," I start to say in anguish "I don't-" I widen my eyes and slink my hands away, pulling it towards my body. No, what am I doing here.

Not only was my best friend just taken away from doing Unnaturali Infirmitate. Not only is there a big chance that I'm prone. Not only do I like someone other than my soul mate. But I'm here with that someone.

"I can't be here." I say in a moment of realization and Matthias looks at me weirdly. "I'm not suppose to be" I say with a shaky breath.

"Wait, what are you talking about Lilith." Matthias takes a step toward me to reach for me and I take a step back. As I inch away even more he shoots out for me arm though his grip on me isn't tight of painful, it's still light and soothing.

I shake my head vigorously and I start to panic though I don't pull away "I can't be here. I just can't." I scrunch my eyebrows as I feel myself tear up again. I can't even tell him why. "I-I-I-" I look up at Matthias and he's inches away from my face.

All the air sucks out of me and I widen my eyes as he leans in. His soft lips touch mine and I feel myself loosen up, everything seems to change. Every part of me tells me to back away, to run away but I didn't want to, I can't. At the moment, I couldn't care any less what was happening on in the world.

As he pulls back I feel a reality rush back in and I look up at his curious eyes, studying at my reaction. Matthias gives a small smile, the corners of his lips turn playfully as I just stand there for a few seconds. He kissed me. I feel myself blush.

He kissed me? I feel a rush of joy and then a rush of confusion. Why? What? I lean back on to the tips of the balls of my feet. How could he kiss me?

"Why are you two out here?" I slowly turn my head around to see two jopers marching towards me and Matthias. I take a small step back to distance the distance between us and I start to panic. Why are we out here? What am I suppose to say?

"We're studying the coral reef here for a school project, mandatory pairing." Matthias says as he hands the joper his card, looking extremely worried looking extremely worried as I take out mine.

I see Matthias shift uncomfortably back and forth from the corner of my eyes. The joper leans to his side as he scans my card and mutters to himself "Lilith Hathway, seventeen," he says with a approved tone and scans Matthias' card, "Matthias Hutchins, sixteen."

I widen my eyes as my whole world turns black, I freeze in my spot. Sixteen? No, no, no. Matthias is older, he's... I don't know... but he has a soul mate, he told me.

But have I ever even seen her? He's told me about her once but that was only once. He's sixteen? The card doesn't lie. Why did Matthias lie? Who is he? My body starts to feel foreign to me, like I'm just on observer, judging my body's actions. I feel myself tense up enormously and Matthias sees the change, making him shift uncomfortably as if he wants to say something.

"Okay, you guys are free to go."

Matthias' eyes flicker to me anxiously as he nods at the joper, taking the cards from him. He hands me my card and I slowly reach out to get it, I avoid his gaze and watch the jopers go out of view.

As soon as they are I push off my back leg and start to run away. I can't do this, this is illegal. I thought, I thought it was okay but it's not. He's sixteen.

"Lilith!" I hear Matthias call, his voice desperate. I squeeze my eyes shut, ignoring the ache in my heart as I continue to run and increase my pace, blocking his voice out.