The Unwanted Ones - Book One

Chapter Eight

Author's Note: Another very short chapter. Hope you guys like how the story's going so far.

The following day I skip going to school, choosing instead to find what I can use for the journey.

I go down into our basement to look around, walking gingerly down the creaky steps. Flipping the switch I see tons of discarded things, organized into some sort of system. But to me it just looks like a mess.

It takes me a little while but eventually I find an old sleeping bag, some flashlights, a sturdy backpack and rope. I pack everything into the backpack, folding them nearly into it. I turn off the light and go back upstairs, happy to be out of there.

The day drags on, and every bit of me hums with the excitement of what lays ahead.

I'm in my room, it's in the afternoon and I can barely sit still. I want to leave right now to go join them, to see Matt. But I figure I should wait for my parents to get home so I can say bye.

After making myself a sandwich I go into my room, the backpack slung over my shoulder. To occupy my time I pick up a book to read.

It's an old favorite of mine, a tattered copy of Paper Towns. I've read it hundreds of times but I still always tear up at the ending. It's not extremely sad, but it isn't happy either. And somehow I feel myself relating to Margo. Sometimes it seems like we're all so fragile, so transparent, so paper-like just living out a script in a paper town. A script written by President Nolan where, in the end, he always wins.

I'm a few chapters into it, sprawled out on my bed when I hear a knock on the door.

"Honey?" calls out a voice. It's my mom, I haven't even heard her come in.

She opens the door and sits on my bed, and leans forward to pat down my hair. A nervous thing that she does whenever she's worried about me. At that moment I remember when I was six and went to the market with her. I'd wondered off and gotten lost. Once she found me she held me tight and kept smoothing down my hair, making me promise never to be so careless again. That one little action soothed me and got me to stop crying. Having her there made me feel like everything would be alright.

"Hey," I greet her.

"Your father will be here soon," she replies. The unspoken truth is heavy. Once he gets home, I'm leaving. A look out the window shows that the sun is already going down.

"Mom, I'll be fine okay? No matter what happens." I assure her, sitting up and putting down my book. She smiles at me.

"And your father and I will be proud of you, no matter what. We already are." she replies.

I smile at that. Making them proud is one of the things I've always hoped I could do. Joining the resistance wouldn't have been my first choice as to how though.

I hear my father come through the door and listen as his heavy boots tread through till they reach my door.

"Hey there," he says, forcing a smile. This can't be easy for them, I know that. But it's nice to know that they're trying.

"Do you have all that you need?" he asks. I nod, gesturing towards my backpack on the ground.

Me and my mom stand, and I lean down to get my bag, feeling their eyes on me. When I straighten up and swing the pack over my shoulders my mom leans forward and hugs me tight.

"Be careful Alexandria," she whispers. My dad comes forward and hugs us both, and we stay like that for a little while, none of us saying anything. But then I wiggle myself out of their embrace.

"I've got to go now." I say, the words burning my throat. That's when I realize that I'm crying. But before they can see my tears I wipe away at them, trying to put up a strong front.

They walk with me to the door, and both give me a kiss on my forehead. With one last good bye I leave and make my way through the town, into the woods, into the path to what lays ahead.