When we get back to the palace to wash our makeup and hair dye off, Kaden has a faraway look in his eyes. When he looks like he is about to walk into a wall, I snap my fingers in front of his eyes.
"What?"
"You're two feet in front of a wall," I explain.
The rebel alarm rings out. Great. Leave it to the rebels to wreck a perfectly nice day.
"Run!" I shout, but realize that, though the others have run out, a rebel stands right in front of me.
I do the first thing that comes to mind. I pull out my pistol and shoot him in the kneecaps before he can shoot me first. Then, I turn on my heel and run as fast as I can away from him before he breaks out of his stupor and picks up his gun. I don't stop for one second until I get into a safe room. Well, sort of. I end up running into a secret library. Coincidently, it's the one my parents and sister happen to be in.
"Why is there blood on your leg?" is the first question Eadlyn asks me.
"You didn't get shot, did you?" asks Dad.
"Nope. It's not my blood. I shot a rebel in the kneecaps," I reply.
"What?!?"
"Hey, he was standing right in front of me and I was carrying the pistol you told me to bring to the town, so I did the first thing that came to mind," I say defensively.
"Well, at least you have good reflexes," Mom says.
"Where's your boyfriend?" Kile jokes, appearing in the doorway.
"I don't-- oh, shut up, Kile," I say.
"Oh, but I can't," he replies, "It's like a second nature."
"You know I'm still armed, right?" I joke.
"Then why do you have blood on your shirt?"
"I shot a rebel."
"You're kidding."
"Dead serious."
"Did you kill him?"
"Nope. I aimed for the kneecaps so he couldn't get up and run after me, but he wouldn't die, either."
"Smart move."
"Why, thank you."
"Okay, well, anyways, how long is the rebel attack going to last?" Eadlyn asks.
"I don't know, but it's probably best to get some sleep," Kile replies.
I make a kissing face behind Eadlyn's back to tease Kile. Ha. Revenge is sweet.
Author's Note
Hmm, Kaden is staring off into outer space, too. Wonder who is on his mind. Spoiler alert: starts with an 'E' and ends with an 'a'
-Nom Nom
