Runaway Lover // Andy Leo

Chapter Three

"So where's the rest of you? Or is the mighty rebellion made up of you four?" I ask Megan as we follow Andy, Brandon and David through Aeon city.
"Course not. Headquarters is about a quarter mile that way." She points ahead of us, "Gotta make sure its not easy for the Empire to find."

In front of us David, Brandon and Andy joke around, pushing into one another. Megan sees me watching them and asks, "It must be weird for you. I mean, I don't even know how you managed to decide to come with us after all you've heard." She looks at me quizzically. "Why did you?"

I think about it, and I can only find one reason. "Because the Empire can't just go around controlling people. It's ridiculous! Someone needs to fix it, and I thought I may as well help." I fiddle with the sleeves of the black leather jacket that Megan gave to me, all of a sudden feeling nervous. I think it will take me a while to learn how to not feel guilty about speaking my mind.

"I know that feeling. I was part of the Empire until they found out that my chip didn't work when I was about eight. They tried to put another back in, of course, but that one didn't work either. So," Her face settles into a fond smile, "I snuck away in the middle of the night and ended up with this bunch."

"That must've sucked. I couldn't imagine what that would've been like." I say as I kick a stone across the concrete road.

"It did. But, the Rebellion found me and I ended up growing up with Brandon, David and a few other close friends. We're our own family. It doesn't matter who blood relates us to." She says as she grabs the locket around her neck.

"Andy didn't grow up with you then?" I ask, curiosity taking the better of me.

She shakes her dead. "No. Well, not exactly. Andy's a difficult case." She trails off and I look over to see her watching Andy intently. No longer joking about, the men ahead of us are walking together, keeping an eye on the streets around us. I see now that even though he is the youngest of the three, Andy walks with a sense of self-assurance that the others don't have. He takes longer strides, stands more upright and keeps his head a little higher.

"He was born into the rebellion. I knew him for a couple of years after I got here. He was a really good friend. Determined to be the best in his own passive way." She laughs before her tone turns grim. "Then the Empire got hold of him. Ravens tortured him for years. I have no idea how he got through it in one piece, but he did."

I say nothing. My brain swirls with things that you're supposed to say in this kind of situation, but none of them seem suitable. I've seen the ravens and they scare me from 100 meters away, never mind up close. My heart aches for Andy and what he must have gone through.

Up ahead the guys take a right, leading us into a big grey warehouse. It looks identical to all of the other buildings from the outside; old, rotting and covered in graffiti.

"You guys okay?" Andy asks as we come to a stop just inside of the warehouse. Behind us Brandon slides the metal doors shut and bolts them to the floor, placing us all into near darkness. The only light comes from a small window off to our right, its light beams showing off the dust in the air.

"Yup. Just teaching Sam the need-to-know." Megan answers before I can even open my mouth, so I just nod along. Andy smiles back a reply before delving into his back, looking for something.

"And what exactly is need-to-know?" Brandon addresses Megan as he comes up behind her and snakes his arms around her waist. He rests his head on top of Megan's, and I not-so-discretely sidestep away.

"Not a fan of public affection?" David laughs. I shake my head and move to sit next to him on the floor beside the door. "You're going to have a great time here, then. I'm actually impressed that they've managed to stay apart since you got here." He looks down and selects a rock from beside him before throwing it at the couple.

"Ow!" The rock finds it's mark on Megan's leg.

"Oh come on, that didn't hurt!" Dave reaches for another rock and scrambles to his feet as Megan goes to collect the one that he had thrown previously before hurtling it toward him. It connects with his shoulder, and he yells out in pain.

"Come on, Dave! It didn't hurt that much!" Megan mocks. They continue to have their fight, laughing the entire time. I wonder what It would've been like to grow up like this, happy and cheerful, being able to play games whenever you wanted. I yearned for that life - to be free and unconfined by the Empire and their rules.

"How's your leg?" Andy's voice pulls me back from my mind. He crouches in front of me and I notice the necklace hanging around his neck glinting in the fraction of sunlight. I stare at it, wondering what it could mean to him before remembering that he had actually asked me something.

If I was being completely honest, I hadn't noticed any pain in my leg since we left the safe house this morning. "It's fine. I actually haven't noticed it much." I stare at the bandage on my leg confusedly, wondering how I have managed to walk three miles without noticing it.

"Well at least it's not crippling you!" He exclaims as he stands back up. He holds out a hand to me, "Let's go. We should get there before dark if we leave now." He smiles down at me.

I grab his hand and allow him to pull me up from the floor. His hands are warm and inviting, and I almost let myself hold onto him for longer than necessary. However the moment is over just as quickly as it happened, and Andy is reaching for his bag again to lead us off into the depths of the warehouse.