The Death Sentence

Chapter 11

Cora’s POV:

I woke up early the next morning. It took me a few minutes to realize where I was. It was a second home to me.

Before I could even get out of the bed, Gale came in and I saw something in his eyes that I know I had seen before. I couldn’t place it, but I could tell that it was a strong feeling.

He came and sat next to me on the bed and without thinking, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into a big hug.

“Thank you so much. For everything.” I whispered in his ear.

I wanted the hug to last longer, it just felt right that I should be the one he wraps his arms around and says how much he loves me.

I jumped away, one of my hands hitting the back of his head in my frenzy to move away from him.

What was I thinking?? Have I gone insane? Gale would NEVER say that to me. I mean, we’re just friends. Right? Yes, we are, nothing more, possibly something less, but defiantly nothing more!

I now sat on the opposite end of the bed, my head in my hands, waiting for Gale’s outburst to begin.

But then I realized something. First off, I was way over thinking the whole thing. It was just a hug. A harmless hug. Friends hug all the time.

But the main thing that I realized was that he had been hugging me back.

“Friends hug all the time!” I whisper shouted at myself, forgetting for a moment that Gale was still in the room with me.

“What was that?” I heard a soft voice close to me say.

I looked up in surprise. In the jumble of my thoughts, I hadn’t seen or heard Gale come and sit next to me.

“Oh nothing, nothing at all, just talking to myself.” I said as I stared into his eyes. He had beautiful eyes. Now that I think about it, everything about Gale is amazing.

He is tall, like six two tall. He had those amazing bright green eyes that missed nothing. I knew for a fact that they could hold an almost unnatural look of anger in them when he was protecting some one that he loved. But when he was calm and just himself really, his eyes made you feel like you belonged. That no matter who you were, you belonged in this world.

I mentally slapped myself. What am I doing?? Gale is my friend and my friend ONLY!  

Uhg, I need to focus!

“Ok,” Gale started. “tell me exactly what happened that caused you to more than likely run away in the dead of night and come here.”

I took a deep breath and began my story, not exaggerating or down-grading one bit of it. I told it to him short and to the point.

“Well we have these races every year, that way the government can control the population. Your district does not have these races as the government here is much more forgiving on these kind of things. Well last year, mother didn’t make it. They killed her before the whole village. She had done well in the race, but bargained with the police. Her very good friend was to be killed and she was pregnant with her first child that she had wished for forever. So Mother said that she would give her life in exchange for her friends. They accepted and we lost Mother that day.

This year, just a few days ago actually, was another race. I raced well. Finished in the top third. But they told us that there was going to be another race. A maze. I had come up with the idea to have everyone stay together that way no one would die. I knew that I was risking my life, but what’s one life compared to six or seven? We had almost completed the maze together, when we realized we were missing someone. At that moment they made an announcement saying that we were all to break up back in to the pairs we were originally put in. I knew that they had probably tortured someone for that information, so I told everyone to split up. They refused so I walked out of the maze and they told me I was to die. The next day in front of the whole village.

I knew that no one in my family could bear to watch another person from their family die. So that night I left. I left gifts for everyone in my family and notes for two of my friends, and I said in that note that if they threatened to hurt or kill anyone who knew me, they were to show the police the letters so that no one would be hurt.”

By the time I finished my story, I had tears in my eyes, and saw horror in Gale’s.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come here and put you and your family in danger. I will leave tonight.”

I stood up to put my stuff in my bag, but Gale grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down.

I couldn’t help myself, I started crying. I had ruined everything. Everything was ruined. And it was all my fault.  Gale wrapped his arms around me, but I pulled back. I would not do anything like this again.

“You can’t leave.” He told me.

“I have to. I shouldn’t have come in the first place.”

Without waiting for a reply, I grabbed my bag and headed towards the window.

“I can’t stay here. I am done with all of this, I am leaving. For good. Good bye.”

I opened the window and jumped.

Gale’s POV:

She just jumped out of my window. Dear God, she just jumped out of my window.

I ran to the window to make sure she was okay and almost started laughing when I saw her laying on the ground holding her ankle. Why am I not surprised that this happened?

I went outside to make sure she was okay, and when I saw her, I almost died of laughter. Her face was priceless. Barely any hurt, mainly anger. Probably at herself for her failed attempt at getting away.

I let out a little chuckle and scooped her up in my arms.

At first she protested saying that she can walk without my help but when I put her down on her feet, she crumpled, making me laugh just a little bit more.

I took her back inside and grabbed some ice for her ankle and something to wrap it in. I went back to my room where I left her, and there she was trying to walk again. Anyone surprised?

I put her back on the bed and held the ice to her ankle. As I was wrapping her ankle I looked up at her and saw her sleeping peacefully. I really wanted to climb in next to her and hold her close, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to go explain everything to my mom.

With a sigh I left the room and went to tell my mother how her best friend was dead, her daughter probably has a price on her head, and ran away. And now her best friends daughter is hiding upstairs in my room because my mom told her she could always come here. This is going to go well.

A/N: okay I am so so so sorry that I haven’t updated in a long time. I have been so busy with this whole moving thing. I have already crossed the country and have had almost no time to update. I tried to make this one a little bit longer, so I really hope you guys like it. Please please please tell me what you guys think, I love your feedback! Feel free to make any predictions you may have. Love you all <3 Martha