City of Lies

Chapter 3 - Speed Racer

When I get done dressing into plain skinny jeans, long sleeve white tee, and combat boots, I look around and Chase is nowhere to be found in the small hospital room. In fact, no one is left in the room. I shrug and decide to just walk out. I enter a long narrow hallway that is just plain white with navy blue carpet. The temperature is much colder than in the room.

"Hello?" I say in a normal tone. "Anyone here?"

"Oh," Chase's voice comes from behind me. "Sorry I was-"

"Her!" A familiar girls voice spits the word 'her' like its poison in her mouth. "Chase, you helped her?" The girl is Lacey who I met in the forest.

Chase looks at her in confusion. "You know Bree? When did you guys meet?"

Lacey pushes past Chase and comes up all in my face. "You lied to me and almost got me killed."

Chase's eyes widen in surprise. Cleary he didn't know about this.

I raise one eyebrow. "I-wait what? How did I almost get you killed?"

Lacey crosses her arms and looks at Chase before looking back at me. "You ran. You ran and left me."

I stay silent for a moment. I ran from the demon pack leaving her all alone. "I'm so sorry. I was too petrified to think and I thought you were going to kill me."

Chase comes between us. "Whoa, slow down, what?"

We both look at him, neither of us saying anything. I bite my lower lip while Lacey keeps her arms crossed. I think of speaking and explaining but Chase speaks again.

"What are you guys talking about?" He looks at me then at Lacey. "Did you meet in the forest?"

"Yeah we did," Lacey beats me to speak. "And she lied to me then left me for a pack of demons!"

"I didn't lie to you!" I interrupt and both of them look at me. "And I'm sorry for running but..." I pause. "You held a sword above my heart and threatened to kill me!"

Lacey stays silent, we all stay silent. "Okay just forget that ever happened," Lacey breaks the silence after a couple of awkward seconds. "We can start over."

I nod in agreement.

"Can I ask you a question," Chase turns to look at me. I nod to let him. "What family do you belong in?"

My eyes widen and my heart rate picks up. I was dreading this question. "Um..." I shrug and try and change the subject. "Where's the main lobby?"

Chase and Lacey look at each other. Soon Chase points down a small hallway and says "down there and take a right."

"Thanks," I take a step back. "I gotta go now thanks but bye," I sprint off to the main lobby and go to the desk. "I'm good now so I'm just gonna leave," and then it hits me: I forgot the map. "No! No no no!" I turn around and sprint back to where I came. I bump into Chase.

"Whoa slow your role speed racer," he grabs my shoulders to help me get back my balance. Lacey looks at me like I'm crazy.

My chest rises and falls rapidly. I can't loose the map. "I need my map! Where's my map!" I try and get past him but he gently grabs my hand and that holds me back.

"Bree, calm down," he spins me around so I face him. "I have your map."

My eyes widen in relief and I smile wide. "Well where is it?"

Chase lets go of my hand leaving it cold. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out my map. "Here."

I grab it from him and put it in my back pocket. Without thinking I hug him tight and whisper "thank you so much."

"There she is," the lady from the desk comes in with a guy, he's probably security.

"You may go ma'am. I'll handle it from here," the guard comes closer to us.

Chase and I break away and we both turn to look at the guy coming our way. He only looks about twenty. "What's going on?" Chase and Lacey ask. I shake my head in confusion.

The guard comes up to me and says "it will be better if you don't fight," and pulls out handcuffs.

"I wasn't planning to," the handcuffs freeze my wrist and make them go numb. They must be Block Handcuffs: they numb your wrist and block your powers. However blocking my powers is useless because I can't even control them.

"Wait, Drake, what's going on, what'd she do?" Chase asks.

"Nothing, but she's an outsider," we start walking. "She can't be trusted. She can be a spy for demons."

"I'll tell you now that I'm not a spy for demons or for anyone," I say with confidence.

"She's telling the truth," Lacey speaks.

"It doesn't matter. Rose Finway and Dallas Finway want to see her," The guard, Drake, leads us outside. "You've been here for a week now we need to get you to Rose and Dallas."

I've been knocked out for a week? Dang I must of swallowed a lot of water. I wonder how things are going back in Colina?

It's bright and noisy. A couple of people stop and stare at what's happening. Children across the road play happily in the sunshine. The air smells of a bakery and you can hear laughter of people around you. The Forgotten territory is the complete opposite of how I imagined.

"Why do Rose and Dallas want to see her?" Chase asks.

"Confidential information," Drake replies calmly and starts to open the door of a black SUV. He pushes me in the back seat. "You guys can't come," Drake looks at Chase and Lacey.

"Oh please," Chase pushes past Drake. "Rose loves me...literally," he sits in the car next to me.

"And well I'm her friend," Lacey sits down next to Chase.

Drake rolls his brown eyes. "There's no way I'm gonna get you two out is there?"

Chase smirks. "Nope."

Drake goes into the drivers seats and starts driving.

I lean over to Chase and whisper "who's Rose and Dallas?"

"Dallas is like the Ruler of this part of Forgotten Territory. Rose is the eighteen year old daughter of Dallas," Chase answers.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Then why do they want to see me?"

Chase shrugs and instead Lacey answers. "Probably to decide your fate."

"My fate?" I say a little louder than intended.
Drake rolls his eyes and let's out an obnoxious sigh.

"Your fate, like if you should die, become prisoner, go back to where you came from," Lacey does a hand motion saying there's more options.

"Will they just like, let me go?" I look at Chase's stunning face.

"It depends how Rose is feeling," Chase pauses, I can hear an accent in his voice. "She's bipolar."

"Wait, the Rulers daughter makes the decisions?"

"No they both do," Lacey answers.

"Oh," I look down at my feet. "That's not how I'm used to it happening."

"What are you used too?" Chase ask and looks at me. He's trying to find out where I came from.

I decide to tell them, but not my Family Name. "I'm from Colina, Light Immortal Territory."