Inoperative

Chapter 7

"Brendan?" Aiden says, running towards me.
"No, Aiden, we have to keep going. They're everywhere!" I say exhaustedly.
"Who?" he questions.
Something dawns on me. "Nadia? Where's Nadia?"
"Amara, stop! Speak to me. Who is it?" he says, grabbing my shoulders.
"The guards. The guards from Akaecia. They found us. . . They found us because of you!" I place Brendan on the ground and step away from them. "You led them straight to us! You betrayed us!"
"What are you talking about?" Aiden asks.
"That thing that I pulled out of your neck? That was a tracking device. But you knew that already, didn't you?" I say accusingly.
"No, Ames. I didn't. I swear—"
He steps towards me but I stop him. "No! Don't. . . Don't come near me. I don't even want to look at you!" I scream.
"Ames, please—"
"No! Don't call me that! You've done enough! Just take your brother and leave!"
"No," he says plainly.
"Yes!"
"No," he repeats.
"Fine then. If you won't go willingly, I'll make you go."
I search around to find the sharpest rock I can and pick it up. Grabbing Brendan around the neck, I hold the rock to his throat.
"Amara, what are you doing?" Aiden asks tentatively, stepping forward.
"Don't take another step or I'll do it," I warn, pressing the rock closer against his neck. Tears begin to pour over my cheeks as my walls crumble.
"No you won't. He's just a child. You would never hurt him," he says.
"Aiden?" Brendan says.
"It's ok buddy. She won't hurt you."
My vision is blurry from the water that's pooling in my eyes as I cry. I don't even turn away because it's not like I'm ever going to see him again.
"Why would you betray us Aiden? Why would you betray me?" I ask sadly.
"I didn't betray you Ames. I never would have done that. I think deep down you know that too," he replies.
I take a deep breath and grab Brendan tighter.
"Well, you did betray us. You've been trying to kill me since we first met. First, you used up all of my rations so that I'd have nothing left to eat, then you tried to drown me—"
"I didn't—"
"And then, you led all of your pals right to my house and let them burn it down," I finish.
"Amara, I would never try to kill you. You saved my life! What kind of person would I be if I tried to kill you after that?" he asks.
"A monster," I reply. "You'd be a monster. You are a monster and I need you to leave!"
Brendan cries out as I squeeze him even tighter.

"Amara! What are you doing?!" Nadia squeals, stumbling over to me.
She grabs my wrist, taking the rock out of my hand. I collapse, letting Brendan go and he quickly slithers across the ground to his brother who embraces him protectively.
"Nadia, he did it. He killed them all. He led them to us," I cry.
"What?" she asks.
"He led them right to us."
"No, Nadia. I didn't I swear. I—" Aiden begs.
"I suggest you get out of here," she warns, her anger obviously boiling on her skin. "Leave. Run and don't stop running until you're a thousand miles from here."
"Please, I have Brendan and we'll never survive out there without you guys," he pleads.
"You're going to have to try," she replies firmly.
"Fine, at least take him though," he begs, gesturing to Brendan.
"No! Aiden, don't leave me!" Brendan squeals.
"It's going to be fine," he says soothingly. "Please. . . Please just take him and you'll never see me again. Probably because I'll be dead but, I swear that even if I don't die in the first few days, I will stay out of your way."

Nadia looks down at the shivering boy on the ground and nods.
"We'll take him but if we ever see you again. . . I can't say what I'll do. Now go," she orders.
"Thank you, Nadia," he says and runs off through the bush, louder than a jazz band.
He's right. He probably won't survive the night.
Brendan screams and calls for his brother so Nadia kneels beside him.
"Hey, it's alright. He's going to be fine and now that you're with us, you're going to be fine too," she promises.

"How the hell did you two idiots make it out of there alive?" says a voice, trampling the leaves as he draws nearer.
Nadia hangs her head and groans. I look up and see the man with the brown hair — though it's much darker now, it looks black — and the stunning bright blue eyes. His face is covered in ash which just exaggerates his absolutely perfect jawline.
"Marcus," I growl.
"What are you doing here?" Nadia asks harshly.
"Wow, sister. Don't act so excited that I'm not dead like the rest of the camp is, you ungrateful little cow!" he shouts.
"If you just came here to insult me, then we don't need you. You can leave now," she says angrily.
"Oh but you do need me. You two little airheads won't survive without me, especially with that little mutt following you around," he states, obviously referring to Brendan. "What happened to the other kid? Have you managed to get him killed already?"
"Shut up!" I shout. "We will do just fine without you. I survived out here for four years on my own and with Nadia's help, it will be even easier."
"Oh but you're going to have to keep moving to avoid being tracked by the guards. Bet you don't know your way around, do you little miss I'm-so-clever," he says.
"Well, you don't know these parts either," Nadia argues.
"Oh, but little sister, that's where you're wrong. Father thought of you as one great incompetence. Therefore, you were no more than a distraction and a hurdle in trying to teach me everything. However, despite your irritating presence, the man actually got to teach me some things, one of them being, the entire area. I know the land for three hundred miles each way like the back of my hand. He would've taught you but. . . you're a girl," he teases.
She punches him. Hard. In the face.
His head springs to the side but he quickly turns back, rubbing his hand along his perfectly sculpted jaw.
"Obviously father didn't teach you how to fight either," he says.
"He didn't need to," she replies.
Before he has the chance to react, Nadia lands the heel of her foot straight between his legs. He groans and crumples to the ground, holding his treasures.
"As Amara said before, we don't need you," she says humorously.
"Wait, Nadia. Maybe he's right," I say hesitantly. I've stopped crying now which is lucky. "If he knows his way around here then we really do need him. We do have to keep moving to avoid detection and without him, we don't even have a clue where to go."
"She's right, little sis," Marcus says, still on his knees.
Nadia looks at me and I nod.