Borderline

Chapter 23

"Where are we going?" Eli asked. We had been walking through some thick woods for a few minutes now.

"To the last place Carter saved me..." I mused. I stopped, trying to remember exactly where that place was.

Then it hit me, and my eyes widened in fear.

"Oh, shit. No no no no no." I started pacing in a circle, trying to calm myself down.

"Ryder, what's wrong?" Eli was watching me with a worried expression. I stopped in front of him.

"'What's wrong' is that I remembered where we're going. Not only is it going to take us forever to get there, but that's the last place I want to go."

"And where would that be?" He coaxed.

I sighed and hardened my expression, putting up every wall I had apparently started to let down.

"We're going to my elementary school."

***

Damn.

I'd ended up at more schools in the past month than I'd been to in my entire life.

Which isn't saying much, considering I technically only had a 5th grade education.

It was nighttime now, and I was sitting up against a tree, not sleeping. Eli was sleeping a few feet away.

Or, at least, I thought he was sleeping.

"Ryder?" I jumped a little at his voice, then looked down toward him.

"What?"

"Why are you still up?"

"Can't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

"...You too?"

I saw him nod, and I wondered what he could possibly be having nightmares about.

"Yeah," he said. "Every time I close my eyes, it's something different. This time it was a torture room with big metal hooks hanging from the ceiling. What about you?"

Oh. That was not what I had expected.

"Uh...just memories from my childhood. And sometimes some really freaky shit."

"Like what?"

"I'm sorry, did you want me to elaborate on my memories or the freaky shit?"

"Either one."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay...remember the night before I was in the principal's office, when I came to your door asking for Josh?"

He nodded.

"Well, on that night, I had a dream that Carter had taken me hostage and killed you both. He sliced me up and stabbed me with a rusty scalpel."

I saw him look at me with pity in his eyes.

"What did I tell you about giving me that look? You look stupid."

He smiled slightly, but there was no happiness behind it. "Come here."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just do it."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, but moved toward him anyway. I laid down on my back with my head next to his. Our bodies were going different directions.

"You realize your dreams are probably worse than mine, right? I don't know why you're pitying me." I turned my head to look at him, and he did the same.

"Yeah, except mine aren't actual memories. Your's are."

"Not all of them..."

"Yeah, but none of mine are."

I sighed. "So what? I deal with them just like any other person."

"Ryder, any other person would be getting intense therapy and would most likely be heavily medicated."

I turned my head to look at him. "Okay, fine. But I still deal with them."

Eli met my gaze. "It's not healthy."

"Do you really think I give a shit about my health?"

He turned his face back up toward the sky. "We don't have to stay here, you know. We can just keep moving."

"It's still two towns over. You need sleep."

"And you don't?"

"I'm used to not sleeping every night. I can manage. You're the one I'm a bit concerned about. You've been pampered by your parents your whole life."

"Foster parents," he muttered.

My eyes widened. "What?"

Eli closed his eyes and sighed. "The two people you met before were my foster parents. Well, I guess they're my adoptive parents now, but it doesn't matter. My real parents abandoned me shortly after I was born."

I just stared at him.

Eli looked at me and I saw a small smirk cross his face. "Now look who's giving out pity."

"I wouldn't know the first thing about feeling pity. Don't flatter yourself." I laughed slightly, but there was no real feeling behind it.

We stayed silent for a few more minutes before I heard Eli's breathing become more shallow, signaling that he was asleep.

I sighed and continued to look up at the sky above us. I already knew I wasn't going to sleep that night.