Year 12 (First Draft)

-Chapter 2-

  I don't know how long we sit there. A minute, an hour. We all console each other to the best of our abilities, wiping away each other's tears. Anya has taken the news well; not having as deep of a connection to her brother as the rest of us, but that doesn't mean that she hasn't shed her own tears.

  Andrea stands away from us all, her arms crossed, her gaze downcast. She's hiding her pain well, but I can tell that she's hurting. Probably more so than me. She walks over to the desk, and takes a seat, looking small in Kane's chair. Even though Andrea is only a couple inches shorter than Kane, Kane fills the chair in a less physical way. He fills it with his confidence and swagger, all of which Andrea is lacking at this exact moment.

  Anya walks over, taking a seat on the desk, her feet no longer able to touch the floor. She swings her legs, looking deep in thought. "So why is Paul here?" Anya asks, and I look up, confused.

  "My brother was brought in-" I start to explain, but Anya shakes her head, cutting me off.

  "Not your brother. The other Paul. The geeky one, who always wears a tool belt," She says, and suddenly I am confused all over again. Paul was with us earlier in the van, but I didn't see him after that. Is there a chance that another one of us got away? I straighten, standing up, casting a hopeful look in Andrea's direction. She stands up as well, and before I know it, I am chasing her down the hall again, heading down to what I can only imagine is Paul's new workshop.

  She runs up to a single, large metal door, pounding on the frame. No one answers. I look around, although I am not sure what I am looking for. I haven't been down this hall, so nothing here looks very familiar.

  "Hello, Andrea," A voice says just behind us, and I jump when I notice Paul walking toward us. He must have been in a different room down this same hallway, having appeared only seconds after Andrea pounded on the metal door. "I see you guys made it back in one piece."

  "You too, I see," Andrea says, circling Paul like a hungry predator circles their prey. I can almost see the gears spinning in her head, and I step back. "How on earth did you get back here?" She asks, poking Paul in the chest. He doesn't even flinch.

  "Same as you, I took a bus. I had a UCP in my pocket, and was able to sneak on without anyone noticing," He says calmly, accustomed to Andrea's tactics. I don't know what Andrea is trying to do, but I know that she's serious about it.

  "I swear," Andrea says, grabbing Paul's shirt, clenching it in a tight fist. For the first time, I see him flinch. "If I find out that you're lying..." She stops, letting him go. Her sudden burst of confidence diminishes, and she steps back, reverting back to her more laid back self, the one who is hurting. The one who is broken. My heart goes out to her, knowing how she feels; crushed that I can't help.

  "And I swear," Paul says, his voice unusually sardonic; ringing out into the empty hall, "that I am by no means lying to you about any of this."

  "What was that all about?" I ask Andrea after Paul continues down the hall, turning into a small room a few doors down to the right, the door slipping shut behind him. "I haven't seen you like that since you first met me."

  Andrea actually grins, and I almost muster up a grin myself, but I can't quite curve my lips up enough. Andrea notices my sullen expression, her smile slipping off of her face, melting into a frown. Although we fight, and although we struggle to get along, I know deep down that we are on the same side. We are both fighting for the same cause, that much is for sure.

  I lower myself onto the floor, taking a seat in the wide hall, and Andrea does the same. My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts. Not all that long ago, I was just another Government reject out on the streets. I didn't have a home, or a single soul around me who cared about me. It wasn't until I met Kane and his men that I felt like I actually belonged somewhere. It wasn't because the Government was there to give me the "go ahead", or that I was a perfect fit. It was simply that I was wanted. That had been a new concept, and now, it feels as if I am back to the same girl on the streets. With Kane gone, I feel as though my internal compass has veered off and is left spinning, hoping to finally find north again.