Alone - a Lorien Legacies fanfiction

Breaking His Silence

Twelve

Madeleine

After the whole fiasco was over, I met Nine and Adam at the farm house so we could pick up our car and leave. None of us spoke to each other as we said our goodbyes to Paul and Mary. As she hugged my neck, the elderly woman I had grown so fond of held me tight as she whispered in my ear,

"If you need anything, let me know." She then slipped a piece of paper with their number on it into my hand. I whispered back a thank you and squeezed her a bit tighter.

Paul helped us load up what little belongings they had given us. Nine had a received a hair cut, one that was cut close on the sides yet slightly long on top and in front. He reminded me of a true military man with his handsome jaw and cheek bones, but I didn't dare tell him this. I appreciated that he was giving me some distance, but at the same moment, I wanted to be up in his face screaming.

When we piled up in the car, I took the passenger seat beside an already exhausted Adam. Nine sat in the backseat. As we pulled out of the dirt road drive way, I waved goodbye. I would forever be grateful for their gratitude, and I hoped they would be lucky enough to keep themselves out of the heat of the war. But yet, I couldn't help but notice the resilience in their eyes when they had first taken us in. They had done a service and duty to the morals they believed in, and they had put themselves at risk in order to do the right thing. If I believed in a god, I might have asked that He watch over them and protect them. Instead, I simply vowed that if anything ever happened to them, there would be hell to pay.

The boys tried to maintain small talk, but I didn't speak. Once we finally made it to the main road, the car was completely silent. I vowed not to be the one to start a conversation, and the boys seemed to have the same mentality.

Hours passed as we made our away through a few northern states on our way towards New York. Part of me was giddy about actually traveling the world and seeing all of these wonderful sights that I had never imagined. The change of the weather and humidity content was enough to excite me, let alone the other natural sights. The car veered ever so slightly out of our lane, and I reached over and corrected it quickly. Adam jerked his head up and widened his eyes.

"I'm good!" he blurted.

"Um, no, you're not," Nine said from the back. "Pull over, and I'll drive for a while."

Grudgingly, Adam did park the car on the side of a back road. I considered letting Adam sleep in my spot while I got in the back, but they had already played Musical Chairs before I had the chance to suggest the idea. Nine flashed me a small grin before he tugged his seat belt on. I looked away.

Before I knew it we were back on the road. Adam snored softly from the backseat only minutes later. We hadn't gone far before Nine tried to talk. My god, he was like an ADHD toddler sometimes...

"Madeleine, I know you're mad at me-"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Just - hear me out. I have a confession."

I looked over at him as I made an attempt to give him my best resting bitch face. "What?"

"I haven't been fully honest with you."

I started to make a sassy retort, but he kept going.

"A few weeks ago when I first met John, he broke me out of a Mogadorian holding cell where I had been held for over a year. I never said a word to them, not matter how badly they tortured me. When I was in that environment, I was pissed off but okay. When I left and was able to sleep without looking over my shoulder all the time, I began to..."