Zoey's POV
The door opens and a guy in a white hood shoves Chloe inside.
"There. Have your sister." He says in a clipped voice before he slams the door so hard Leigh cringes against my side, trembling.
Chloe looks down at the blood-stained floor and looks back at me. I'm glad they moved the Warden's shell, I was sick of seeing that thing anyways.
"So, they said you killed someone?" Chloe says casually, sitting beside me and Leigh.
"Yeah," I mumble. "The Warden."
Her eyes widen. "You killed the Warden? Wow. That's -"
I cut her off by saying, "Nuts?"
"I wasn't going to say that. . ."
"Yeah well, they keep saying it, but in the form of the word insane."
"That word's tossed around a lot, ain't it?"
I look up and see my boy standing beside another boy. This new one is tall and thin, with piercings and dark hair but bright eyes. I've never seen this boy before, but he's the one who spoke, not my boy.
"Who are you?" I ask, pointing at him.
"What? You see him too?" Chloe asks, shocked.
"Yeah, of course," I say. I look at Leigh. "Can you see him too?"
"See who?" she mumbles. "The boy from before? You know I can see him."
"No, he's here, but there's a new one," I say.
"That's Element," Chloe says.
"Oh, that imaginary friend you once had?" I ask.
She nods. "I guess both our imaginary friends are real."
The two of us made imaginary friends when we were little as a coping mechanism. It was how we dealt with the lonliness that comes with being locked up here in the Institute like rats. She had Element, and I had this boy that I still can't remember what I named him. I think I should name him again, shouldn't I?
Well, we were taught to read, and I really liked this name in this one book because it was unique, and trust me, this boy is unique.
"I need to name you, don't I?" I ask as my boy sits by me and Element sits by Chloe.
"Yeah. Some amazing girl I once met told me that everyone deserves a name. Know her?" he says, smiling at me, but more with his eyes that his mouth.
I smile back and nod. "Eragon. I want to name you Eragon."
He smiles. "I like that name."
"Eragon it is!" Chloe exclaims. She turns to Element. "Can you let Leigh see you?"
"I don't know, I have to be as strong as Eragon in order for me to be seen too," he says.
"Well get that way!" Chloe giggles, hugging him.
"I think you two have to establish your relationship before others can see him too. I think that's how Leigh can see and hear me, we get stronger through constant contact. But Zoey can see Element because she's your Twin and you two are already close. So you, Chloe, need to get closer to Leigh and Element," Eragon explains.
Chloe grins at the two of them. "Twist my arm, why don't you?"
Leigh sighs. I look at her. "What's wrong?"
"I guess now isn't really the best time to tell you I have an imaginary friend too, he's a guy named Elio."
Chloe looks at me. I'm not surprised she does, a lot of us insane people have one.
The door bursts open and guards come storming in. "Zoey. Come with us."
"NO!" Eragon cries, jumping in front of me, but of course, they don't see or hear him, so they pull me out by my wrists.
Leigh and Chloe are the only ones they can see as the two girls run after me, screaming their heads off. One guy turns and pulls out a gun.
"NO!" I scream just as he pulls the trigger and Element leaps in the way. The bullet hits him square in the chest and he falls hard. The guards stop and gasp, staring at him as his red blood covers the floor and Chloe falls to her kness beside him, holding him to her chest and crying.
"What the -?" the guard who shot him mumbles in shock.
I stare sadly at Element as I am dragged away and so are the girls, leaving only Eragon with him, but I fear he will die.
