The Insiders

Chapter 17

Chapter 17- Sharlene

I can tell this is news for everyone by the amount of chatter in the room. There's quite a few yells of detest.

" This meeting is over." Liane announces as she begins to leave the room. A crowd of people begin to follow her yelling in detest. I want to talk to Steve but I can barely hear myself think over the noise of the crowd.

' Do you think this is a good idea?' I place in his head. He looks at me.

' I think it's the only idea we have.' Steve responds. Before I can think anything back, Steve quickly begins to follow the crowd out the doors. I don't follow the group. What's the point in that? I know everything I need to know. I don't go back to my friends either. I can't look them in the eyes knowing my parents may soon kill them too.

I bend over and put my head in my hands. I feel a tear go down my face as I try to understand everything I heard in these past minutes. My mom, the one who raised me, The one who was there whenever I was hurt or sad, has made a poison. A poison designed to kill me, my friends and all the insiders. My dad has built an army. An army of outsiders who are ready to kill us without understanding who we are, or what we've done, good or bad. You never consider how brutal war is until you're part of it. You don't think about how people can kill on an instinct. It's not even their instinct, it's who ever is in charge's opinion. An opinion on people they've never met in their life. Those men kill hundreds of people based on one person's opinion. Those men don't get to decide. They just do. I guess if you don't know the men it's easier to think about. Only, the men for the outsiders in this battle are people I've grown up with. They're not strangers trying to kill me they're the people who've been my teachers, my neighbours, people who've been to my house. People who I've loved all my life, well loved all my life until now.

I begin to breathe heavier and quicker. I have no control. I'm thinking of Peter. Peter will most likely be a soldier for the outsiders. What would I do if I saw him? What would I say? Would I have time to say anything at all? Would he recognize me after so long? If he did, Would he spare me or kill me like all the other insiders? More tears roll down my face as images of this come to my head. I can no longer sit. I begin to pace. I feel confined. Spied on. Trapped. Memories of last night come to my head. Joy. Kim. The screams. The gun shots.

I quickly run over to the cabinet and try to push it to the right side. It's heavy. Very heavy. It's obvious why only Coren knows about this, he's the only one strong enough to move it. I try and try to push it out of the way. I put every bit of anger, sadness and regret into it. Eventually it does move. I don't pull it back over. My only goal right now is to run. To run far far away from here. As I run down the tunnel. Images of my family being happy together. My parents smiling and us laughing at the good times. Peter hugging me and holding me through the bad times. Us laughing kissing. All those times are gone now. Everyone I know has become murderers. My parents are murderers. Peter is probably one of the men who have come to battle. How many of my friends have become soldiers? I run. A single tear runs down my cheek but I quickly wipe it off. I think about my close family now. My mom has made a poison. A poison to kill me with. Do they know that I'm here? Does my sister know? My sister, Reina, I hope she doesn't know about this but at the same time I don't know what I hope she knows. My other sibling, the one my mom was pregnant with, has he or she been born yet? I hope he is, it'd distract Reina from this war. She's one person who I know I can trust right now. We're not as close as other siblings but we're as close as I can be to somebody even though I haven't seen her in over a month. Thinking of my sister makes me think of Joy. I run even faster.

I quickly climb the stairs. My eyes squint as the bright light of the daylight peaks through the tropical trees. It's hot out here. I take a quick breath as I look around. Then I remember Coren. I run again. I don't want to think about him. I don't want to think about anyone. I run. Getting deeper and deeper into the trees. I have no idea how long this island goes on for but I have a feeling I'll find out. I don't care. I just continue running. I hear something. I slowly come to a stop. I stand there listening. I hear a male voice coming to my right. I'm frozen to my spot. I hear more male voices. Lots of them. They're must be tons of people over there. I slowly creep over to a tree with a big trunk and crouch down. I can't help but let my jaw drop.

In front of me is a camp. A camp with what appears to have fifty men. There's at least ten large leaf green tents creating a circle around a fire with logs. There's men who range from about sixteen to fifty standing around talking and laughing. Some of them are tossing around a football. The men are all in grey uniforms but the younger ones seem to have the top part of the suit pulled down to reveal their very toned abs. I chill goes up my spine as I look to one log by the nearest tent. There, resting on the log, are more guns than I can count. Some of them are small guns but the majority of them are huge guns that vary in name.

In a panic I rush away from my hiding place not taking my eyes off the camp, but I'm stopped by the sound of a breaking stick. I stop dead in my tracks, fear trapping me in my spot. I know what's behind me. I don't have to use my power to know. I slowly turn my head to see. I scream as the three men behind me trap me in their arms.