Dangerous

Chapter 11

It wasn't until late that afternoon that I saw Chase again.

I sat in the cafeteria, spooning mashed potatoes into my mouth, my mind working at full speed. Liz was trying to engage me in conversation, but my answers were half-hearted. I couldn't focus on anything beside the idea that I was going to get out of here, with my best friend, with the help of my brother. Guilt chewed at my insides, knowing that he was going to sacrifice his happiness, maybe even his own life, for me to be free. I bit my lip. I should have properly thanked him. I might not get the opportunity to freely speak with him again.

When he walked in, the cafeteria went silent, much like my first day at the institution. My spoon fell out of my hand and clattered onto the table. Liz gave me a startled look, but I ignored her.

He looked even worse than yesterday, like he hadn't slept one bit, but he still managed to look tall and strong as he made his way to the food line. After his tray had been piled with food, he turned toward the sea of blank faces staring at him. He took an unsteady step toward the crowd, before I piped up.

I cleared my throat loudly. I didn't dare say his name, in case he had made any enemies already. He turned sharply at the sound, and our eyes met. He looked like he could have passed out from relief, and made his way quickly toward the table. Liz and her friends made no sounds of protest, and I internally thanked them.

"Hey," Chase said softly, sitting down next to me. "I thought... from yesterday... I thought I wasn't going to see you again." Everything about him in that moment was so vulnerable. His eyes, his voice, the way he sat, with his hands tucked across his lap. I leaned into his shoulder, bumping mine with his, the way we always used to do back home. I watched him open up immediately. The familiar gesture made him smile softly, and he took my hand in his, squeezing tightly, turning it over and over again, as if he was trying to memorize it. I tried to ignore the heat creeping up to my cheeks, and I smiled back at him, his gray eyes filled with mixed emotions. After a few seconds, he removed his hand from mine and moved it up to my face, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear, his eyes gentle. He took a breath to say something, but Liz interrupted.

"You two know each other, I'm assuming?" Her voice was teasing, but my cheeks burned. I had forgotten that they were all sitting there. I nodded shyly, but Chase cleared his throat to speak.

"Uh, yeah, we're best friends. We lived right next door to one another, before she got taken away. I'm Chase."

Liz nodded slightly, sizing him up. Or checking him out. I felt a twinge of something unknown dance across my stomach, but I ignored it.

"Well, I'm Liz. It's nice to meet you." She smiled slightly, but not her normal, dazzling smile. I frowned, vowing that I would ask her about it later, but before I could, she turned to me. "Jessalyn, someone came in here a few minutes ago, before you were here, asking for you. He was tall, kind of gray eyes. He said to tell you be escorted back to your room when lunch was over because he needed to speak to you." Her voice was unsure, and she twisted her small hands in her lap nervously. The gears in my mind began to turn, far too many thoughts to be able to think clearly.

Alex. Alex needed to speak to me. I turned to Chase, tugging on his arm. He looked startled, putting his spoon down from where he had begun eating his soup. "Everything okay?" He asked, wiping his mouth with his napkin. I nodded impatiently, willing him with my eyes to understand. The chance of someone becoming suspicious of Alex and I was a risk I couldn't take, especially when we were so, so close to finally breaking free of this place.

Liz watched on with a questioning glance as Chance slowly nodded. "Okay," he said quietly, standing up from the table. I grabbed his hand quickly, and paced briskly out of the cafeteria, pulling him along with me. I was supposed to wait for Rodney and Paul whenever I left the cafeteria, but the anxiousness of whatever Alex had to say to me carried me past our usual meeting spot. Plus, I wanted to be able to speak with Alex in private, and I couldn't do that if my guards were going to be standing right outside my door waiting for him to leave.

"You know," Chase said once we were alone in the hallway, traveling back to my room, "you haven't even said a word to me yet." I could feel his gaze on the side of my face, and a small laugh escaped me, despite the circumstances.

"Hi," I said playfully, momentarily forgetting about the importance of our situation. He raised an eyebrow in amusement, and I laughed again, shaking my head, as we finally turned the corner to our basically deserted hallway.

The atmosphere seemed to change in an instant. A light was on underneath my bedroom door, illuminating a small shard of the otherwise dark, empty hallway. I tried to shake off the ominous feeling I had, but it hung around like a bad smell. I gripped Chase's hand tighter, and started toward my room. It's your brother, he's not going to hurt you.

Then why does everything seem so strange?

Chase's presence helped steady me. His strength seemed to be enough for the both of us, even though he had practically no clue what he was walking into. His steps matched mine, walking with me toward my room. Tall and strong, the two of us together. Or him, at least.

Standing in front of the door, I hesitated. I raised a hand to knock, but Chase beat me to it. He knocked loudly, the sound of knuckles on metal harsh and loud across the dormitory hallway. I held my breath.

After a long moment, Alex opened the door. He stood to the side as I pulled Chase inside the room and he shut the door behind us, locking it with a loud click.

My brother turned to us, and I gasped. His browbone was a dark purple, his lip gashed. His hair was knotted and his eyes were a dark blue that didn't belong to him. Blue... I hung back, waiting for him to speak first.

"Jessalyn," he said steadily. His voice didn't belong to him either, a little too high, a bit too articulate. My stomach dropped to my toes.

Red. Red was all I could see. Red, blinking, flashing, in the corner of the room. Red, above a camera I had destroyed, painted the glass with more of that damn red, pouring out of my knuckles.

Red. Anger, rushing within me, realizing that I had been tricked. Red.

"She already knows, Jessalyn." My brother's imposter spoke again, inclining his head toward the fractured camera surveying the situation in the corner. "You broke it, yes. They fixed it. She already knows." He paused, an unfamiliar, haunting smile crossing his face.

"You're not my brother." My voice came out a whisper, tears threatening to stream down my face. I shook slightly, rage and sorrow burned into one. Chase gripped my hand tightly. It reminded me of Marcus. The tears began to flow, and my vision blurred.

"Correct. In fact, I-"

Tears overwhelmed my vision, but I couldn't miss the unmistakable crack as Chase's fist connected with my brother's nose.

***

I stumbled back in shock, wiping my eyes. Alex screamed out in pain, yet another sound that wasn't his, and my vision finally cleared enough for me to see his hunched form on the ground, hands cupped in front of his nose, red with blood. I remembered two years ago, my brother the one with bleeding knuckles, Rodney standing in front of him with blood streaming down his face. Black closed in on the corners of my eyes, threatening to throw me into unconsciousness.

Chase gripped my hand again tightly, steering me back to reality. He was breathing heavily, face flushed. His eyes darted rapidly back and forth between mine. The aroma of blood swirled around us, and my stomach turned.

"That's not your brother, Jess," he said quietly to me. I nodded slightly.

His gray eyes were the last thing I could see before darkness overwhelmed my senses.

***

this is one of my favorite chapters, hopefully you guys enjoy it as well!! let me know what you think!!