UNPROTECTED

Part Four

Alina's POV

I hated this guy. I didn't trust his views - but I did trust his brother's about a million times more. Marcus helped save trees rather than helping destroying them. Rounding the back of a tree, Maria glued to my side, Delia and Louisa jumped out on us, scaring the crap out of me.

"Alina, what the heck were you doing talking to a Drew like that? If we get chucked out of this thing, you know we aren't going to survive all that long, right?" Louisa yelled. I knew what she meant, but I also knew that everyone had one oxygen-bit per person in their household, in case the system inside the arena stopped working.

Oxygen-bits are these tiny objects that you place underneath the rim of your nose - almost inside the nostril - and it transmitted oxygen into you. The Ministry always said that it was an unlimited supply, but those things are tiny and there is only 7% oxygen out there. I carried mine all the time; I despised this place and wanted an escape, ASAP.

"He's only human. He can take it if he can take a motorbike around with him and filling this place with poison." Louisa's face suddenly deflated - I guess she didn't have a come-back for me.

"Fine. I'll let you take this one, for once."

Delia flickered a glance in my direction and smiled. We both loved to see Louisa get lost for words like that - she was the eldest and treated us two like her personal slaves.

"Yo, where are we going?" Maria piped up from beside me - it was easy to forget she was there. Truth was, I didn't know.

"Home?" Delia suggested.

"I don't think any of us are in the mood to go back to that place." I said as I shook my head.

"How 'bout some....ice-cream? In the arcade? It's gonna cost us a hell of a lot, but it's gonna be worth it!" Trust Delia to make expensive suggestions! The arcade cost about £20 per person due to the extra oxygen pumped in to create a wind effect.

Maria tugged on my arm, making me want to scream out in pain. "Oh! Can we?! Please? Ryan told me to meet him there - if you guys are paying, that's fine by me!" Me, Delia and Louisa shared a glance - £80 for a bloody ice-cream that wasn't even made from real milk or dairy products? Never gonna happen - but Louisa is full of surprises.

"Sure! You owe us, though." She told her.

"When have I ever let you down?" I had to scoff at that. She never paid you back or offered you a favour in return.