Theo is sleeping like a cat beside me when I wake up. My head pain is distant and I almost smile at what a good job was done. I begin to feel panicked, surrounded by darkness, until I feel Theo yawn beside me. I take a deep breath and nudge him gently, trying to wake him up. He jumps and opens his eyes- I had forgotten how green they were. I greet him with a smile, but he doesn't return it. Instead, he scrambles to is feet, hair flying in every direction. He straightens his uniform, trying to distract himself from the fact that he was asleep next to me. I continue to stare at him with a strange satisfaction while he rubs his face over and over. Finally, I speak.
"We should probably get going again.." I murmur, his reaction causing my mood to worsen. I stand up, rubbing my hand over the stitches from last night-or day. He is staring at me as though it is my fault he slept so comfortably next to me. I glare back, holding back my retaliations; he fixed my head, I can at least give him that.
We pick up what little things we have with us and continue to walk through the tunnels, once again, in silence. After an hour or so, my head begins to throb. I restrict myself from rubbing my eyes constantly, though more and more black dots are appearing at the edges. I let my hand drag across the tunnel walls in darkness, keeping me from tripping. I glance at Theo every so often, but he doesn't look back. I clench my jaw and open my mouth.
"Just because you crave human warmth, and decided to sleep next to me, doesn't mean you have to ignore me. If we are getting out of here, we have to work together." He ignores me, staring at his feet as he walks ahead of me once I stop. I clench my fists together and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and follow him. This is going to be a long trip if he can't even look at me.
We have been walking for hours when Theo finally breaks. He sits down, leaning against the wall, face red with sweat. Although my head hurts, I don't want to give in to the pain just yet. I stare down at him with my eyebrows raised.
"I want to get out of here before I die, you know." I mutter. He glares at me with cold eyes, then closes them and rests his head between his knees. I hear a faint sniffle, which soon becomes a quiet wail from the ground. I sit down beside Theo, who is now clutching his knees with a loud groan of feelings I can't decipher. Large drops of water spouts from his eyes like a fountain as his chest heaves and his shoulders jump up and down. I hesitate, before wrapping my arm around his shaking shoulders awkwardly. He leans into me like a child and my uniform is drenched within seconds. I rub his back soothingly, trying to stay calm. His tears and wails bring water to my eyes too, but I hold it back like I learnt to do a long time ago.
"I'm... going to...die under here... and I never even got to... make my father... proud." He whimpers, then continues to wail like a young child. He buries his head into my chest, and maybe because I feel sorry for him, or because we are alone together, I pull him in, embracing him like a mother would to her child.
After what I assume is a few hours later, Theo has fallen asleep in my arms. I can still hear him sniffing quietly, and I stroke his head gently, though I know he is too deep in his sleep to notice. Eventually, my eyes still watching him sleep like a hawk, my eyes begin to droop too. I don't want to stop watching him, but if we're going to ever get out, I'm going to need a lot of energy, especially since we have rationed out most of what little we have already. I fall asleep with Theo curled up in my arms, feeling more relaxed than I have in the past 4 years, forgetting that I'm stuck underground.
***
I wake to a world of colour. I'm in my old house again. In the kitchen. The small room is just as I remember it: a pattern of red and white, the table in the middle with a one person cooking area where mother always stood. The large window looking out to the back garden lets in sunlight that radiates my skin. I close my eyes, basking in the warmth when I hear footsteps from behind me. I turn to see my mother, younger than I remember, staring up at me with a smile.
"Christopher..." She murmurs, reaching her arms out to hug me. I almost laugh with the joy of reuniting with her after such a long time. She breaks away and grabs my shoulders with a sense of urgency that frightens me.
"Christopher you have to get out of these tunnels. The city needs you. I saw you with him. I know how you feel about it, even if you don't yet. You have to continue to fight; your decision could be the difference between hope and death." I shake my head in confusion, but my mother is already fading from sight. I try to reach out, but she has already gone. I'm alone once again.
Short Chapter, but i'll make up for it next chapter, I promise.
I found this chapter quite cute, actually.
I'm still thinking of ship names, so try and come up with some in the comments!
- Charlotte :)
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Caged Birds
Romance"Not all birds are born to fly. Some prefer the safety of their homes, instead. So why do we cage up the best ones; the ones born wild and free, the ones born to fly?" Christopher has been a part of the war since 67. That's four years. He has grown...
