The First

16.1

A/N: Guys, things are starting to plummet towards the climax. *bites lip* It's gonna be craaaazy.

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02 - 16 - 2089

My feet pound against the frozen, snow covered ground as I run. I weave between the houses, going from street to street as I find my way home. Urgency pushes me forward, the knowledge of how little time we have breathing down my neck.

As I turn a corner, my eyes lock onto the snow dusted house at the end of the street. I let out a breath in relief, taking on a new burst of speed at the sight of my destination.

Then I hit the ice.

The slick patch of road is identical to the rest, but my feet are unable to find traction. I slide, my arms flailing to find purchase. Wind roars in my ears until I tumble forward, making an awkward belly flop onto the ice and skidding to a halt.

I take a moment to catch my breath before I flip onto my back and slowly, carefully, climb to my feet. A quick scan of the road tells me no one is making pursuit, and I allow myself a small bit of relief at that knowledge.

But before I can start running again, the faint drift of voices carried on the winter wind reaches my ears. The same voices I just heard questioning that woman. The voices of the men hunting Cade and I.

Grumbling to myself, I find the end of the ice patch and test the ground in front of me before I hurry forward in a run. This time I'm careful to watch my footing as I make my way across the street and onto the house walkway. I hurry up the frozen steps, reaching for the door.

It opens, buttery light sweeping out to greet me before I can reach the handle. In the seconds it takes me to recognize the handsome face before me, Cade grips my arm and pulls me inside. The door slams behind us as he wraps me in his arms. I'm wet, shivering, and only just realizing how cold I am, but I'm back.

"Cade..." My teeth chatter, my face pressed up against Cade's warm chest. His grip is urgent as he pulls back to meet my gaze. "The-the men--" I can't even finish before Cade's expression darkens and he pulls me away from the entryway. Without a word, he leads me to my room and helps me take off my cold and wet jacket before wrapping a blanket around my shoulders.

Only once I'm seated on the bed and starting to thaw off does Cade speak. "I'm sorry." His voice is hard and thick, and I can feel the regret, see it on his face. I open my mouth to tell him it's okay, that we have more important things to worry about, but he holds up his hand, silencing me.

"I was being selfish," Cade continues, his gaze now wavering from me to his hands. "I wanted to protect you, but I forgot about all you've been through."

"Cade," I say, my voice stronger as I warm up. "It was my fault. I was in the wrong," I say, even as the words feel foreign coming out of my mouth. Arguments took place back at the facility, but they never ended with me apologizing. No, they usually ended with me in solitary. I shiver unconsciously at the memory.

The heaviness in Cade's eyes lifts slightly as he brushes his thumb across my cheek. He studies me, and I trace the strong curve of his jaw with my gaze. Moments like these, no matter how short or stolen they may be, make all the bad stuff worth it.

You are amazing. You are kind. You saved me. I wish I was better at speaking from my heart. At using more words to describe what I feel inside.

Cade leans forward, our eyes and our hearts still connected, and kisses me. His lips are soft against my own, and the warmth that floods through me makes this blanket useless. The kiss is tender, full of emotion and meaning, full of life.

I sigh as he pulls away, only to wrap me in his arms again. Everything slips from my mind except here and now. Except Cade.

Minutes pass, maybe longer, and we keep quiet, content to bask in each other's presence. My ear is turned against Cade's chest and I listen to the steady thrum of his heartbeat, sound and sure.

A soft knocking floats into the room through the open door, drawing my ear towards it. I listen as the knocking grows more insistent. Then I freeze.

Cade feels me stiffen. "What is it?"

My mind jumps back into the presence, remembers all I just saw. Remembers why I ran back here. Gis, how could you be so dull?

"Cade," I say, turning to face him, "it's the men. The ones hunting us."

A storm gathers in Cade's eyes as he nods stiffly and hurries to the door. I follow him, leaving the blanket forgotten on the bed. We reach the entryway, and I'm about to tell the couple to not answer the door, when I see him reaching for the handle.

The older man pulls open the door to reveal the three men I saw on my way back. Now that I am closer to them, I can better distinguish their features. The man on the left, who looks to be the oldest, has greying hair and a trimmed beard, his sharp eyes like those of a predator. A shiver goes down my spine.

The other two men are younger, perhaps even close to Cade's age. One has dark brown hair, like Cade's favorite color, and the other has blond. All three of them are dressed in dark suits and coats, all of which screams government agents. I don't know how I realize this, but some sick sense of dread tells me so.

Cade grabs my arm, and then I realize I've spaced out. I blink, bringing everything back into focus as Cade hisses in my ear, trying to pull me away.

My eyes go to the men standing on the doorstep. All three of their gazes are locked on me.

"Gis, we need to go. Now." Cade grabs my arm, practically carrying me out of the hallway. I scramble to find my footing before racing after him into our bedroom. I hear the men speaking in the entryway, and their footsteps as they enter the house.

Cade slams the bedroom door shut, using the small lock on the handle to secure it. He curses when it doesn't latch well, instead opting to shove the oaken dresser in front of the door.

"Hurry, put your coat on. We have to leave out the window before they break down the door or surround the house," Cade says as he rushes around the room, grabbing some articles of clothing and other things we set out.

I grab my coat off the bed and pull it on before zipping it up. Cade finishes shoving items into a bag before heading for the window.

The men bang on the door, having discovered that it's locked. They shout for us to open up, to let them in. Cade ignores them as he shoves the window open and orders me to hurry over.

Mercifully, we still have our shoes on, and the window isn't far from the ground. I slide out first, landing in the snow with a soft thump. I can still hear the banging from inside the house, the noise growing louder as the men kick at the door.

Cade slides out after me, closing the window behind him to slow the men and grabbing my hand. Then we hurry out of the snowy yard and onto the street.

As we reach the other side of the road, the shouting behind us tells me the men have spotted us. Cade urges me to go faster, and my heart pounds painfully in my chest as I force my legs to work harder. We skirt past a car that turns beside us and run to the next street, heading further into town.

The sun sinks lower in the horizon as we run, almost right in our eyes. Cade leads us on with a surety I wish I had as the shouts continue behind us. The men are pursuing, and if they are smart then they will call backup. Which means we don't have much time.

"Where... are we... going?" I huff out between breaths.

Cade risks a glance behind us, growling something unintelligible at what he sees. "Train station. But this time we aren't waiting in line." He pulls me down a narrow alley between streets, filthy and full of garbage. We run past dumpsters and the smell of greasy food floats into my nostrils. My stomach grumbles absently, but I shove the thoughts of food back.

I need to focus on getting out of here. Then I can think about eating.

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