The Traitor

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Lesser Of The Two Evils

I was still crying as Jasper turned back to me, a cruel grin on his still perfect face. But now I knew why. I finally understood why everything about both him and Savannah seemed so perfect, why neither of them seemed to have a flaw at all, other than being completely and totally evil. They were fake, programmed to lure someone in with their appearance; and as much as I hated to admit it, I had fallen for their disguises and walked right into their trap.

"Please don't hurt him," I said through tears. Before, I had been reckless with my words, letting my anger get the best of me. But that was when I had nothing left to lose. Now, I had Brandon to lose, so I had to be careful what I said and did. Nothing was worth losing Brandon.

"That's for you to decide," Jasper replied vaguely. I stopped crying for a second and stared at him, wondering what the heck he was talking about. They said they wouldn't let him go, but for how long? How long would they keep both of us there?

"What do you mean?" I sniffed and wiped away the last of my tears.

"See, Teya, we need you on our team, but you won't cooperate. Not like that's a surprise to us— we knew you would rebel. That's why we took him in the first place, so that you would have a...motivation to cooperate. But how far will it go? How far are you willing to push it before your poor brother comes into play?" At that moment, he knew he had me.

I sighed. "What do I need to do?" I asked reluctantly.

Jasper nodded. "Very good. You've finally come to your senses." He turned to the open doorway that Brandon had just been escorted out of and called to someone standing just outside. I had come to hate that door. Suddenly a tall, dark-haired, middle-aged man walked through the door, his expression heavy in thought. He walked confidently toward where Jasper and Savannah were standing, then glanced over at me for the first time.

"Teya Raine, glad you could make it." I scoffed. "Rebellious, I see. But I assume she knows the consequences?" he asked Jasper.

"Yes, sir. She knows," Jasper assured him confidently, eyeing me as he said it. I immediately drew back.

"Good," he responded, then began pacing. "You know, RAYs are very special." He turned toward me. "You are very special, a very valuable member of this team. The last piece to our flawless plan is now in place and we can finally begin the carry-out."

I stared back at him curiously. "What carry-out?" I asked, making sure to keep my tone steady, but I had no doubt that the fear and nervousness I felt showed through.

His lips curled into a creepy smile. "Glad you asked," the man replied. "You three are going to  blow up the Daine Head Quarters."

"What?! No, you can't do that!" I completely forgot about the fact that I needed to be careful in choosing my wording, but if I didn't defend the Daines, then who would?

"Oh, but we can," the man disagreed, surprisingly calm. "Now that we have you, the final member of our team, we can finally begin our plan."

I stared at the man in disbelief. "Blow up the Daine Head Quarters? Do you know how many people that could hurt or kill?" I rebutted. "I won't do that."

The man shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry to hear that, and I'm sure Brandon will be too."

I felt a stab to the heart. If I didn't help explode the Head Quarters, Brandon would get hurt. But if I did, many others could be hurt. I was stuck in the middle of a choice I would never be able to make.

"So what will it be, Teya? Will you join us to protect your brother? Or will you protect them and join your brother? But trust me when I say, it won't be in prison." I looked up at him, then over at Jasper and Savannah, who both looked amused and satisfied. They knew I was trapped between choices, and that I'd eventually have to choose one. But I didn't. I realized that the only way they could win was if I gave in, if I made the choice. So I refused.

I kept my mouth shut and avoided their gaze, instead staring at the ground. Outside, I stayed defiant, but on the inside, I was scared for my life, for Brandon's life. If something happened to him, I didn't know what I would do. What if I was making the wrong decision? What if the only way to help Brandon was to just do it? Would I?

"You can't ignore this decision forever," the man warned. That's what you think, I wanted to say, but I also knew deep down that he was right. But how long would I be able to ignore it? I still wasn't sure exactly what they were capable of, but I knew it was beyond my previous belief. They were dangerous, and I knew it, and they knew that I knew it.

I still didn't say anything as I stared at the ground, feeling all three of them shooting daggers from their eyes. But I couldn't give in.

"I see, you think you can just ignore us and everything will just go away. Well, that's not going to happen." His voice rose to a level of anger that made me believe he had been holding back." You think you're being smart by not answering to us, but that's just about the dumbest thing you could do right now. Jasper, Savannah! Take care of her. Make her talk." He barked his orders as he stormed furiously out of the room. I wasn't sure whether I was relieved that he was gone or if I was more afraid of Jasper and Savannah than I was of him, but I realized I was about to find out who was worse.

Jasper turned toward me as soon as the man was gone. I took a cautious step back even though I knew that wouldn't help me- there was no escape. Jasper's lips curled into a tight, evil-looking smile. "Teya, how about we make a deal."

I eyed him carefully, wondering how he could possibly think I'd be interested in any deal he could give me.

But before Jasper could continue, the room suddenly began to shake violently, throwing all three of us off balance. I caught and steadied myself as I watched the blurry image before me, the entire room jolting back and forth. Jasper and Savannah glanced at each other in panic, then up at the roof as it began to crack and large pieces began falling from the ceiling to the floor. The room shook harder and I fell against the electrified bars, shocking my whole body. I screamed as I fell to the ground of my makeshift cell, only partly conscious. The world was blurred and my entire body ached as I waited for the shaking to stop. I began to question my belief that the bars weren't a high enough voltage to kill me if I were to ever touch them again- not that I planned to.

I groaned as the shaking slowly began to become lighter until it had completely stopped. I looked up to see Savannah and Jasper lying on the ground, their hands slowly moving away from where they protected their heads from the falling ceiling.

Then, as suddenly as the room had begun shaking, a booming voice echoed over a loudspeaker, catching me off guard. "Attention everyone," the voice spoke. "We have just fallen under attack by non-other than the Daines. Take cover and send all troops to the front of the building, armed and prepared for battle. RAYs, lock up our prisoner and report to my office immediately!" The room became silent again as the news sunk in, confirming our theories about the rapid shaking that had occurred just a minute before.

Jasper and Savannah quickly glanced at each other. "I have a better idea," Jasper said.