The Code

Chapter Thirteen

"What. Are. You. Doing?" A panicked shout came from outside. I looked up to see strips of light shining through the holes in the old wooden ceiling. It was morning. I sat up, noticing that the pillow I had been sleeping on was warm, and moving. I smiled slightly. Sam. Wait, her father! Did Lucia get rid of him? My head exclaimed. It seemed to be the only thing working right now. I stood up, brushed the dirt off my trousers and jumper, and made my way, sneakily to the door. I peeked round and saw Nathan pacing angrily back and forth, obviously waiting for Lucia and Max who were standing at such a distance that we couldn't her a single word of what they were saying.

"Is it safe?" I whispered to Nathan. He spun round and gave me a weird look.

"Huh?"

"Is it safe?" I repeated. "To come out, or will Max bite my head off too?"

Nathan shook his head. "Oh, no, no, you're fine. He was only a little bit angry at Lucia. More disappointed to be honest."

I nodded and went out to stand next to him. I looked up at his face, and still saw the anger in his eyes that I had felt when he shouted at Siva and I. "So... how are you?"

He looked at me and smiled weakly. "You know that I am really sorry about yesterday, right?"

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. You were stressed, I was stressed. It doesn't matter. Let's just forget about it. Go back to the last place we worked."

He smiled sweetly at me. "This is why I like you so much, Alex. Even if you aren't in the wrong; you'll still apologise and say to forget it."

I shrugged my shoulders and chuckled. "I'd rather be that way, than to not let emotion affect me in any way, until I break down."

His cheeks turned to a cute shade of red, and he looked away from me. I smiled up at his side profile, then turned to watch Max and Lucia arguing. "He isn't going to hate you, Alex. You know that he won't ever be able to do that." Nathan said softly, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket. I watched him open them and place them on his nose.

"He has exactly the same capabilities of any other person in this world. What makes you think that he can't hate me?" I asked.

"You'll have to talk to him yourself. It isn't my place to say."

I rolled my eyes and stepped away from him. "And we're going back to the horrid Nathan that I constantly want to slap. Thanks, sweetheart," I turned back to the barn and started walking back inside. Nathan grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I stared straight into his eyes, challenging me.

"Glaring at me isn't going to make me let go. I can't tell you, and once you find out, you'll know why. I'm sorry, and I would tell you if you could! Trust me! It's seriously killing me, having to keep this from you, but I've known ever since you joined this plane."

I snatched my arm out of his grip, and went back into the barn without saying a word. There was a groan from where Sam was sleeping; my gaze shot to her, but thankfully, she didn't wake up. I didn't want to talk to anyone any more. I just wanted to get out of here, just get off The Code's list of wanted people. 

There was a cough at the door, so I turned to see whether it was Nathan. "I'm not going to talk to him, if that's what you want," I told the man at the door.

He shook his head. "I wasn't expecting you to talk to him. I want you to talk to me though."

I smiled at him. "Why do you need to talk to me, Max?"

"Just come. In private. I don't need anyone other than you hearing this," he replied, gesturing for me to go to him. I walked over and he put his arm round my shoulders, then took me off, out of the building, past Nathan, past Lucia, even past the bus.