Sudden Departure

Chapter Seventeen

When I fell back through the portal into The Barracks, barely any time had gone by. Everyone was still crowded in the Gateway waiting for a debriefing.

As the Commanders rambled on about "good work" and "next time we'll..." I didn't listen. The weight of what I had just seen was still on my chest. My body still tingled when I thought about when The Guy touched me. The beauty of the Ritual was permanently engrained in my mind, now.

Worry also swamped my mind. What if I get caught for not reporting the illegal ritual? Or worse, what if The Guy tricked me and is going to report me? I shook off my fear when he Commanders dismissed us. If anything, The Guy is probably the rebel, I reassured myself.

When I filed out of the room with everyone else, I felt the eyes of one of the Commanders boring into me. As I passed her, she slipped her hand under my arm and pulled me out of the group. She stared at me with a firm and unwavering glare.

"Don't come here again tomorrow. Instead, go to Death at the same time as you came here today." She blinked rapidly and flinched. A broad grin spread across her face. "Thanks for coming today, it was a pleasure," she said cheerily, and completely different than before.

I nodded and pressed my lips together. She smiled again.

For the rest of the night I kept to myself. I didn't have the urge to stuff my face so I skipped dinner and got to save myself the humiliation. I stayed in the shower for along time and considered more about what would happen if I got caught not reporting the Ritual.

The more I thought about it the more nervous I became. A strong feeling of worry settled in the pit of my stomach as I readied for bed and stole the bunk in the very back of the Scouts' quarters.

Over time, all of the Scouts filtered into the room and settled into their violet clad beds. Their breathing became steady and calm in their sleep while I still tossed and turned.

A long time ago, I pushed the thoughts of the Ritual out of my mind. I meditated over the test I had with Death earlier that day. It scared me. I had been, in my best friend's body, kissing Cameron, who seemed to be over my death. Then, there was my mom, who still appeared to be broken up by it, as her and my family left my things and my memories behind forever. I didn't know what was true and what wasn't as I rolled over onto my stomach and propped myself up on my elbows.

If only there was a way I could check up on my family and friends, I thought. Then, it hit me. The portal.

I slid from my bed with and landed with a soft thud. Then, I pulled on my boots and snuck from the room on my toes. I crept to the elevator and rode it down to the main lobby. It was dark except for the domes glowing on the walls on the levels and columns. The silence hung in the air with an intense feeling of expectation. The expectation that it would be broken, and broken painfully loud.

I walked stiffly across the room, careful not to rest my heels down too hard. When I finally reached the Gateway I let out a heavy breath that I had been holding since I got out of the quarters.

The room was empty and the images from the portal flashed at a blinding speed and casted odd, misshapen shadows across the room. The ceilings had changed and were set high above my head. Dusty support beams arched under the gray ceiling.

I slowly approached the mirror/portal, not bothering to control my steps. I pressed my hands against the cool glass and watched ripples dance across it. I closed my eyes and thought about my home town. The small, rundown buildings that housed "mom and pop" shops. The happy kids and their happy parents. The brand new schools and the kids that filled them.