Year 12 (First Draft)

-Chapter 28-

  I rest my head against the jacket Kane has been using as a pillow. I feel tired despite it still being only early-evening if I haven't completely lost track of time. Boredom weighs heavily on my eyelids, and I feel myself slipping into sleep. I turn, trying to keep myself awake, not wanting to fall asleep before I contact Paul again to clarify the plan for tomorrow.

  Kane rests the scratchy blanket on top of me, taking a seat next to me.

  "Did you ever doubt we'd come to get you?" I ask, trying to get comfortable.

  "No," Kane says without any hesitation, "but I worried about how it would be done. This is the best outcome I could have asked for."

  I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. When I open my eyes again, Kane is laying on his side on the cement, with nothing for bedding. I sit up, grabbing the jacket and the blanket, moving next to him. I place the jacket under his head, rest my own on his chest, and do my best to cover us both in the small, tattered blanket. Kane's arms wrap around me, bringing more warmth than the thin blanket.

  I savor this moment, the feel of Kane's fingers in my hair, the warmth of him, the steady rise and fall of his chest. Tomorrow he'll be gone, and deep down I know that's what I want, but it doesn't make it hurt any less.

  I can't stop the tears that have dropped from my cheeks onto Kane's chest, and when Kane asks what's wrong, I choke back a sob. "I just missed you," I say, again knowing this is not the true reason for the hurt that's festering inside of me. Kane is my strength, and I have to be his now. I need to be strong for him.

  "I missed you too, love," Kane says, kissing the top of my head.

  "Why'd you do it?" I ask, "Keep me safe, protect me, I mean. When they asked for information you wouldn't give it to them. They beat you," I say, finding the lump in my throat growing.

  "I think you know exactly why I did it," Kane's hand rubbing my arm.

  "But I don't deserve that," I counter, "You didn't deserve any of this. You would have been so much better off if you hadn't found me in that alley that day. Your life would be so much less complicated-"

  Kane's lips find mine, and I stop my rambling.

  "Fel," He whispers, "I love you; It scares me how much I love you. Don't ever think my life would be better without you."

  "I just feel like I've brought so much trouble into your life."

  "And I haven't brought any into yours?" Kane asks. I realize he's right. We both have contributed our fair share of baggage in each others' lives. "We always find a way past it all, but only together. So please don't think of yourself as my burden. You are so far from it."

  "We'll be there tomorrow morning bright and early," Paul says. "I managed to hack into their system, so I've been going through surveillance specifically. I found a way to shut it off for tomorrow. Andrea and Andrew got plenty sleep, so they're ready. I'll call you before we break in. I'd say we have a max of fifteen minutes to get out of there, and that truly is a max."

  "Thank you for filling me in," I mention, "I'm just anxious for it all."

  "Don't be worried, Fel," This time it's Andrew's voice. Him and Paul both talk to me, reassuring me that everything will be okay. Only Andrew and Andrea truly know my plan, and I hope that that goes smoothly. Kane's safety and return are my number one priorities.

  "I'll see you both tomorrow," I say, sighing.

  "Be safe, Fel," They say in unison as the call ends.

  "Everything set for tomorrow?" Kane calls from his place on the ground, the blanket lying over him lazily.

  "Yes," I answer, kneeling, curling up next to him. "They'll get in contact with me tomorrow morning before they come."

  "You need to rest," Kane requests, although it sounds like a command more than a request.

  "So do you," I remind him.

  "I don't know if I'll be able to," He confesses, his forehead pressed to mine. "I still worry that if I sleep I'll wake up and..."

  "And?" I press.

  "And you'll be gone," He finishes, closing his eyes, his jaw clenched.

  "I'm not going anywhere," I say, hating myself for it, "I'll be here when you wake up."

  Finally he closes his eyes, and slowly drifts off.

   And I'm not far behind him.

  I wake up with a start, surprised to see Kane is no longer lying beside me.

  I sit up, looking around the Cell. He's not here.

  I stand, walking to the door of the Cell. I feel my heart drop to my toes. The door's open.

  I step out into the hall, turn to my left and run into Andrew. Behind him, there's Andrea, Anya, Mrs. Porter, Paul, and finally, there's Kane.

  "What are you all doing here?" I ask in disbelief.

  "They told me everything," Kane snarls, his voice a low rumble as he comes forward, grabbing me by the arm. "How dare you do this to me."

  "I don't have a choice," I cry, his touch on my arm like scalding hot metal.

  "And you say you love me," He spits, his voice angry, but the hand coming up to run across my cheek is gentle. "If you really love me, you won't hurt me like this."

  I begin to sob, falling to my knees.

  "It's because I love you that I have to do this." I look up at him, never having been more intimidated in my life, my tears distorting his face. "Please... please forgive me."

  I suck in a breath, my eyes flying open. Kane is still beside me, his arms wrapped around my waist, his face buried in the crook of my neck. I smile, happy to see he's actually sleeping. I bring my hand up to his face, running my hand over his cheek, his jaw, his lips. I twirl his hair around my finger, letting my lips graze the stubble on his chin.

  Kane sighs, and his eyes slowly open. He yawns, then smiles when he realizes that I'm also awake.

  "It's definitely not morning yet," Kane groans, stretching. "Why're you up?"

  "Bad dream," I say simply.

  "Want to talk about it?"

  I shake my head. I can't talk about it, even if I want to. The dream, while a work of my imagination, felt extremely real. It felt like a punch to my gut, a tear in my heart.

  "Okay, well, you should get some more sleep," Kane says, "there's still a couple of hours left I'm sure before the others are going to come for us."

  I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  I'm too rattled to go back to sleep, because that dream was exactly what reality I am going to face within the next twelve hours, and I don't want to live it until I have to.

A/N~ Guys, we are one chapter away from the end (which will be posted tomorrow!) Tomorrow I will also be laying out the plans for Year 18, when it will be posted, schedule for posting, etc.

Questions: 

1.) How do you think the last chapter will play out?

2.) How will the plan work, or not work?

3.) What are your predictions for Year 18?

See you guys tomorrow for the final chapter! Much love,

-Sarah