The Awakening

Chapter Seven

A split second passes, but I take the time to refocus. I scream loudly and grab onto Andrew's arm. Although I know exactly what just happened, I have to play the part. I fill my expression with fear, and I force myself to tremble. Andrew holds me steady, and is panicking himself, but looks down at me in my forced state of fear, and calms himself enough to talk to me.
    "Hey, it's all right, we are gonna get out of here. Everything is going to be fine," he says, his voice calm, and sturdy. I nod at him, and he takes my hand. We run over to the door, and Andrew unlocks it, peering into the corridor. After several seconds he pulls me through the door, and we run down the hall. Many people are screaming, but we don't see anyone until we reach the staircase. We are just about to descend when I hear his voice.
    "Ella where are you?" Frost asks me through the earpiece.
    "Andrew, are you sure it's safe to go down the front staircase?" I ask, pulling out of Andrew's grasp, in response to Frost's question. He doesn't answer, but I'm sure he heard me.
    "It will be fine, trust me," Andrew says, re-extending his hand. I take it, and we run down the staircase. As we reach the bottom we are blocked off by the crowd of screaming people try to exit through the front doors. Just as I am taking off from the last step on the grand marble staircase I feel a hand tighten around my wrist, and I get yanked backwards out of Andrew's grasp. I scream again, although this one was not fake. I am actually scared of who it may be. What if they know who I am, and are ready to kill me? When I turn around to see the person who has a hold on me, the fear that I just encountered disappears when I see a familiar form. A person in a black bodysuit faces me, the sit moving, and twisting with her body. The only difference between mine, and hers in the ruby that rests between her collar bone, and the red hair sticking out in a perfect ponytail on the top of her head.
    "I've found her, now what?" Emma asks, loosening her rip, but pulling me up next to her. I do my best to recreate my look of fear, but on the inside, I am so happy to see her.
    "Use her like she is a hostage, we want to get Andrew to come with us, remember?" Frost says, his voice is hushed, but I hear him perfectly. "Ella, do not put your suit on," he warns me, and I want to roll my eyes so badly. I'm not stupid, I'm pretty sure even I would know that I would be a very convincing hostage if I were dressed identically to the killers.
    "Ella!" A voice calls for me in the distance, and I recognize Andrew's seemingly sweet, but concerned tone.
    "Andrew!" I scream at the top of my lungs, so there is no chance of him missing the fear in my voice. "Andrew, help!" I scream again, and again until he emerges from the crowd, and his eyes meet mine. I have managed to make a steady stream of tears roll down my face as I struggle against Emma. She is stronger than I am, so even if I was really trying she could take me easily. I stop struggling when I feel her put the barrel to my skull. I know she would never really shoot me, but he doesn't know that.
    "Ella!" He screams back at me, stopping when he sees the gun to my head. Soon the crowd has diminished, and all that is left is Andrew, Emma, and I.
    "Don't move! Move, and I'll shoot her!" Emma barks at him with such force that it sounds nothing like her. I continue to sob, even when he speaks.
    "Just let the girl go," he pleads, putting his hands in the air, and looking me in the eye. I can barely see him out of the water that is blurring my vision. Before Emma can respond to him there is a dragging sound coming from across the ballroom. I stop crying long enough for my eyes to clear up, and I move to a slight whimper as the sound gets closer. I see Andrew's face go white before the Felix Caldwell's  boy is thrown on the floor next to me. I scream, which isn't a far stretch because seeing a dead body makes me tremble even harder. Terrorist or not, I am now still an accomplice to a murder.
"It's okay Ella, I told you my dad died a long time ago anyway," he says cooly. I continue to whimper, but I am truly confused. Is he saying this for my sake, or does he truly mean it? Why is he protecting me anyways? He barely knows me, and because of it, he is being pulled into a trap. I am starting to feel guilty, but I bury it inside me, saving it for another time when I can let it out without compromising the mission.
"Andrew..." I choke out, my voice shaky, and even I am surprised by how scared I sound. I was never a good actor, but I have been practicing for the last couple months, so I guess it counts for something.
"Shut it," Emma says, pushing the gun closer to my head, but loosening her grip, so I know it's all a rouse.
"This is how it's going to work," Frost says in the same cold and insane tone that he used when he kidnapped us. "You are going to come with us, or your girlfriend here is going to get her brains shot out," he finishes, smiling a heartless smile.
"Okay, just don't hurt her," he pleads again. A look of confusion crosses Frost's face but then recedes back into a smirk.
"Why do you care about her so much?" Frost asks him, eyeing his movements.
"I-" Andrew gulps, looking at me, and I search his eyes, fear still stained on my face. "I see myself in her, and she is the first person who has seen me for me, not the son of a terrorist," he says. His voice is certain, and sure, which makes me feel even more guilty, so I bury that guilt too.
"All right, let's go" Frost shrugs, and he walks over to Andrew and pins his hands behind his back. Frost forces Andrew forward, and as they turn around Emma puts her gun away and leans in close to me.
"Sorry for being so harsh," she whispers to me, and I give her a small smile, which I know she can see under her suit. She lets go of both my hands, and motions for me to walk in front of her, and I do. She still takes my arm, but I don't mind it, it reminds me of when she takes my hand before we fall asleep every night. Mason, who came in with Emma walks behind us until we reach the car. I am shoved in between Emma, and Andrew, while Frost takes the wheel with Mason sitting next to him. Andrew wraps his arms protectively around me, whispering calming things into my ear. It is getting a bit annoying, but I let him, continuing to act terrified until we reach the place where we are supposed to board onto the hovercraft. When we all get tapped into our seats, I end up getting shoved in between Frost, and Emma. Even after we are in the air, Andrew continues to ask them to let me go, but Frost just shoves a gun to my head and tells him to shut up. I silently thank Frost because Andrew stays quiet the rest of the flight back to base.