Timeless

Chapter Fifteen

Oh wow it's been a long time. 

I'm so sorry.

~~~~~

Alex's POV

I wanted him dead. And he probably would be dead, if Nat hadn't stopped me. The image of his listered neck and face flashed in my mind as the guards bound our hands behind our backs, and I almost smiled. Almost.

But then the man's last words stuck in my head.

"I wasn't the only one that helped kill them, though! The Octet Court did too."

I had a feeling he wasn't lying. A guy like him usually wouldn't have any close friends-they would be in jail with him, if that was the case. The other people that were there that night were probably people from the Octet Court.

Okay. If I can concentrate my- my magic on our binds, then I can probably break us out. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Jasper and Natalie. Jasper was closest to me-he was in the middle with Nat on his left. I stared at him until he looked back at me.

What? he seemed to say, one eyebrow raising.

I glanced at our binds then back at him. We rounded a corner, the guards still pushing us forward. Then I focused on the binds around my wrists. They were digging into my skin, and were probably going to leave marks. And they hurt. Concentrating, I felt the binds grow hotter. It was hurting my wrists as well, and no doubt Nat and Jasper's, but the guards yelped and let go. The three of us pulled on the binds and broke out. The binds had only been temporary, it looked like, so they weren't very strong. We shoved the guards into the walls as hard as we could, and as they fell down we started running. We didn't even know where we were going, but we knew where we wanted to go. Home.

For some reason, I had never really considered our forest-camp a "home." It was probably because I was so attached to my old home, the one I had lived in with my parents, that I had never even given the forest-camp a chance.

"We've got to get out of here," Nat gasped as we ran. "But we'll have to find another Time Orb."

"How the heck are we supposed to do that?" Jasper asked.

We turned a corner just as alarms started to go off.

"They know we're out," I said, pulling Nat and Jasper into some sort of closet. Closing the door behind us, we stood in darkness, our loud breaths the only sound in the room.

"We've really done it now!" Natalie complained quietly. Footsteps clanked past us.

Those are guards, I realized.

Racking my brain, I tried to think of a way to get out of this. But we didn't know anything about this place. If they caught us, we would be at their mercy.

"Guys." I felt their attention turn to me. "I actually can't think of a way to get out of here alive."

There was silence. Then, Natalie took a shaky breath.

"So we're going to die here." Her voice broke. She was starting to crack. With all the stress we had been put under, I didn't blame her.

Then, Jasper grabbed my wrist. "Well, if we're going to die here, I might as well do this while I can."

I felt his other hand find my cheek. "What are- what are you-"

I was cut off as I felt his lips press against mine. Both of our lips were cracked and dry from being outside and running around so much, but in that moment, I didn't care. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I sank into the bliss of his touch.

We pulled away all too soon, but now... I wanted to get out of here. Determination coursed through me as his grip on my hand tightened.

Think, Alex. What's the best thing you can do right now? As I listened to Nat's quiet sobbing, and felt Jasper's hand in mine, I realized what I had to do. We were falling apart, so if I could get us together, we could think.

Turning my attention to Nat, I placed my hand on her shoulder. She was shaking. "Nat. We'll do our best to get out of here, I promise."

She breathed in sharply. Her voice was shaking, but she seemed to be pulling herself together. "Okay, okay."

"I might have an idea," Jasper said hesitantly. "But I'm not sure if you'll like it."

"At this point, I'll take anything," I responded.

"Alright. What if... we went back to that man in the cell? He probably has the answers we need. And he could help us."

"He's probably left the cell in this chaos," Natalie said. "So he's probably somewhere in the forest."

"Alex? What do you think?"

I paused. That man had killed my parents. But...

"Fine."

~~~~~~~~~~HERE WE GO AGAIN, FRIENDS~~~~~~~~~~

The forest was just as eerie as it had been earlier. Jasper's hand hadn't left mine, and when Natalie had seen that, she was ecstatic. Walking slowly through the forest, we peeked behind trees.

"Maybe he's still in the cell?" Natalie suggested after ten minutes of searching.

"I assume you're talking about me."

I practically jumped out of my skin as I whirled around. He was there, in all his raggedy-clothed 'glory.'

Rage built up inside of me, but I suppressed it. This wasn't the time.

"Were you following us?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

"To put it simply: Yes, I was."

"Why?"

"Well, I guess that you would want to find me again. It was inevitable." He spread his arms. "So, here I am. Ask away."

I narrowed my eyes. He was acting weird-weirder than he had been earlier.

"I'm glad you aren't trying to kill me again," he said. "Now that I'm out of that cell, I can use my own magic. So, if you tried to touch me or hurt me in any way, you would die."

"Is this your idea of making conversation?" Natalie questioned. Her eyes were ringed red from earlier.

"Well I don't see any of you trying to, so yes, it is." He studied her. "Oh. Were you crying? I apologize. It was probably my fault. But oh, I do love seeing people cry. Sad, broken, helpless." He smiled. "It just means that I can crush them easier."

Without thinking, I spoke. "You and us, a battle to the death."

His eyes widened. "Oh? Really?"

"Yes. I know you have a Time Orb on you. Put it over there, by those tree roots." I pointed to the base of a tree a few yards away. "That should keep it safe. Whoever wins gets to keep it."

The man paused, and then drew a Time Orb out of his pocket. It pulsed with energy. Then his lips curled back in what he probably thought was a smile. And he laughed, a maniacal cackle that reached my bones.

"Fine then." He tossed the Time Orb over to the tree roots. "Let's fight."

~~~~~

Jasper: I hope we win

Alex: well, yeah

Jasper: oh shut up

Natalie: i'm just happy that you two finally kissed

Thanks for reading! Sorry I didn't update this for a while. I'll try and do another update today.