Hurters and Healers

15

Alex was asleep in the chair when I woke up. I felt bad making him sleep on the chair but the only other option was for him to sleep in the bed with me and last time he had been extremely hesitant and cautious. I didn't feel like trying to talk him into it again. He would probably be so worried about hurting me that he wouldn't sleep.

I sat in bed for a while thinking and doing nothing but kinda just existing. Do you ever do that? You just sit there and don't really think about what you're thinking, because that makes sense somehow. It's very peaceful and a very good way to waste time when you have time to waste. Unfortunately, I'm usually at the compound where there's not much time to do anything for fun anymore.

"How long have you been awake?" Alex asked when he woke up.

"I don't really know. How long have you been sleeping in that chair when you could've just told me to move over?"

"First, you're injured. I'm not risking hurting you more. Second, how am I supposed to know how long I've been asleep? Am I supposed to have a clock in my head that tells me exactly when I go to sleep and when I wake up?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the chair."

"If you weren't already hurt, I would push you off that bed."

"You'd have to be on the bed to do that," I pointed out.

"Not necessarily."

"There are more important things to talk about, like the meeting last night. How did it go?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I would rather argue about useless things than talk about that meeting."

"What happened?"

"Well, I found out that Alan didn't snitch about the entire plan but someone at another compound that knew the whole plan did. I doubt we'll be able to pull it off unless we completely change it, and even if we managed to do that, it would be nearly impossible to tell people without getting busted. Security is getting harsher every day. I think by the time you're out of the hospital they won't even be letting us back into the compound," Alex explained.

"I'm sure we can come up with a new plan and we can use these changes to our advantage."

"How?"

I thought for a minute before I told him "They wouldn't expect us to come up with another plan so we have the element of surprise on our side. And if they're increasing security at the compounds isn't it making people wonder where their officers are going? Are they recruiting more or are they just taking them out of the city?"

"How would we ever find out that?"

"Maybe from Daddy Dearest who's sympathetic towards his favorite daughter," I suggested.

"You really think your dad would tell us that?"

"He's against us rebelling against the compounds- "

"Obviously," Alex interrupted. "Sorry, continue."

"He's against us rebelling but maybe if we came up with some sort of situation where it makes sense to ask questions like that. And there are sympathetic officers at the compound. I don't know if any of them support us rebelling but I know some of them are sympathetic towards the people who grew up in the compounds."

"Like who?"

"Every Tuesday and Wednesday the same officer picks up the nightly report from the infirmary. I don't know his name but he has brown curly hair, brown eyes, and maybe an inch or two taller than you. He asks me questions about everything and I can tell he's sympathetic. He's our best bet," I told Alex.