Chapter 13

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Once I was sure that it was dark enough to slip out under the cover of darkness I climbed out of my bed and slipped on my shoes, tying the laces especially tight so as I didn't lose my shoes when they took my lifeless body away. Opening the door to the lodge as quietly as possible I slipped out into the open air and looked up at the clock. I could still see it in the half-light of the night which was a good sign because it meant that I had a little time before they came for me.

Stealing myself I ducked behind the celebrity lodge and knocked gently on the door. I knew it was a risk to be so careless, but I really didn't care, after all I'd be dead soon so it wouldn't matter. I was willing to do almost anything to see Jack one last time and to put my mind at rest. There were so many things to say and so little time for it.

A few seconds passed and I waited patiently by the door. After a few minutes I gave it up and started to tip toe back towards my lodge when the door opened, and a soft voice called after me. "Sorry I thought it was later the other day." With a smile, I turned to see Jack's sleepy face hanging out of the door. "It was but I needed to speak to you." He rubbed his eyes before stepping out of the door and closing it behind him, taking a seat as he did the previous night, he patted the stone step beside him, and I took my spot. "I came to say goodbye." I mumbled, picking at the piece of skin that had begun to peel away from my fingernail. "You don't have to say goodbye." He explained, turning to me and taking my dirty, callous hands in his which were surprisingly smooth and gentle. "I was below the line..." Shaking his head and smiling he began to explain, "You were but now you're not. I pulled some strings that I have, and they removed your name. Your also quite a celebrity yourself at the moment..." Confusion seeped into my face, I hadn't even registered his hands around mine and yet that didn't really matter anymore. "How do you mean?" I asked, looking him in the eyes and noticing the slight difference in the shade of brown in both eyes "Well, your speech proved quite popular and there's been a few protests to keep you in. I guess I picked well, huh? Did you know the favourite is you? Apparently, people think that I'm going to pick you. I don't know what makes them think that, do you?" I found myself looking down at his hands, gripping mine tightly and then slipped mine away from his. "I'm sorry. I'm confused." He nodded, a slight pain striking his face when I moved away from him. "I...ummm...I meant what I said. About you showing me round Oregon...I'm going to pick you." The news came as a shock and I found myself slipping off of the side of the step. My face fell dead serious. "Are you ok?" Jack asked and sudden panic filled my body as I could see the people in black entering my lodge. "Emily..." I whispered, quietly at first and then scrambling to my feet a lot louder. "What?" Jack looked thoroughly lost in my process of thought. "My friend! She's still on the list! Jack, please help me stop this! Pleas, I promised I'd protect her!" My sudden sadness must've gotten to him because he was stood up and lightly touching my arm. "What can I do? I'll probably get in trouble for saving you never mind another!" I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eye, "Please..." Silence and then a nod as he took my hand and lead me forward into the yard where the girls had been lined up, just like the previous night.

"Umm, excuse me?" He asked and the boss man turned to face him, suddenly whipping off his mask and looking highly surprised. "Yes?" He responded and I gave Jack's hand a little squeeze. "I think there may have been a mistake on your clipboard, see this lovely young woman came to my door just a minute ago to explain that her friend was missing from her bed and we wondered if you had accidentally rounded her up." There was a sudden silence in which the only sound was the sniffling girls. My eyes settled on Emily in the centre of the mass, tears running down her face. "I've only got the people on my list." The boss explained, staring Jack down with harsh grey eyes. "Perhaps there has been a misprint. Could I take a look?" The boss stared Jack and me down before putting his hand back and grabbing the list. He dangled it above Jack's outstretched hand then finally dropped it into his palm. It didn't take Jack more than a second to identify Emily and he pointed at it, letting go of my hand for just a second. "Here. Miss Emily Denver." I saw Emily's face pick up as Jack read the name. "It's a typo, this is supposed to be Emily Dover. You know, from Michigan." The boss rolled his eyes and turned back to his troop of black clad assassins.

"Which one of you idiots made this mistake?" A small person stepped forward and removed her mask, I remembered her as the woman from the previous night. "Me sir." She squeaked and I watched his grey eyes glaze over for a second as he thought over what to do next. "Your fired." He said calmly before turning back to Jack. "I'm sorry about the mix up, so just take you typo and go." Jack nodded and looked into the crowd as Emily made her way forward. She bolted for me as soon as she was free and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Thank you, sir." Jack mumbled as he started to walk away but the boss didn't seem to be finished. "Hold up just one minute. If it's a typo, why did they send you?" Panic filled my body and I felt my grip on Jacks hand tighten. "Because all of you we're already out here and I was the first one to talk to this shaken girl." The boss nodded, seemingly dismissing us and with that Jack yanked both me and Emily away from the yard and towards the lodges. "Which ones yours?" He whispered and I released Emily to point to lodge five. He nodded and walked us over, coming to a stop in front of the door and finally releasing my hand. "You should go inside." I muttered to Emily who reluctantly let go of me and entered through the bright red door.

"Thank you." I mumbled as I climbed onto the first step then turned back to look at him. "If anyone finds out about this..." He trailed off upon seeing the tiny smile seeping onto my face. "What?" He asked, suddenly becoming self-conscious, I noticed because he always bit his lip when he felt insecure and he was doing it right now. "You're a real nice person Jack. I think Ma would love you." He turned red, that I could tell in the darkness that was slowly settling over camp. "I hope I get to meet Ma soon." That really set me off smiling, ginning like an idiot but loving every second of it. "I have a feeling that you will do, after all your choosing me right..." We shared a laugh and I wondered how Chowder would take him. He'd probably get possessive and scratch but eventually calm down and see sense.

The smile faded from my face. "Jack. I need one more thing though." I knew that what I was about to say could land us both in huge trouble. That it could end my life and his career. "By the looks of your face I don't think I want to know what it is." He remarked but he was still light and playing around as he had been before. "I need you to get Emily immunity." Silence, an unexpected sentence had been thrown into the mix. "I don't know..." He was shaking his head, now biting his lip and furrowing his eyebrows. "Please. I promised myself that she'd go home to her mom. She's too young." He wasn't looking at me anymore but rather the dusty gravel beside the step. "I'll see what I can do." He finally responded and I felt like jumping for joy. At least she'd be safe. "Thank you." I mumbled and he nodded before turning and starting across the yard. "Wait!" I called after him, rushing down from the step and stumbling slightly in the gravel. He turned back and took me into his arms to stop me from falling. "There you go saving me again." I joked and as he smiled, I stepped onto my tip toes and planted a careful kiss onto his cheek. Pulling away from his grasp I noticed how red he'd gone, and he was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll see you tomorrow." I muttered before finally allowing him to leave and heading into the lodge.

The people in black were gone by the time our conversation had finished, bodies and all.

Emily was curled sideways on her bed when I got inside, sobbing gently to herself. "Emily?" I asked but she seemed to ignore me, shrugging off the hand that I placed on her back. "You were gonna leave me to die!" She cried and I stumbled back a little at her anger. "I wasn't. I didn't know that Jack was going to alter the scores." She turned to look at me, eyes red, lips bleeding form where she'd been chewing on it. "You're not my friend." She mumbled through her tears and looking her straight back in the eyes I couldn't hold my secret in anymore. "I've got you immunity but if I'm not a true friend then you won't want it will you." Her face fell slack, shock did funny things to her complexion. "I asked Jack to find a way to send you home." I explained as she turned her whole body to face me. "Why?" I though of Ma and Chowder, the family that watched my progress back home. "Because we're not friends, we're family." She smiled and threw her arms round my neck, yanking me into a hug before releasing me and smiling. "Now you better go to bed because we've got more trials tomorrow." She nodded and rolled over, allowing me to tuck her blanket round her feeble body.

Climbing into my own bed was sheer bliss, the mattress was the most comfortable thing I'd ever slept on, the blanket was the warmest blanket ever and as I lulled between sleep and consciousness my hand drifted down to touch my dress, stowed beneath my bed and instead brushed the hard wooden floor.


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