How much do you really know?

eight

    My mind started wandering as we made our way through the forest. I hoped that they knew where there were going and I wondered why I was even trusting them. They were just a group of teenage boys. How did a group that large even escape the base? It was hard for me to escape, and I was only one person, let alone ten.
    Then I remembered how they took down Walker. But they couldn't have beaten up dozens of guards, could they? Why did they even get taken to the base in the first place? Was I walking with a group of murderers? Did they care when they were forced away from their families and taken to school?
    I still remember the day I was taken.

    "Mommy, who's here?" I yelled from the top of the staircase as I heard my mother open the door.
    "Oh, nobody you need to worry about right now. Will you go pack a bag for me? We're going on a surprise vacation for your birthday!"
    I was so excited that I didn't even question where we were going or why I wasn't allowed to acknowledge the person at the door. She had never brought me on a trip before. That should have been my first red flag. I only turned around and ran back to my room with a huge smile. I had just turned eleven the day before and now felt like a big kid.
    I quickly grabbed my backpack and stuffed some clothes, my hairbrush, my toothbrush and some toys in it. I also grabbed some of my favorite books and a blanket. Then I threw on my favorite pair of tennis shoes and ran out of my room without even turning off the light. As I came to the stairwell, I heard whispers from downstairs. I couldn't quite make out the words, but I slowly looked through the rails to find two men in uniforms sitting on our living room couch, my mother sitting in a chair across from them.
    However, as soon as I peeked at them, one guard turned his head and looked right at me, as if he could sense me. He had huge muscles and short, blond hair.
    "Oh, there's your little ray of sunshine." He smiled. "Why don't you come down here? We don't bite."
    I glanced at my mom and she gave me a reassuring smile.
    That smile was the only reason I stood up on my shaking legs and slowly crept down the stairs. I didn't think about the news I had seen the other day.
    My mother said nothing as those men in uniform dragged me out the door, screaming and kicking. I cried and screamed for her over and over, but received no reply.
    Right before she closed the door behind us, I caught her eye and I stopped struggling. There was no hint of sympathy. Nothing showed that she even cared.
That was the day I really grew up, even though I had taken care of the house for years. No one was who you thought they were.

    I was taken out of my daze by the sound of a boy laughing. I looked up and noticed that it was the black haired boy. He was clutching his stomach and was doubled over. The boy next to him was the same boy who smiled at me. He had an exasperated look.
    "Yeah, very funny, Connor," he said sarcastically.
    I looked away from the scene and noticed that the boy with glasses was also walking near me, away from the crowd. He caught me looking at him, but we both averted eye contact. He walked with a natural slump, his eyes always on the ground. He was always fidgeting with his thumb, as if he was nervous all the time.
We walked for who knows how long. The boys in front of us were laughing and having their own conversations. From what I could see, they seemed to be divided into two or three groups, with a couple of boys who traveled between all the groups. The exception was the boy next to me, who seemed to belong to none of the groups, and hadn't spoken to anyone since I had seen him.
    This scene was the cheeriest thing I had seen in over five years. Almost everyone had a smile on their face.
    All of a sudden the boy next to me tripped on a branch. He gasped, but caught himself. A couple of boys looked back, but when they saw him straighten back up, they turned away and continued with their own conversations.
    I, for one, walked over to him.
    "Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded and l00ked to the side. I thought I heard him mutter a "yeah, thanks," but I wasn't sure if it was just something I picked up from the boys ahead of us since it was so quiet.
    "I'm Eliana. What's your name?"
    He turned to me. His eyebrows were scrunched together as if he was confused about why I was even talking to him.
    I barely picked up on his whispered reply.
    "I'm Gavin." He dropped his eyes back to the floor.
    "I like your glasses."
    I saw the hint of a smile on the shadow of his face and I took that as a small triumph, feeling my own mouth turning up into a grin. He pushed his glasses up with one finger.
    "Thanks." That reply sounded a little more confident, as if he realized I wasn't going to throw insults at him or judge him. Maybe he was like me and just wanted someone to talk to.
    "How long have you had them?"
    He finally looked up at me, and the smile on my face grew wider. My joy seemed to radiate to him, and his grin grew wider as well.
    "I've had them since I was in second grade, so I guess about eight or nine years."
    "Huh. Do they ever bother you or have you gotten used to them?"
    "I'm so used to them that I usually forget that they're there. And wearing them is way better than not. I'm practically blind."
    His dark eyes twinkled behind the black frames.
    I grinned. When I was a kid, I wanted glasses because I thought they would make me look smart. Now they just seemed like a pain to me, but they suited Gavin well.
    It was then that I felt a brush of cool air and looked forward to see an end to the seemingly never-ending forest. The blue sky was a wonderful contrast to the green and brown of the trees I had been looking at for hours.
    Spread out before us was a green plain, backdropped by towering mountains just beginning to cover with snow. I could make out another tree line about a mile away. At least we wouldn't be out in the open for too long.
    The dark skinned boy who originally came out of the woods to talk to Walker came to the front of the group and stopped all of us. He was incredibly backlit by the setting sun behind him. I could barely make out his face.
    He held up both hands to silence us and everyone immediately hushed.
    "We have arrived where we are going to spend the night. We don't know if any more guards will be coming after us, but I don't doubt they will."
    I heard a couple boys giggle and push each other. Apparently these guys couldn't just stand still and listen.
    "We won't be having a fire tonight in case the guards see the smoke."
    He locked his eyes on mine and gestured for me to come to him. Everyone else was already starting to get comfortable, sitting on logs or moss and starting conversations. I walked over to him.
    "I'm Carson. I kinda run this group. I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably the most mature out of all of us."
    I grinned and stared at my feet.
    "I'm Eliana," I murmured.
    "Eliana. I like that name." I looked up and him. His eyes were soft, unlike when I first saw him.
    "Thanks." He had intimidated me at first, but I realized that he could make himself look scary if he wanted to. In reality, he was kind.
    "You're probably a little flustered." I nodded. I was very confused, but mostly I was just happy to be out of that base. "Let me show you around and introduce you to the guys."
I felt a rush of air and spun around. A boy rushed by me at lightning speed, laughing hard.
    "That's Connor." Carson leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "Don't let his good looks fool you, he's actually a jerk." Now that I thought about it, he was kind of good looking, and his laugh only added to the picture. He had smooth, jet black hair, and dark blue eyes. Then, a pain spread through my chest as I heard a crack. I took a deep breath as I looked down and saw yellow liquid streaming down my shirt. I was hit by an egg! Connor's laugh became even more intense. He doubled over, held his stomach, and kept laughing. A boy ran up behind Connor.
    "Crap! I am so sorry! I really didn't mean to hit you! I'm so sorry! Let me wash that for you." He was the same guy that had smiled at me earlier. Meanwhile, Connor was behind me, on the ground, laughing so hard I was surprised he was still breathing. My face felt like it could melt a popsicle. The boy kept apologizing.
    "Seriously I'm so sorry. I meant to hit Connor." His face turned to the other boy. "Hey man! Shut up! This is not funny!" Connor managed to talk through his laughs.
    "Bro, this is the funniest thing I've seen in forever!"
    The boy glared at Connor, then turned to face me.
    "Connor, you are the absolute worst!" Connor sat up as his laughs started to lessen.
    "I know," he replied with a smirk.
    I turned to Carson. He had a serious look on his face, but I could tell he was suppressing a smile. He seemed to want to be having fun like the other boys, but had grown up too fast.
    "Come on guys. How immature are you?"
    The guy that hit me with an egg looked down, his face bright red.
    "Very," Connor chuckled as he started to stand up. He glanced at me when he was half way up and burst into another fit of laughter, falling back on the ground.
    Carson gave Connor's arm a weak kick.
    "I have an extra shirt that you can change into if you want."
    "I have extra clothes in my backpack," I replied.
    The boy next to me gave a sigh of relief.
    "Great. I'm seriously so sorry."
    I grinned. "It's totally fine. I'm Eliana, by the way."
    He put out his hand for me to shake.
    "Bryce. It's so nice to meet you," he replied with a killer smile. I noticed then that his nose was a bit crooked, as if he'd broken it in a fight. He didn't look like the kind of person who would get in a fight, but he did look like the kind of person to win in a fight. "That's Connor. He's my best friend, but I don't even know why I bother." He glanced at Connor and gave a little laugh.
    Those words felt like a stab in the heart. All I ever wanted was a best friend I could count on. I didn't even care if they were as annoying as Connor.
    He noticed the pain in my face and put his arm on my shoulder.
    "Hey, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?" It wasn't his fault at all, so of course I wasn't mad at him. I was a little annoyed, but mostly I was just jealous.
    "No, nothing's wrong." I forced a smile onto my face and he relaxed a bit.
    Finally, Connor had calmed down. He wiped his forehead.
    "Phew. That was the most I've laughed in like,"
    "Five hours." Bryce cut in.
    "That... is not wrong."
    I laughed. This was the kind of friendship I aspired to have.
    Connor turned to me and put out his hand.
    "Connor, at your service. Please let my hot face seduce you."
    Bryce snorted.
    I grinned. Maybe I could get used to these guys.